dAFTdATA technology was at the Avolites stand at PLASA 2005. dAFTdATA works in partnership with Avolites Ltd and Essential Lighting Group Ltd and manufactures a range of wired and wireless Ethernet products for the entertainment lighting market.
dAFTdATA developed the W.E.N.D.I™ protocol to enable content and data to be delivered across multiple wireless networks, allowing for bandwidth sharing of systems cohabiting the same physical Ethernet space. At PLASA, Avolites launched W.E.N.D.I incorporated into its eDMX system, which transfers DMX data across a Wi-Fi radio link removing the need for DMX data cables. eDMX W.E.N.D.I has been used worldwide from Wellington, New Zealand for the British Lions tour to corporate presentations in the Sinai Desert to car shows on ice rinks in Denmark. To view Avolite’s PLASA 2005 launches click here.
dAFTdATA introduced the 5.8 GHz frequency range for the eDMX system. eDMX works at an established 2.4 GHz frequencies, and is currently the only system that allows the user to send signal wirelessly at both 2.4 and 5.8GHz, ensuring connectivity at all times.
eDMX was used successfully on "The Storr – Unfolding Landscapes" an ambitious environmental arts project on the Isle of Skye. eDMX created a wireless network covering the side of the Storr mountain, working up to a height of 1450’ above sea level through the clouds. A temporary link was also established to the Isle of Raasay, 8km away.
In addition, the use of eDMX as the London Eye's preferred system, coupled with the installation of a wireless system within the Royal Albert Hall, have demonstrated the reliability of the system. eDMX remains the only system to be approved by OFCOM for use within the UK, and by embedding 802.11b is approved for use worldwide by the IEEE, ETSI, and the FCC.
Looking Ahead
dAFTdATA believes that the mDMX system will be fully compliant with the W.E.N.D.I. protocol that eDMX supports in the future, thus allowing mDMX systems to be used cooperatively with eDMX. mDMX will also be embedded within Avolites' consoles and dimmers and, therefore, be available through Avolites' distribution worldwide.