Event Bandwidth Calculator
Technology can be confusing. This has led it to being an often under-strategized element of event planning. To better understand some of event technology, let’s start with the basics of bandwidth. Bandwidth is the speed at which your data travels to and from the Internet. To understand bandwidth, it can be helpful to visualize data as water flowing through a tube.
A larger tube means that a greater amount of data can flow through it per second. There are a number of factors that can affect the size of that bandwidth tube. If the tube gets too constricted, you experience slow Internet. Many factors contribute to that constriction. If there are more people, more devices, or devices utilizing bandwidth-intensive features like streaming, video calling, or downloading, the bandwidth tube must be larger to avoid frustrating bottlenecks.
When referring to Internet connection speed (or bandwidth), we’re actually referring to two metrics: download speed and upload speed.
Download speed determines how fast data from the Internet can flow into a user’s device (for example, streaming when watching a video on Netflix).
Upload speed determines how quickly you can send data to the Internet for others to view. Upload speed is especially important for people looking to broadcast content (for example, uploading a file or broadcasting a live video to Ustream).
Event bandwidth speeds are usually measured in megabits per second (Mbps), commonly called “Megs.” Internet speeds are typically listed as download x upload. So 10x10 Mbps means 10 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload.
As a video producer, your bandwidth upload speed requirement is dictated by the quality of your live video stream.
Display Resolution
Display resolution is commonly expressed as width x height in pixels, or more accurately, lines. A High Definition (HD) video typically has a display resolution of 1280 x 720, referred to as 720p.
Frame Rate
Frame rate refers to how many still images make up one second of video. Almost all online video is encoded at 30 frames per second (fps). However, sports and video game streams are often encoded at 60 fps so viewers can catch the split-second action. Video at 60 fps is approximately twice the size of 30 fps video.
We consulted Hulu, Netflix, Ustream and Vudu to compile upload bandwidth recommendations for professionally streaming live video.
Bandwidth Calculator for Video Broadcasting
| Upload Bandwidth (after compression) |
Quality | Display Resolution (width x height in pixels) |
Shorthand | Frame Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-2 Mbps | Standard Definition (SD) | 640 x 480 | 480p | 15-30 fps |
| 2-4 Mbps | High Definition (HD or HD Ready) | 1280 x 720 | 720p | 30-60 fps |
| 5-9 Mbps | Full High Definition (FHD or HDX™) | 1920 x 1080 | 1080p | 30-60 fps |
| 10-25 Mbps | Ultra High Definition (4K or UHD) | 3840 x 2160 | 2160p | 30-60 fps |
| Upload Bandwidth (after compression) 1-2 Mbps |
|
| Quality | Standard Definition (SD) |
| Display Resolution (width x height in pixels) |
640 x 480 |
| Shorthand | 480p |
| Frame Rate | 15-30 fps |
| Upload Bandwidth (after compression) 2-4 Mbps |
|
| Quality | High Definition (HD or HD Ready) |
| Display Resolution (width x height in pixels) |
1280 x 720 |
| Shorthand | 720p |
| Frame Rate | 30-60 fps |
| Upload Bandwidth (after compression) 5-9 Mbps |
|
| Quality | Full High Definition (FHD or HDX™) |
| Display Resolution (width x height in pixels) |
1920 x 1080 |
| Shorthand | 1080p |
| Frame Rate | 30-60 fps |
| Upload Bandwidth (after compression) 10-25 Mbps |
|
| Quality | Ultra High Definition (4K or UHD) |
| Display Resolution (width x height in pixels) |
3840 x 2160 |
| Shorthand | 2160p |
| Frame Rate | 30-60 fps |
To determine your overall Internet bandwidth requirements, you should take into account the needs of various groups of users including your AV vendor, video production team, registration vendor, exhibitors, attendees, staff, and press – each of these groups may have drastically different requirements. For an event only requiring a WiFi network for attendee use, we developed the bandwidth calculation table below as a guide to help customers estimate their specific bandwidth requirements.
Bandwidth Calculator for Attendee WiFi
| Usage | Applications | Bandwidth Requirements | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 WiFi Devices | 500 WiFi Devices | 1000 WiFi Devices | ||
| Light | Email, credit card processing, general web surfing | 10 Mbps | 50 Mbps | 100 Mbps |
| Medium | Social media, some web demos | 15 Mbps | 75 Mbps | 150 Mbps |
| Heavy | Video, live polling, online software training, labs | 25 Mbps | 125 Mbps | 250 Mbps |
| Usage: Light | |
|
Applications Email, credit card processing, general web surfing |
|
| Bandwidth Requirements | |
| 100 WiFi Devices | 10 Mbps |
| 500 WiFi Devices | 50 Mbps |
| 1000 WiFi Devices | 100 Mbps |
| Usage: Medium | |
|
Applications Social media, some web demos |
|
| Bandwidth Requirements | |
| 100 WiFi Devices | 15 Mbps |
| 500 WiFi Devices | 75 Mbps |
| 1000 WiFi Devices | 150 Mbps |
| Usage: Heavy | |
|
Applications Video, live polling, online software training, labs |
|
| Bandwidth Requirements | |
| 100 WiFi Devices | 25 Mbps |
| 500 WiFi Devices | 125 Mbps |
| 1000 WiFi Devices | 250 Mbps |
Whether you need your event WiFi to successfully broadcast live streaming video or provide connection for 1,000+ attendees, Trade Show Internet offers event bandwidth solutions for every application and budget. As your bandwidth provider, we will guide you through each bandwidth option, taking into account speed, reliability, and cost to determine the best short-term bandwidth solution that will fit your needs.
Trade Show Internet is the leading independent Internet Service Provider in the events industry.
- Phone: (866) 385-1504
- Email: support@tradeshowinternet.com
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