Patent ID: 9674246
Date: 2017-06-06
CPC Classifications: H04L,H04N

Claim:
1. A method comprising: receiving, by a first playback device, data to be directed to at least a second playback device, the data comprising: i) audio data and ii) non-audio data; transmitting, by the first playback device, the non-audio data to the second playback device via a third playback device according to a network protocol for communication between the first playback device and at least the second playback device; determining, by the first playback device, (i) a number of hops to transmit the audio data from the first playback device to the second playback device according to the network protocol and (ii) a number of hops to transmit the audio data via a direct route not according to the network protocol; and in response to the determination that the number of hops to transmit the audio data from the first playback device to the second playback device according to the network protocol is greater than the number of hops to transmit the audio data via the direct route not according to the network protocol, transmitting, by the first playback device, the audio data to the second playback device via the direct route not according to the network protocol.