Patent ID: 8612819

Claim:
A system for checking available bandwidth using forward error correction, comprising: at least one processor that: determines an amount of redundant bandwidth based on an amount of bandwidth to be tested and current bandwidth being used; identifies data to be transmitted including additional data based on the amount of redundant bandwidth; determines an amount of forward error correction data to be sent to a receiver, the amount of forward error correction data including additional forward error correction data based on the amount of redundant bandwidth; creates the forward error correction data based on corresponding data in the data to be transmitted; transmits to the receiver the forward error correction data and the corresponding data in the data to be transmitted; determines an error level in at least one of the corresponding data and the forward error correction data; and when the error level is below a value, increases the amount of bandwidth used in a transmission to the receiver of other data in the data to be transmitted over the amount of bandwidth used in the transmission to the receiver of the corresponding data and decreases the amount of bandwidth used for forward error correction data in the transmission of the other data.