Streaming diagnostic: is your internet good enough for live streaming?
A streaming diagnostic answers one question: is this internet good enough for live streaming? Before we quote a live stream or go live from a room, we test the venue network against what the show needs: sustained upload, packet loss, jitter and latency, plus the checks the chosen protocol adds. This is the full check we run with StreamCertified, the thresholds behind each verdict, and how the result shapes the quote.
- Reading time
- Updated
- ~30 s
- 3 verdicts
- 4 answers
- Second path
Is your internet good enough for live streaming?
A streaming diagnostic tells you. It measures the room's network against what the show needs: sustained upload for the planned resolution, packet loss, jitter and latency, plus the checks your protocol adds. Run it on the port the encoder will use, at the time the show runs.
We run this check before we quote and again before we go live. The core of it is the StreamCertified streaming diagnostic, which measures the whole connection in about half a minute and grades each figure against broadcast thresholds.
The plan decides the checklist
Not every show needs the same checks. Four answers set the list:
- Live resolution. 720p30, 1080p30, 1080p60 or 4K. This sets the upload the room must hold.
- Protocol. RTMP, SRT or WebRTC. SRT and WebRTC add a NAT check; WebRTC adds a TURN relay check.
- Does something at the room listen? An SRT listener or a server in the room needs open inbound ports.
- Is there a return feed or comms into the room? That adds a download floor and a playback check.
Each check then reads Ready, Check or Not ready. A check that was not measured shows as not measured. It never counts as a pass.
What the venue must pass
These are the thresholds StreamCertified uses.
| Check | Ready | Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sustained upload | Encode bitrate + 20% (7.2 Mbps for 1080p30) | Meets the bitrate, no headroom | The stream leaves the room on the upload |
| Packet loss | Under 0.5% | Under 1% | Live protocols cannot wait for a re-send |
| Jitter | Under 15 ms | Under 30 ms | Timing wobble the encoder cannot buffer away |
| Latency to test server | 80 ms or less | 150 ms or less | Round trip to the named server |
| Download (return feed only) | Over 10 Mbps | Over 5 Mbps | Return feed or comms into the room |
| NAT type (SRT, WebRTC) | Open or cone | Undetermined | The connection mapping must hold |
| Ingest URL | No errors | Warnings only | A bad URL fails at the encoder, seconds before the show |
Anything worse than the Check column is Not ready. Each line links to its own article: upload, packet loss and jitter.
How we run it on a site visit
- Find the encoder's port. We agree with venue IT where the encoder will sit and test from that port. Guest Wi-Fi is not the show network.
- Name the room. Readings are kept against the room, so a second visit compares like with like.
- Run the diagnostic several times. Quiet room, then busy room. We look for agreement between runs, not one good number.
- Add the protocol checks. NAT type for SRT and WebRTC, inbound ports if we listen in the room.
- Check the cellular signal. We test the second path at the same position, because it has to work in that room too.
This is the network half of a site survey. Power, sightlines and cable runs are the other half.
Why we test before we quote
The reading changes the scope. A room that is Ready for 1080p60 on a dedicated line is one quote. A room that is marginal on a shared line needs a dedicated circuit from the venue, a lower resolution, or a stronger second path. Quoting before we know is guessing, and a guess becomes a surprise on show day.
When we cannot visit before the quote, we quote with the assumption written down, such as "venue provides a wired line with 7.2 Mbps sustained upload", and test at the first chance. You see what the price depends on.
Test again on show day, and keep a second path
Venues change. Another event moves into the next hall. IT changes a firewall rule. So we run the diagnostic again at load-in and before doors, and compare with the site-visit readings. For timing, we measure latency on the rehearsal with a clock in the picture.
Every show also carries a second path: bonded 5G alongside the venue line. The test tells us how much to trust the room. The second path means that if the room lets us down, a failure never reaches your audience. We ran the YOUNGO daily broadcast at COP28 this way: we produced the YOUNGO daily broadcast, in four languages across four channels, for two weeks, with bonded 5G reporters as part of the build.
See how we plan live streaming in Dubai.
Run the free streaming diagnostic on StreamCertified
When you have a venue and a date, send them to us with your result. We will test the room and quote against what it can carry.
Questions we get asked.
What internet speed does a venue need for a live stream?
Sustained upload of the encode bitrate plus 20%: 7.2 Mbps for 1080p30, 10.8 Mbps for 1080p60. Loss under 0.5% and jitter under 15 ms matter as much as speed.
How long does a venue network test take?
One diagnostic run takes about half a minute. We run it several times across a site visit, then again at load-in and before doors.
Can we rely on the venue's internet alone?
We do not. Every show carries a second path, usually bonded 5G, so a venue network problem does not reach the audience.
Can we run the test ourselves before contacting you?
Yes. The StreamCertified streaming diagnostic is free and runs in the browser. Send us the result with your brief.
01 / 06 Is your internet good enough for live streaming?
Upload speed for streaming: how much you need, and how we test a venue.
What is a good upload speed for streaming? Encode bitrate plus 20% headroom: 7.2 Mbps for 1080p30. The figures per resolution, and how we test a venue.
Read the articlePacket loss test for live streaming: why streams drop when speed looks fine.
A packet loss test shows what a speed test misses. What loss does to SRT and RTMP, the thresholds that matter, and how we test a venue before a show.
Read the articleJitter test for live streaming: what jitter is and how we check a venue.
A jitter test measures how much network delay varies. Why jitter makes a live stream stutter, the thresholds, and how we check a venue.
Read the articleStream latency test: how we measure stream delay and slide timing.
A stream latency test measures the delay from room to viewer. How we run it on a rehearsal with a clock in the picture, and use it to time slides and cues.
Read the articleBroadcast-grade live streaming. When failure isn't an option.
Live event streaming services in Dubai for conferences, summits and corporate events. Multi-camera production, redundant uplinks, one team from camera to viewer.
See the serviceLive from anywhere. No fibre. No landline. No excuses.
Go live from anywhere with bonded 4G/5G cellular streaming. Aggregated connections for reliable outdoor broadcasts, events, sports, and IRL streaming.
See the serviceConference production. Multi-stage. Multi-day. One standard.
Conference live streaming in Dubai, and summit production across the GCC. Multi-stage coverage, speaker integration, session recording and audience analytics.
See the serviceYOUNGO at COP28: the youth constituency's daily broadcast.
We produced the YOUNGO daily broadcast inside COP28. Four languages, four channels, every day for two weeks, fed by stand-up interviews and bonded 5G reporters.
Read the case studyAl Ain Shooting Club: from open ground to the gala stage.
Two engagements for the Al Ain Shooting Club: a live multi-camera broadcast from open ground on bonded 5G, and an opening ceremony and awards gala on one contract covering stage, LED, lighting, sound and broadcast.
Read the case studyAbu Dhabi Shooting Club and the ISF: a pilot, then a return booking.
Live sports production at the Al Ain Shooting Club, Abu Dhabi, with the International Shooting Federation: a seven-camera tournament broadcast with live commentary, scoring graphics and bonded 5G contribution.
Read the case studyRTMP vs SRT: which live streaming protocol should you use?
RTMP vs SRT compared: latency, reliability, encryption, and when to use each. Technical reference for live streaming engineers.
Read the definition5G Bonding
5G bonding combines multiple cellular connections (typically multiple 5G modems or 5G plus 4G) to create a single, more reliable data stream.
Read the definitionSite Survey
A site survey is a detailed technical assessment of the venue before event production: power, connectivity, camera positions.
Read the definitionSRT (Secure Reliable Transport)
SRT is a modern streaming protocol designed to reliably transmit video over unpredictable networks.
Read the definitionTell us the date, the venue and who is watching.
We scope every engagement against its run of show, not a package.
CBA runs bonded 5G broadcast for venues with no fibre of their own.