NETGEAR Engage: Evolution or Revolution?

From Traditional IT Tools to AV-Friendly Interfaces

When NETGEAR stepped into the ProAV space back in 2016, we quickly saw that conventional IT tools didn’t meet the needs of AV professionals. Although our M4300 switches delivered high performance for AV-over-IP protocols like SDVoE, they only worked out of the box because we preset the AV-over-IP parameters. It was helpful—but not enough to bridge the comfort gap. Many AV technicians still found networking intimidating, and we realized true innovation would require more than just shoehorning in default settings.

Introducing the M4250: Designed for Real-World AV Use

By 2020, with the launch of the M4250 series, we took a giant step forward. We built an interface that spoke AV. Instead of dense command lines, integrators could now visually configure protocols—Dante, NDI, AES67, Q-SYS, AMX, and NVX—by simply clicking the desired protocol and assigning ports. It was intuitive, visual, and designed for humans—not network engineers.

Scaling Up: AV-over-IP Gets Complex

As AV-over-IP systems expanded—across campuses, multiple switches, and large venues, configuring each device manually became a laborious and error-prone process. Repeating identical steps on every switch was inefficient and risky. What integrators needed was centralized control—but without the complex jargon of IT.

Enter NETGEAR Engage: One Tool to Manage It All

That’s where the NETGEAR Engage Controller comes in. No longer tied to individual devices, Engage offers a portable, centralized management solution that works across switches, routers, and wireless access points. The beauty? No installation is required. Whether you’re on a Mac or Windows machine, just run it from a USB drive and manage your entire AV network site-to-site, making complex deployments smoother and faster.

What Sets Engage Apart

Right from launch, Engage delivered features that integrators dream of:

• Automatically discovering NETGEAR AV switches on the network.

• Pushing firmware updates with a single click.

• Applying protocol profiles that are preconfigured for AV needs.

• Visualizing network topology at a glance.

• Automating common networking tasks like IGMP tuning, link aggregation, and VLAN propagation.

These capabilities cut deployment time drastically—from multiple days down to mere hours—with far fewer mistakes.

Engage 2.0: A Unified Interface for AV, WiFi & Routing

Engage 2.0 took things further by integrating routing and wireless control into the same interface. With the PR460X Pro Router and WiFi 7 access points (WBE718 and WBE758) now manageable through the app, integrators can handle VLAN assignments, multicast bridging, and SSID configurations—all from a unified, streamlined workflow. It’s a network management platform that truly brings together all aspects of AV infrastructure.

Built by AV Professionals, for AV Professionals

Engage wasn’t built in isolation. We co-developed it with integrators and manufacturers in the field, gaining insights from real-world use cases. Whether installed at corporate HQs, performance venues, or worship sites, Engage’s portability, AV-centric design, and zero-install nature make it a dependable tool every time.

Your Safety Net in a Growing AV-over-IP Landscape

As AV networks grow in complexity, Engage becomes more than a tool—it’s a safeguard. It helps integrators avoid misconfigurations, accelerates deployment, and ensures operational reliability from day one. With each update, its adoption continues to grow, reflecting how critical it has become in modern AV workflows.

Constantly Evolving with New Protocol Support

Free, Powerful, and Ready to Download

Best of all? NETGEAR Engage is completely free—no licenses, no subscriptions, just powerful AV network control in your toolkit.

Download Engage today and transform how you manage AV networks.