The network is now the core of signal distribution
In the ongoing migration of broadcast and control room infrastructure toward IP-based workflows, two specialists have joined their distinct disciplines to remove one of the quieter but persistent obstacles to progress. Guntermann and Drunck, long trusted for KVM systems, and NETGEAR AV, builders of AV-optimized network switches, have released a plugin that collapses hours of manual network configuration into a single automated step. The gesture is modest in appearance but meaningful in consequence — because in environments where latency and reliability are not negotiable, the gap between a correctly configured network and a misconfigured one is the gap between a control room that works and one that does not.
- Every IP-based KVM deployment has carried a hidden tax: technicians manually configuring VLAN, QoS, and IGMP settings port by port, a process where a single error can compromise an entire control room's reliability.
- The tedium of that manual work is not merely inconvenient — in broadcast and mission-critical environments, configuration mistakes translate directly into latency spikes, signal failures, and operational risk.
- G&D and NETGEAR AV have answered with a plugin that applies a complete KVM-over-IP network profile to switch ports in one step, eliminating the repetitive hand-configuration that has slowed deployments and invited human error.
- The integration pairs G&D's bluedec video technology and ultra-low-latency KVM expertise with NETGEAR AV's AV-optimized switching hardware, PoE++ support, and centralized management tools.
- Facilities now gain the ability to scale across mixed switch types and bandwidth classes without replacing existing infrastructure, lowering the barrier to adopting IP-based KVM distribution.
- The partnership positions both companies at the center of an industry-wide shift, offering broadcast and control room operators a faster, more consistent, and more future-proof path into IP-based operations.
Two companies that have long worked in adjacent but separate corners of the professional broadcast world have built something together. Guntermann and Drunck — known for decades of KVM expertise — and NETGEAR AV — makers of the network switches that carry video and control signals — have released a plugin designed to solve a problem that has quietly slowed the industry's shift to IP-based infrastructure.
The challenge is straightforward but consequential. When facilities move from traditional direct KVM connections to IP-based distribution, the network becomes the backbone of the entire operation. VLAN configurations, QoS settings, IGMP Snooping Querier parameters — these are not optional details. They determine whether video arrives on time, whether latency stays low enough for operators to work without frustration, whether the system holds up when it matters most. Until now, integrators have had to configure these parameters by hand, switch by switch, port by port. Tedious work invites mistakes.
The G+D KVM-over-IP Plugin for NETGEAR AV changes that. An integrator can now apply a dedicated profile directly to ports or entire sections of a NETGEAR AV switch infrastructure, automatically activating all required network parameters in a single step. Configuration time shrinks. Consistency improves. The risk of human error drops.
The partnership makes sense when you understand what is at stake. G+D brings proven KVM capabilities — advanced security, high video quality through its bluedec technology, ultra-low-latency transmission, and workflow features like FreeSeating and CrossDisplay-Switching. NETGEAR AV brings AV-optimized switches, PoE++ support, redundancy options, and centralized management tools. Together, they give customers something they did not have before: the ability to scale across mixed switch types and bandwidth classes without replacing existing infrastructure.
Andreas Gerlach of G+D put the stakes plainly — in a KVM-over-IP world, the network is not just infrastructure, it is the core of the entire system. Laurent Masia of NETGEAR AV described the collaboration as a natural alignment between two companies that understand what modern mission-critical IP workflows demand. The plugin is where that alignment becomes tangible: less complexity, greater consistency, and a reliable foundation for professional operations in broadcast, control room, and other environments where failure is not an option.
Two companies that have long operated in separate corners of the professional broadcast world have found a reason to work together. Guntermann and Drunck, known for decades of expertise in KVM systems, and NETGEAR AV, which builds the network switches that carry video and control signals, have created a plugin that does something deceptively simple: it removes the need for technicians to manually configure network settings every time they deploy a KVM-over-IP system.
The problem the plugin solves is real enough. When broadcast facilities, control rooms, and professional AV environments move from traditional direct KVM connections to IP-based distribution, the network infrastructure suddenly becomes critical to the entire operation. VLAN configurations, QoS settings, IGMP Snooping Querier parameters—these are not optional details. They determine whether video arrives on time, whether latency stays low enough for operators to work without frustration, whether the system stays up when it matters most. Until now, integrators and network administrators have had to set these parameters by hand, switch by switch, port by port. It is tedious work, and tedious work invites mistakes.
The G+D KVM-over-IP Plugin for NETGEAR AV changes that equation. An integrator can now apply a dedicated KVM-over-IP profile directly to ports or entire sections of a NETGEAR AV switch infrastructure. The plugin automatically activates all the network parameters the system needs. What once took hours of manual configuration happens in a single step. The consistency improves immediately. The risk of configuration errors drops. The time to deployment shrinks.
Why this matters becomes clearer when you understand what KVM-over-IP actually does. Unlike traditional direct KVM systems, where dedicated cables carry keyboard, video, and mouse signals from a central control point to remote workstations, KVM-over-IP hands that responsibility to the network itself. The network becomes the backbone of signal distribution. If the network is misconfigured, the KVM system cannot perform at the level users expect. If the network is unreliable, the entire control room becomes unreliable. This is why the partnership makes sense. G+D brings proven KVM expertise—advanced security, high video quality through its bluedec technology, ultra-low-latency transmission, and features like FreeSeating and CrossDisplay-Switching that optimize workflows. NETGEAR AV brings the network infrastructure: AV-optimized switches, high-performance hardware, PoE++ support for powering devices over the network, redundancy options, and a centralized configuration interface that makes managing complex systems less overwhelming.
The collaboration also gives customers flexibility they did not have before. NETGEAR AV's infrastructure allows different switch types and bandwidth classes to coexist within a single environment, which means broadcast facilities and control rooms can scale their systems without ripping out and replacing everything they already have. A facility can start with one configuration and grow into another as needs change.
Laurent Masia, who oversees product management at NETGEAR AV, framed the partnership as a natural alignment. Both companies understand what modern mission-critical IP workflows demand. By combining G+D's KVM expertise with NETGEAR AV's networking technology, they are creating solutions that help customers transition to KVM-over-IP efficiently and with confidence in the system's future-proofing.
Andreas Gerlach, who leads innovation at G+D, emphasized the stakes. In a KVM-over-IP world, the network is not just infrastructure—it is the core of the entire system. When the network works correctly, everything else works. When it does not, nothing else matters. Having a partner that has specifically optimized its hardware and expertise for KVM-over-IP projects means G+D can deliver the quality and reliability its customers have come to expect. The plugin translates that partnership into something tangible: less complexity in deployment, greater consistency in configuration, and a reliable foundation for professional KVM-over-IP operations in broadcast, control room, and other mission-critical environments.
Citas Notables
By combining G+D's KVM expertise with NETGEAR AV's networking technology, we are creating powerful, scalable and easy-to-deploy solutions for control rooms, broadcast environments and other professional applications.— Laurent Masia, Senior Director of Product Line Management at NETGEAR AV
If the network does not function correctly or is configured incorrectly, the KVM data cannot perform with the level of quality users expect from G+D.— Andreas Gerlach, EVP Innovation at G+D and VuWall
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does network configuration matter so much in KVM-over-IP? Couldn't you just plug things in and let them work?
Because KVM-over-IP puts the network at the center of everything. The network is now carrying the keyboard, video, and mouse signals that operators depend on. If VLAN settings are wrong, or QoS is misconfigured, or IGMP Snooping isn't set up correctly, the video arrives late or the latency becomes unusable. In a control room, that is not acceptable.
So the plugin just automates what people were doing by hand before?
Exactly. But that hand work was error-prone and time-consuming. You had to configure each port or section individually, remembering all the right parameters. The plugin applies a complete, tested profile in one step. It removes the opportunity for mistakes.
What does G+D bring to this that NETGEAR AV couldn't do alone?
KVM expertise and security. G+D has spent decades understanding how to move keyboard, video, and mouse signals reliably and securely. They also bring features like ultra-low-latency transmission and advanced video compression. NETGEAR AV builds the network hardware, but they needed a partner who understood what KVM systems actually need from that network.
Is this just for broadcast, or does it apply more broadly?
Broadcast is the headline use case, but it applies anywhere you have a mission-critical control room—financial trading floors, emergency operations centers, media production facilities. Anywhere where reliability and low latency are non-negotiable.
What happens if a facility already has NETGEAR AV switches installed?
They can use the plugin immediately. It works with existing infrastructure. That is part of the appeal—you do not have to replace everything to get the benefits of automated configuration.