Should I connect my lighting network to the internet?

I mean, No I shouldn't -- this seems to be almost universally agreed upon. Nor do I want the IT department to come anywhere near my Network at all. Is this latter position still justifiable, if reasonable safeguards are taken?

Can anyone share either 1) Horror stories when Lighting Networks aren't discrete or 2) some molecular-level reasons on why even a lighting-network-specific VLAN, perhaps,  is still not a great idea?

I'm trying to ascertain if the sky is really falling, or if it's more a reticence to have to deal with other departments who just don't get it, when it comes to the demands of Show Control and modern day Lighting Networks

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  • Sorry, been out of the loop for a while. Long ago I had a lighting control system that was solely setup on a regular pc. The computer was connected into the LAN and at first no big deal. Though over time, lighting was affected. Slow, spotty dimming, loss of control, phantom lighting issues (light would not respond; come on mysteriously).

    My recommendation is to keep lighting system solely on its own network. I do not even connect the lighting to the internet. I usually explain that it is not a computer network, but a communication link for the system. If push comes to shove, I will ask the IT person to demonstrate how to work the lighting system. After about 5 minutes, they usually will admit that they do not understand the system. I

  • No doubt! I'm not sure if I'll be able to play that card, but it's a great one. You're spot-on when it comes to that subtle distinction between a network and a "communications link" -- good layman's terms. 

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