Multicast vs Unicast with DMX and E1.31

[logandc99]

Theres been some discussion about unicast vs multicast especially with regards to sequences not playing smoothly if  using unicast and not having all controllers attached. Certainly I have found that to be the case. I have been using unicast the last couple of years (can't quite remember why I chose that over multicast). I am running my controllers on a seperate network to my home network.
With unicast, I have had my DMX controller boxes (connected sequentially to each other) connected to one DMX output of my one of my J1sys P12s controllers. My DMX stuff is all on Universe 1 so when setting up my E1.31 using unicast, I have the software set to look for Universe 1 using the ip of the P12s controller that the DMX stuff is connected to.
However, this year I want to have my DMX controllers at different ends of the property and so wondered if I can connect two DMX controllers to one of my P12s controllers and two DMX controllers  to my F16v2, and have both the J1sys P12s DMX output and the F16V2 DMX output set to look for Universe 1 but use multicast.
Will that work - i.e. can I have more than one E1.31 controller setup to use their own DMX outputs for Universe 1 or will there be some sort of conflict. 

[gerry]

hello Logan,

Hmm...With Multicast , both controllers will accept and process the Universe 1 data.
The only likely distinguishing aspect would be the (different) channels being turned on , on each controller. I am assuming that you have boards after the DMX outputs with selected channels set on each and they are all different ?

May work. You would need to try it out. Why not change one of the DMX universes on one controller to a different Universe ?

[Gilrock]

That will work fine.  You just blast out the data and nobody knows what any of the other controllers are doing.  They can sniff and use whatever data they want.

[logandc99]

Thanks Gerry and Gil for the replies. That makes life easier just switching over to multicast.

I was thinking of switching everything over to multicast anyway because I am often testing certain things on some controllers and don't necessairly have all the others connected at the time and multicast would save having to go into Xlights or the FPP and turn off all the unused universes all the time which I have to do with unicast to prevent all the light stuttering.
Cheers
Logan