Network connection requirements

To operate reliably over a local network, PlayoutONE requires network adapters and hardware, such as switches or routers, to support speeds of at least 1 Gbps.

"Gigabit" speeds have been commonplace on network appliances since the early 2010s, but occasionally, we find some stations running into performance issues caused by using older or faulty network equipment, which max out at 100 Mbps.

This acts as a bottleneck, preventing PlayoutONE from communicating as quickly as it needs to between, for example, a server and a studio PC.

Gigabit connections allow data to travel 10x faster than 100 Mbps ones:

Some managed switches can be configured to run at a certain speed, so it's important to check equipment is configured correctly to provide the maximum supported speed.

The category of network cabling used can also be a limiting factor. The original variant "Cat5" cables only support speeds up to 100 Mbps while "Cat5e" supports 1 Gbps. Newer "Cat6" cables can provide speeds of up to 10 Gbps when connected to compatible devices.

🌐 What's the difference between LAN and WAN connections?

Local area networks (LANs) describe your network environment up until your router or internet provider's hardware takes over. This includes computers, network switches, access points, and other hardware that enable devices to communicate locally, without relying on the internet.

Routers often act as the "brain" of your local network, assigning devices IP addresses and managing traffic as it passes from one device to another. They are the midpoint between your LAN and your wide area network (WAN).

The most common type of WAN is one operated by your internet service provider, which connects all its customers to its network infrastructure. Some customers may have their own WAN in the form of a Virtual Private Network (VPN), which connects multiple remote LANs together.

PlayoutONE requires a 1 Gbps connection between PCs on the same LAN, but a faster WAN connection will also improve the experience for any WebVT users.

❓ Why does PlayoutONE need a gigabit LAN connection?

PlayoutONE is rarely configured in a way that it's confined to a single PC. Whether you have multiple machines on the network linked together or a single server with WebVT installed, at some point, it will need to communicate with another device over a network connection.

When it does, as the demonstration above shows, having anything less than a gigabit connection can cause data packets sent over the network to bottleneck, either queuing up and waiting their turn to be sent over the network or abandoning packets that cannot be delivered.

This can present itself in many forms, such as PlayoutONE lagging, freezing, or not responding.

🛜 Can I use PlayoutONE over a wi-fi network?

Wireless network connections are typically slower and with a reduced network throughput compared to a wired network connection.

They are unlikely to reliably deliver the 1 Gbps connection required so we do not recommend using wireless networks and cannot provide support for PlayoutONE running over a wireless network.