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Deploying Rooms
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Understanding the audio and video network (LAN 2)
How a Pleneo device hub separates real-time audio and video onto its own port, and what its MAC address refers to.
Overview
Each Pleneo device hub has two LAN ports:
LAN 1: power, control, and network traffic
LAN 2: audio and video
Keeping them separate is intentional. It keeps the real-time audio and video traffic stable, predictable, and easy to manage.
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What does the LAN 2 MAC address refer to?
Every network port has a MAC address, the unique hardware address the network uses to identify it.
On a Pleneo device hub, each LAN port has its own MAC address. The one you'll see referenced for audio and video is simply the MAC address of LAN 2, the port that carries all the audio and video traffic. Wherever Room OS refers to the audio and video network, it means LAN 2.
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Why the audio and video traffic is separated
Audio and video traffic behaves differently from normal IT traffic. It runs constantly, uses a lot of bandwidth, and is easily disrupted by delays or dropped packets, so it doesn't sit well on a congested network.
For that reason, it benefits from its own handling, such as IGMP snooping, QoS, and a dedicated VLAN, and works best on its own network. That keeps it reliable and makes troubleshooting easier.
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How Pleneo handles this
Pleneo device hubs separate the two networks physically, across two ports:
LAN 1: power (PoE), control, and management
LAN 2: audio and video only
This lets your team connect LAN 2 to a dedicated switch, apply the right settings there, and keep it separate from the corporate network. Separating the ports physically like this means you don't need a VLAN to isolate the traffic.
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Typical installation example
A common setup looks like this:
LAN 1 to the corporate or control network
LAN 2 to a dedicated switch for audio and video
Each network is then configured on its own, with the right rules for its purpose.
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Why this matters
Separating the audio and video network:
Keeps audio and video stable
Reduces the risk of congestion
Follows standard installation practice
Makes large deployments easier to scale and support
It also gives IT teams a clear boundary between the audio/video and corporate networks.
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In summary
The audio and video MAC address is the address of the audio-and-video port (LAN 2) on a Pleneo device hub.
Device hubs have two LAN ports
LAN 1: control, power, and management
LAN 2: audio and video
The two are physically separated for reliability
If you're planning or managing the install, treat LAN 2 as the dedicated port for real-time audio and video.