Singularity (UK) has announced the official launch of Sig-Net, a new, free-to-use communication framework designed to secure entertainment lighting networks. Set to be unveiled at the PLASA European PlugFest in Lille next week, Sig-Net provides a lightweight, highly scalable, and intrinsically multi-controller architecture that seamlessly supports DMX, RDM, Timecode, and firmware updates.
With the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) imminently impacting the entertainment technology sector, hardware manufacturers are facing strict deadlines to secure their network interfaces. Sig-Net was engineered to provide a mathematically sound, CRA-defensible solution that can be implemented in a very short development cycle, without breaking the low-latency performance that live production relies upon.
“A simplistic reading of the CRA might lead one to conclude that heavy payload encryption is mandated across the board,” explains Wayne Howell, founder of Singularity (UK) and the original architect of Art-Net. “But did the regulators genuinely intend for real-time DMX lighting levels to be treated with the same cryptographic weight as a financial transaction? We take the stance that they did not. Sig-Net focuses heavily on authentication and cryptographic data integrity to secure the network, avoiding the latency and complexity of over-engineered IT solutions.”
Building on What Works Operating on the philosophy of reusing proven concepts rather than reinventing the wheel, Sig-Net combines the most successful elements of legacy protocols into a single, secure package.
As a driving force in entertainment control protocols for over 30 years, Howell sees distinct historical parallels in today’s regulatory landscape. “Art-Net started life in the year 2000 as a temporary solution to network lighting control. It took off globally because the other options were locked behind proprietary walls, and the market desperately needed a free-to-use solution now,” says Howell.
“In 2026, it is difficult to decide whether this is a case of déjà vu or Groundhog Day. Once again, the market desperately needs a free, pragmatic solution to achieve CRA compliance, and it needs it today. Actually, this time around, it is different. When I designed Art-Net, I did so as an individual engineer. 25 years later, I am fortunate to have reached a point where the industry’s leading CEOs and CTOs will take my call. This has allowed me to bring in a wealth of technical talent to peer review the core architecture and evolve Sig-Net into a truly community-based industry endeavour.”
Sig-Net is completely free-to-use and royalty-free. The full protocol specification, alongside C++ example code and access to the official developer Discord community, is available from 15 April at https://sig-net.net
