AVID S1 (x2) & DOCK + MAC PRO 2019 Setup

[Paulienat]

Hi everyone,

I'm going to have a setup with 2 AVID S1 + DOCK connected on the second Ethernet port of a Mac Pro 2019.l, plus 3 Tablets for metering.

The first ethernet port is connected to a switch connected to the Internet Router.

So for Avid I'm going to use a Netgear unmanaged Switch connected to the second Ethernet port available on the Mac Pro.

1- Is it better to use Cross or straight cable from Switch to S1 and/or from Switch to Mac? I read it should be the same but did anyone notice differences?

2- Do I need to put another wifi router just for this system to have the Tablets on a dedicated wifi network that is the same of the wired network of the S1 or is it ok to have the Controllers wired connected to the second Ethernet port (through the switch) and the Tablets in the wifi on the Internet Router?

Tks for feedback

[its2loud]

Hey there.

For my setup with 1 Dock and 3 S1’s and 4 tablets I use a separate router with Wi-Fi and an Ethernet switch connected to that router for additional ports for all the units. The Wi-Fi for the tablets is separate from my main Wi-Fi for any other devices.

I use straight Ethernet cables to connect everything. It all works without major issues. Hope that helps.

[albee1952]

Indeed, don't use crossover cables at all

[Paulienat]

Can I connect the Tablets using Usb to the Mac to have them on the network or Do I have to connect them all with an ethernet-lightning adapter?

[its2loud]

Originally Posted by Paulienat

Can I connect the Tablets using Usb to the Mac to have them on the network or Do I have to connect them all with an ethernet-lightning adapter?

What kind of tablets are they?
WiFi will work just fine but if you insist on hard wiring directly then you will need an Ethernet adapter for the tablets.

[Paulienat]

Originally Posted by its2loud

What kind of tablets are they?
WiFi will work just fine but if you insist on hard wiring directly then you will need an Ethernet adapter for the tablets.

I'm still not sure if buying another iPad Air (I have one) or going with the cheap Fire Hd10, Im just worried about any lag on the Fire HD, cause the Avid Control on iPad works good.

Usually I prefer hardwired connections, but at the same time I don't want to deal with the charge of the tablets everyday, so wifi would be good.

[its2loud]

Other people may love the HD10, I do not. I’ve tried it twice for metering tablets and both times they consistently lose their connection or randomly drop off the network for a second and then reconnect. I’ve had great success with the Samsung Tab A8 10.5” tablet.

Since you’re in Italy you might have access to some other Android tablets out there that the US does not.

The Fire HD10’s are on sale right now so it’s a good time to buy them if you want to try for yourself.

The Tab A8 is on sale as well but about twice as much as the Fire HD.

[Paulienat]

Originally Posted by its2loud

Other people may love the HD10, I do not. I’ve tried it twice for metering tablets and both times they consistently lose their connection or randomly drop off the network for a second and then reconnect. I’ve had great success with the Samsung Tab A8 10.5” tablet.

Since you’re in Italy you might have access to some other Android tablets out there that the US does not.

The Fire HD10’s are on sale right now so it’s a good time to buy them if you want to try for yourself.

The Tab A8 is on sale as well but about twice as much as the Fire HD.

What about lag and responsiveness on Fire HD? Tab A8 is a good device but the price comes closer to the one of a basic iPad here.

[its2loud]

Originally Posted by Paulienat

What about lag and responsiveness on Fire HD? Tab A8 is a good device but the price comes closer to the one of a basic iPad here.

For the meters the responsiveness of the HD10 is comparable to the Samsung

[EddieJones]

To confirm what others have said:

• Crossover cables havent been needed for 10+ years
• You can run the tablets on the Inetrnet routers WiFi (but follow the advice on this page for reliable connections Avid Control KB)
• The Amazon Fire tablets are very slightly slower than a good/new iPad but it depends on what kind of work you do...