Connecting physical lighting equipment, DMX dongles, and hardware controllers to Unilighter is straightforward. Unilighter communicates directly with hardware through your web browser or the Unilighter Desktop app without requiring complex background server setups.

🔌 Supported DMX Interfaces

Unilighter works with popular USB and wireless DMX interfaces.

1. USB DMX Interfaces

Interface Type Recommended Devices & Specifications Technical Stability Description
uDMX Interfaces (Recommended) • Any-Ma uDMX Official Project
• Search uDMX Dongles on Google		 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ High Stability (Hardware Buffer) Recommended Choice: uDMX features built-in microcontroller memory ("onboard brains") that independently handles DMX frame generation. Even if your computer experiences CPU spikes or momentary system lag during a live show, the uDMX interface continues outputting a smooth, steady DMX signal so your lights never flicker.
FTDI USB to DMX Cables • FTDI Chip USB-RS485 Specifications
• Enttec Open DMX USB Official Page
• Search FTDI DMX Cables on Google		 ⭐⭐⭐ Fair (Host-Driven) Standard FTDI-based USB-to-DMX cables rely on your computer's CPU to stream every DMX frame in real time. If the host computer lags or freezes, DMX frame transmission may pause, which can cause lights to briefly flicker or drop signal.

Tip

We recommend choosing a uDMX interface over a basic FTDI cable for hardware-level signal stability.

🛠️ OS Troubleshooting & Driver Setup

🪟 Windows Users: uDMX Driver Installation

If your uDMX interface is not detected automatically on Windows out of the box:

  1. You may need to install the uDMX USB driver (WinUSB).
  2. Plug in your uDMX interface, run the driver installer, and restart your browser or Unilighter Desktop app.

🐧 Linux Users: Releasing FTDI Interface (ftdi_sio)

On Linux systems, the kernel may automatically claim FTDI USB devices as serial COM ports (/dev/ttyUSB0), preventing Unilighter from taking direct control of the interface.

  • To temporarily release the FTDI driver, open your terminal and run: 
    sudo rmmod ftdi_sio

    (Alternative command: sudo modprobe -r ftdi_sio)

📱 Mobile USB OTG Setup

You can also control your entire lighting show directly from an Android smartphone:

  1. Connect your USB DMX cable to your Android phone using a USB OTG Adapter (USB-C or Micro-USB to USB-A).
  2. Open Unilighter in Chrome for Android.
  3. Tap Allow when Android asks for permission to access the USB device.
  4. Your phone is now sending live DMX512 signals directly to your lights!

Tested devices: uDMX

🎛️ Tactile MIDI Controllers

Unilighter natively supports standard MIDI controllers (connected via USB or Bluetooth MIDI) for hands-on physical fader, knob, and button control.

Tested & Supported Hardware Models:

Setting Up Your Controller:

  1. Connect your MIDI device via USB or pair your Bluetooth MIDI controller in your operating system settings.
  2. In Unilighter, click the Assign Control button in the top navigation bar Assign Control.
  3. In Assign Mode, click on any fader, knob, or cue button, click Learn, and touch the physical controller button/fader/knob.
  4. Click the Assign Control button again to return to normal operating mode.

Tip

For complete instructions on MIDI Learn, Encoder modes, Keyboard shortcuts, and the Global Bindings Manager, read the full Assign Mode & Controller Mapping Guide.

🌐 Network DMX (Art-Net & sACN)

Unilighter features native support for professional Ethernet- and Wi-Fi-based network DMX protocols via the Unilighter Desktop app. This allows high-density multi-universe routing directly to stage nodes, gateways, and media servers over standard Local Area Networks.

1. Supported Network Protocols

Feature 📡 Art-Net (Art-Net 4 DMX) 📶 sACN (ANSI E1.31)
Standard Port UDP 6454 UDP 5568
Universe Range 0 to 32,767 (Sub-Net / Net mapping) 1 to 63,999
Addressing Broadcast (255.255.255.255) or Directed Unicast Standard Multicast (239.255.<hi>.<lo>) or Unicast
Priority Handling Timestamp & sequence counter Native Stream Priority (0 to 200, default 100)
Identification Art-Net Header & OEM identification Unique CID UUID & Source Name (Unilighter)
Target Hardware Enttec ODE, DMXKing eDMX, Obsidian Netron, Chauvet, ESP32 nodes ETC Net3 / Response Gateways, Pathway, Luminex, grandMA nodes

2. High-Performance Output Architecture

The network DMX subsystem in Unilighter Desktop is built on a high-efficiency native UDP streaming engine:

  • Socket Pooling: Multiple virtual universes share a single native UDP socket per destination configuration, drastically minimizing operating system socket overhead.
  • Multi-NIC Adapter Binding: Bind output traffic to specific network interface controllers (e.g. 10.0.0.1 or 192.168.1.50) to strictly isolate lighting data from corporate or guest Wi-Fi networks.
  • Adaptive Frame Rate Synchronization: Network transmission automatically tracks the project framerate, clamping active streaming between 15 Hz and 44 Hz to prevent network congestion.
  • Coalesced Channel Streaming: Output buffers aggregate real-time channel adjustments and transmit optimized binary frames.
  • 800 ms Idle Keep-Alive: When show output remains static, the engine sends periodic keep-alive frames every 800 ms to ensure network DMX nodes and fixture buffers never drop signal or enter blackout.
  • Zero Background Daemons: No external bridge software, OLA daemons, or separate background services are required.

Read-only Art-RDM diagnostics (Desktop)

For a connected Art-Net universe, click RDM in Setup → Universes. The dialog can read the gateway's cached Table of Devices (TOD) and, when supported, fetch basic device details: UID, model/manufacturer label, software version, DMX start address, current personality, footprint and sensor count.

  • Requires a specific unicast node IP (not blank/broadcast), a compatible Art-RDM output gateway with RDM enabled, and RDM-capable fixtures connected through an RDM-capable physical path.
  • Read device table makes an ArtTodRequest, not a forced new discovery; the gateway may report an empty, partial, or unavailable cached list. It does not trigger ArtTodControl/AtcFlush.
  • Selecting an RDM UID sends only standard RDM GET commands via ArtRdm. No addresses or personalities are changed, and no project fixtures are created.
  • Even read-only RDM traffic can cause issues with some legacy fixtures/splitters. Test on an inactive line before a live show.
  • No automatic background RDM polling. Absence of a response is not proof that fixtures are missing or broken.
  • Available only in newer Desktop shells; browser-only/mobile Art-Net output is not enough.

Art-Net Node Discovery (Desktop)

In the Art-Net output settings, click Scan network to look for nodes on local IPv4 adapters. If Bind IP is specified, discovery targets that adapter's broadcast subnet; otherwise it scans all available non-loopback IPv4 adapters. If several adapters were scanned, choose the adapter connected to the node before selecting its reported DMX output port. With one adapter, it is selected automatically. The port selection fills Destination IP, Protocol universe, and Bind IP; review the fields and click Save.

  • Scanning is opt-in and does not interrupt the current DMX output.
  • Devices that do not respond to ArtPoll, networks blocking UDP port 6454, or gateways with incomplete port descriptors might not appear. Manual IP/universe entry remains supported. If discovery reports that it cannot listen for broadcast replies, check the firewall and other Art-Net applications using the port.
  • The Port-Address is taken from ArtPollReply; discovery does not reconfigure the physical node's ports or IP address.
  • Older Desktop shells may require setting Bind IP manually. Desktop shells predating discovery support manual setup only. Browser-only Unilighter cannot perform raw UDP discovery.

3. How to Connect Network DMX

  1. Launch Unilighter Desktop on Linux, macOS, or Windows.
  2. Navigate to the Setup screen (/#/setup).
  3. In the Universes card, locate the target universe and click Connect Output.
  4. Select Art-Net or sACN from the connection type modal.
  5. In the configuration dialog:
    • Protocol Universe: Enter the destination DMX universe number (0+ for Art-Net, 1+ for sACN).
    • Destination IP: Enter a specific unicast receiver IP, or leave blank to use the standard default (255.255.255.255 broadcast for Art-Net, or multicast for sACN).
    • Bind IP: Optional network interface IP (0.0.0.0 for all adapters, or your lighting network adapter IP).
    • Priority (sACN only): Set the stream priority (0 to 200). A higher priority allows Unilighter to seamlessly override other consoles on shared lighting networks.
  6. Click Save. The universe is now live on your lighting network!

Note

Browser vs. Desktop Runtime: While USB interfaces (uDMX, FTDI) and Bluetooth (BLDMX) can be accessed directly from Web browsers via WebUSB and Web Bluetooth, raw UDP network sockets are restricted by web security models. Art-Net and sACN require Unilighter Desktop or the Unilighter Mobile Android app.

Android app

Unilighter Mobile provides native Art-Net/sACN and supported USB DMX output, Android MIDI input, and local Dashboard and Surface hosting. Its settings and background limits differ from Desktop; follow the Mobile guide for setup.

ENTTEC DMX USB Pro (Serial, Desktop)

In Setup → Universes → Connect Output choose ENTTEC DMX USB Pro (Serial). Select the correct serial port from the Desktop picker; its port name helps distinguish similar devices. The app opens the operating system's virtual COM interface at 57600 baud and issues the documented USB Pro Get Widget Parameters request (label 3). It sends DMX (label 6, 512 channels) only after a valid reply.

  • Requires a recent Desktop shell with Web Serial and the FTDI VCP/COM port driver. It uses the system serial driver; no WinUSB/Zadig driver swap or native Node module is needed.
  • ENTTEC Open DMX USB is a different protocol. Both devices can share FTDI VID/PID 0403:6001; a USB product ID does not establish device identity. Use the existing Open DMX USB/FTDI mode only for known compatible devices.
  • Only the single-universe ENTTEC DMX USB Pro (70304) protocol is targeted here. Pro Mk2 is not verified or supported by this implementation.
  • Only one program can own the serial device at a time. Close QLC+/EMU or other applications using the port.
  • The initial connection needs explicit user selection. Reconnect/save restoration works if one previously granted matching port is accessible. If multiple identical FTDI adapters are present, select the correct one manually.
  • If the device does not reply to the parameter request, the driver refuses to send DMX. Drivers and permissions may vary by Windows, macOS, Linux and Flatpak sandbox.
  • Data output uses the existing session limit; on expiry, the app attempts to send a zero frame before closing the port. This does not make unsupported hardware safe for live shows without testing.

Reference: https://support.enttec.com/dmx/usbdmx-dmx-usb-pro-70304/dmx-usb-pro-api