One Network, Two Protocols.
Art-Net or sACN? Why modern lighting needs both.
For decades, DMX512 has been the standard language of professional lighting.
And it still works extremely well.
But the fixtures connected to it have changed dramatically.

Modern strobes, LED bars, moving heads and pixel fixtures can contain hundreds — sometimes thousands — of individually controllable LEDs. A single fixture can use a large part of one DMX universe, while a complete lighting system can quickly require dozens of universes.
This is where traditional DMX cabling starts to show its limitations.
And where Art-Net and sACN become important.

Both protocols allow lighting control data to travel through a standard Ethernet/IP network, making it possible to transport many DMX universes through the same network infrastructure instead of relying only on individual physical DMX lines.
Art-Net: built around flexibility
Art-Net was created specifically to overcome the channel limitations of traditional DMX while keeping the familiar DMX universe structure.

Instead of one universe travelling through one DMX cable, multiple universes can be transported across an Ethernet network.

But Art-Net has developed into much more than simply “DMX over Ethernet”.
Modern Art-Net provides tools for discovering devices, managing networked equipment and carrying RDM information. Art-Net 4 can even be used for network discovery and management while sACN carries the actual lighting levels.

This flexibility is one of the reasons Art-Net has become so common in touring, concerts and temporary production environments.
When a system changes from show to show, being able to discover and configure devices across the network can make life considerably easier.
LYTE™ PIXEL LINE IPX - LYTE Lighting Store
sACN: designed for large lighting networks
sACN, or Streaming ACN, approaches the same problem slightly differently.

Defined by the ANSI E1.31 standard, it was developed specifically for continuously distributing lighting levels across IP networks.

One of its important features is multicast transmission. Instead of sending every universe everywhere on the network, devices can subscribe to the universes they actually need.
sACN also includes a priority system, which becomes extremely useful when multiple controllers or systems are transmitting to the same lighting network.

 A higher-priority source can automatically take control when required.
This makes sACN particularly attractive for larger and more structured lighting systems.
Why does this matter more today?
The simple answer is pixels.

Take a traditional fixture with 20 DMX channels and network control might seem unnecessary.
Now take a fixture with individually controllable LED zones, multiple strobe sections, RGB effects and advanced pixel mapping.
The channel count increases very quickly.

The LYTE™ MOVE STROBE 1500 IPX, for example, offers 14 RGB sections and 28 independently controllable white strobe sections, with control modes reaching 97 DMX channels. It supports DMX512, RDM, Art-Net and sACN directly.
Our CLUSTER STROBE IPX can reach 275 DMX channels in its most detailed control mode.
Add ten, twenty or fifty fixtures and suddenly network control is not simply a nice additional feature.

It becomes part of the infrastructure.
Art-Net or sACN?
So which one should you use?

There is no single correct answer.

Some programmers and rental companies prefer Art-Net. Others build almost everything around sACN. The console, network design, existing infrastructure and personal workflow can all influence that decision.
And in many modern systems, they can even work alongside each other.
For us, that is the important point.
A professional fixture should not force the user into one particular network philosophy.

That is why Art-Net and sACN support is becoming an increasingly important part of the LYTE™ range, alongside traditional DMX and RDM. Selected LYTE™ fixtures already offer direct network integration as part of their professional control options.

DMX is not disappearing.
It remains simple, reliable and incredibly useful.
But the amount of data travelling between consoles and fixtures continues to grow.
And as lighting becomes more pixel-driven, the connection behind the fixtures becomes just as important as the fixtures themselves.

One network.
Two protocols.
More freedom to build the system your way.
Let’s Talk About the Small Fixtures. - LYTE Lighting Store

Let’s Talk About the Small Fixtures.
One Effect, Two Philosophies. - LYTE Lighting Store

One Effect, Two Philosophies.
Professional Lighting at a Realistic Price - LYTE Lighting Store

Professional Lighting at a Realistic Price
The Light That Brings the Show to Life - LYTE Lighting Store

The Light That Brings the Show to Life