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.
If you’re ready to build a WebRTC based live video application, the most important architectural decision you need to make is what media server to use. But which media server should you choose? There are so many options, and they range from tightly controlled commercial APIs to open source projects. Arin covers the five main decision points on which you should base your decision.
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.