Mesh, MCU, or SFU architectures help scale WebRTC for group calls. There are advantages to each, depending on the use case and concerns around quality, cost, and network congestion. But how does each compare in terms of energy efficiency? In her last post of the series, Altanai Bisht compares server side and client side consumption in these different topologies.
MCUs are time-tested approaches to setting up conferences via bridges. Conference bridges add centralized call and media features like mixing, quality control, secure PIN-based access, and more. They are also ideal for connecting mixed streams with media pipelines for recording, broadcasting or plugging into machine learning models. Altanai shows us how to configure FreeSWITCH as a WebRTC Multipart conferencing server using a video mixer and conference bridge.
SFU has become a popular WebRTC topology for connecting through a centralized server to support a medium-sized VoIP conference. Altanai reviews the differences between Mesh, MCU and SFU for handling media streams and demonstrates Asterisk’s SFU configuration for WebRTC endpoints.
DTX is an advanced configuration of the Opus audio codec that allows for large reductions in on audio traffic when a participant is silent. When DTX is enabled, part of the silent audio packets won’t be transmitted. Senior WebRTC engineer, Germán Goldenstein, shares the pros and cons of this very powerful technique for audio optimization and the kind of use cases where it makes the most sense.
