Once the Augmented Reality experience is published and the user’s context is detected, the assets for an AR experience must be delivered to the user’s device or to a fixed display in the user’s environment. For this part of the workflow, an AR designer may choose to store all relevant digital assets and resources on the same system or device, eliminating the needs or risks inherent in communication infrastructures between a user’s device and a cloud- or network-based database, or an application management system. If, after weighing the risks and benefits of a distributed architecture, the AR provider elects to use one, there will one or more networks involved.
The attributes of a network can impact successful AR delivery. The architect will need to consider latency as well as a variety of technologies for ensuring that the AR experience, content and interactions are not exposed to unnecessary risk. Power consumption of different communication network interfaces may be another factor to consider when making a technology choice.
At this time there are no specialized communications, privacy and security technologies for AR. However, given the real time nature of the experience, the bursty nature of the traffic and the sensitivity of data, such technologies may emerge in the future.