AVoIP in Higher Education: Upgrade Once, Scale Everywhere, Spend Less

If you’re responsible for campus technology, you know the pressure to make every dollar count. Budgets are tight, and students and faculty demand a seamless and consistent, high-quality learning experience. Technology investments are under tight scrutiny to deliver the most return on investment.

Unfortunately, legacy AV systems — built on proprietary hardware and point-to-point cabling — are expensive to refresh and too rigid for today’s learning environments. Institutions today are using Hybrid and HyFlex learning models, overflow spaces for lectures and campus-wide event streaming. These services for faculty and students are no longer optional — they’re essential.

This is why institutions are rapidly shifting to Audio-Visual over Internet Protocol (AVoIP). By moving audio, video and control signals onto the existing IP network, AVoIP transforms AV into an agile, IT-aligned service that lowers total cost of ownership and improves the student and faculty experience.

Ten years ago, AVoIP was sort of a buzzword — the next frontier. Up until then, classroom technology leaders couldn’t really use TCP/IP networks. As a transport layer for content — typically high-bandwidth audio and video — A/V specialists could use TCP/IP networks for control and communication, not necessarily to move content.

AVoIP became the solution to this problem, shifting from an emerging technology to a service that’s very well established for modern learning environments.

Traditional AV setups create roadblocks:

• High refresh costs: Proprietary systems require expensive upgrades.
• Limited flexibility: Room-bound hardware can’t adapt to overflow or hybrid learning.
• Complex cabling: Adding new spaces means pulling more cable and buying more gear.

AVoIP solves these challenges by leveraging the network you already have. Instead of installing dedicated AV cabling, you use your IP infrastructure to distribute content and control signals across campus. That means fewer headaches, lower lifecycle costs and a foundation that supports future growth.

When you adopt AVoIP, you’re not just upgrading technology — you’re improving experiences and driving measurable ROI:

• Scalability and interoperability: AVoIP is decentralized. Whether you have a single source and display or a thousand sources and displays, it’s all powered by the same basic technology. This scalable nature of AVoIP allows you to add classrooms or event spaces without ripping and replacing hardware.
• Lower total cost of ownership: Reduce cabling and installation costs while simplifying lifecycle management.
• Enhanced learning environments: Support hybrid and HyFlex models seamlessly, giving students and faculty the flexibility they expect.
• Centralized control: Manage AV across your entire campus from one command center.
• Operational simplicity: Move not just audio and video, but control signals. For example, a professor located in a different facility across campus can take USB control of a device situated in another room via AVoIP. This functionality enables not only content distribution but also the transmission of control signals. These signals are full duplex, allowing both sending and receiving of discrete commands.

AVoIP shines in scenarios where flexibility and reach matter most:

• Lecture streaming: Deliver high-quality video to overflow spaces or remote learners.
• Digital signage: Push campus-wide announcements or emergency alerts instantly. With a display, you only need a network connection and power to get started. No need to add anything else.
• Event broadcasting: Stream live events across multiple locations without extra hardware.
• Command centers and security operations: Monitor hundreds of cameras and doors from a single video wall, and instantly push emergency alerts to any display across campus. AVoIP makes safety and operational visibility easier by using your existing network infrastructure.

For institutions competing on experience and efficiency, implementing AVoIP may be the way to go.

AVoIP aligns perfectly with modern learning and digital transformation strategies. As AV and IT converge, your campus becomes one integrated system, ready for emerging technologies and evolving learning models. Over the next few years, expect AVoIP to become the standard for AV distribution in higher education.

Implementing AVoIP doesn’t have to be complicated. A trusted IT partner like CDW can help. We offer turnkey solutions that meet your unique needs — whether you’re starting small or rolling out campus-wide. Our experts help you design, deploy and manage AVoIP systems that deliver ROI and elevate the student experience.