Are there any limitations on physical distance for a PCoIP session?

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Due to the design of PCoIP, using UDP for data transmission, PCoIP will operate over vast distances and network latencies up to 250 ms. PCoIP intelligently acknowledges the traffic inside the protocol allowing for high speed transmission over high latency links. PCoIP is not impacted by latency in the same way TCP based transmission is impacted by the TCP Window. The distance between the client and the host is not as important as the overall network round trip latency.

As the network round trip latency increases into the 50-100ms range, the delay between a users input and the result being rendered on the display becomes more noticeable to the user. Intelligent network transmission, locally rendering the cursor and transmitting only changed pixels combine to deliver the best experience to the user as the latency increases.

Operating PCoIP over large distances increases the PCoIP latency, decreasing the reactiveness of the remote session impacting the user experience. The following considerations should be taken into account when planning to use PCoIP over large distances:

  • The distance may not be as important as the physical network used to transfer PCoIP over the distance. Network links such as satellite links have higher latency than microwave or fibre.
  • Consistent network latency is critical to user experience over higher latency. Consistent latency means mouse movement and keyboard input are predictively displayed on the screen at a consistent delay.
  • PCoIP tuning will help improve session responsiveness.
  • Are cloud provided solutions closer to the users physical location?
  • If you are using PCoIP Remote Workstation card you need to the local cursor and local keyboard functionality.