Radio over IP - What is it?

ROIP

Radio over Internet Protocol (RoIP) is a two-way communication method which involves trans-reception of radio communication signals over internet protocol (IP). Cost effective and power efficient, RoIP essentially leverages the same communication principles as that of VoIP but requires one of the nodes to be a radio fitted with an IP interface. This interfacing may further be extended to multiple two-way radio nodes, a personal computer, calling software like Skype Phone, PDA, smartphone and telephone, or even traditional two-way radio hardware – pretty much any form of communication device which can relay signals over IP.

RoIP History

The basic communication process of RoIP is similar to VoIP, with additional controls for push-to-talk (PTT) and varying the operating frequencies.  When VoIP initially
caught on, with ability to transmit voice over TCP/IP protocols of internet, LAN and WAN – they began putting the traditional telecom enterprises out of business, rendering the need for a separate line for telephone redundant. High speed internet data was now capable of handling audio, video and all other services. This facilitated the rise of integrated services from the ISP (internet service provider) units, ushering in an era of quality services at a third of the cost.  Soon, the vendors of radio services, mobile radio and even computer aided remote radio signal transmitters recognized the opportunity to relay radio traffic to distant geographical locations without having to rely on expensive physical wire or microwave links. Instead, they could ride the pre-existing links for data carriage. Thus began the RoIP endeavor.

RoIP Set-ups

Site Linking: The basic RoIP unit consists of two radio/ repeater units, and a high speed internet connection. Linking them directly as two end-point nodes is called P2P (point to point) or Site Linking. Historically it needed physical wires, RF links, antenna, and tower space. Multiple units were needed to transmit signals beyond LoS (line of site) communication. Besides, it was a lossy proposition. Today, however, there is no limitation of distance or recognizable signal loss given the internet network is similar. It is an energy efficient and inexpensive solution.  

IP Dispatch: For remote locations, the same IP console is run over operating systems like Microsoft Windows or Linux to handle the trans-reception of signals, without being physically present to operate the devices. This helps in integrating even two disparate configurations of radio signal transmitters or receivers, as long as they are capable of being tuned remotely to appropriate frequency via the IP console software. Universal RoIP interface with ANI, PTT (push to talk), frequency control and dashboard features helps the interoperability.

PTT (push to talk) features can be used even for modern digital devices like Smartphones, PC or PDA to directly communicate with radio signal units. Soft console apps can be downloaded for each of these devices.

Benefits of RoIP

There are several tangible advantages of RoIP over traditional two-way radio communication:

Coverage span of RoIP is reliant on network of cell-phone and internet services. Nearly 90% of world population has access to some form of national or international network. As long as the LMR (Land Mobile Radio) is programmed for the regional or local services, it can carry out bi-directional communication across regions, states or even countries!
The gap between incompatible radio trans-receiving units and heterogeneous radio nets are bridged using the common RoIP interfacing unit, regardless of analog or digital nodes at the end of radio gateways. All we need is to adjust frequencies, radio controls and PTT.
IP Dispatching soft consoles are not limited by cost issues of installing a physical antenna-based radio repeating units, leased wires or microwave site-linking equipments.
No limitation of private networks or public internets in terms of communication range, device or software compatibility. The Mesh IP networking adds infrastructure resilience too. The existing IP network can be leveraged for connectivity to wider radio networks by adding dispatch consoles across varying time-zones, or create quick, inexpensive portable dispatch options at several locations (including backup locations).

Our Device

At BridgeCom systems we offer top-of-the-line RoIP devices for professional emergency response agencies and amateur radio enthusiasts.

 Our MV series product line allows easy linking of RF endpoints, available for both point-to-point and point-to-multipoint linking – further expanding our TL-NET and TL-NET Turbo product capabilities.

In addition to analog systems linking, the optimized digital signal processing unit refines the existing MOTOTRBO™ site linking technology to offer superior integration with Dispatch consoles, robust RoIP software performance and excellent voice compression (with smart jitter control, echo cancellation and noise reduction).