RTCs

RTC is an acronym used for several concepts in technology and telecommunications. The two most common senses are Real-Time Clock and Real-Time Communications. In other contexts, RTC may stand for specialized entities or processes.

Real-Time Clock refers to a device or subsystem that maintains accurate current time, independent of main power by using a battery-backed oscillator. In computers and embedded systems, the RTC is typically a small integrated circuit or subsystem on the motherboard or MCU. It tracks time and date and provides time information to the system when powered on; some implement timekeeping while powered down to allow fast boot and timestamp integrity. The accuracy depends on crystal oscillator quality and temperature; drift is corrected by synchronization mechanisms such as NTP or system time updates. Typical features include low-power operation, battery backup, and calendar arithmetic.

Real-Time Communications refers to communications where latency, jitter, and reliability are critical. This includes voice, video, and real-time data exchange in applications such as conferencing, collaboration, and interactive gaming. Core technologies include Web Real-Time Communication (WebRTC), Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), and Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP/RTCP) for media transport; signaling protocols, TURN/STUN for NAT traversal. WebRTC enables browser-based real-time media with peer-to-peer and server-mediated architectures, often relying on encryption (DTLS, SRTP). QoS and network considerations, such as bandwidth, congestion control, and firewall traversal, influence performance.

Because RTC is an acronym with multiple meanings, identifying the intended topic depends on context. In technical documentation, RTC most often resolves to Real-Time Clock or Real-Time Communications.