A clip showing of the effect of downloading a photo during an active VoIP call (Video - 15.8MB).(video capture from screen)
The final test we did with Paul at the volcano yesterday was to download a photo while talking on the VoIP phone at the same time. The router currently gives no priority (or Quality of Service preferences) to audio data – all data gets treated with equal priority. As a result while we’re filling the bandwidth with photo information the audio drops out. This could be solved by setting a Quality of Service preference for audio data. The image would then download slower, but the audio conversation would be maintained. Another option is to self regulate the conversation and keep quiet while waiting for downloads or other priority data.
For comparison we’ve also posted a clip of a photo downloading on the same day at the same location with the same equipment, but without the active VoIP call. The full photo without VoIP downloads in 12 seconds, with VoIP it takes 28 seconds.
A clip at the same location downloading a photo without an active VoIP call (Video - 5.7MB).(video capture from screen)