sACN over LTE / 4G

A beam node with a 4G modem inside brings sACN and Art-Net to places with no wired network at all. With normal coverage it feels like controlling fixtures locally over CRMX, and the dashboard tells you what the show costs in data before it ends.

The problem

Exterior night shoots, a lighting truck parked a kilometre from the desk, practicals on a rooftop, a set in a forest: there is no Ethernet, and running fibre is not an option. Point-to-point wireless links need line of sight and someone to align them. The console is where the operator is; the lights are where the camera is; the only thing both places have is mobile coverage.

How BeamBridge does it

1. The node brings its own uplink. Every beam node has a 4G/LTE modem and a SIM. It boots, registers on the network and connects to the relay by itself — no local network needed.
2. The console side stays simple. A source node on the console network uploads the universes you route, once. Where the desk has no network either, a second 4G node does the same job there.
3. Re-emit on site. The remote node re-emits sACN or Art-Net on its local port and on its DMX output. It also runs a small local network (DHCP, optional WiFi AP) for fixtures or a Zigbee hub.
4. Automatic uplink choice. If the node also sees Ethernet or WiFi, it uses the best link it has and fails over to 4G when that drops.

What you need on site

• A beam node on the far end: Raspberry Pi based, DMX out (Enttec USB Pro), OLED status display, 4G modem inside. We ship it configured for the production.
• Mobile coverage at the location. We check the serving cell and signal on the node and show it in the dashboard, including an approximate cell-tower position on a map.
• A source node on the console network, or the console's own sACN/Art-Net output on a network the node can see.
• A browser. Routing, node health, data usage and config live in the BeamBridge dashboard at app.beambridge.net.

Good to know

• Only the universes you route leave the source. The uplink at the desk does not multiply with the number of remote nodes; the relay does the fan-out.
• Every node reports link type, carrier, signal, temperature, applied config and data usage, so a problem in the field is visible before it becomes a problem on set.
• The node keeps a clean local network on site (DHCP, optional WiFi access point) so fixtures, Zigbee hubs or a small desk can simply plug in.
• Data usage is tracked per SIM and per billing cycle in the dashboard. Only routed universes count, so a few universes fit comfortably in a normal mobile plan.
• The node survives a modem hiccup: it monitors the modem, restarts it if the carrier drops it, and reconnects to the relay on its own.

Questions we get about this