Dante redundancy sends every audio flow over two separate networks at once. There’s no failover to wait for: if a cable, switch or port fails on one network, audio keeps playing from the other without a dropout. Clocking and control traffic also run on both networks. Redundancy doesn’t retransmit lost audio, though, so if both networks fail at the same time, the audio stops.
What you need
- Dante devices that support redundancy. These have a primary and a secondary Dante port. Some devices also have a Switched mode, where the second port works as a daisy-chain port instead. If your device has both modes, set it to Redundant in Dante Controller (Device View > Network Config tab).
- A second set of switches and cables for the secondary network.
Wiring rules
- Connect primary ports only to the primary network and secondary ports only to the secondary network. Plugging even one secondary cable into a primary switch breaks the setup.
- Never link the primary and secondary switches, and don’t run both networks through one switch without VLANs.
- Connect devices that don’t support redundancy to the primary network only.
- Connect both ports on a redundant device at the same link speed. If the primary port is on a 1 Gbps switch port, the secondary port must be on a 1 Gbps port too.
IP addressing
The primary and secondary networks must use different subnets.
- Without DHCP, devices give themselves link-local addresses: 169.254.x.x on the primary network and 172.31.x.x on the secondary network. A Mac or Windows computer won’t do this on its own. If your computer connects to the secondary network, set its address manually to one in the 172.31.x.x range.
- With DHCP, use a separate DHCP server or address range for each network. Never let both networks get addresses from the same pool.
- Use either DHCP or link-local for all devices on a network. Mixing the two causes problems.
Connecting Dante Controller
If your computer has two network ports, connect one to each network and choose both under File > Interfaces in Dante Controller. You’ll keep full control of all redundant devices even if one network fails.
If your computer has only one network port, connect it to the primary network. If the primary network fails, you can move the cable to a secondary switch and change the interface in Controller to keep control. From the secondary network, you can’t get access to devices that are only on the primary network, including non-redundant devices and Dante Virtual Soundcard.
Limitations
Redundancy doesn’t work for flows between subnets, even when you use Dante Director or Dante Domain Manager. Devices send all traffic to other subnets through the primary port.
Test before going live
1. Test the primary network alone. Before you connect any secondary cables, connect every device to the primary network only. Route audio between devices and check that it plays cleanly on every channel and that all devices show up in Dante Controller.
2. Connect the secondary network. Redundancy turns on by itself when a redundant device’s secondary port is connected. In Dante Controller, open each receiving device’s Receive tab and check the Status column. Every redundant subscription should show as successful on both primary and secondary. If one shows primary only, that device’s secondary port isn’t connected or is plugged into the wrong network.
3. Break the primary network. While audio is playing, unplug the primary cables or power off the primary switches. Audio between redundant devices should keep playing without a dropout. Devices that are only on the primary network will lose audio, which is expected. To watch the test in Dante Controller, your computer must also be connected to the secondary network.
4. Restore the primary network. Reconnect the primary network and check that every subscription shows as successful on both networks again.
If you want, you can repeat step 3 with the secondary network broken. This confirms that each network can carry the system on its own.