What is a video extender, and how can I tell if it will work in my setup?

StarTech.com offers HDMI over IP video extenders that let you extend HDMI signals over your network to create a video wall. They allow you to catch the attention of your audience with impressive digital signage. And with some of our video extenders, you can also extend USB. This video extender works with a free mobile application that makes it easy to create and manage a video wall. The app is simple to set up with automatic hardware detection. It allows you to switch video sources for each remote display and manage your video distribution. The software is available on iOS, Android, and Google Chrome. Video over IP devices extend video and audio differently than point-to-point video extenders. Point-to-point video extenders transmit your video and audio wirelessly or using cables separate from your network. Video over IP devices convert your video and audio to IP packets so that the data can be transferred over your existing network. This allows you to take advantage of your network infrastructure, and allows for greater control and scalability. The maximum distance you can transmit is determined by your network infrastructure. Transmitters and receivers can be up to 100m apart from a network switch or router. The ST12MHDLAN allows for a maximum of 16 transmitters, depending on your network’s bandwidth. The maximum number of receivers depends on your network’s bandwidth. Video signals sent through the video extender consume bandwidth on your network. To calculate the average bandwidth for a 1080p 60Hz video, use the following equation. Add the number of transmitters to the number of receivers, then multiply the result by 45 Mbps. For example, when you use one transmitter and four receivers, the average bandwidth is 225Mbps. For best performance, make sure that your hardware supports more bandwidth than is required. StarTech.com recommends at least a Gigabit network for use with the ST12MHDLAN. The ST12MHDLAN requires that the transmitters and receivers are connected to a switch or router that supports Internet Group Management Protocol or IGMP. IGMP allows devices on the same network to communicate more efficiently. IGMP support can be confirmed with your hardware manufacturer. If at this point you have questions about the ST12MHDLAN review the other videos in this series which will include installation, use of the software, and general troubleshooting. If you would like to learn more about video extenders in general review our video series on that subject.