The State of Intercom over IP

Intercom is the backbone of production. As facilities migrate to IP, intercom follows. By 2025, Intercom over IP is mainstream, but it comes with specific engineering needs.

Why Intercom Is Critical

Without reliable comms, productions fail. Directors, camera ops, audio teams, and talent all depend on low-latency, full-duplex channels.

Technical Foundations

  • AES67 provides audio transport.
  • PTP keeps timing aligned.
  • SIP and WebRTC extend intercom to remote participants.
  • Redundancy ensures no single point of failure.

Engineering Considerations

  • QoS: Voice packets must be prioritized to avoid dropouts.
  • Redundant paths: Failover protects critical comms.
  • Device compatibility: Vendors must interoperate.
  • Usability: Interfaces must be simple for operators under pressure.

Manufacturers now offer hybrid systems that integrate traditional intercom panels with IP backends. Cloud-based intercom is also gaining traction for remote productions.

Intercom over IP is proven and reliable — but only with careful network design. Treat it with the same rigor as video transport.