Improving Stream Quality for External Cameras

Streaming through an external camera can add new elements to your stream such as zoom and different lens views depending on your device.  Using these devices does require a little more thought when setting up your stream to maintain a consistent stream.

Determining your upload speed is a big factor in determining the resolution quality of your stream.  You can use speedtest.net or their apps for iOS and Android to help you find your upload speed.

Upload speed is a much better predictor of stream performance than the number of bars you see on your mobile device.  Conduct the speed test on the same network that you’ll be streaming your event and do it close to the event time. Network connectivity is impacted if other users are on the same carrier or WiFi network as you.

Please refer to the chart below for recommendations based on available upload speeds.

Stream Quality	Min-Max Bitrate	Est. Data Usage(GB/hr)
1080p	1.2 - 6.0 Mbps	.55 - 2.65 GB
720p	0.7 - 2.0 Mbps	.30 - .88 GB
480p	0.4 - 1.5 Mbps	.18 - .66 GB
360p	0.3 - 1 Mbps	.13 - .44 GB

We would suggest it is better to choose the lower quality where your connection has a chance to hit the maximum bitrate instead of a quality where you are always close to the minimum bitrate.

Please refer to instructions from Mevo and GoPro to adjust your resolution for your specific device.

You can monitor the quality of you live stream through an external camera to determine if you need to make adjustments due to drops in signal during your broadcast.  Please visit our Monitor Network Health While Broadcasting Video support article for more information.