VoIP Stack for Wi-Fi Mesh Network
Our client, a rapidly growing EU technology startup, needed to develop an MVP for serverless peer-to-peer, multi-peer and broadcast voice communications (VoIP) over a Wi-Fi mesh network.
Objectives and Scope
Building a VoIP solution over a Wi-Fi mesh network presents unique challenges. Ensuring low-latency, high-quality voice communication without a centralized server requires a robust, adaptive network architecture. The mesh network’s dynamic nature, where nodes can join or leave without disrupting ongoing sessions, adds complexity to maintaining consistent voice quality. The value of such a solution is immense, especially in areas without existing connectivity infrastructure, providing a resilient and scalable communication network.
Deliverables included:
- Research and planning: technology feasibility study and MVP project plan
- Platform bring up: hardware advisory and prototype sketch. Custom hardware production supervising.
- Software Development: VoIP stack architecture design and basic functionality implementation.
- Field testing: performance tuning of the Wi-Fi mesh stack to handle multi-hop communications efficiently.
Approach
Our technology experts conducted a comprehensive technical assessment and selected an appropriate tech stack. They designed a detailed plan for MVP delivery, ensuring the VoIP stack was agnostic to hardware and network layers. VoIP stack development and Wi-Fi mesh setup were executed in parallel. During the initial VoIP stack field testing, Android phones were utilized, saving the customer significant costs on custom embedded platform design in the prestudy phase.
Technology
Wi-Fi mesh (802.11s) enables VoIP communication in areas without traditional connectivity infrastructure. Multi-hop capabilities significantly extend the communication range. The decentralized nature of the mesh network ensures continuous high-quality voice communication, even as peers dynamically join or leave the network. Established VoIP technologies such as RTP, RTCP, support for multiple audio codecs were utilized to design a robust multipeer distributed network. Custom algorithms were developed to manage seamless peer transitions, ensuring communication quality remains unaffected.
Yocto, Linux Kernel, Android NDK, C/C++, JNI, Java, Android SDK, Linphone SDK
Outcome
The MVP was successfully developed in a short timeframe, allowing our client to evaluate the technology’s limitations and adapt the solution at an early stage. The designed architecture supports unlimited scalability and provides a solid foundation for future peer-to-peer VoIP applications.