Over the wifi Sequence editing ?

[sfd45182]

I am running all DMX equipment right now and I have what I call my LOR-Sever -that has the DMX-Enttec USB Pro running a little antenna on Universe-3

How can I connect to the LOR-Controller on the server using sequence editor on my laptop so that I can actively edit sequences as if I had the DMX-Enttec connected to my laptop ????????

[PhilMassey]

How far from the laptop to the server and to the fixture. It might help if you provide more details on what you are controlling and your layout. Why the remote server. It sounds a little superfluous

Why not connect the Entec to the laptop and use the dmx transmitter to connect from the Entec to the fixture. 

What you are asking for is a way to control one pc from another. That usually adds too much latency to be a pleasant experience, although there may be some way to do it if you throw enough money at it.

[TheDucks]

Is latency an issue for an edit? If the Server is Windows PRO, i has Remote desktop connection standard. Note: The 'server' is now the EDIT PC, and is doing the heavy lifting in this mode.

RDC clients are free and available for many OS (but not OLD, like XP), The client is just a terminal, so it does not need to be special.

RDC also allows file transfer, so you could work local and the move the file to the 'server' for actual use.

[sfd45182]

Phil, 

1. The server, and the laptop is on the same network. (they could be two miles or two feet it does not matter)
2.  I want it that way, that's why
3.  I have everything connected the way I like it
4.  at the end you figured out the question but did not answer it. Ugh ☹️

Ducks, I don't want to Remote. I need to repeat this I am not looking for Remote Desktop.

How can I connect to the LOR-Controller (software)  on the server using sequence editor (Software) on my laptop so that I can actively edit sequences as if I had the DMX-Enttec connected to my laptop ???????? 

I know this may not seem nice but I am really trying to keep people who don't have an answer from just wondering in my thread. Merry Christmas Mother Truckers

 

[PhilMassey]

I don't think your thread is going to get cluttered up any more.

It's quite some time since I saw any less appreciation toward members trying to help.

[Jeremiah Ackermann]

1 hour ago, sfd45182 said:

I know this may not seem nice but I am really trying to keep people who don't have an answer from just wondering in my thread. Merry Christmas Mother Truckers

Honestly I am not sure you know what you are asking for.

Just do a network share of LOR folder on your LOR Server. You can open the sequences from your laptop and edit them no problem. No need to worry about the serial Entec Pro.
 

I would call that active editing, but like others, I assume what you really want is live playback while editing and not just the simple preview. Perhaps trying out changes with a moving head?

 

If that is what you want (which could have been asked much more clearly), there are different ways to accomplish that but they all have cons because it’s serial communication.

The easiest is what was already recommended, just plug the serial adapter into your laptop instead. This is honestly the best answer for cost and simplicity.

 

The next easiest would be to use that shared network folder from the server and have the server computer play the file. The file could be added as an override sequence in the S6 show player and triggered via the mobile app, open sound control (OSC), or from the REST API. The con is obviously having to save the file first, trigger it, wait for playback file to regenerate, and then see the whole file play rather than a just portion.

 

The next option I can think of is getting something like Lantronix boxes for the serial data to go over the IP/Ethernet network. You would need two Entec Pros and three boxes (each computer and another for going back to serial out to your DMX devices). There could be conflicting data though if both computers are trying to send that serial data at the same time.

https://www.lantronix.com/resources/networking-tutorials/device-servers-tutorial/

[sfd45182]

Serial to Ethernet is in the ball park of what I am trying to do.. A sequence won't play without the control panel running a Universe, so can I run Sequence editor from a laptop and connect to a Control Panel on the Server.  I want the server to run the show and be the Big Brain but I want to be able not only to edit but look at my lights running sequence editor off a number of devices.

[Jeremiah Ackermann]

On 3/15/2024 at 1:26 PM, sfd45182 said:

o can I run Sequence editor from a laptop and connect to a Control Panel on the Server

Not sure if this was a question or just thinking out loud.

If you want to do the Serial over Ethernet route to have live playback from your laptop while editing, your laptop would still be sending the lighting command data and not the server. Which means you need to export the network settings from Control Panel on your server and then import them to your laptop (serial ports can be different though, so keep that in mind). If you do that approach, you should really only have one Control Panel running on any given computer at a time.

Why only one Control Panel? Because the LOR software is not designed as a server-client system. The LOR folder can be centralized, but that is just centralized data (except networks, which is always saved locally in the windows registry). For it to be a true client-server architecture, at the very least the software would need a way to configure your client systems with the server's DNS name/IP address, but that simply doesn't exist. Obviously the software would also need to have the design aspect in mind across all the different features. There is an LOR Comm setting in control panel for a port, but I believe that is communication just between apps on the same computer on the local loopback and not something that goes across your network.

Edited March 19 by Jeremiah Ackermann

[Jeremiah Ackermann]

One other note, I failed to realize the title says WIFI. I have ran shows over WIFI before. It works ok but you will see occasional stutters that can sometimes last a second or two. WIFI has the bandwidth, but it can have enough latency to cause the stuttering.

If you have the ability to do wired Ethernet, I would highly recommend it. Perhaps it’s just the laptop you wanted to use WIFI and ok with that stuttering since the server is hardwired.