Art-Net Protocol

Why Use Art-Net?

Traditional DMX requires a physical serial cable (5-pin XLR) running from the console to the first fixture. Art-Net removes this cable from the console side: the console (your phone) sends data over Wi-Fi, and only the final segment from the Art-Net node to the first fixture requires a DMX cable.

• •No physical cable between phone and node — Wi-Fi handles the connection.
• •The phone can be anywhere on the local network, not fixed near the fixtures.
• •Art-Net nodes are inexpensive — DIY builds can be assembled for very low cost.

UDP Transport

Art-Net uses UDP (User Datagram Protocol) on port 6454. UDP is a connectionless transport protocol — packets are sent without establishing a persistent connection, and there is no built-in delivery guarantee.

This is intentional for DMX: lighting control requires low latency and high update rate, not guaranteed delivery. If a single packet is lost, the next packet updates the state immediately. Art-Net typically sends at 40–44 packets per second.

The Art-Net Node

An Art-Net node is a hardware device that:

1. 1.Receives Art-Net UDP packets from the network.
2. 2.Extracts the DMX channel values from each packet.
3. 3.Outputs those values as a physical DMX512 signal on an XLR connector.

Any Art-Net-compatible node that accepts Art-Net UDP packets and outputs DMX512 will work with DMX Node. This includes commercial and DIY Art-Net interfaces.

Configure your Art-Net node in the app's Settings screen — enter a name, target IP, and universe address (N/S/U) for each output port.

IP Address and Subnet

Art-Net nodes communicate using IP addresses. For DMX Node to send Art-Net packets to the node, both devices must be:

• •Connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
• •On the same IP subnet (e.g., both within 192.168.1.0/24).
• •Not separated by a firewall that blocks UDP port 6454.

Enter the node's IP address in Settings. This is the destination for all Art-Net packets. If the node uses DHCP, its IP may change between reboots — use a DHCP reservation (static IP via router settings) for reliable operation.

Universes in Art-Net

Art-Net supports multiple DMX universes over the same network. Each Art-Net packet contains a universe identifier. The receiving node outputs the universe data on its corresponding DMX port.

Each output port configured in Settings is assigned its own N/S/U universe address. Free users have one output port per node. Premium users can add multiple ports, each transmitting an independent universe to the Art-Net node. Configure the node's DMX output port to match the universe address set in the app.

Network Topology

The simplest Art-Net setup for DMX Node:

DMX vs Art-Net