If I Have 1.85 Mbps Upload Speed How Much Should I Set It for Steam Broadcaster

How Much Speed Do Yous Need for Alive Video Game Streaming?

Jan 24, 2022 Share
FAQ, Gaming, Internet Speed Guides, Streaming Guides

Watching other people play video games is about as popular as playing them yourself. And people aren't just watching big-name net celebrities either. Twitch, the nearly popular game streaming platform, has over four million unique creators streaming every month.ⁱ If you lot similar sharing your gaming experiences with the earth, you could be one of them.

Ane of the keys to a successful stream is an cyberspace connection that tin handle the video (similar cobweb). No one wants to spend time and money getting your lights and camera merely correct just for your internet connectedness to reduce your stream to a choppy, pixelated mess.

But non to worry! We're here to walk you lot through everything y'all demand to know about internet speeds and live video game streaming and so yous tin can get your stream just right.

Use your nil code to see if fiber internet is available in your area.

Livestreaming is all about upload speed

Livestreaming is one of the few situations when download speed (the speed your cyberspace plan typically advertises) doesn't really matter. All y'all take to worry about is your upload speed. You tin can larn more about the divergence between download and upload speed here.

Need a connection with more upload speed? Run across what'southward available in your surface area.

When yous're livestreaming, video captured from your device is sent, or uploaded, from your home to video servers somewhere on the internet. This is the reverse management that video data usually flows since well-nigh people consume more online video content than they create.

1 more fourth dimension: download speed doesn't matter for livestreaming.

Upload speed is frequently a bit more difficult to estimate considering most internet service providers (ISPs) don't advertise it equally prominently as they do download speeds (your "advertised" speed refers to your download speed). For most kinds of internet connection, your upload speed will be much lower than your download speed. Upload speed can also fluctuate, and then the easiest way to find your actual upload speed is to take a speed test. If you want an upload speed that can friction match your download speed, your best bet is fiber.

Become your upload speed: Want to find out what upload and download speed you lot're currently getting? Take our speed exam.

That said, there are withal plenty of online activities that crave a good download speed. If y'all're playing a game online or streaming royalty-free music while yous're on stream, you need to make sure you have enough download speed to ensure a shine feel. Withal, the only number you need to worry near for getting your stream online is your upload speed.

Upload speed requirements for livestreaming across video platforms

We recommend having a minimum upload speed of 10 Mbps for livestreaming. On most platforms, this volition requite yous a slight buffer to account for fluctuations in upload speed.

Unlike streaming platforms accept unlike requirements when it comes to video quality. Some are optimized so that you can broadcast low-resolution video from your cell telephone whenever y'all want, while others try to make information technology possible for viewers to tune in to Television set-quality streams. While y'all tin technically stream as long as you come across the minimum requirements, you should ever plan to have at least an extra five Mbps to account for fluctuations in speed.

Hither'due south the breakdown of how much upload speed y'all'll need to livestream on unlike platforms.

Twitch

Twitch is the biggest site for video game streaming, so if you want to be a streamer, you should exist able to stream on Twitch. Fortunately, it gives streamers a few different recommendations for resolution and frame charge per unit.

For context, 30 frames per 2d (fps) is the standard frame charge per unit for television, while 60 fps is a mutual framerate in video games. Simply similar resolution, frame rate affects the amount of speed yous demand to stream, so if y'all don't accept the fastest connection, yous might have to make a merchandise-off.

Facebook Live

Facebook keeps information technology elementary, listing just the absolute minimum requirements for streaming on the platform. Only that's not to say you lot can't reach a decent video quality with Facebook.

Although you lot can start a livestream on Facebook with zip more than your phone and the Facebook app, Facebook Live is likewise compatible with standard streaming software like OBS Studio, Streamlabs OBS, and vMix.

YouTube

YouTube has a staggering amount of recommendations, ranging from a 240p stream (which is the resolution of an old Nokia prison cell telephone or a Game Boy Advance) to streaming in full 4K UHD.^{2, 3} We'd recommend shooting for somewhere in the middle. Plenty of professional streamers stream at 1080p, and that's a loftier enough resolution to look good on everything from cell phones to TV screens.

You need extra net speed for a stable video stream

Nosotros advise that you try to have 10–fifteen Mbps more upload speed than the minimum requirement for the quality of video you're trying to stream and even more than if you lot know that your connectedness has regular issues with slowdown.

Another good dominion of pollex is to accept twice as much upload speed as whatever you set your bitrate to exist, just to be safe. Not all your viewers will detect the subtle difference between 30 and 60 fps, merely everyone volition detect if your stream starts freezing and stuttering.

If yous just barely meet the speed requirements for the video yous're trying to stream, the slightest fluctuation in your connection tin interfere with or even crash your stream. That's considering livestreaming is a lot trickier than streaming video from Netflix. Since your stream isn't prerecorded, the server tin't buffer to smoothen out the normal ups and downs in internet speed.

Besides, remember that if yous're streaming to multiple platforms simultaneously, you need enough full bandwidth that each stream has plenty of upload speed. For instance, if yous're streaming 1080p video to both Twitch (half dozen Mbps minimum) and YouTube (3 Mbps minimum), you'd need an upload speed of at least 9 Mbps, though realistically, you'd demand xv–20 Mbps to keep both streams stable.

Why is a stable video stream so important?

Livestreaming is much more than technologically demanding than just playing games. Most online games can go by on a pretty modest internet connection, as long every bit there's low latency. Livestreaming turns your home into your ain personal TV station, broadcasting loftier-resolution video to your fans.

To grow an avid fan base on a platform like Twitch, you need to deliver a quality feel. A reliable camera, proficient audio equipment, and a fancy gaming reckoner are all of import investments for any dedicated streamer, but none of that makes much of a departure to those watching if your stream freezes and staggers throughout the circulate.

A reliable internet connection is one of the first investments an aspiring streamer should make.

What type of internet is best for livestreaming?

The best internet connectedness for livestreaming is fiber. To livestream, you lot need a reliable connexion with good upload speeds and low latency. In all three of those categories, fiber-optic connections are past far the best selection. If cobweb isn't available in your area, you probably desire to become with a wired connection, as wireless connections tend to be more susceptible to interference and generally experience higher latency.

DSL and satellite connections by and large aren't fast or stable enough for streamers, then you're probably going to need either cable or cobweb internet.

Cable connections can reach upload speeds between 5 Mbps and 50 Mbps, so the best cable plans can handle Hard disk drive streaming, just slower connections will be lucky to evangelize anything in a higher place Game Male child quality. Cable is also decumbent to slowing down at peak hours, so unless yous stream in the heart of the night, yous might have to plan effectually the inevitable drib in speed.

Fiber, on the other hand, has symmetrical upload and download speeds, which means if you lot have gigabit download speeds, you get the exact aforementioned speeds for your uploads. Fiber is also a much more stable connexion and doesn't suffer from the same kind of slowing bug that cable has to deal with. All these factors brand fiber the ideal connectedness for streamers.

For more information, bank check out our folio on fiber providers.

How does latency bear upon livestreaming?

Latency is the fourth dimension it takes for a signal to travel from your computer to a server on the net. It essentially determines the reaction time of your net connection. Having high latency volition cause lag in games or calls, delaying your reactions and causing problems.

Because streaming is primarily one-style advice, latency is handled a bit differently than information technology is in a video call. Streaming software commonly performs more encoding and compression on your video (though you can adjust this in your settings) in lodge to improve the concluding quality at the expense of a few seconds of delay. This isn't unremarkably noticeable to your audience unless y'all're streaming a Q&A session or a live event.

One important precaution for streamers to take is to utilise a wired connection to your router instead of Wi-Fi when possible. Even fast, reliable Wi-Fi introduces a bit of extra latency into your connexion, so a wired connexion is definitely preferable. If yous don't already have one, go yourself an Ethernet cable.

Why am I still getting dropped frames?

Do you have a solid internet connection but your video still looks inclement? Video game streams often suffer from dropped frames, where instead of the video playing smoothly from one frame to the next, the aforementioned frame volition play twice in a row so skip forward. If plenty frames are dropped, it can lead to jittery, uneven video.

Although a slow or unstable internet connexion tin can cause a stream to drop frames, dropped frames are oft a trouble with your capture menu. If your capture bill of fare can't record and encode your video data fast enough to go on upwards with your framerate, the result is dropped frames in your stream.

Before you fork out the money to upgrade to a improve capture card, in that location are a few things you lot can try. Showtime, check your net speed to brand sure you're getting the upload speed y'all recollect you are. Also, brand sure that y'all're plugged into your router and non relying on Wi-Fi.

If you lot try those things and are sure that it's not your connection, attempt adjusting the settings in your streaming software, lowering your bitrate. You can also try updating your reckoner'southward network drivers.

1. Twitch, "Press Center," Accessed October 5, 2020.
2. Nokia Museum, "Nokia Asha 301," Accessed October five, 2020.
3. CNET, "Nintendo Game Boy Accelerate Specs," Accessed October 5, 2020

Author - Peter Christiansen

Peter Christiansen writes about satellite internet, rural connectivity, livestreaming, and parental controls for HighSpeedInternet.com. Peter holds a PhD in communication from the Academy of Utah and has been working in tech for over 15 years as a estimator programmer, game developer, filmmaker, and writer. His writing has been praised by outlets similar Wired, Digital Humanities At present, and the New Statesman.

Editor - Cara Haynes

Cara Haynes has been editing and writing in the digital space for 7 years, and she's edited all things internet for HighSpeedInternet.com for v years. She graduated with a BA in English and a minor in editing from Brigham Young University. When she'south not editing, she makes tech accessible through her freelance writing for brands like Pluralsight. She believes no one should feel lost in cyberspace land and that a good internet connectedness significantly extends your life span.

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