In conversational AI, latency is the enemy. A 2-second delay feels like an eternity on a phone call. To build a voice bot that people actually enjoy using, you need to push the limits of networking and processing. This guide dives into the architecture required to achieve sub-500ms round-trip latency.
1. The Protocol Battle: WebSocket vs WebRTC
WebSockets are the easiest to implement, but WebRTC is designed for low-latency media. We compare the two and explain why most high-end voice platforms are moving toward WebRTC to minimize jitter and packet loss impact.
2. Token-to-Speech Pipelining
Waiting for the entire LLM response before starting TTS is a rookie mistake. The secret is "streaming TTS"—converting individual tokens into audio chunks as they are generated. We show you how to implement this parallel processing pipeline.
3. Edge Deployment Strategies
Physics is the ultimate bottleneck. If your server is in New York and your user is in London, speed-of-light delay is unavoidable. We discuss using edge functions and global audio relays to bring your AI processing as close to the user as possible.