Setting up a PC client on an Ion

The software as such is for free, it's called ETCnomad Eos-Family. You will need a computer with touchscreen to run the software on and network infrastructure to connect it to the Ion (you need to use cable, WiFi is not supported). And last but not least you will need an ETCnomad dongle. The smallest one available should be enough for what you want to do, so that would be an ETCnomad dongle 256. You should ask your ETC dealer for a price.

I thought the dongle is only required if a PC is running Nomad and operating in Primary (acting as the main console) or Backup mode. Am I wrong in thinking that Client and Mirror mode don't require any dongle as they're merely means of remotely viewing or controlling the connected console?

you're correct that mirroring doesn't need a dongle. but if you want a separate device to control the system with its own command line (i.e. a client), you will need a dongle.

I never realised that. I assumed that merely connecting up the primary console to a remote PC with Nomad running would enable client functionality. I take it that the channel count is irrelevant and the criterion is simply the presence of any Nomad dongle? I have a 512 channel output dongle, so I could use this in conjunction with an ETC Ion which has 1024 outputs enabled, couldn't I?

Yes you could. For a dongle the output count is irrelevant if the machine with the dongle is running as client

On that note, if I want to connect the console and client PC together, without needing any other additional devices on the network, can I simply use a crossover Ethernet cable between the two and enable DHCP on the Ion?

You can, but i would recommend to use a switch and static IPs because else the startup sequence and its timing matters. With the switch and a static IP there's less that can go wrong

Unfortunately, I don't have any network switches spare. Will a crossover cable with each device assigned a static IP address not suffice?

It still requires both devices to be switched on not too​ long from each other. If either starts and doesn't find anything on the other end of the network cable it will switch off its network interface. Unfortunately this time depends on the manufacturer of the network interface and is rarely documented.
It can work well for a while and one day you go for a smoke between starting the PC and the Ion and then it doesn't. And i will not work again until you shut both devices down and start them again close to each other.

You don't need a crossover cable. A normal patch cable will work without a switch.

Actually - a normal patch cable will not always work. A normal patch cable will only work if the client pc's network card is able to automatically able to switch between straight or crossover mode. While most network cards in PCs nowadays are able to automatically sense and crossover if needed, not all. How can one tell? Not easily. Its not written anywhere easily to find, if anywhere. See - this is where lack of information causes everyday problems. As Ueli said above, too many problems can occur combined with lack of knowledge that would make a day of programming wasted due to stuff not always working. Switches don't cost the world.

Hi Aaron - yes you can try this. It may or may not work. Worse is, if you get it working one day and then the next day where its needed badly, and you forgot to turn both products on at the same time and maybe other unknown factors like cable length, dhcp servers and the such arise and it doesn't work, and hours of troubleshooting pass without a solution.
I don't recommend this type of working enviornmemt. Its just not worth it.
An unmanaged switch is not that expensive.

I just thought I’d provide an update on my experience of this.

Since trying the method of connecting Ion and client directly last year, this has worked every time I have patched the two together without fail. Even if the two devices have been powered on at completely different times, a connection has always been established.

Actually, using either a crossover or straight cable in the chain has achieved successful connections. I suppose that must be because either the NIC of the Ion or that of the connected computer (MacBook Pro) is equipped with auto-MDIX.

I just thought I’d put this out there in case anyone else was in the same situation of requiring only a single computer to have connectivity with a console but had been dissuaded from connecting the two with a cable by responses like above. Given the correct conditions are satisfied, it works flawlessly.

Hi Aaron,

thanks for the info about using a crossover cable instead of switch - yes it CAN work, but my experience is that it brings another possible fault into the troubleshooting equation that is more problematic than helpful.

Too many open points like does this version of console hardware negotiate automatically, does this version of laptop hardware negotiate automatically, does it only negotiate if both are powered up at the same time (and if one is powered up minutes later, then it won’t connect)...

Small, unmanaged switches do not cost the world, and can always be useful and minimize failure points.

If the world was about to explode unless I could get the PC and Ion connected, and there was no switch, would I use the crossover cable between them? Yes.. , then look for a switch and then celebrate myself as the Hero the Saved Earth!

Though in reality, I would take the extra effort to source an unmanaged switch, so as to allow a stable connection always between the two.

UuCould it not be argue, however, that having a switch is adding extra complexity to the equation with an additional point of failure? Yes, I know it’s the established means of doing things, but it’s more electronic circuitry placed in the signal chain, is it not?

I think people immediately seem to come to the judgment that it won’t work when in reality I’ve tried this in a few different setups where I’m not dealing with sACN or anything fancy and have encountered no issues of the varietiy mentioned here. Actually, apart from the first time I tried out a direct connection, I have always used a straight patch cord, which has worked just fine for me.