Switching communications between different networks based on device capabilities
Methods and systems provided herein allow a communication session to be established on an optimal communication network and subsequently transferred to alternative networks if conditions dictate that such a change is necessary or desirable. The types of conditions which may be considered when identifying the optimal communication network or the alternative network include conditions related to the operation of a user device, communication profiles of the user, resources available on other networks, and the like.
1. A method, comprising: monitoring characteristics of a first user device involved or about to be involved in a intial communication session with a second user device;
based on the monitored characteristics of the first user device, identifying a second network for carrying a duplicate communication session; and performing the following:
(i) establishing a duplicate communication session on the second network;
(ii) switching the first and second user devices involved in the initial communication session from a first network to the second network; and
(iii) confirming that the first and second user devices have been switched to the duplicate communication session on the second network, wherein the duplicate communication session established on the second network is first established for the purposes of determining that the second network is a suitable alternative to the first network and wherein switching the first and second user devices occurs in response to determining that the second network is a suitable alternative to the first network.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second network comprises one or more of a VPN, a P2P network, a PSTN, a LAN, a WAN, a SIP network, and an H.323 network.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first network and second network utilize the same physical network but utilize at least one of a different protocol and different network entity.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the monitored characteristics comprise one or more of user device processing load, user device mixing load, and user device memory utilization.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the characteristics of all user devices involved in the initial communication session are monitored.
6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the monitored characteristics further comprise one or more of user communication profiles and user network preferences.
7. The method of claim 4 , wherein characteristics of the first network and second network are monitored in addition to monitoring the characteristics of the first user device.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the characteristics of the first and second networks comprise one or more of network QoS, jitter, network cost, packet delay, and packet loss.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein (i) is performed, the method further comprising:
monitoring characteristics of the user device involved in the duplicate communication session on the second network;
determining, based on the monitored characteristics of the user device, that the first and second user devices involved in the duplicate communication session is to be switched to a third network;
switching the first and second user devices involved in the duplicate communication session from the second network to a triplicate communication session on the third network; and
confirming that the first and second user devices have been switched to the triplicate communication session on the second network.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the third network is either the first network or different from the first and second networks.
11. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions that cause a computing system to execute a communication method, the instructions comprising:
instructions configured to implement monitoring of characteristics of a first user device involved or about to be involved in a first communication session with another second user device;
instructions configured to, based on the monitored characteristics of the first user device, identify a second network for carrying a second communication session; and
instructions configured to cause the following actions to occur:
(i) establish the second communication session on the second network;
(ii) switch the first and second user devices involved in the first communication session from a first network to the second network; and
(iii) confirming that the first and second user devices have been switched to the second communication session on the second network, wherein the second communication session established on the second network is first established for the purposes of determining that the second network is a suitable alternative to the first network and wherein switching the first and second user devices occurs in response to determining that the second network is a suitable alternative to the first network.
12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the second network comprises one or more of a VPN, a P2P network, a PSTN, a LAN, a WAN, a SIP network, and an H.323 network.
13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the monitored characteristics comprise one or more of user device processing load, user device mixing load, and user device memory utilization.
14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the monitored characteristics further comprise one or more of user communication profiles and user network preferences, wherein characteristics of the first network and second network are monitored in addition to monitoring the characteristics of the first user device, and wherein the characteristics of the first and second networks comprise one or more of network QoS, jitter, network cost, packet delay, and packet loss.
15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10 , wherein (ii) is performed and wherein switching the communication session from the first network to the second network comprises:
first, establishing the second communication session on the second network;
second, switching the first and second user devices involved in the first communication session on the first network to the second communication session on the second network; and
third, confirming that the user devices have been switched to the second communication session on the second network.
16. A communication system comprising:
a network monitoring module configured to monitor characteristics of a first user device involved or about to be involved in a first communication session with a second user device;
a network switching module configured to, based on the monitored characteristics of the first user device, identify a second network for carrying a second communication session; and
a communication module configured to cause the following actions to occur:
(i) establish the second communication session on the second network;
(ii) switch the first and second user devices involved in the first communication session from a first network to the second network; and
(iii) confirming that the first and second user devices have been switched to the second communication session on the second network, wherein the second communication session established on the second network is first established for the purposes of determining that the second network is a suitable alternative to the first network and wherein switching the first and second user devices occurs in response to determining that the second network is a suitable alternative to the first network.
17. The communication system of claim 16 , wherein the second network comprises one of a VPN and a P2P network and wherein the first network comprises the other of the VPN and P2P network.
18. The communication system of claim 16 , wherein the second network comprises one of a VPN and a PSTN and wherein the first network comprises the other of the VPN and PSTN.
19. The communication system of claim 16 , wherein one or more of the network monitoring module, network switching module, and communication module reside on the first user device.