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Many different jobs require spending time in areas where radio coverage is weak or nonexistent. Many truck drivers travel through areas where commonly used radio systems won’t enable communications until reaching an area with radio coverage. The same is true of those who work in remote areas, such as logging operations, game wardens, and others who often go where few others do.
Fortunately, radio over internet protocol (RoIP) offers a terrific solution to dead radio by using the internet instead of radio towers to enable radio communications. Truckers won’t have to worry about breaking down in desolate areas and not being able to radio for help. RoIP ensures continual coverage thanks to the growing proliferation of available internet support systems that solve radio coverage problems.
Turning Radio Signals Into Digital RoIP
A RoIP system works in a relatively simple manner, which helps make it an effective means of communication. The system receives a radio signal and converts it into a digital packet. Once the signal becomes digital, it will transfer over an internet protocol network to a receiver. After the digital packet reaches a receiver, the receiver converts the digital packet back into a radio signal.
The entire process goes very quickly and causes virtually no communication delays. The signal is clear and does not suffer from interference caused by lightning, tall buildings, or mountains. In many ways, a RoIP system greatly improves radio communications capabilities. Depending on the situation, RoIP literally could be a lifesaver while also greatly improving radio communications.
How RoIP Communications Work
Radio commonly uses microwaves or leased phone lines to extend coverage to provide real-time radio communications. Those systems are highly vulnerable to weather, wear and tear, and other potential problems that could cause the radio signal to fail. That could be an especially big problem if weather causes a radio system to fail at the same time that it might cause a vehicular accident that requires radio communications to call for help.
A RoIP system doesn’t rely on broadcast signals or exposed telephone lines to support real-time radio communications. An internet signal is all that’s needed and can be provided in several ways. Many vehicles have onboard systems, like OnStar, that enable each to create a Wi-Fi hotspot that supports RoIP communications. Cellular signals can also support internet connections for RoIP systems. So can satellite internet services that enable people to go online almost anywhere.
Redundancy Ensures RoIP Reliability
Because it’s transmitted through the internet, a RoIP system enjoys redundancy that helps ensure it will work just about anywhere and at any time. Wi-Fi hotspots, cellular signals, and satellite internet services all work equally well. If a FirstNet outage occurs because one internet system fails for some reason, there are two others available.
The multiple types of internet services create a triple redundancy, which means there’s more than one way to do the same thing. It’s similar to what NASA uses in its spacecraft in case one or two systems fail. There’s almost always another way to do the same task to help ensure a spacecraft safely returns its crew and payload to Earth. That same goes for a commercial truck or a family car that is traveling long distances and might need emergency radio communications if a problem arises.
Easy RoIP System Installation
A RoIP system works much like a traditional radio system, only with the internet handling the transmission. You use the same push-to-talk system over the internet that you would with a standard radio transmission. The RoIP system ensures there are no dead zones, though, which is what makes it especially good. The system is relatively simple and doesn’t require costly equipment or a costly installation.
You just need an IP network that will convert the radio signal and send it to the intended recipient. A RoIP service provider handles the major equipment and the software that makes it work. You also need the radio equipment that starts the process at one end and enables the recipient to receive the signal and respond to it at the other end. Simplicity helps make the system reliable and easy to use.
