You have a project needing a few sensors, and you are wondering : should I go for a software or hardware solution ?
Pro software
Pros
- Lower overall budget (hardware machine not included).
- Possible to output touch input on Windows.
- You can run Augmenta on the same machine that generates the content (Augmenta doesn’t use GPU resources).
Cons
- You need to manage your computer’s resources and reliability:
- System control (start-up, shutdown, reboot, recovery after a power outage).
- CPU capacity: make sure enough processing power remains available for Augmenta.
- Network capacity: ensure enough bandwidth to receive sensor data (Gigabit Ethernet is generally fine, but if you’re also receiving NDI or streaming video, you may run short on bandwidth).
- Network setup constraints: the sensors’ IP addresses and ports must be compatible with your machine’s network and reachable with sufficient bandwidth.
- Power and networking hardware is on you: you must provide PoE injectors and a PoE switch (or use the cameras’ power supplies). Sensors also won’t power down automatically when you shut down the computer.
- Augmenta on Windows is slightly less optimized for performance than on Linux with a dedicated low-latency network card.
Using the Pro software requires a bit more IT knowledge and day-to-day management, as well as additional hardware to supply and configure. It’s therefore less “plug & play”.
The real advantage is that if you integrate it directly into your media server / content machine, it can enable a very compact and efficient setup—potentially a single machine running the entire installation.
Server
Pros
- Built-in switch, router, and PoE for the sensors (no extra hardware like switch or router needed—just bring RJ45 cables).
- Linux OS optimized for performance, with a dedicated low-latency network card and high reserved bandwidth.
- Dedicated CPU resources.
- Remote machine control included (start, shutdown, reboot from the web interface, plus automatic behavior after a power outage).
- Straightforward deployment:
- Guided sensor initialization.
- One cable per sensor to the server.
- The sensor network is isolated inside the server, while the server itself is accessed like any standard network device.
- Initialization of server and sensor can be prepared before hand, for a plug&play deployment on site
- PoE sensors power down automatically when the server shuts down.
- Supports more sensors than the Pro software version.
Cons
- If you need Windows touch output, you still have to forward the data to a Pro software machine.
- No single USB sensor option.
- Requires more physical space, which can be a drawback if you’re aiming for a compact, all-in-one setup.
For the scope of this documentation (i.e. small to mid project), servers are better mostly if you are looking for a faster and easier deployment.
It also scales well—either by managing multiple projects on the same server, or by expanding a single project as its size and sensor count grow.
Conclusion
Choose the server option if you expect to scale your installation (or manage multiple projects on the same site), or if you want a faster deployment with minimal IT effort.
Choose the Pro software option if you’re comfortable handling the IT setup and ongoing management, and you want a more integrated, all-in-one configuration.
Note : Pro sensor licenses can be moved freely from a Pro software to a server any time for a maximum of flexibility.
More information : 
License plans
License plans