Architectural audio speaker manufacturer Origin Acoustics has confirmed a new strategic partnership with Netgear, Inc. to resell and support Netgear’s custom installation-focused wired and wireless offerings.
Alll models of the Netgear AV’s M4250 and M4300 lines of managed switches and five models of the Pro WiFi Access Point products are now available directly from Origin Acoustics.
Beyond traditional support, Origin Acoustics will provide a support structure with a direct line to true wireless and wired network engineering staff as well. This is not a consumer 1-800 number, but rather professional network engineers prepared to support the growing needs of the modern-day residential integration professional.
“Origin Acoustics’ foundational value has always been to create and provide the best hardware and service solutions for our clients,” says Joe Whitaker, Vice President of Business Development at Origin Acoustics. “Although we have continuously evolved beyond being a provider of first-class audio solutions that are the easiest to install on the market, we want to offer end-to-end solutions that have a positive impact on the entire eco-systems they use. While our core focus is on audio, adding stable and reliable networks makes sense.
“Considering 83 per cent of residential and commercial music consumption is over the network,” continues Whitaker, “our audio solutions simply cannot meet expectations without a solid network infrastructure. By strategically partnering with Netgear and providing AV-specific network components that exceed many competitors’ standards and innovations, we can safely regulate the quality down to the sound that comes from our amazing speakers and create a foundation for our own innovations moving into the future.”
Netgear’s AV-focused division, Netgear AV, was recently launched to concentrate on the needs of both the commercial and residential custom integration AV markets. This includes products that are only available in the AV distribution channel, design teams for Pro AV and Pro Wi-Fi installations, and software to help configure and manage wired and wireless networks.
This new division is further enhanced by the addition of CI industry expert Seth Rubenstein as Residential Sales Manager at Netgear.
“Netgear and Origin Acoustics are ideal strategic partners as we both serve the high-performance residential and commercial AV markets,” comments Rubenstein. “Our products align to deliver seamless, reliable connectivity and superior product performance together.”
Available in a range of configurations, Netgear AV Line managed switches are designed for clean integration with traditional rack-mounted AV equipment. All power and cabling are organized in the back for a sleek and clean look and feel while the front of the unit conveniently displays port and activity status.
The M4250 switches offer multiple mounting options depending on the installation. And all Origin Acoustics M4250 models provide Power over Ethernet (PoE) for single cable power and data delivery, making installation even easier.
Netgear’s M4300 fully managed, stackable switches, meanwhile, are scalable to meet specific custom home network requirements. This series includes a wide breadth of products designed to handle multiple devices operating at max speeds.
All M4250 and M4300 switches feature Netgear IGMP Plus for out-of-the-box functionality and an AV-centric user interface for simple profile-based, per port configuration from either a built-in GUI or the free, standalone Engage Controller application.
Origin Acoustics will also be offering access point models supporting the latest WiFi 6 and WiFi 6E standards with a maximum bandwidth from AX1800 to AXE7800. All wireless access points include four years of ProSupport, and four years of Netgear Insight Pro remote management. Origin Acoustics will exclusively offer the OA4WiFi6 model access point, which is one of the most affordable WiFi 6 access points on the market with a purpose-built access point enclosure that integrates into Origin Acoustics’ 6-inch ZipClip speaker mounting system.
Origin Acoustics will offer free Pro Wi-Fi wireless and ProAV wired design services for staff provided by Netgear. This will allow every project to start off ready to perform. With a simple submission of floor plans and additional info, Origin Acoustics customers will receive full layout and heat mapping, including vital information such as Wi-Fi channels per access point in a format presentable to the client as well as a BOM.
Netgear Insight allows installers to deploy, monitor, and manage networks from anywhere. Cloud based remote network management allows you to set up, configure, monitor, and manage select Netgear devices 24/7, 365 from one central location reducing cost and time. Insight includes management of a wide selection of Netgear access points, switches (excluding M4240 and M4300), routers, and mobile hot spots for a complete network ecosystem.
At ISE 2023, which takes place January 31 through February 3, 2023 in Barcelona, Netgear and Origin Acoustics will be hosting a Networking Happy Hour on February 2, 2023, 4-6pm at the Netgear exhibit stand #5D800.