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How To: Add voice and video calls to your webpage
In this blog post we will be diving into WebRTC, showing how it can help you as a business, and explaining what you can achieve with Aculab Cloud WebRTC.
What is WebRTC?
WebRTC stands for Web Real Time Communication, and allows people to transfer media (voice and video) and data between browsers and mobile devices. A common API is provided across a wide set of supported browsers and devices and, with media support built in, WebRTC browser calls can be supported without the need to download software or plugins. This all goes to make WebRTC a particularly well-supported, easy-to-use method of communication.
Examples
Some notable examples of the utilisation of WebRTC are Discord, Facebook Messenger and Google Meet/Google Hangouts. All of these applications have the ability to transfer voice and video between people via their browsers, easily and reliably. And, if using from the browser, nothing needs to be downloaded or installed.
History
WebRTC was introduced in 2011 by Google as an open source project after acquiring GIPS (Global IP Solutions) in 2010. Steadily since then, usage has been growing, but a major turning point was the Covid-19 pandemic, when people were forced to isolate and in-person interaction was much restricted. Due to its sudden increase in popularity, WebRTC was standardised in 2021, having become a staple of modern communication.
Security
WebRTC security consists of three mandatory WebRTC encryption specifications: Secure Real Time Protocol (SRTP), secure encryption key exchange, and secure signaling. These features combined ensure the media and data being transferred are encrypted and safe from being tampered with.
But this isn’t the only reason why WebRTC is more secure than other video and voice calling: As mentioned previously, you don’t need to download any software or install any apps or plugins to use calls in the browser. When you download or install software, you are allowing it to run on your device, which could lead to hacking if that software isn’t well protected. An example of this was seen recently when major security issues were discovered by users of Zoom when hackers could easily input code into a user’s computer, known as ‘Remote Code Execution’. In contrast, WebRTC uses well-proven software within the browser.
Users are also notified before a website utilises their webcam or microphone to capture video/audio. This is typically in the form of a pop-up before the microphone or webcam is turned on and, while the webcam is operating, a small light next to it.
Using Aculab Cloud WebRTC for your business
You may be wondering: Why should I be using WebRTC? Well, it's built in to the browser, and widely supported across different browsers – and it's likely the user already has a browser, so they don't need a phone as well. WebRTC allows video as well as voice communication, all captured and displayed using their device's mic, camera, speaker and screen. WebRTC is secure, and you can use it from the browser without having to download or install anything. WebRTC means the call can be part of a much richer dialog – for example, a Doctor may have their patient's records searchable and displayed, all in the same browser tab as the video call to the patient. Finally, WebRTC isn’t just for laptops and computers, it’s also available on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.
At the low level, Aculab Cloud WebRTC allows you to:
- Make voice and video calls between browsers;
- Place calls to Aculab Cloud inbound voice services, including connecting to conventional outbound phone calls;
- Answer calls from Aculab Cloud voice services, including from conventional inbound phone calls.
At the high level, this allows use cases such as:
- A doctor calls their patient from the browser, with the patient records searchable and displayed in the same tab right next to the call. The call could be voice to their phone number, or voice and video to their browser.
- A receptionist receives calls on their browser, with the appointments-booking system shown in the same tab. The call could be voice from a conventional phone call, or voice and video from the caller’s browser.
- A receptionist receives calls on their browser, with the appointments-booking system shown in the same tab. The call could be voice from a conventional phone call, or voice and video from the caller’s browser.
If you'd like to try a demo of calling an Aculab Cloud inbound voice service from your browser, click https://www.aculab.com/cloud/demos-all/webrtc/.
If you'd like to try us out, please sign up to Aculab Cloud, https://cloud.aculab.com/login/enrol.
Aculab Cloud pricing is dependent upon your usage, so you only pay for what you use – there are no flat fees. As well as this, you receive other great features like Amazon Polly Text-To-Speech, Google Speech Recognition and our own, best in class, AI-driven Answering Machine Detection and Voice Biometrics.
If you have any questions regarding WebRTC or anything covered in this post, please don’t hesitate to speak to one of our experts at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
To try our WebRTC demo, follow https://www.aculab.com/cloud/demos-all/webrtc/
or to enrol free with Aculab Cloud, follow https://cloud.aculab.com/login/enrol .
