Network Bandwidth Control (Stereo ace)#

This topic describes how to control network bandwidth consumption of Stereo ace cameras when the cameras are streaming images and depth data.

Network Setup Detection and Configuration#

The pylon software is able to detect your network setup and automatically configure parameters such as packet size, transmission delay, and throughput limits to ensure reliable data streaming without exceeding network capacity.

There are two possible network setups:

• Single Network Interface
• Dual Network Interfaces

Single Network Interface#

In this setup, both the left and the right camera are connected to the same network interface card (NIC) via a network switch, i.e., both cameras share the available bandwidth on the connection between switch and host. The system divides the available bandwidth equally between the two cameras and configures transmission delays to prevent packet collisions and bandwidth overload.

Depending on the uplink speed of the network switch port, the maximum bandwidth for each camera is limited. The pylon software automatically detects the uplink speed and configures the cameras accordingly.

• Uplink = 1.0 Gbps: Each camera can consume up to 62.5 MBit/s. The pylon software configures both cameras for a maximum network bandwidth of 62.5 MBit/s by default.
• Uplink >= 2.0 Gbps: Each camera can consume up to 125 MBit/s. The pylon software configures both cameras for a maximum network bandwidth of 125 MBit/s by default.

Dual Network Interfaces#

In this setup, the left and the right camera are connected to separate network interface cards (NICs) or separate ports of a multi-port NIC on the host. Each camera has its own dedicated bandwidth and doesn't need to share it with the other camera. The pylon software automatically configures each camera for a maximum network bandwidth of 125 MBit/s by default.

Checking the Network Packet Size#

As described above, the pylon software automatically adjusts parameters such as packet size, transmission delay, and throughput limits to ensure reliable data streaming without exceeding network capacity.

The packet size settings of the camera, the interface card, and the network switch (if used) affect pylon's ability to automatically determine the optimum network packet size. If any of the three components doesn't support packet sizes above 1500 bytes, performance may be compromised.

Therefore, Basler recommends checking the packet size using the GevSCPSPacketSize parameter in the Stereo Camera Viewer or via the pylon API. If the packet size is only 1500 bytes, this may indicate a problem as Basler Stereo Cameras all support larger packet sizes (jumbo frames). You should now check whether the network card is also configured to support jumbo frames. If it does, then the network switch may cause the problem. It may not allow jumbo frames or may not be configured correctly.

For more information about optimizing your network configuration, see the Network Configuration (Stereo ace) topic. It provides detailed recommendations and procedures for optimum bandwidth usage.

Key Parameters for Bandwidth Control#