Portable Net3 Set Up - Need Help!

Hello Travis,

Your on the right lines, except you will need network switcher (even a small 5 port one will do).

The NET3 4 Port Gateway, only has 1 Ethernet connection (on the front panel).

The back can be populated with different types of DMX sled, each with a different connector (I.e. XLR, RJ45). 

The RJ45 sled is just a different connector for DMX which installers may prefer over XLR.

The Gateway will also need power, I would recommend using a wall wart style PSU in this setup.

I have no experience with MadMapper, but a quick google search seems to suggest it only supports the Ethernet protocol ArtNet. Not to worry as ETCNomad can output sACN/Net3 and ArtNet (the latter may need to be enabled in the settings before use).

To sum an idea for your setup:

Ethernet:

             [ETCNomad Computer]

                                |

                                |

[MadMaper Computer] ----------- [Ethernet Switcher]----------[ETC Gateway]

DMX:

[ETC Gateway]---------[DMX Devices]

Hello Travis,

Your on the right lines, except you will need network switcher (even a small 5 port one will do).

The NET3 4 Port Gateway, only has 1 Ethernet connection (on the front panel).

The back can be populated with different types of DMX sled, each with a different connector (I.e. XLR, RJ45). 

The RJ45 sled is just a different connector for DMX which installers may prefer over XLR.

The Gateway will also need power, I would recommend using a wall wart style PSU in this setup.

I have no experience with MadMapper, but a quick google search seems to suggest it only supports the Ethernet protocol ArtNet. Not to worry as ETCNomad can output sACN/Net3 and ArtNet (the latter may need to be enabled in the settings before use).

To sum an idea for your setup:

Ethernet:

             [ETCNomad Computer]

                                |

                                |

[MadMaper Computer] ----------- [Ethernet Switcher]----------[ETC Gateway]

DMX:

[ETC Gateway]---------[DMX Devices]

Thanks so much for your reply, just to make sure I'm getting it all:
I can go about it two ways. I can throw a switch in line after Nomad that runs out to the media servers and then also out to the Net3 Gateway which in turn runs to all my fixtures.

OR

I use the Net3 Gateway in line after Nomad and go DMX to my lights and use an RJ45 port or two to go DMX over Ethernet to my media servers. In which case I need a media server with adressable settings. I looked around and I think I found that Dataton and Arkaos are both DMX adressable media servers. But again it's still going to need to be able to speak either sACN or ArtNet, right?

Hello Travis,

The RJ45 ports on a DMX sled are not ethernet ports. They are DMX utilizing RJ45 connectors.

DMX on an XLR connector can rewired to almost any connector, including RJ45.

Ethetnet on RJ45 is not the same as DMX on RJ45.

The function of the gateway is to convert ethernet sACN (RJ45 on the front) to DMX (via sled connector on the back).

Regards,

Marcus

That makes total sense. So the only real option is option 2 then in my previous post correct?

Thanks again for all the help and info, it is much appreciated

Hello Travis,

Use Option 1, option 2 will not function

Regards,

Marcus

Got it thanks again, I have it mapped out in my head and on paper via option one but my curiosity wants to know why option one will work and option 2 won't? Is it because option one provides an independent and more direct connection for ArtNet/Net3 to talk from Nomad to the media server? Or just a more reliable way to route the protocol instead of just using the Gateway? I want to understand the do's and the dont's so I can get a full grasp on what makes this go.

From how I understood your option 2 you would try to connect an RJ45 gateway output and connect out to your media server input. That wouldn't work because on one end of the cable you feed DMX abd on the other end you have a media server that expects sACN or ArtNet.
the basic confusion is that the connector hardware had nothing to do with the protocol that passes through it.

That makes sense, so that being said, in option one I'm sending sACN or ArtNet from Nomad to the switch and then from the switch its going one way to the media servers and another way to the Net3 Gateway which converts that to DMX out to the LED fixtures. Is this correct?

Correct! :)