You can test your internet speed from almost any device that can access a webpage. We have set up a speed test website for you to test your speed quickly and efficiently. The test will check both your download and upload speed, but we are more interested in the upload speed. 

Follow these steps to check your internet speeds and use the rest of this guide to make sure you can live stream your worship services reliably to your congregation:

Test Your Internet: Incoming Connection

    1. Locate your router. You can usually find it located where the main phone line for the building comes in.
    2. Stand approximately 1 meter away from your router and connect to the WiFi network. If your device has an ethernet connection, you can connect a cable between your router and device to get more accurate results.
    3. Using your phone or a laptop, visit Faith Online Speed Test Tool and click “Go”  to run your speed test.
    4. Once the test has completed, record the upload speed from the results screen.
    5. Run the test two more times while changing your position slightly and recording the other results.

Test your Internet: WiFi speed

  • Stand where you would usually deliver your message, sermon or service. This can be at the pulpit or on a stage.
  • Use your phone or a laptop to visit the Faith Online Speed Test Tool and click “Go” to run your speed test.
  • Conduct the speed test three times.

Performing an internet speed test to determine site performance.We recommend you vary your position each time you conduct your internet speed test, and recording the upload speed from the results screen.

Analyse your Results

If the three speeds from each result don’t differ too much: note the lowest upload speed and use that for the rest of the guide.

If there is a significant variation in the speeds: try to repeat the tests but with a wider variety of positions. Something could be interfering with the signal. It is essential to find the right place for the 2nd test as this will be the best location for your camera and live streaming equipment later on.

What Speed do You Need?

The most important thing to maintain with a live stream is a stable stream. Often people will target a higher quality stream than their internet connection can reliably handle, but this means your viewers will suffer from buffering and choppy playback.

To give your congregation a great experience, we recommend the following quality streams depending on your internet connection upload speed. Use the results from the first test located close to your router to determine what quality you can broadcast reliably.

If there is a significant difference between the tests located close to your router and the tests situated in the pulpit, check the section below called “What if my WiFi signal is not good enough?”

Red to green scale of satisfaction in the form of emojisA Primer on Internet Speed

  • Above 10 Mbit Upload speed
    • Congratulations, you can stream reliably at qualities higher than Full HD. 
  • Between 5 Mbit and 10 Mbit upload speed
    • You can stream in either Full HD (1080p) or Standard HD (720p). We recommend running some live test streams in Full HD to ensure your connection is stable enough.
  • Between 2 Mbit and 5 Mbit upload speed
    • We recommend you only stream in Standard HD (720p) to ensure your stream is steady and reliable. If your speed is closer to 5 Mbit, you can try streaming in Full HD (1080p), but your bandwidth might not be enough for the stream to be reliable.
  • Less than 2 Mbit upload speed
    • Unfortunately, your internet speed is not fast enough to deliver a reliable and steady stream. Have a look at the “What if my internet connection is not good enough” section below to see what you can do to improve your speed.