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Zoom Rooms with Custom AV - Getting Started with NDI and Dante

Written by Frank Padikkala

Overview

Custom AV is a growing set of features designed to expand and enhance the capabilities of Zoom Rooms beyond the standard conferencing experience. As Zoom continues to invest in this feature set, Custom AV unlocks new levels of integration with professional AV ecosystems — giving engineers and AV system designers the tools to build more powerful, flexible, and scalable room deployments.

Custom AV supports integration with widely adopted professional AV technologies — including NDI, Dante, and SDI — eliminating the need for complex signal converters or third-party bridging solutions. This breadth of support allows engineers to design around existing infrastructure, leverage the tools they already know, and enable advanced workflows that were previously only achievable with dedicated broadcast or AV systems.

With Custom AV, you can:

  • Integrate professional AV devices across a wide range of signal types and workflows

  • Route and switch audio and video signals across an entire room fleet

  • Build scalable room architectures for broadcast, live events, training, and enterprise collaboration

  • Reuse existing AV infrastructure without purchasing new hardware

  • Manage signal paths remotely from a single operator dashboard

Note

Custom AV is available for Zoom Rooms running on Mac or Windows compute devices with an active Zoom Rooms license.

Supported AV Technologies

Custom AV supports integration with the following widely adopted professional AV technologies:

Technology
Type
Common Use Cases

NDI

Audio and video over IP

Broadcast, live events, corporate, higher ed

Dante

Audio over IP

Distributed audio routing, reliable scalable setups

SDI

Hardware-based AV

Broadcast, enterprise AV environments

These integrations unlock advanced workflows including camera switching, distributed audio routing, ISO feeds of remote participants, and hybrid event production.

Network Deployment Disclaimer: NDI & Dante

NDI and Dante are IP-based AV technologies that each have distinct network architecture requirements that must be addressed prior to integration with Custom AV for Zoom Rooms.

Failure to configure the network correctly can result in degraded audio/video quality, signal dropouts, latency issues, or loss of AV connectivity. This guide does not cover network design for NDI or Dante deployments.

Before deploying NDI or Dante in your environment, you must:

  • Follow the NDI network best practices published by Vizrt/NewTek, including IGMP snooping, multicast configuration, and bandwidth planning.

  • Follow the Dante Deployment Guide published by Audinate, including dedicated audio VLANs, QoS settings, switch compatibility, and latency configuration.

  • Engage a qualified network or AV systems engineer to design and validate your network infrastructure prior to deployment.

  • Test and validate AV signal flow on your network independently before integrating with Custom AV for Zoom Rooms.

NDI Resources: ndi.video/tools

Dante Resources: audinate.com/learn

Prerequisites

Before enabling Custom AV, confirm the following:

  • Active Zoom Rooms license

  • Zoom Rooms running on a Mac or Windows compute device

  • Admin access to the Zoom admin portal

  • AV devices on the same network as Zoom Rooms (recommended for NDI/Dante workflows)

  • A separate device (Mac or Windows) on which to install the Custom AV Zoom Rooms Controller (CAVZRC)

  • NDI and/or Dante network infrastructure validated and tested independently prior to Zoom Rooms integration (see Network Deployment Disclaimer above)

Set Up Your Zoom Room

Before enabling Custom AV, you'll need Zoom Rooms added to your account and the Zoom Rooms software installed on your compute device. Follow the steps below to get your room created and ready.

Important

Custom AV features are only available on Zoom Rooms running on Windows or Mac compute devices. Zoom Rooms running on appliance-based or other hardware will not support Custom AV functionality.

Install the Zoom Rooms Software

Download and install the latest Zoom Rooms software on your Windows or Mac compute device before adding the room to your account.

Download the latest Zoom Rooms installers here: Zoom Rooms Installer Downloads.

Add Your Zoom Room in the Admin Portal

  1. Log in to your Zoom web portal and navigate to Admin.

  2. Click Room Management, then click Zoom Rooms. This page lists all existing Zoom Rooms on your account.

  3. Click +Add Room to begin adding your new Zoom Room.

  4. Select the Room Type from the dropdown. The available types are:

    • Zoom Rooms (for shared spaces): Default conference room experience. Allows users to connect to Zoom Meetings through an integrated room system. Required for Custom AV.

    • Kiosk: Virtual receptionist kiosk for lobbies or common areas.

    • Personal Zoom Room: A Zoom Room linked to a single user.

    • Scheduling Display Only: For in-person only rooms that can be reserved via a scheduling display.

    • Digital Signage Only: Dedicated digital signage display only — no meeting functionality.

  5. Enter the Zoom Room name. Use your organization's naming convention if one exists — for example, a two or three letter location code prefix (e.g., "SJ-Boardroom" for San Jose).

  6. If using calendar integration, select your calendar service (Google or Microsoft) and choose the calendar resource so users can reserve the room and launch scheduled meetings directly from it.

  7. Select the room's location in the location hierarchy, or choose Unassigned Rooms and assign it later.

  8. Click Finish to complete setup, or Save & Add Another to continue adding more rooms.

Note

For Custom AV, always select Zoom Rooms (for shared spaces) as the Room Type, and ensure the compute device is Windows or Mac before proceeding to the Custom AV configuration steps below.

Enable Custom AV in the Admin Portal

Follow these steps to enable Custom AV features for a specific Zoom Room:

  1. Sign in to the Zoom Admin Portal and ensure you have the appropriate admin user rights.

  2. In the left navigation panel, scroll down to Room Management.

  3. Click on Zoom Rooms, then locate and click the specific Zoom Room you want to configure.

  4. Open the Room Settings tab, then navigate to the Devices section.

  5. Scroll down to find the Custom AV settings. You will see two features to enable:

    • Enable Network Audio Devices: Activates support for Dante audio-over-IP devices on your network. Select the appropriate network interface after toggling on.

    • Enable Custom AV Input and Output Devices : Enables NDI and SDI signal routing for the Zoom Room, allowing the use of custom video sources and outputs.

  6. Toggle both features on and confirm the correct network is selected for audio devices.

Note

Once both toggles are enabled, Custom AV is active for that Zoom Room. Repeat this process for any additional rooms in your fleet.

Install the Custom AV Zoom Rooms Controller (CAVZRC)

The Custom AV Zoom Rooms Controller (CAVZRC) is a separate application that serves as the operator interface for managing AV signal paths. It can control NDI, SDI, and Dante channels across multiple Zoom Rooms — including remotely.

Download

  1. Navigate to support.zoom.com and go to the Zoom Installers page.

  2. Download the Custom AV Zoom Rooms Controller (CAVZRC) for your operating system (Windows or Mac).

  3. Install the application on the device you will use as your operator station.

Key Capabilities of the CAVZRC

  • Pair with one or more Zoom Rooms simultaneously

  • Control NDI, SDI, and Dante channels from a unified dashboard

  • Configure gallery sizes and customize AV output settings

  • Manage AV signal paths remotely across an entire building or campus

Configure Outputs in the CAVZRC

Once the Custom AV Zoom Rooms Controller (CAVZRC) is installed, follow these steps to configure your AV signal paths:

  1. Launch the Custom AV Zoom Rooms Controller (CAVZRC) and log in with your Zoom user account.

  2. Click Pair Zoom Rooms. A list of available Zoom Rooms in your account will appear.

  3. Select the Zoom Room you want to manage and click Add Rooms.

  4. Once the room interface opens, click Custom AV Settings in the top right corner to configure gallery sizes, output settings, and Dante-related preferences.

  5. To configure an output, click on the desired output slot (e.g., Output 1) and open the dropdown menu.

  6. Select the type of content to assign — options include individual Participant feeds (ISO), Gallery views, room content, and more.

  7. If selecting a Participant feed, a window will appear showing all current meeting participants. Select the participant to assign to that output.

  8. Repeat for additional outputs as needed.

Note

Outputs 1–4 are ideal for individual participant ISO feeds. Output 5 (or later) can be used for gallery or composite views. This configuration works the same way for NDI, SDI, or hardware I/O outputs.

Sample Workflow: Broadcast & Live Event Production

Custom AV is well suited for live event production. The following is an example end-to-end workflow using OBS or any comparable production tool:

  • Set up a Zoom meeting with all remote participants. Include a Zoom Room with Custom AV enabled as part of the meeting.

  • Place the Zoom Room on the same network or location as your broadcast workstation.

  • Open the CAVZRC, pair with the Zoom Room, and configure NDI outputs — assigning participant ISO feeds and gallery views.

  • In OBS (or your production software), add NDI sources corresponding to the configured outputs from the Zoom Room.

  • Build scenes using live NDI feeds: participant close-ups, multi-box DVE layouts, custom gallery views, or mixed local and remote camera compositions.

  • Go live, record, or stream — the production runs entirely through Zoom Rooms and Custom AV.

Note

Remote participants require no special software or broadcast expertise. From their perspective, it is a standard Zoom meeting.

Additional Use Cases

Custom AV supports a range of professional AV workflows beyond broadcast production:

  • Distributed audio routing across conference rooms using Dante-enabled speakers and microphones

  • Camera switching workflows for training rooms and divisible spaces

  • Enterprise AV signal distribution using SDI infrastructure

  • Scalable AV ecosystem management across an entire campus from a single operator dashboard

  • Hybrid event production combining in-person and remote participants in professional productions

Quick Setup Checklist

  • NDI/Dante network infrastructure validated and tested independently

  • Windows or Mac compute device confirmed for Zoom Rooms

  • Zoom Rooms software installed on compute device

  • Zoom Room added to account (type: Zoom Rooms for shared spaces)

  • Admin access confirmed in Zoom portal

  • Enable Network Audio Devices toggled on (correct network selected)

  • Enable Custom AV Input and Output Devices toggled on

  • Custom AV Zoom Rooms Controller (CAVZRC) downloaded and installed

  • Zoom Room paired in the CAVZRC

  • Outputs configured (NDI, SDI, or Dante as applicable)

For more information, reach out to your Zoom representative or visit support.zoom.com.

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