Pro-Bel SW-P-02 (General Switcher) protocol for router control is supported in Helm, RouteMaster and RouteMaster VR
RouteMaster uses the protocol for both outgoing and incoming connections, allowing third-party systems using SW-P-02 to control RouteMaster. Helm uses it for outgoing connections to control routers.
Because it does not support name transfer, it’s less commonly used than Pro-Bel SW-P-08 protocol
Level Addressing
SW-P-02 has no concept of levels. However, Helm and RouteMaster both automatically map high-numbered destinations to higher levels, based on the router size. For example, if you configure a router with 32 outputs and 2 levels, outputs 32 to 63 – as sent via the protocol – are used to represent the second level. Only the destination numbers have this mapping – source numbers are unchanged.
Supported and Required Commands
This table details the commands used for outgoing connections, and the commands supported for incoming connections.
| Command | Outgoing | Incoming | Notes |
| INTERROGATE, TALLY | Yes | Yes | |
| CONNECT, CONNECTED | Yes | Yes | RouteMaster sends CONNECTED to all clients when matrix state changes |
| ROUTER CONFIGURATION REQUEST | Yes | Yes | Used to determine size of router being controlled |
Extended Commands
Extended versions of the INTERROGATE, CONNECT commands and their replies are supported