Do Extra Unused Channels Consume Bandwidth?

[jaanth]

Our show this year is spread across six houses via ELLs. Some of the remote houses have 16 ch controllers, but only 4 are used. I know the ELLs have limited bandwidth. Is there any problem leaving unused channels in a sequence? If there is no activity on the channel, do they consume any bandwidth?

 

Thanks,

 

Jim

 

[Don]

Unused channels would not consume bandwidth. This assumes, though, that you have nothing programmed on the unused channels. If you have things programmed on them, but nothing connected to the plugs, then it would use bandwidth.

[jaanth]

Don,

 

Thanks for quick reply.

 

Nothing programmed into the extra channels. I was assuming this would be answer, but I have been surprised before with LOR when I have made assumptions.

 

Jim

[bob]

One clarification: It depends what you mean by "unused".

 

If you do not have their channel settings set up - for example you've left their device type as "None" (rather than "Light-O-Rama Controller" or whatever) - they will not consume any bandwidth.

 

If you have their channel settings set up, but have them set up for a network that you do not have defined in your network preferences (for example, the channel is for Aux A, but you don't have any comm port set up to be Aux A), then they still will not consume any bandwidth.

 

If, on the other hand, you have their channel settings set up for a network that you DO have defined in your network preferences, and by "unused" you mean you don't turn them on or twinkle them or whatever, they WILL consume bandwidth, but only at the very start of the sequence: By having the channel "all off", you are NOT telling LOR "don't tell this circuit to do anything"; rather, you're telling LOR "at time zero, tell the circuit to turn off".

 

In that case, it's not going to be constantly consuming bandwidth; just at the start of the sequence.  But keep in mind that depending on how you have your show set up, "the start of the sequence" may happen a lot.  For example, a one second long sequence in the Animation or Background section of your show will be sending that "turn the circuit off" command once per second.

[jaanth]

Thank you Bob for the clarification. That is very helpful, my extra channels are defined on the same network. I will either remove the channels, or set them to device type none.