Intro

Live streaming requires two things: powerful hardware and a proficient cyberspace upload speed.

You can find hardware that handles encoding for live video (and playing video games simultaneously) in a smartphone or a decent reckoner. Getting a good upload speed for streaming is trickier.

Before you start calling your ISP to inquire most more bandwidth, y'all need to know what a adept upload speed for streaming is. Unfortunately, there'southward no straightforward reply to this question.

A good upload speed allows you lot to stream the content y'all want to the platform of your choice without any major issues. Information technology should also be capable of delivering your content at a quality that will not disadvantage yous or make your stream less appealing than others.

Basically, annihilation between 672 kbps and 61.5 Mbps is ideal.

A good upload speed for streaming is between 672 kbps and 61.5 Mbps

Not a great answer, right? There are some generally accepted values for expert upload speeds, which are worth knowing. But we'll also dig a fleck deeper to find a adept upload speed for your detail live stream needs.

🤓 Understanding download/upload speeds

What do you call back people do the about online? We know that the most popular website in the earth is Google. It's followed past YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Wikipedia. So that's ane search engine, an encyclopedia, two social networks, and a video platform/social network.

People consume content online. They seek it out, identify it, and so read, mind, or watch information technology. To be able to exercise that, their devices need to ingest information, which comes to them in the form of bits. Your internet connection's download rate shows you how many bits of data your computer or device can take in from the internet using that connexion. Usually, the rate (also referred to as bitrate) is expressed in millions of $.25 — or megabits — per 2nd (Mbps).

It's your connection'south upload rate that matters the most.

When you create content and want to share it online, information technology's your connectedness's upload rate that matters the almost. It'south the aforementioned as the download rate; information technology merely works the other way effectually, showing how many $.25 of data you can share per second. It'due south also expressed in Mbps. Data shows that, globally, upload rates are slower than download rates.

👀 What is a practiced upload speed for streaming?

Streaming alive video tin take up a lot of bandwidth. Just how much will depend on several factors. Encoding matters, but then does the type of content y'all want to stream. Platforms play a function, every bit practice the resolution (expressed in pixels, or p) and the frame charge per unit (frames per second, or fps) of your stream.

Say you want to live stream a video of yourself interviewing someone. You're choosing between Facebook Live, YouTube Live, and Twitch. Since all these platforms support live streaming video resolution of 720p, we'll use the bitrate recommendations from each platform:

  • Facebook Live recommends a max bitrate of 4,000 kbps, plus a max audio bitrate of 128 kbps.
  • YouTube Live recommends a range between ane,500 and 4,000 kbps for video, plus 128 kbps for audio.
  • Twitch recommends a range between ii,500 and iv,000 kbps for video, plus upward to 160 kbps for audio.

If you lot're streaming alive video at a resolution of 720p, at 30 frames per second, you volition upload up to iv,160 kilobits, or 4.16 Mbps, of data per second. So having an upload bandwidth of around 4 Mbps should cover y'all, correct?

Not quite. You volition demand to upload up to 4,160 kilobits of data per second constantly. Because these speeds fluctuate, it'due south a good thought to take a 35% to 40% buffer. That puts united states at an upload rate of effectually 5,700 kilobits per 2d, or 5.seven Mbps. Still, if y'all are sure your internet connection is stable, such a buffer might not be needed. Recall, a stable connection is every bit of import as upload speed!

It's generally a good idea to have a 35% to 40% buffer

For various reasons, your ISP's declared upload bandwidth and the actual upload speed you can reach with your connectedness can be very different. That's why you should ever test your upload speed using online speed tests. The number you go from these tests should be up to 5.seven Mbps if you want to stream 720p video at 30 frames per second.

Read after: The just multistreaming guide y'all'll always need 📍

💁‍♂️ The many variables affecting upload speed requirements

The 5.7 Mbps upload speed for 720p video at 30 frames per second is the upper limit. You tin withal alive stream 720p video with a lower upload speed. If the whole video is a single shot of you talking, iv,000 kbps might exist besides high of a bitrate. You would probably exist fine if you reduced information technology by half.

If, on the other hand, you want to stream video games or events with tons of visual data, 4,000 kbps is necessary. The faster the footstep of the visuals, the higher your bitrate should exist. The type of content you stream affects what a good upload speed is for you.

Allow'southward stay with video games. If you're streaming games with fast-paced action, you should ensure that your viewers see what'due south going on as clearly equally possible. You might desire to stream at more than 30 frames per 2nd.

However, more frames per 2nd requires a higher bitrate. For Twitch, it pushes the range for 720p video to between 3,500 and five,000 kbps. YouTube Live recommends 2,250 to half dozen,000 Kbps. When y'all factor in these requirements, that's a 6.2 Mbps upload speed for Twitch and 7.four Mbps for YouTube Live if you want to stream 720p video at 60 frames per second. Also, continue in listen that these are only the highest optimal values.

A good upload speed for your live streaming will vary from one platform to some other.

On Facebook, showtime streamers can but stream up to 720p video, and then there'southward no need to take more than than 5 Mbps. In guild to alive stream Full Hard disk videos, you lot need to apply for their Level Upward affiliate programme.

Twitch allows upwards to 1080p video at 60 frames per second. You'll need an upload speed of up to 7.4 Mbps to support that.

YouTube Live supports 4k live streaming at 60 frames per second. It recommends a bitrate in the range of 20,000 to 51,000 kbps. You'd need an upload speed of 68.8 Mbps to pull that off. That's just in a higher place the average upload speed in the Commune of Columbia, the expanse with the highest median upload speed in the The states.

Finally, your competitors might touch on your upload speed requirements. Twitch and YouTube are crowded with streamers trying to use the platforms to generate income. If yous're streaming too, you cannot afford to autumn behind on video quality. Ameliorate quality requires higher upload speeds, so the competition will eventually push you lot to increment your upload rate.

🤩 What upload speeds should I be aiming for?

With all these variables in listen, y'all shouldn't ask what a "skilful" upload speed is. Instead, information technology's better to ask which speed y'all should aim for in your circumstances.

Which bitrates and respective upload rates do the three major streaming platforms advise streamers to use? Nosotros'll segment by platform, resolution, and frames per second, where applicable.

Facebook Alive:

  • Recommended max bitrate of 4,000 kbps for video.
  • Recommended audio bitrate is up to 128 kbps.
  • Maximum resolution is 1080p, with 60 frames reproduced per second. Aim for an upload speed of six to 7 Mbps (although Facebook limits near accounts to 720p resolution).
  • For 720p video at 30 or 60 frames per second, aim for an upload speed of roughly 3 to 4 Mbps.

Twitch:

  • For 720p video at 30 frames per second, bitrate should be between 2,500 and iv,000 kbps. That requires upload speeds between 3.2 Mbps and 5 Mbps.
  • For 720p video at 60 frames per second, the bitrate should exist between 3,500 and v,000 kbps. Required upload speeds are between four.iv Mbps and 6.2 Mbps.
  • For 1080p video at 30 frames per 2d, the bitrate should be 3,500 to 5,000 kbps – same as for 720p video at 60 fps. The required upload speeds are the same also, between iv.4 Mbps and 6.2 Mbps.
  • For 1080p video at 60 frames per second, the recommended bitrate is between 4500 and 6000 kbps. The required upload speeds are between 5.6 Mbps and 7.4 Mbps.

YouTube:

  • For 720p video at 30 frames per 2d, the range is 1,500 to 4,000 kbps. That'southward an upload speed betwixt roughly 2 Mbps and 5 Mbps.
  • For 720p video at threescore frames per second, the range is 2,250 to vi,000 kbps. Required upload speeds are between two.ix Mbps and 7.4 Mbps.
  • For 1080p video at 30 frames per 2nd, the bitrate range is 3,000 to 6,000 kbps. Required upload speeds are between 3.eight Mbps and 7.iv Mbps.
  • For 1080p video at threescore frames per second, the bitrate range is four,500 to nine,000 kbps. In upload speeds, that means between 5.six Mbps and 11 Mbps.
  • For 1440p video at 30 frames per 2nd, the bitrate range is half dozen,000 to 13,000 kbps. That'south between 7.iv Mbps and 15.viii Mbps in recommended upload speeds.
  • For 1440p video at lx frames per 2d, the range is 9,000 to xviii,000 kbps. In upload speeds, that's between xi Mbps and 21.8 Mbps.
  • If y'all really want to live stream 4k video, doing information technology at 30 frames per 2nd will crave a bitrate between xiii,000 and 34,000 kbps. In terms of upload speed, that's 15.viii Mbps and 41 Mbps.
  • To stream 4k video at lx frames per second, the recommended bitrate range is 20,000 to 51,000 kbps. You'll need an upload speed between 24.2 Mbps and 61.v Mbps.

As you can encounter, YouTube offers the highest-quality live streaming. Facebook is the nigh accessible, while Twitch is even so the gamer'southward haven.

What is a good upload speed for streaming on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch?

👉 How to get a good upload speed for streaming

Calculating your desired upload speed is ane thing, only getting admission to that speed is something completely different.

The upload speed yous tin achieve depends on the service packages your ISP offers. For residential users, the download speed volition always be higher than the upload speed. The best way to get symmetry betwixt the two is to sign upwards for a business-level service if possible. Information technology will guarantee you the ISP'southward declared upload speed at any time. This, in turn, provides stability and reliability to ensure shine live streams.

In terms of sheer speed, the good news is that internet connections are becoming faster beyond the board. Technologies such as fiber-optic internet are bringing higher speeds to your workplace or home — if fiber is offered in your area, that is.

So, the first stride in obtaining a good upload speed for streaming is to switch to an ISP that offers the speed yous demand. Be prepared to pay more than for more than speed, though. As well, make sure yous ask around well-nigh the quality of their service.

If yous're stuck with a provider that offers suboptimal speeds, you can still do a couple of things to improve your situation:

  • Get a wired connection. Your WiFi might be great when it comes to watching YouTube videos on your smartphone or checking social media. But when live streaming, a wired connection with an ethernet cable is better. Information technology gives you less interference and more stability, which leads to better stream quality.
  • Remove excess devices from your network. You don't desire your internet connection to be crowded when you start streaming. Don't let any other device hog your upload speed, and disconnect them from your network or plow off their WiFi capabilities during your stream.
  • Close backlog programs and apps on your computer. The only thing that should be uploading when you stream is your encoder. Peer-to-peer networking has probably ruined its off-white share of live streams, then look until you're off the air.
  • Use cloud-based multistreaming. Multistreaming, or streaming live to several platforms at the same time, is incredibly useful for content creators. It helps reach new audiences, saves time, and offers bang-up tools from various platforms. Unfortunately, it can also be demanding on your CPU and bandwidth. To deal with it, use a deject-based multistreaming service to acquit some of that load.
  • Remove malware; use ad blockers and privacy tools. Malware, ads, and online tracking tin apply upwardly some of your upload bandwidth. Remove, finish, or block any of these speed-leeching undesired programs.
  • Apply upwards-to-date software and hardware. Old drivers tin slow your reckoner down, and erstwhile modems can bottleneck your upload speed. Make certain your hardware and software are up to the chore of streaming live video.

🔥 How to stream with a low upload speed

With Restream Events, you can featherbed the upload speed inconveniences. How? Our characteristic allows you to upload your pre-recorded videos, schedule them, and set them to become alive later as if they were regular streams. With this method, your upload speed doesn't matter. Afterwards you upload your video, Restream will broadcast it at the scheduled time automatically, so you don't even accept to be online.

Learn more than 👉 Restream Events: Everything you need to know

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Conclusion

As a live video streamer, the quality of your content will depend on the quality of your broadcast. That's a fact. You can take the best skills in the most popular games, or the best banter, or the greatest sense of sense of humor. But if people tin't see and hear you well, they're non going to stick around to picket your stream.

Upload speeds can significantly bear on the quality of your broadcasts. Use a connection with enough upload speed for the type of content y'all broadcast.

Retrieve, you shouldn't go for the highest possible upload speed by default. You but need information technology if y'all're planning to stream at a very high bitrate. A good upload speed is the one that's appropriate for your goals.