Network Settings - TCP Streamer

Overview

Network settings control how TCP Streamer transmits audio data over the network. Proper configuration ensures stable, low-latency streaming even on challenging network conditions.

Network Presets

One-click configurations optimized for common network scenarios. Presets automatically adjust multiple settings at once.

network_preset

enum

default:"wifi"

Pre-configured network optimization profile

Show Available Presets

ethernet: Stable wired connections
wifi: Standard wireless networks
wifi-poor: Unstable or distant WiFi
custom: Manual configuration

Ethernet (Stable)

Optimized for wired network connections with low jitter.

Setting	Value	Reason
Ring Buffer	2000ms	Low jitter allows smaller buffer
Chunk Size	512 samples	Smaller chunks for lower latency
Adaptive Min	2000ms	Minimum buffer threshold
Adaptive Max	6000ms	Maximum buffer threshold
Adaptive Buffer	Enabled	Automatically adjust to conditions

Use for:

Computers connected via Ethernet cable
Local servers on same subnet
Low-latency music streaming

WiFi (Standard)

Balanced configuration for typical wireless networks.

Setting	Value	Reason
Ring Buffer	4000ms	Handles typical WiFi jitter (10-50ms)
Chunk Size	1024 samples	Balanced throughput and latency
Adaptive Min	3000ms	Room for jitter absorption
Adaptive Max	10000ms	Protection against WiFi congestion
Adaptive Buffer	Enabled	Adapts to changing WiFi conditions

Use for:

Standard home WiFi networks
Multi-room audio setups
Typical office environments

WiFi (Poor Signal)

Maximum stability for challenging wireless environments.

Setting	Value	Reason
Ring Buffer	8000ms	Absorbs high jitter and packet loss
Chunk Size	2048 samples	Larger chunks reduce overhead
Adaptive Min	5000ms	Higher baseline for poor conditions
Adaptive Max	15000ms	Maximum protection against dropouts
Adaptive Buffer	Enabled	Responds to severe jitter spikes

Use for:

Distant WiFi connections
Congested 2.4 GHz networks
Buildings with thick walls
High interference environments

Start with WiFi (Standard) and upgrade to WiFi (Poor Signal) only if you experience frequent dropouts.

Chunk Size

The number of audio samples transmitted in each network packet.

chunk_size

integer

default:"1024"

Network chunk size in samples (128-4096)

Chunk Size	Packet Interval (48 kHz)	Use Case
128	2.7 ms	Minimum latency, high overhead
256	5.3 ms	Very low latency
512	10.7 ms	Low latency, balanced
1024	21.3 ms	Balanced (recommended)
2048	42.7 ms	High stability, lower overhead
4096	85.3 ms	Maximum stability, highest latency

How Chunk Size Affects Performance

Smaller chunks (128-512):

Lower end-to-end latency
More frequent network operations
Higher CPU usage
More overhead per audio sample
Better for real-time applications

Larger chunks (1024-4096):

Higher latency
Fewer network operations
Lower CPU usage
Less overhead per sample
Better for unreliable networks

Calculation

Packet Interval (ms) = (chunk_size × 1000) / sample_rate

Example: (1024 × 1000) / 48000 = 21.3 ms

Extremely small chunk sizes (128-256) can cause excessive CPU usage and network overhead. Use only when ultra-low latency is critical.

High-Priority Threading

Boosts the network thread priority for reduced jitter and more consistent timing.

high_priority

boolean

default:"false"

Enable high-priority scheduling for network thread

How It Works

When enabled, TCP Streamer requests maximum thread priority from the operating system scheduler:

Linux/macOS: ThreadPriority::Max
Windows: High priority class

Effects

Benefits:

Reduces scheduling jitter (1-5ms improvement)
More consistent packet transmission timing
Better performance on loaded systems

Trade-offs:

Slightly higher system resource usage
May require administrator/root privileges
Can impact other applications if system is under heavy load

When to Enable

Loaded Systems

Enable if your computer runs many background processes

Timing Issues

Enable if you see high jitter values (>10ms) in network quality metrics

Multi-Room Sync

Enable for time-critical multi-room audio synchronization

On most modern systems with adequate CPU, high-priority threading provides minimal benefit. Test with and without to measure the difference.

DSCP/TOS Tagging

Differentiated Services Code Point (DSCP) marking for Quality of Service (QoS) routing.

dscp_strategy

enum

default:"voip"

QoS marking strategy for network packets

Show Available Strategies

voip: Expedited Forwarding (EF) - Highest priority
lowdelay: IPTOS_LOWDELAY - Minimize latency
throughput: IPTOS_THROUGHPUT - Maximize throughput
besteffort: No special marking (default routing)

Strategy Details

VoIP (Expedited Forwarding)

DSCP Value: 0xB8 (EF)
Binary: 101110
Priority: Highest
Recommended for: Real-time audio streaming

Traffic Class: Voice (VoIP)
Queue Priority: Highest
Drop Precedence: Low

Low Delay

TOS Value: 0x10 (IPTOS_LOWDELAY)
Priority: High
Recommended for: Interactive applications

Throughput

TOS Value: 0x08 (IPTOS_THROUGHPUT)
Priority: Medium
Recommended for: Bulk data transfer

Best Effort

TOS Value: 0x00
Priority: Normal (default)
Recommended for: No QoS requirements

Requirements

DSCP/TOS tagging only works if:

Your router/switches support QoS (most modern routers do)
QoS is configured and enabled on network devices
Your operating system allows setting TOS values (may require privileges)

If QoS is not configured, these settings have no effect.

Configuration Example

{
  "dscp_strategy": "voip",
  "high_priority": true,
  "chunk_size": 1024
}

Precision Pacing

TCP Streamer uses a Token Bucket algorithm for mathematically perfect transmission timing.

How It Works

// Strict clock-based pacing
tick_duration = (chunk_size × 1_000_000 μs) / sample_rate

// Example: (1024 × 1_000_000) / 48000 = 21,333 μs = 21.3 ms
next_tick = current_time + tick_duration

while streaming {
    wait_until(next_tick);
    send_chunk();
    next_tick += tick_duration;
}

Benefits

Eliminates micro-bursts: No sudden traffic spikes
Drift-aware: Compensates for clock drift
Sub-millisecond precision: Uses spin-loop for accurate timing
Predictable bandwidth: Constant bitrate transmission

Precision pacing is always enabled and cannot be disabled. It’s a core component of TCP Streamer’s architecture.

Connection Management

TCP Keep-Alive

Automatically enabled for all connections:

TcpKeepalive::new()
    .with_time(5 seconds)      // Start probes after 5s idle
    .with_interval(2 seconds)  // Send probe every 2s

Write Timeout

All TCP writes have a 5-second timeout to prevent zombie connections:

stream.set_write_timeout(Some(Duration::from_secs(5)))

If a write operation takes longer than 5 seconds, the connection is terminated and auto-reconnect is triggered.

Reconnection Strategy

Exponential backoff with jitter:

Initial delay: 2 seconds
Max delay: 60 seconds
Jitter: ±500ms (prevents thundering herd)

Retry 1: 2s + jitter
Retry 2: 4s + jitter
Retry 3: 8s + jitter
Retry 4: 16s + jitter
Retry 5: 32s + jitter
Retry 6+: 60s + jitter

Exponential backoff prevents connection storms when the server is temporarily unavailable.

Real-Time Monitoring

TCP Streamer continuously monitors network quality and displays metrics in the UI.

Quality Score (0-100)

Calculated every 4 seconds based on:

Jitter penalty (0-50 points): Timing consistency
- Target: < 5ms jitter = 0 penalty
- Maximum: > 20ms jitter = 50 penalty
Buffer penalty (0-30 points): Buffer usage
- Healthy: < 80% usage = 0 penalty
- Critical: > 80% usage = max penalty
Error penalty (0-20 points): Connection errors
- No errors = 0 penalty
- 5+ errors = 20 penalty

Quality Ratings

Score	Rating	Description
90-100	Excellent	Perfect conditions
70-89	Good	Minor jitter, stable
50-69	Fair	Noticeable jitter, may need adjustment
0-49	Poor	High jitter, frequent issues

Jitter Measurement

Exponential Weighted Moving Average (EWMA) with 10-sample smoothing:

jitter = 0.9 × prev_jitter + 0.1 × current_deviation

If quality drops below 50, TCP Streamer will log a warning and suggest increasing buffer size.

Performance Optimization

For Wired Networks

{
  "network_preset": "ethernet",
  "chunk_size": 512,
  "dscp_strategy": "voip",
  "high_priority": false
}

For WiFi Networks

{
  "network_preset": "wifi",
  "chunk_size": 1024,
  "dscp_strategy": "voip",
  "high_priority": true
}

For Unstable Connections

{
  "network_preset": "wifi-poor",
  "chunk_size": 2048,
  "dscp_strategy": "besteffort",
  "high_priority": true
}

Troubleshooting

High Jitter (>15ms)

Solutions:

Increase ring buffer duration
Increase chunk size
Enable high-priority threading
Switch to wired connection
Reduce other network traffic

Connection Drops

Solutions:

Enable auto-reconnect (see Automation)
Check firewall settings
Verify server is running and accessible
Increase write timeout tolerance

Quality Score Below 50

Solutions:

Apply WiFi (Poor Signal) preset
Enable adaptive buffer (see Advanced Settings)
Check for network congestion
Move closer to WiFi router

Audio Settings - Configure ring buffer duration
Advanced Settings - Enable adaptive buffer
Automation - Set up auto-reconnect

Getting Started

Core Features

Configuration

Platform Guides

Use Cases

Troubleshooting

​Overview

​Network Presets

​Ethernet (Stable)

​WiFi (Standard)

​WiFi (Poor Signal)

​Chunk Size

​How Chunk Size Affects Performance

​Calculation

​High-Priority Threading

​How It Works

​Effects

​When to Enable

​DSCP/TOS Tagging

​Strategy Details

​VoIP (Expedited Forwarding)

​Low Delay

​Throughput

​Best Effort

​Requirements

​Configuration Example

​Precision Pacing

​How It Works

​Benefits

​Connection Management

​TCP Keep-Alive

​Write Timeout

​Reconnection Strategy

​Real-Time Monitoring

​Quality Score (0-100)

​Quality Ratings

​Jitter Measurement

​Performance Optimization

​For Wired Networks

​For WiFi Networks

​For Unstable Connections

​Troubleshooting

​High Jitter (>15ms)

​Connection Drops

​Quality Score Below 50

​Related Settings

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Network Presets

Ethernet (Stable)

WiFi (Standard)

WiFi (Poor Signal)

Chunk Size

How Chunk Size Affects Performance

Calculation

High-Priority Threading

How It Works

Effects

When to Enable

DSCP/TOS Tagging

Strategy Details

VoIP (Expedited Forwarding)

Low Delay

Throughput

Best Effort

Requirements

Configuration Example

Precision Pacing

How It Works

Benefits

Connection Management

TCP Keep-Alive

Write Timeout

Reconnection Strategy

Real-Time Monitoring

Quality Score (0-100)

Quality Ratings

Jitter Measurement

Performance Optimization

For Wired Networks

For WiFi Networks

For Unstable Connections

Troubleshooting

High Jitter (>15ms)

Connection Drops

Quality Score Below 50

Related Settings