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DMX Core

Plugins

Plugins extend the DMX Core 100 with integrations that run on the device itself — DSP control (Symetrix, Q-SYS), smart-home platforms (Home Assistant), networked lighting (Shelly, LIFX, WiZ), and more. Plugins are installed per device from the plugin registry, straight from the Plugins page, and updated independently of the device software.

Plugins page, Installed tab, with the Symetrix DSP settings open

Installing a Plugin

Open the Browse tab. It lists every plugin available in the registry, with a description, the publisher, and links to the plugin’s website and license. Plugins published by DMX Core carry a DMX Core mark. Use the search box to filter the list.

The Browse tab listing the plugins in the registry

Press Install next to a plugin — the device downloads the package, verifies it, and starts it right away. When a plugin has several versions, the version dropdown lets you pick one — including an older version of an installed plugin, if a newer one misbehaves (the update check will offer the newer version again). Newly installed plugins appear on the Installed tab, where you enable/disable them and edit their settings.

Only versions that this device’s software can run are offered. If a plugin (or a newer version of it) needs a newer device software than you have, the Browse tab says so instead of offering it — update the device software first.

The device needs internet access to reach the registry. Sites without it can still install plugins by uploading a .dmxplugin package on the Installed tab (see below).

The Installed Tab

Each installed plugin is listed with its version, state, and — for plugins that maintain a connection to external equipment — a live connection indicator: a green link icon when the plugin is connected to its device (for example a DSP core), a red broken-link icon when it isn’t.

  • Enabled — turn a plugin off without uninstalling it. Takes effect immediately: disabling stops a running plugin, enabling starts it.
  • Settings — each plugin declares its own settings (server addresses, ports, options), edited right on the page. Settings changes apply immediately, no restart needed — for the DSP plugins, saving a new address reconnects on the spot. The same panel shows which registry package the plugin came from and its per-plugin auto-update choice.
  • Update — shown (with an arrow badge next to the version) when the registry has a newer version this device can run. One click downloads and applies it; the plugin’s settings are kept.
  • Reload — restart just that plugin, without restarting the device. Useful if an integration is stuck or after changing something on the external system’s side.
  • Delete — remove the plugin, effective immediately, together with its settings.
  • Upload — install or update a plugin from a .dmxplugin package file instead of the registry, for example on a device without internet access or for a plugin that is not published. The uploaded version starts running immediately.

Updates

The device checks the registry for plugin updates about once an hour and whenever you press Check for updates on the Browse tab. What happens when an update is found is set by the update policy under Browse > Registry settings:

  • Notify (default) — the update is shown on the Plugins page (badge on the plugin, count on the Installed tab); you apply it with Update.
  • Auto — the device downloads and applies updates as it finds them. The plugin restarts for a few seconds when the update is applied.
  • Off — no update checks.

Individual plugins can override the device policy in their settings panel (Auto-update: follow the device policy / always / never) — for example to auto-update everything except a DSP integration you’d rather update during a maintenance window.

Only versions this device’s software can run are ever offered or applied. Updating the device software may unlock newer plugin versions.

Registry Settings

Browse > Registry settings holds the update policy above plus:

  • Pre-release versions — also offer plugin versions marked as pre-release (for testing; off by default).
  • Feeds — the plugin registry is a standard NuGet feed; the default is nuget.org, where all public DMX Core plugins are published. Additional feeds (one per line, as NuGet V3 service index URLs — Azure Artifacts, BaGet, and similar) let organizations distribute private plugins or run a local mirror; a feed that needs a login takes the credentials in the URL (https://user:token@host/...).

The DSP Plugins

The Symetrix DSP and QSys DSP plugins implement the Q-SYS & Symetrix integrations. Their settings are simply the DSP core’s address (and port, if changed from the platform default). Once connected, define Control Values to bridge the DSP’s controls into faders, menus, and triggers.

The Shelly Plugin

The Shelly plugin drives Shelly Gen1 color devices (RGBW2 and similar) from DMX data over MQTT. It adds a SHELLY output type on the Outputs page with RGB, RGBW, and RGBW+intensity protocols, a Discover button that finds Shelly devices on the network, and a Shelly fixture profile so the device can be patched and controlled like any fixture. See Output Config for setup.

The plugin’s source is public at DMXCore/DMXCore100.Plugin.Shelly — it doubles as the reference example for building output plugins.

The LIFX Plugin

The LIFX plugin drives LIFX WiFi bulbs and SuperColour / pixel fixtures (Tube, Beam, strips, tiles) over the LIFX LAN protocol — no cloud account needed, the lights only have to be on the same network. It adds a LIFX output type with single-zone color protocols (RGB, RGB+CT, RGBW, RGBW+CT, each in 8- or 16-bit) and a Pixel protocol that drives every zone of a multizone device individually, a Discover button that finds the lights (and their zone counts), and a LIFX — Color Bulb fixture profile whose personalities match the protocols. Updates stream at up to 20 per second per light with a short device-side fade so effects look smooth. See Output Config for setup.

The plugin’s source is public at DMXCore/DMXCore100.Plugin.LIFX.

The WiZ Plugin

The WiZ plugin drives WiZ (Signify) WiFi lights — full-color, tunable-white and dimmable bulbs, strips, and lamps, including the WiZ-based Philips “Smart LED” range — over the WiZ local UDP protocol. No cloud account or hub is needed; the light only has to have been joined to the WiFi with the WiZ app once. It adds a WiZ output type with color protocols (RGB, RGBW+CT, RGB + cool/warm white) and white protocols (Dimmer+CT in kelvin mode, Dimmer), a Discover button that finds the lights and shows what each module can do, and WiZ — Color Bulb / WiZ — White Bulb fixture profiles. Updates are rate-limited to 10 per second per light. See Output Config for setup.

WiZ firmware smooths every color change over a fraction of a second and fades power on/off over about a second — fades and effects look smooth, but hard snaps and blackouts land slightly late. That is the bulb, not the plugin or the Core; the WiZ app behaves the same way.

The plugin’s source is public at DMXCore/DMXCore100.Plugin.WiZ.

Building Your Own

Anyone can build a plugin and publish it to the registry — see Building & Publishing Plugins.