Connections
In This Article
What are Connections?
Connections are how Slyyd communicates with lighting fixtures. There are currently two types of Connections to choose from: sACN and LumenRadio BLE. Each Connection contains a single universe worth of DMX data.
Slyyd Plus can have 2 active Connections, where Slyyd Go can only have 1.
sACN (E1.31)
sACN (E1.31) is arguably the most popular way to send DMX control data over a network. Each sACN Connection contains a single universe of DMX data (512 DMX addresses). When using an sACN Connection, the app sends out information over Wi-Fi or ethernet, depending on what is available.
The first time a user tries to patch a fixture after installing the app, they will be presented with a dialog requesting permission to connect to devices on the local network. It is very important that ‘Allow’ is selected, otherwise the app will be unable to send sACN data to other devices.
If ‘Don’t Allow’ is selected, the setting will need to be turned on from within Apple’s settings app.
Wi-Fi
To transmit sACN over Wi-Fi, connect the iPad or iPhone running Slyyd to the desired Wi-Fi network (SSID) by navigating to Apple’s settings app, then tapping ‘Wi-Fi’ to bring up a list of available networks. Once connected to the appropriate Wi-Fi network, the app will start transmitting sACN data.
Ethernet
To transmit sACN over an ethernet connection, an ethernet breakout is required. For more details, see the Ethernet Adapters article. Slyyd should default to automatically sending sACN data over ethernet if it is available, though it may be necessary in some cases to disable Wi-Fi. If a Wi-Fi network with internet access is connected at the same time as ethernet without internet access, Apple devices will automatically use the network connection with internet access. Turning Wi-Fi off forces the device to use the ethernet connection.
Adding an sACN E1.31 Connection
To add an additional sACN Connection after project creation, navigate to the Settings tab of the Setup screen. Tap the ‘Add E1.31 sACN’ button, then give the Connection a name and a universe number.
A name and universe number are pre-filled when creating a new sACN Connection. Changing these defaults is not mandatory.
To use fixtures with the new sACN Connection, make sure that the new Connection is selected when patching.
LumenRadio BLE
LumenRadio BLE can be used to transmit DMX data without the need for networking hardware, which can be fast and convenient for simple setups. For example, a Vortex fixture is capable of receiving DMX information directly from Slyyd over LumenRadio BLE, and can then repeat that DMX data over CRMX to other fixtures. However, LumenRadio BLE Connections do have limitations compared to other wireless forms of communication. They have a shorter range, and might lag a bit. For these reasons, it’s best to use LumenRadio BLE for smaller setups where smooth transitions are not necessary. Fixtures that support DMX smoothing help reduce the appearance of the lag issue. For example, Vortex fixtures support DMX smoothing, which can be turned on from within Slyyd using the Control Channel feature.
The first time a user tries to create a BLE connection they will be presented with a dialog requesting permission to use Bluetooth. It is very important that ‘OK’ is selected, otherwise the app will be unable to connect to other BLE devices.
If ‘Don’t Allow’ is selected, the setting will need to be turned on from within Apple’s settings app.
Adding a LumenRadio BLE Connection
To add a LumenRadio BLE Connection after project creation, start by making sure LumenRadio BLE is enabled on the receiving device. Then, after navigating to the Settings tab of the Setup screen, tap ‘Add LumenRadio BLE’. If the device is on and listening, it should appear in the list below.
If multiple devices are found, the Identify button can be used to flash the selected device (if it’s capable of flashing). To finish creating the connection, select the desired device and tap 'Connect'.
To use fixtures with the new BLE Connection, make sure that the BLE Connection is selected when patching.
