Network¶
Use a cable¶
Wi-Fi loses packets in bursts: a microwave, a neighbour's network, someone walking between you and the router. Your speed test averages that out and looks great; a live stream cannot, and Twitch flags the connection as unstable, viewers see buffering, and your encoder drops frames.
An Ethernet cable fixes it. If the router is far away:
- a powerline adapter (network over the electric wiring) is usually far more stable than Wi-Fi,
- otherwise a mesh node with a wired backhaul close to your PC.
tuxcast doctor warns when your default route is Wi-Fi, and tells you when a cable is plugged
in but not used.
Pick a bitrate your upload can hold¶
Keep the stream under about 75% of your measured upload to leave room for everything else (Discord, game traffic, the browser).
| Upload | Max stream bitrate | Typical setting |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Mb/s | 3750 kbps | 720p30 at 3000 kbps |
| 8 Mb/s | 6000 kbps | 1080p60 at 6000 kbps |
| 15 Mb/s and more | 6000 kbps per Twitch stream | Multistream at full quality |
Multistreaming adds the bitrates: Twitch and YouTube at 6000 kbps each need about 16 Mb/s of upload.
Test before going live¶
- Twitch Inspector runs a bandwidth test and analyses past streams (bitrate drops, reconnects).
- Append
?bandwidthtest=trueto your Twitch stream key: Twitch receives the stream, measures it in the Inspector, and does not broadcast it.