Art-Net
Art-Net is the Artistic Licence lighting-control protocol for carrying DMX512, discovery, diagnostics, configuration, and RDM messaging over IPv4 Ethernet. In AV projects it normally appears wherever DMX lighting control has to ride a LAN instead of local serial DMX wiring, particularly in event, performance, themed, film, and mixed architectural/show-control systems. The IT conversation matters because the protocol is simple to permit by port number but easy to mis-deploy when broadcast behavior is left loose on a shared network.
Scope: Art-Net — select the deployed product/version; optional services require separate selection.
protocol · Catalog reviewed 2026-09-27
Infrastructure Requirements
- IPv4 Ethernet transport using fixed UDP 6454 (0x1936) as both source and destination port
- controller and node support for the Art-Net discovery / reply model
- a lighting VLAN or otherwise isolated policy domain
- addressing and universe planning that respect Art-Net's 15-bit Port-Address structure
- and a switch fabric that can tolerate any legacy directed-broadcast behavior still present in the installed base. Modern designs should prefer unicast ArtDmx transport and targeted discovery where the endpoints support it.
Network & Physical Requirements
| Port / allocation | Transport | Connection / signal flow | Feature and requirement | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6454 | UDP | Lighting controller / node → Lighting node / controller | Profile requirement · Core Art-Net lighting data, discovery and management Art-Net 4 ArtDmx can be unicast or broadcast; ArtPoll discovery and ArtRdm management have distinct packet roles. | Source checked 2026-09-27 ArtPoll: directed broadcast UDP port 0x1936; ArtPollReply: Port fieldArt-Net 4, V1.4, document revision 1.4dp, 2025-10-23 |
Gotchas & IT Notes
- ⚠UDP 6454 is the Art-Net port — there is no separate "server port" to discover later. The real design issue is traffic containment, not port ambiguity.
- ⚠Some security tools treat same-source/destination-port UDP broadcast patterns as suspicious. Identify Art-Net explicitly in the IT schedule and keep it inside the lighting VLAN instead of letting it trip generic denial-of-service or malformed-traffic rules.
- ⚠Do not use 255.255.255.255 for Art-Net. The specification explicitly says limited broadcast is not to be used.
- ⚠Older Art-Net designs often assume a default static Class A 2.x.x.x / 255.0.0.0 network. That is acceptable only on an isolated lighting network. On an enterprise environment, use deliberate addressing and routing policy.
- ⚠Dedicated VLAN strongly recommended. Art-Net can be quiet when well-designed and noisy when discovery or broadcast-heavy behavior is left loose. Keep it off the general user LAN.