With fewer devices connected to a network, you have a much higher chance of consistently getting the necessary upload speed. Now imagine you have your own internet connection (off-ramp) and you are the only car on the road. If there are lots of cars trying to get off the highway, there tends to be a slowdown for everyone. Imagine that your internet connection is an off-ramp on a highway and every device connected is a car that needs to use the off-ramp. Open or public internet connections have lots of devices connected, which slows everyone down. Whenever possible, I recommend having your own secure network setup to stream over. Trust me, people would rather watch a lower quality than have the stream constantly buffer. Many viewers watch on mobile devices in this case, the video is smaller, and a medium stream still looks and sounds great. Stream qualityĭon’t be afraid to lower the quality of your stream. And lastly, a 270p (low) stream requires. To stream in 1080p (Full HD), you will want at least 6 Mbps upload speed. For livestreaming, we are concerned with the upload speed (measured in megabits per second or Mbps). Once you know your upload and download speeds, you can choose a stream quality. Knowing the upload and download speeds of your network can help you choose the right settings for your livestream. Before you go live, head to a website like to test the internet speed. If you or your viewers are experiencing buffering during live videos, the issue likely stems from the internet speed. Match your stream quality to your upload speed We’ll talk about matching stream quality to upload speed, streaming on a closed network, and bringing your own portable Wi-Fi connection. This is why it is imperative that, when you’re the one streaming live videos for other viewers, you have a sufficient internet connection.īelow I will outline a few ways to stop buffering before it starts. If a stream is sent over an insufficient internet connection, however, buffering is likely to occur for viewers. Have you ever been watching a live video and then had to wait while the stream buffered? Nobody likes this.

Ideal speed for streaming sports