sACN (E1.31)
sACN transports lighting levels using E1.31 over UDP. Its source priorities, universe assignments and optional synchronization must agree across controllers and receivers. These rows describe IPv4 operation; confirm separate IPv6 support and addressing for an E1.31 implementation that uses it.
Scope: sACN IPv4; select optional discovery and synchronization
protocol · Catalog reviewed 2026-09-27
ANSI E1.31; IPv4 implementation profile
Infrastructure Requirements
- UDP 5568, a universe/address plan, sufficient network capacity and multicast forwarding with an IGMP querier when using multicast. Confirm supported priorities and synchronization behavior.
Network & Physical Requirements
| Port / allocation | Transport | Connection / signal flow | Feature and requirement | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5568 | UDP Multicast: 239.255.<universe high byte>.<universe low byte> | sACN source → sACN receiver | Profile requirement · Core Lighting level data E1.31 IPv4 transport; ETC implementation documentation Universes 1–63999. Use the configured unicast destination or the universe’s multicast group. | Source checked 2026-09-27 Access Control Entry; sACN; sACN Discovery |
| 5568 | UDP Multicast: 239.255.250.214 | sACN source → sACN discovery listener | Optional · Universe discovery Source universe announcements E1.31 IPv4 transport; ETC implementation documentation Announces universes transmitted by sources. This does not discover or configure receiving fixtures. | Source checked 2026-09-27 Access Control Entry; sACN; sACN Discovery |
| 5568 | UDP Multicast: Group for the configured synchronization universe | sACN synchronization source → Synchronization-capable receivers | Optional · Synchronization Synchronize output across subscribed receivers Mosaic Designer 2.8.0 synchronization feature All participating receivers must support and subscribe to the selected sync universe. Mosaic value 0 disables sync. | Source checked 2026-09-27 What is sACN Sync; setup |
Gotchas & IT Notes
- ⚠Universe discovery uses 239.255.250.214. RDMnet LLRP addresses are different.
- ⚠Source discovery does not discover receivers. Fixture management uses separate RDM/RDMnet services.
- ⚠Match the actual E1.31 revision and IP version; IPv4 groups do not describe IPv6 operation.