Thrills, lights and rock-solid wireless: how WiLL lit up Morey's Piers' Great White Roller Coaster
Wisconsin Lighting Lab, Inc. (WiLL), a leading lighting infrastructure and technology manufacturer, revitalized Morey’s Piers’ Great White Roller Coaster in Wildwood, NJ, with a dynamic, synchronized light show. They overcame the coastal attraction’s extreme environment – including structural complexity and heavy RF congestion – by relying on their WiLLcloud® GFX Wireless Controls, which use LumenRadio CRMX technology for rock-solid, ultra-low latency wireless DMX control.
Making wireless work on a wild ride
Installing and controlling a synchronized light show across a massive, open-air roller coaster on a busy boardwalk is a tough job. WiLL faced several unique challenges in this coastal, outdoor entertainment application:
- Structural headaches: The roller coaster’s vast wood and metal structure, combined with its outdoor coastal location, makes traditional cabling difficult and invites potential radio frequency (RF) interference.
- A crowded band: The amusement park and coastline are flooded with wireless traffic (Wi-Fi, mobile phones, and other equipment). The lighting solution needed to be able to share the frequency space without dropping the connection.
- Precision is everything: The light show is dynamic and synchronized to the moving coaster cars. This requires extremely low and consistent latency in DMX signal transmission; even a tiny lag would spoil the experience.
Trying to run cable across the entire Great White would have been extremely complicated and simply too expensive.
CRMX: Wireless control built-in and ready for action
WiLL, a leading OEM partner of LumenRadio, had already integrated LumenRadio’s CRMX technology into its WiLLcloud® GFX Wireless Controls and WiLLsport® LED fixtures. CRMX is widely recognized as the standard for wireless control in entertainment lighting because of its unmatched reliability.
CRMX’s core features were essential for this demanding installation:
- Smart coexistence: LumenRadio’s patented technology constantly scans the 2.4 GHz band (up to 1,500 times per second) and dynamically jumps to the best frequencies. This prevents interference from other wireless equipment, delivering “cable-like” reliability even in the congested RF environment of the boardwalk.
- Ultra-low latency: CRMX guarantees a fixed, extremely low latency of only 5 milliseconds. This was absolutely necessary to perfectly synchronize the lighting effects with the fast-moving attraction.
- Simple setup: The existing integration of LumenRadio’s technology into the WiLLcloud® GFX Wireless Controls meant WiLL could deliver a simple, “plug-and-play” system. This dramatically cut down the installation time and complexity compared to having to wire the entire coaster.
“LumenRadio’s CRMX platform has been a game-changer for our wireless platform. Because the technology is so deeply and cleanly integrated, we can ship plug-and-play WiLLcloud® GFX systems that go from pallet to showtime incredibly fast – without sacrificing reliability. That’s the kind of OEM partner you want when you’re trusted with an iconic attraction like the Great White.”
Tyler Oestreich, Vice President, Wisconsin Lighting Lab, Inc. (WiLL)
A show that keeps the thrills going
By using WiLL’s GFX Wireless Controls, powered by LumenRadio’s reliable CRMX technology, Morey’s Piers has transformed the Great White into a modern, dynamic experience. The thrilling light show has quickly become the “talk of the New Jersey oceanside boardwalk”.
Operating staff now have a simple, centralized touchscreen to control the lighting, including RGB color options and dynamic scenes. Most importantly, CRMX ensures the wireless signal never misses a beat, delivering rock-solid performance regardless of external interference. This commitment to reliability allowed WiLL to exceed expectations for both creativity and performance in one of the toughest outdoor environments.
