ASTi Logo

Networking FAQ

How do I minimize network bandwidth usage?

The answer to this is dependent on the voice compression scheme in use.

Network bandwidth usage is a function of the number of active voice streams and the method used to encode the audio data. It is possible to optimize the number of voice streams on any given segment of a network, and to reduce the bandwidth consumed by each voice stream by using more aggressive voice compression technique to encode the audio.

Our standard audio compression algorithm is the industry standard mu-law that results in a bandwidth consumption of 100kbs. We also offer CVSD as a compression option for bandwidth reduction that results in a bandwidth on the network of 25kbs. The voice quality of the more aggressive CVSD is generally accepted as being poorer than mu-law though so there are quality issues to consider.

In order to optimize the number of voice streams flowing on the network server provides the ability to assign radios and intercoms to multiple Internet Protocol (IP) Multicast groups. This allows you to:

  • Route desired transmissions directly to specific receivers.
  • Exclude others from receiving that transmission.
  • Restrict local traffic to the local subnet, and away from the wide area network.

This translates into dramatic improvement in your network's efficiency. Network congestion is reduced, end-to-end network bandwidth is conserved, and the processing burden at receiving nodes is eased.