FAQ | Are there any inline copper based Ethernet extenders that are capable of use with Q-SYS?

Find out if there are any inline copper Ethernet extenders that can be used with Q-SYS.

Updated at November 30th, 2023

Answer


For an copper extender to allow going beyond 100m(328ft) for gigabit Ethernet it needs to have a switch function. If it has a switch function it needs to support the items listed in the attached documents. The attached PPT lists basic features the switch needs to support.

The proper solution for Q-SYS deployments over 100m is via 1GbE fiber optic multi-mode (220m/550m range) or single-mode (up to 10km range) link. Most switches offer SFP options for fiber optic deployments. AlliedTelesis makes layer 1 media convertors (AT-DMC1000/XX), they confirmed having benchmarked latencies of 64 byte frames - 1,300 ns and 1518 byte frames - 1,320 ns. The layer 1 media convertor will allows you to convert a 1GbE copper port to fiber.

Attempting to use wireless (Wi-Fi or Cell) including microwave will not work for Q-SYS. PON (Passive Optical Network) will also not work.