Visionary Bets on Open Source to Make AV Control More Flexible

For years, commercial AV has wrestled with a familiar challenge: powerful control systems often come with proprietary ecosystems that lock users into a single vendor’s way of doing things. At InfoComm 2026, Visionary introduced an alternative.

The company’s new We-Cosystem is built around the open-source Node-RED platform, extending Visionary’s AV-over-IP portfolio beyond video transport and into system control, automation, and workflow management. Rather than replacing existing AV infrastructure, the initiative aims to simplify how systems are deployed, customized, and maintained across enterprise environments.

The announcement reflects a broader trend across Pro AV, where customers increasingly expect interoperability and flexibility instead of closed ecosystems.

Putting users back in control

Visionary’s approach is rooted in the idea that customers should decide how their systems evolve, not the vendor behind them.

“One of our mottos to the end user is, ‘Don’t let a control system company control you and your choices,'” said Jordan Christoff. “The great thing about Node-RED is no matter what Visionary decides, we don’t control it. It’s open source. You can go get the code yourself. You can download it for free.”

That philosophy shaped the development of We-Cosystem. Instead of creating another proprietary control platform, Visionary chose to build on an established open-source framework that already has a large developer community and extensive integrations.

For integrators, that means existing Node-RED knowledge and community-developed resources can be applied to commercial AV projects rather than starting from scratch with a vendor-specific programming environment.

Faster integrations, less downtime

One of the biggest advantages Visionary demonstrated at InfoComm was development speed.

During the show, the company showcased Node-RED workflows capable of discovering and configuring NETGEAR switches, along with integrations for RDL products. According to Christoff, those integrations were developed in just a matter of days, illustrating how quickly new capabilities can be added using the platform.

That flexibility also extends to ongoing system management.

Unlike traditional control platforms that often require restarting systems after making changes, Node-RED allows many workflow and API updates without interrupting active DSP processing.

“Node-RED allows us to very rapidly change things. In many cases, you don’t even need to shut down the DSP to reload it. You can leave the audio signal flow running and just change how the API interacts with it,” Christoff said.

For environments such as classrooms, conference centers, sports bars, or live venues, avoiding downtime during system updates can make a significant operational difference.

Expanding, not replacing, Visionary’s AV-over-IP strategy

The introduction of We-Cosystem doesn’t signal a shift away from Visionary’s established AV-over-IP business.

Instead, the platform complements products such as the company’s Flex DSP while simplifying deployment and customization for increasingly complex AV installations.

That distinction matters because many organizations are already invested in AV-over-IP infrastructure. Rather than asking customers to replace existing systems, Visionary is positioning We-Cosystem as another layer that makes those systems easier to configure and operate.

The company is also using Node-RED internally across multiple development projects, giving it firsthand experience with the workflows it plans to support for customers.

Supporting the people behind the systems

Open-source platforms often raise questions about training and long-term support. Visionary’s answer is to build expertise around the technology rather than own the technology itself.

The company says it is investing in training and technical support for both experienced programmers and integrators who are new to Node-RED, helping them adopt the platform without sacrificing reliability or maintainability.

That support-first approach may prove just as important as the technology itself. Many AV professionals are looking for ways to simplify increasingly networked environments while avoiding unnecessary vendor lock-in.

Why it matters

As AV systems continue to converge with IT infrastructure, openness has become more than a philosophical discussion, it’s becoming a practical requirement.

Visionary’s We-Cosystem is an example of how manufacturers are rethinking control, giving integrators access to widely adopted development tools while preserving compatibility with existing AV deployments. Instead of asking customers to commit to another closed platform, the company is betting that flexibility, interoperability, and community-driven development will become increasingly valuable in modern commercial AV.

If that trend continues, the conversation around AV control may shift from choosing the “right” ecosystem to choosing the one that gives users the most freedom.