Quality Levels
The connection quality indicator appears in the status row on the PTT screen:
| Level | Color | RTT (Round-Trip Time) | Experience |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Green | < 100ms | Crisp, real-time audio. No noticeable delay. |
| Fair | Yellow | 100–250ms | Slight delay. Usable but conversations may feel sluggish. |
| Poor | Red | > 250ms | Noticeable delay. Audio may break up. Consider switching networks. |
How It's Measured
CrewTalk uses a ping/pong protocol to measure connection quality:
- Every 10 seconds, your device sends a ping (1 byte, type
0x04) to the relay server - The server immediately echoes it back
- The app measures the round-trip time (RTT)
- The quality indicator updates based on the RTT value
This measurement runs continuously in the background as long as you're connected to a hub.
What Affects Quality
Network Type
| Network | Typical Quality |
|---|---|
| Wi-Fi (strong) | Good |
| Wi-Fi (weak/congested) | Fair to Poor |
| 5G | Good |
| LTE/4G | Good to Fair |
| 3G | Fair to Poor |
Common Issues
Congested Wi-Fi — Multiple devices on the same network (common on set with many crew members). Consider:
- Using a dedicated production Wi-Fi network
- Switching to cellular data if Wi-Fi is congested
- Positioning closer to the access point
Distance to Server — CrewTalk's relay server location affects base latency. Users on the same continent typically see Good quality.
Network Switching — Moving between Wi-Fi and cellular can cause temporary quality drops. CrewTalk's auto-reconnect handles the transition.
For the best experience on large sets, consider a dedicated Wi-Fi access point for CrewTalk traffic. Even a basic mobile hotspot can work well for a small crew.
Improving Your Connection
- Use Wi-Fi when available — Consistent, low-latency connections
- Stay close to your access point — Signal strength matters
- Avoid congested networks — Public Wi-Fi and shared networks add latency
- Use cellular as backup — 4G/5G is often more reliable than weak Wi-Fi
- Close background apps — Other apps using bandwidth can affect audio quality
- Disable VPN — VPNs add routing hops and increase latency
Quality vs. Audio
Even at "Fair" quality, CrewTalk's Opus codec adapts to maintain intelligible audio. The codec is designed for voice and handles packet loss gracefully. You'll still be understood — conversations just feel a bit less instantaneous.
At "Poor" quality, consider:
- Moving to a better network position
- Switching from Wi-Fi to cellular (or vice versa)
- Using text messages for non-urgent communication