LED RGB downlights Ethernet

Just for fun for anyone following this thread. I agree the Ethernet in the ceiling is likely DMX over Cat5 cable.

That being said there are some really cool new technologies coming out to run LED fixtures over Network cable.
Basically Low Voltage power and signal over a single Cat6 cable from a driver box to power LED downlights in an architectural setting and you can even daisy chain 4 fixtures with network cable and still get individual control of each.

ETC just came out with this the other month: https://www.etcconnect.com/Navis-F-Drive-System.aspx?utm_source=Hero&utm_campaign=Navis-F-Drive

You literally plug network cable into the power supply in an equipment room and then the other end of the network cable into the light and it can be dmx controlled from the power supply.
1588783525539.png
1588783576773.png


Found the picture I couldn't find before:
1588792893864.png
 
Last edited:
This is very cool and I hope more networkable lighting comes our way. I'm really hoping Ubiquiti continues to flesh out their line. https://store.ui.com/collections/led
The Ubiquiti stuff is great because it runs over regular network wiring. Only drop in florescent replacement panels at the moment. No special hardware to make them go at all. If you have Power over Ethernet switches, they can be powered by that. Wall switches work the same way. If you are replacing an existing florescent T-bar ceiling light, you can have your electrician wire it normally and then control works over ethernet, and the ethernet daisy chains.

Hoping for Ubiquiti's stuff because it works well, great prices and nothing proprietary to make the whole system something reminiscent of scrollers. I'd love a whole system with angled spots, RGBAW cans, anything resembling worklights and even some museum framing projectors PLUS sACN override. Truly I'd love to outfit a theatre lobby with what everyone thinks is dumb lights but then we decide to do a pre-show dinner and we have this incredible show control already built in.

Thinking back on some of my corporate events and how long it took a team of us to remove all the florescent tubes in the entryway, cover with red or blue gel tube covers and replace would totally pay off a system like this.
 
This is very cool and I hope more networkable lighting comes our way. I'm really hoping Ubiquiti continues to flesh out their line. https://store.ui.com/collections/led
The Ubiquiti stuff is great because it runs over regular network wiring. Only drop in florescent replacement panels at the moment. No special hardware to make them go at all. If you have Power over Ethernet switches, they can be powered by that. Wall switches work the same way. If you are replacing an existing florescent T-bar ceiling light, you can have your electrician wire it normally and then control works over ethernet, and the ethernet daisy chains.

Hoping for Ubiquiti's stuff because it works well, great prices and nothing proprietary to make the whole system something reminiscent of scrollers. I'd love a whole system with angled spots, RGBAW cans, anything resembling worklights and even some museum framing projectors PLUS sACN override. Truly I'd love to outfit a theatre lobby with what everyone thinks is dumb lights but then we decide to do a pre-show dinner and we have this incredible show control already built in.

Thinking back on some of my corporate events and how long it took a team of us to remove all the florescent tubes in the entryway, cover with red or blue gel tube covers and replace would totally pay off a system like this.

What you're probably going to find is you won't get sACN, DMX or Art-Net on the Ethernet line if you are also trying to power the fixtures on the same cable. Basically you have to steal a lot of the twisted pairs to get enough copper to power the fixture.
What you'll see is that the sACN, DMX or ArtNet is coming into a driver box and then it's using whatever protocol it comes up with to run the fixtures downstream of it.
 
The UniFi LED Panel shows it is "Powered by native 802.3at PoE+ technology" which is provided by a UniFi ethernet switch. So I was saying it would be cool to have this in more lighting types and be sACN vs whatever UniFi's proprietary control protocol.
I was wrong though, only the AC powered UniFi LED Panels feature daisy chain-able ethernet.
 
Quite a few POE lighting fixtures available. Just a device on the network like a printer or laptop. Got popular in some places because no electrician, conduit, etc. Kind of neat in an office - you can control the troffer over your cubicle. I don't know but the new ETC products don't seem to be that, just like the Pathway products I noted are not.

Something troublesome about CAT5 and RJ45s which might be local area network, might ne DMX or ACN, or might be power for LED lights. Reminds me of the time I took down an office phone system by connecting to my laptops built in modem port.
 
Quite a few POE lighting fixtures available. Just a device on the network like a printer or laptop. Got popular in some places because no electrician, conduit, etc. Kind of neat in an office - you can control the troffer over your cubicle. I don't know but the new ETC products don't seem to be that, just like the Pathway products I noted are not.

Something troublesome about CAT5 and RJ45s which might be local area network, might ne DMX or ACN, or might be power for LED lights. Reminds me of the time I took down an office phone system by connecting to my laptops built in modem port.
Correct Bill - the ETC F-Drive is not using PoE or PoE+. While PoE's is starting to provide more watts, it's not enough to be useful as you'od be doing only 1 or 2 fixtures per home run Ethernet line and get any sort of usable lumen output.
 
Maybe not useful for theatre yet, but seems to be useful in office environments.
While the F-Drive or Navis fixtures may not be high output for your main audience light in a theatre setting I could see them used for, Low Lobby Ceilings, Under Balcony Lights, Last Row of Seats in the Balcony or Back of House Hallways could be a great use. Imagine a Navis RGBW hallway light backstage, so when you are in Work Light mode it's a nice warm White, and then when you go into show mode the console takes control of those fixtures and the entire hallway shifts to blue as runlights. And that one light that's outside USR door, well that can be individually zoned and run at 20% or even off so there is little or no light spill when an actor comes through that door.
 
I think what would be most frustrating from a maintenance and future-proof aspect is this product is just another proprietary protocol using everyday cabling. In 10 years you won't be able to expand or replace and you'll have the same massive issue just like the OP of this thread.
 
here are some photos of some of the lights still on the roof, I suspect each set had a controller, I still gave not found where all the ethernet cables run too, I did find a large cable coming into a room with what looked to be like many ethernet cables inside it but was unsure.
IMG_3941.jpeg
IMG_3944.jpeg
IMG_3943.jpeg
 

Attachments

  • IMG_3942.jpeg
    IMG_3942.jpeg
    247.5 KB · Views: 149

Users who are viewing this thread

Back