Protocols
RavLight receives DMX over the network (Art-Net, sACN) and over the wire (RS-485 DMX512). All network receivers are native lwIP implementations — no external libraries, one socket per protocol across Ethernet, WiFi and SoftAP.
Art-Net
The default source. RavLight listens on UDP 6454 on all interfaces at once, so a single node keeps receiving whether it's on Ethernet, WiFi STA or its own access point.
- ArtPoll reply — the node answers ArtPoll, so it appears automatically in the device lists of Resolume, xLights, QLC+, MadMapper and lighting consoles.
- ArtSync — supported: senders can frame-sync multiple universes across nodes.
- Universe pool — up to 32 universes can be registered per device; each fixture output subscribes to the universes it spans.
sACN / E1.31
The ESTA standard alternative, on UDP 5568. RavLight joins the standard per-universe multicast group (239.255.u.u) for each registered universe. The multicast membership is bound to the device's current IP, which means sACN works over WiFi too, not just Ethernet.
Wired DMX512 (RS-485)
Boards with an RS-485 port (XDMX family) speak physical DMX512 in both directions:
- Input — select "Wired DMX" as the source and the board renders straight from the console line.
- Output — enable the output node toggle and the board re-transmits its DMX buffer onto the wire, turning it into an Art-Net/sACN → DMX node. A channel offset supports daisy-chained slice-out setups.
Universe and channel addressing
RavLight universes are 0-based, matching raw Art-Net. Channels are 1–512 within a universe. Software differs in how it displays universes:
| Software | Its "universe 1" is RavLight universe… |
|---|---|
| Resolume (Art-Net, "Lumiverse 1" → universe 0 by default) | 0 |
| xLights / QLC+ (Art-Net, usually 0-based) | 1 = 1 (match numbers directly) |
| sACN senders (E1.31 universes start at 1) | send universe N, set RavLight to N |
Rule of thumb: if nothing arrives, try the universe one below what your software shows. The DMX monitor page is the fastest way to confirm — it shows the live buffer per universe with fixture channels highlighted.
Supporting protocols
- mDNS — every node is reachable as
ravXXXX.local(not on Android — use the IP). - UDP broadcast + ESP-NOW discovery — nodes find each other on the LAN for the Devices panel; "Send WiFi" pushes credentials to a target device.