How to Use SoundGrid Network in a VLAN

Sep 14, 2023

SoundGrid is an exclusive network. Mixing SoundGrid with other types of traffic on the same network can result in audio drops or other problems. Refer to this article for guidelines about using a SoundGrid network in a Virtual LAN (VLAN).

VLAN is a virtual sub-network within your network switch. It enables you to logically divide one physical switch into smaller networks that do not “see” each other. VLAN is useful for separating devices that are running different network protocols on the same switch, while maintaining SoundGrid’s required privacy.

Some of the switches supported by SoundGrid are managed, which allows VLAN to be configured via the switch’s management interface.

Please refer to the following principles:

SoundGrid is a layer 2 (L2) protocol, so layer 3 VLAN terms and methods do not apply.
Use static (port-based) VLAN. MAC-based VLAN (dynamic-VLAN) is not supported.
Switch ports that are connected to SoundGrid devices should be set as ‘untagged ports’* and assigned with the same VLAN ID.
By default, all ports are assigned to the native/default VLAN.
Switch ports that are connected to SoundGrid devices should be assigned to the PVID** that matches the SoundGrid VLAN ID. All non-SoundGrid ports should be assigned with a different VLAN ID and PVID**.
If you are using 2 network switches that share SoundGrid devices between them, alongside other VLANs that run non-SoundGrid protocols, use a trunk port to connect both switches. Tag* the non-SoundGrid VLAN on both switches, and leave the SoundGrid VLAN untagged. Since the trunk line carries transmissions from different VLANs, make sure you have adequate bandwidth.

*Tagged vs. Untagged port: A tagged port (i.e., a trunk port) is used to transfer the traffic of multiple VLANs between two or more switches, whereas an untagged or "access" port accepts traffic for a single VLAN and is suitable for ports connected to end devices (e.g., a SoundGrid Server, I/O, or host computer).

**What is PVID? The Port VLAN Identifier (PVID) indicates which VLAN a port is a member of. Since SoundGrid devices are not VLAN-aware, frames received from these devices do not contain a VLAN Identifier (tag). Therefore, a PVID is necessary. For example, if SoundGrid is on VLAN 20, then the PVID for all the ports connected to SoundGrid devices must be set to 20. This allows the switch to correctly identify which VLAN traffic from these ports belongs to.

Please note:
Waves technical support cannot assist with setting up VLAN on your switch.
Please consult your switch’s documentation for more information.