AV over IP in Higher Education: From Hype to Higher Purpose

For years, AV over IP (AVoIP) has been a polarizing subject in higher education. Some campus technology leaders felt like it was pushed before its time, marketed as the inevitable replacement to traditional switching and distribution even when it wasn’t ready for prime time. Others leaned in early, seeing it as a way to modernize operations, reduce costs, and position AV as a true IT-aligned service. Regardless of which side you are on you can’t deny that AV over IP in higher education is the standard today.

However, the conversation has shifted. AVoIP is no longer an experiment or “flavor of the week.” In many higher education environments, it’s quickly becoming the default choice. Especially for new builds and major capital projects. The focus now is less about if institutions will move to AVoIP and more about how to deploy it sustainably and intelligently.

Is AVoIP Being Forced?

In recent years one of the strongest themes to emerge was the split perception of whether AVoIP is being “forced” on campuses. Some managers described a sense of fatigue, comparing the push for AVoIP to other hyped technologies like 8K video. This is where a tech is marketed aggressively but not immediately relevant to day-to-day needs. For these professionals, vendor-driven pressure overshadowed practical value in the early years.

Others have framed the shift differently, calling themselves “positive disruptors.” For them, AVoIP wasn’t something imposed by manufacturers but a tool they actively championed to escape outdated, analog-bound systems. In some cases, they faced resistance at their institutions but eventually won over administrators that embraced the move wholesale.

The reality is somewhere in between. While no one is being “forced” to adopt, campuses that want to stay current and competitive increasingly see AVoIP as the logical step forward.

What Problems Does It Solve?

For most, the appeal of AVoIP is less about buzzwords and more about solving practical, recurring problems in higher ed AV.

• Replacing aging infrastructure. Legacy matrix switchers and HDBaseT backbones are hitting end of life. AVoIP offers a more flexible replacement without the massive expense of chassis upgrades.
• Flexibility for complex use cases. Medical schools streaming surgeries to hundreds of students, or universities creating overflow spaces for popular lectures, need video to move seamlessly across rooms and floors. AVoIP enables that kind of distribution without dedicated cable runs.
• Simplification and cost savings. Institutions want fewer cables, easier installations, and less reliance on custom programming. Many managers described plug-and-play troubleshooting and the ability to restore settings quickly without advanced coding knowledge.
• Remote management. With small teams responsible for hundreds of classrooms, remote monitoring is no longer optional. AVoIP makes it easier to log into devices, identify issues, and even resolve them without dispatching staff.
• Scalability. Whether adding an extra display in a lecture hall or scaling from a basic classroom to a HyFlex environment, AVoIP allows incremental growth. For budget-constrained public institutions, this flexibility is essential.

AVoIP solves not just the what of video distribution but the how of support and sustainability in higher education.

What Higher Ed Wants Next

Even as adoption grows, campus leaders are vocal about what they want manufacturers to improve. First up is interoperability. The strongest demand is for a common standard across vendors. Higher ed decision-makers are tired of proprietary silos and want a Dante-like model for AV signals. Next up is troubleshooting help. Institutions want systems that provide clearer diagnostic information, even AI-assisted suggestions for resolving issues before they escalate.

Colleges and universities also need unified management. This is driven from the increase of rooms to manage and a shrinking workforce. Instead of juggling multiple portals and control platforms, tech managers want more cohesive dashboards for monitoring, control, and updates. Finally, a secure system to ensure stability. Security remains a concern, particularly for managers with IT or cybersecurity backgrounds. Device-level standards for encryption and access are high on the wish list.

Lessons from the Field

One of the most consistent insights across institutions is the importance of cross-team collaboration. Successful deployments were those where AV and IT/networking teams partnered from the start. Involving manufacturer engineers early, providing network documentation, and aligning on multicast traffic needs all reduced the risk of disruption.

On the flip side, there’s a significant risk of costly mistakes when communication breaks down. Misconfigured VLANs or underestimating bandwidth needs can lead to outages and finger-pointing between AV and IT. Higher ed institutions can’t afford to treat AV and IT as separate silos anymore. They are part of the same system.

Training also emerged as a critical piece. Campuses need staff who can “speak both languages”. Those that are comfortable enough with network terminology to collaborate with IT, but grounded in AV use cases and workflows. This cultural alignment often determines whether AVoIP deployments thrive or stall.

When It Fits and When It Doesn’t

AVoIP isn’t the answer everywhere. For small, standalone classrooms or older buildings with limited infrastructure, the return on investment may not justify the added complexity. In those spaces, Zoom Rooms, BYOD kits, or even traditional point-to-point connections can be more cost-effective.

Where AVoIP shines is in multipurpose, high-flexibility spaces: large lecture halls, auditoriums, and classrooms designed to scale with changing needs. The ability to add endpoints, reroute signals, and centralize monitoring delivers significant long-term value. Doing the ROI calculations of AV over IP in higher education is increasingly part of your job  as an IT or AV manager.

AV over IP in Higher Education

AV over IP in higher education is no longer just about keeping up with industry buzz. It’s about enabling campuses to scale, adapt, and sustain AV services with limited resources. The technology has matured, and its benefits align closely with higher ed’s current challenges. Getting the flexibility, remote management, and scalability for your campus is crucial to keeping up to date with AV technology.

Success requires more than hardware. It depends on collaboration between AV and IT, a willingness from manufacturers to prioritize standards and interoperability, and a recognition that not every space requires the same solution.

For higher ed decision-makers, AVoIP isn’t being “forced.” It’s being chosen. That’s because, when done right, it solves problems that no other approach can address as effectively.