Communication Path Control Device Bypassing Routers for Local Calls
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In IP phone systems with built-in NAT functions, communication paths between local network terminals and WAN-side terminals often necessitate unnecessary routing through relay devices like routers, leading to inefficient packet transmission and increased load on these devices during calls within the local network.
Innovation Solution
A communication path control device and method that determines whether terminals are within the same network, and if so, overwrites IP address information in SDP messages to establish direct peer-to-peer communication paths, avoiding relay devices like routers and reducing unnecessary traffic through them.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If NAT function is built into the router device to enable communication between IP phone terminals of different networks, then communication between local network and WAN side terminals is enabled, but communication paths for local network calls are forced to route through the relay device, increasing transmission distance and device load
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically determines the communication path based on whether both terminals are in the same network. When both terminals are in the local network, the SDP information is modified to establish a direct P2P connection, bypassing the router. When terminals are in different networks, the original NAT-based routing through the router is used. This dynamic path selection resolves the contradiction by adapting the communication route to the specific network context.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies different communication strategies based on the local network context. For local network calls, a direct P2P connection strategy is applied, while for WAN calls, the NAT-based relay strategy is applied. This localized optimization allows the system to achieve short paths for local calls while maintaining network connectivity for remote calls.
2Reliability
If all communication paths route through the relay device to ensure proper NAT handling, then network address translation is properly performed, but the load on the relay device increases and call quality deteriorates due to unnecessary traffic through the router
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the communication path based on network context. When both terminals are in the local network, the SDP information is modified to enable direct P2P communication, eliminating unnecessary routing through the router and reducing device load. When terminals are in different networks, the original NAT-based routing is maintained to ensure proper address translation. This dynamic approach resolves the contradiction by applying NAT only when necessary.
3Productivity
If direct P2P communication is established for local network terminals, then communication efficiency is improved and router load is reduced, but the system cannot properly handle cases where terminals are in different networks
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically determines whether to use direct P2P communication or NAT-based routing by checking the network context. The switch modifies SDP information only when both terminals are confirmed to be in the local network, enabling efficient direct communication. For terminals in different networks, the original SDP information is preserved, maintaining compatibility with NAT-based routing. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by optimizing for efficiency when possible while maintaining versatility when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from the network context (whether both terminals are in the local network) to determine the appropriate communication strategy. The switch receives SDP information, determines the network context, and accordingly decides whether to modify the SDP for direct P2P communication or leave it unchanged for NAT-based routing. This feedback mechanism allows the system to adapt its behavior to achieve both efficiency and versatility.
Data Source
AI summary
To perform communication with a communication path not unnecessarily going through a relay device such as a router. Under an environment in which a first network and a second network are connecting via a relay device, in a case of information used for establishing of a communication path between a call-origin terminal and a call-destination terminal sent by one among the call-origin terminal and the call-destination terminal to the other thereof, being forwarded from the relay device, contents of the information used for establishing of the communication path are overwritten so that the communication path between the call-source terminal and call-destination terminal is established with a path not going through the relay device, and the information thus overwritten is sent to the other one among the call-origin terminal and the call-destination terminal, if both of the network in which the call-origin terminal is installed and the network in which the call-destination terminal is installed are the first network.