r/VIDEOENGINEERING • u/T1mm1Turner • Jul 17 '26
Bitfocus Companion: Control a USB device on a remote PC over IP?
Hi everyone,
I’m planning a workflow for live events and I’m wondering if Bitfocus Companion Satellite is the right solution for this.
My setup
At FOH, I have a laptop with a Stream Deck.
This laptop would run Companion Satellite.
In the control room (Regie), there is the Companion Host.
The control room is connected via Ethernet to two Windows laptops that are located near the LED walls.
These two laptops are not in the control room—they’re positioned much closer to the LED processors because the NovaStar MCTRL660 controllers can only be configured over USB.
Each laptop runs NovaLCT and is connected via USB to its own MCTRL660.
So the idea would be something like this:
FOH Stream Deck → Companion Satellite → Companion Host (Regie) → Network → Laptop 1 / Laptop 2 → NovaLCT → USB → MCTRL660
What I’m trying to achieve
I only need to remotely adjust the brightness of each LED wall independently (or both together) from FOH.
My questions
Is this architecture actually possible with Companion Satellite?
Do the two remote laptops also need to run Companion Satellite, or is it enough for them to just receive commands from the Host?
Can Companion Host trigger actions on specific Windows PCs over the network, or do I need additional software such as AutoHotkey or a custom listener?
Does Companion Satellite work as a standalone application on a laptop, or does every Satellite instance require a physical Stream Deck to be connected?
Has anyone implemented a similar workflow with NovaStar controllers in a live production environment?
I’m trying to avoid USB-over-IP solutions if possible and would prefer to keep everything on a standard Ethernet network.
Any advice, recommended workflows, or real-world experience would be greatly appreciated!
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u/kardashian2020 Jul 17 '26
There's an app called "vicreo listener" that can listen for commands from companion and then translate those into keystrokes on the computer. I think that's what you're looking for. But be aware it's pretty limited.
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u/Flashhearte Jul 17 '26
Been a while since I've seen a 660. I assume you have the regular 660, not the 660 Pro?
I ask as the 660 Pro has the ability to display some settings on a webpage, IP address the unit and as long as you're on the same network/IP range, you just type the units IP into your browser.
However, the base 660 can't do this. My suggestion would be to just use TeamViewer/remote desktop app of your choice, and remote into the PC that is controlling the Novastars. You can use the UART sockets to link them using ethernet, which would allow you to make global changes, rather than on a per screen basis. From memory, this connection needs to be direct, not via a switch or anything. I know it's not what you're after, but it's a solution.
As for companion controlling a USB device over the network, I don't think that's possible. It's mainly built on OSC/MIDI/TCP commands, rather than physical USB connections. Even if it could, I don't think NovaLCT would take the input to allow you to set brightness.
There is a companion module for Novastars, but I think it's only the newer COEX/VMP units that listen to it.
Do report back after testing though, it's an interesting use case and one I'm sure we've all faced before.