A decade ago, broadcast engineers at NAB would eye networking vendors like NETGEAR on the show floor, wondering why we were there. Today, those same engineers are asking us a very different question: “How do you do this?” The IP transition in broadcast is in full force. SMPTE ST 2110 has moved from experimental to expected, and broadcasters of every size are racing to build reliable, scalable IP networks.
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At NAB 2026, NETGEAR will once again prove that the network has an essential role. At Booth C7307, visitors will find two new M4350 switches, a major update to the Engage Controller software, on-demand sessions on IP broadcast network design, and a team of network design specialists available for project consultations. More than 110 partner manufacturers will also be on the floor showcasing broadcast solutions built on NETGEAR infrastructure.
The M4350 series has become the reference switch for AV over IP and broadcast environments. It offers enterprise-grade managed switching from 1G to 100G, with PoE++, redundant modular power, and hitless failover to meet mission-critical production demands. At NAB 2026, we’ll show how our portfolio is growing:
Live events and touring productions don’t take place in clean, quiet circumstances. Cables get yanked, connectors get wet, and setup happens under time pressure in environments that were never designed for network equipment. The M4350-16M4V was built with this reality in mind, featuring Neutrik etherCON®, opticalCON® QUAD, and powerCON® TRUE1 connectors in a secure, lockable chassis, offering the kind of ruggedized connectivity that broadcast crews actually trust in the field.
This switch delivers 16x 2.5G PoE++ ports (eight field-replaceable etherCON) and 4x 25G SFP28 uplinks via a modular card slot, with optional RJ-45 or fiber uplink cards for single-mode or multimode fiber. SMPTE ST 2110 timing with grandmaster and boundary clock functionality is built in, and TAA-compliant SKUs are available for government deployments.
As facilities push into multi-stream 4K and beyond, the aggregation layer is where bandwidth pressure concentrates. The M4350-16C addresses this directly with 16 ports of 100G connectivity, giving integrators the headroom they need at the core without forcing architectural compromises elsewhere in the design. For large AV-over-IP deployments, it’s the switch that lets everything else run as intended. A TAA-compliant SKU is also available for this powerhouse.
If there’s one thing broadcast and live events integrators know, it’s that on-site setup time is always shorter than planned. Engage Controller v2.4 tackles this with a new off-site configuration capability: integrators can now fully design and configure virtual switches and access points before ever arriving on location, save them as reusable templates, and deploy via manual setup or Auto-Onboarding when the team arrives. The result is less scrambling at go-live and more confidence that the network will behave exactly as designed.
The NETGEAR AV OS™ continues to power the platform, with certified profiles for all major audio, video, and lighting protocols that simplify deployment across the multi-manufacturer environments integrators navigate every day. Engage Controller is completely free and demo sessions at the booth will walk through the new v2.4 workflow hands-on.
For those looking to go deeper, NETGEAR Academy offers structured training on IP network design for broadcast and AV, a resource that reflects the industry’s broader push to get more engineers fluent in the infrastructure that now underpins everything.
The Academy offers a free Broadcast ST 2110 Certification. It explores the core elements of ST 2110 workflows, including video, audio, metadata encapsulation, as well as specific synchronisation requirements. When you pass, you’ll earn 10 AVIXA RUs. Learn how ST-2110 is reshaping modern broadcast operations.
“All of these evolutions are a result of a clear need from the market. Broadcast professionals must be able to work quickly and efficiently, avoiding downtime. These new features and additions to our portfolio demonstrate our ongoing commitment to making the work of broadcast and AV professionals so much easier”, explains Laurent Masia, Senior Director of Product Management at NETGEAR Enterprise.
Find NETGEAR at NAB booth C7307, April 19–22, for demos, on-demand sessions, and a conversation with the network design services team about your next project. Throughout the show, the team will also host informal discussions on real-world broadcast deployments.
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