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Connecting Luminair with Art-Net over WiFi

How to connect Luminair to the RR & R2 fixtures using WiFi and ArtNet

There are a number of tablet-based apps that can transmit Art-Net over a WiFi connection. These systems allow for wireless control of our fixtures and freedom of movement for the user. While each App may have different setup menus, they all have common settings that will be required to connect over WiFi.

One way to set up this system is to have your phone or tablet and the Quasar science fixture connect to an existing WiFi network as WiFi Clients. If using an Access Point, instead of a Router, the network will still need a DHCP server handing out IP addresses unless you assign Static IP's to every device and manage the addresses yourself.

The overall signal flow will look like the following:

Art-Net over WiFi only: [Tablet → Wifi → Router → WiFi → RR-R2], or

Wired Art-Net + WiFi: [Tablet → WiFi → Router → Cat6 → RR-R2]

To connect the Quasar Science fixture to an existing WiFi network with the latest firmware:
RR-R2 Settings as a Client
  1. Set the Wireless mode to WiFi

    Config → Basic Routing → Wireless Mode → WiFi

    ***In this mode the [WiFi Settings] menu is active

  2. Then configure the fixture to join a WiFi network as a Client device. Go to

    Config → Wireless Settings → WiFi Mode → Client

  3. Select the WiFi network you would like to join. Go to

    Config → Wifi Settings → Set Network

    The status LEDs will flash as the fixture scans for available networks and then will display them in order of signal strength

  4. Use the Rainbow-Buttons__Minus.svg and Rainbow-Buttons__Plus.svg arrows to scroll through the listed networks and Rainbow-Buttons__Check.svg to select.

  5. Network Password: Use the Rainbow-Buttons__Minus.svg and Rainbow-Buttons__Plus.svg arrows to scroll letters and numbers to set the network Password.

  6. Use the Rainbow-Buttons__Check.svg to advance the cursor. If you mis-type a character, simply tap the ENTER button to advance the cursor back around to the beginning of the password entry field.

  7. Press and hold Rainbow-Buttons__Check.svg for 3 seconds after entering the last character of the password.

  8. The WiFi Status Screen will display the name of the WiFi network the fixture has joined. If there is a controller broadcasting Art-Net on the network the fixture's status LEDs will become solid: [Data LED = Yellow] and [WiFi LED = Magenta].

Luminair Settings
  1. Open Settings → Wifi

  2. Select the Wifi network and enter the password

  3. Launch the control app. In this case it will be Luminair

  4. In the App, load your project and open the left tab of the Luminair interface

  5. Select Connections. This opens up the Connections window

    01-Luminair_Connections_Wifi.png
  6. Select Art-Net. This opens the Art-Net configuration window

    02-Luminair_Connections_ArtNet.png
  7. Enable the universes of the fixtures to be controlled

    Luminair defaults to Broadcast Art-Net. For more information about this see this article.

  8. Once Luminair is connected, the Wireless Status Light will be purple and Data Status Light will be Yellow. Unless the Status Lights have been turned off

To set up the fixture to use wired Art-Net + WiFi:

Another way to set up this system is to have Luminair connect the network using WiFi and the Quasar Science fixture connect to the network using a cat5 cable and a router.

  1. RR & R2 Settings for Wired input t a Router

    Go to Config → Wired Settings → Wired Mode

    and set the input to Art-Net.

  2. Go to Config → Ethernet Settings → Universe

    Set the fixture to the universe it is patched to. Art-Net Offsets the universe by -1 so for a fixture patched in Universe 1 set this to 0 on the fixture.

  3. Optional Config → Ethernet Settings → IP Add Mode → Static

    If using the router's built-in DHCP server you can skip this step since IP addresses are handled automatically.

    If you are setting Static IP's yourself, set [IP Add Mode] to Static. You can now set the IP and subnet mask of the fixture in the Ethernet Settings menu. Detailed instructions can be found here

  4. Go to Config → DMX Channel

    Set the DMX Address the fixture is patched to in Luminair

  5. Connect the fixture to one of the switch ports on the router using a Cat5 cable.

Now connect Luminair to your router's WiFi network
  1. On your device Open Settings → Wifi

  2. Select the WiFi network and enter the password

  3. Launch the control app. In this case it will be Luminair

  4. In the App, load your project and open the left tab of the Luminair interface

  5. Select Connections. This opens up the Connections window

    03-Luminair_Connections_Wifi.png
  6. Select Art-Net. This opens the Art-Net configuration window

    04-Luminair_Connections_ArtNet.png
  7. Enable the universes of the fixtures to be controlled

    Luminair defaults to Broadcast Art-Net. For more information about Broadcast vs Uniast see this article >What is the difference between Broadcast, Unicast and Multicast traffic and what are the required IP Settings<

  8. Once Luminair is connected, the Wireless Status Light will be off and Data Status Light will be Yellow. Unless the Status Lights have been turned off

Important

On iOS 14 and above, "Local Network" needs to be turned ON for Luminair in the iOS/iPadOS Settings: App & Privacy. It's a new setting in iOS 14 and greater that needs to be turned on, otherwise local network communications are blocked.

05-Luminair_Permissions.png

Notice

Recent changes to the iOS operating system may require an iPhone be set in airplane mode when using WiFi to transmit Art-Net. This can be found in iOS Settings → General.