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Intelligent Network Interface Controllers (INICs) for Audio Applications


Our Intelligent Network Interface Controllers (INICs) feature INICnet™ technology to provide turnkey solutions for a variety of audio applications that require a high quality of service, low latency and low development and production costs. Some of these applications include:

  • Conferencing systems with up to several hundred microphones
  • Theater sound systems with multiple speakers
  • Microphone arrays for Virtual Reality (VR)/Augmented Reality (AR) systems
  • Recording studios
  • Concert halls
  • Communication systems for airports, banks, schools, train stations and other public buildings

INICnet™ Technology for Audio Applications

Benefits of INICnet Technology


INICnet technology is optimized to reduce costs and provide robust networking for the harsh environments found in automotive and industrial applications. It supports data rates of up to 50 Mbps. A single system using INICnet technology can transmit audio, control and Ethernet data over a single Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) cable across hundreds of meters. Multiple systems can be cascaded to further extend the range of your application. 

Benefits of INICnet Technology

Because it eliminates the need to develop and license additional protocols for software stacks, INICnet technology reduces development costs and speeds up your time to market.

Key benefits include:

  • Highly efficient networking solution that uses almost 100% of the available bandwidth
  • Supports audio, Ethernet and control data on a single UTP cable
  • Supports up to 50 nodes over long distances
  • Low latency
  • Native audio data with flexible user-defined resolution
  • Scalable product family
  • Based on ISO 21806 standard
  • Linux® driver available
  • Integrated network management
  • Quick network startup, reaching full network availability in less than 120 ms
  • Industry-standard application interfaces, including I2S™, USB, SPI, MediaLB bus, I2C
  • Synchronization enables same clock to be available to all nodes in the system
  • On-chip switching and routing of data stream
INICnet Technology Block Diagram

INICnet Technology and ISO 21806


INICnet technology is based on the ISO 21806 standard. It enables you to create high-Quality of Service (QoS) and low-latency audio channels that can be managed via INICs. Network resource management is handled by our free, open-source Unified Centralized Network Stack (UNICENS) framework. 

UNICENS Block Diagram

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