What is an ideal upload/download speed for stable webcam use?

[yoda313]

So what is a good upload/download combo for stable webcam use?

I recently purchased a eyecamera for my ps3. I tested it with family in another state and it was doable albeit stuttery on my slow dsl.

I have 384kpbs max download.

Question - how do you determine your upload speed? I know you can use internet speed tests for download speeds but is there a similar one for upload speeds?

My experience was kind of what I expected. Choppy video but stable audio with a little lag.

I currently have At&t dsl and have it on a wired lan via router to my ps3 so it is getting the full signal (not wifi). If I were to upgrade I'd prefer to stick with at&t so I could use my existing dsl router without a change in hardware or any software setups.

The max plan for at&t dsl is at 35.00 a month. The max download is 6mpbs and the max upload is 768kbps.

I think I am running at half the max speed for dsl at my price range. I would assume that is a function of my distance from the hub. The basic dsl has a max download of 768kbps and I get 384 so I am guessing I will only be able to take advantage of half of the stated speeds that are available. Is this a correct assumption?

Now I do have comcast cable and would not be opposed to considering cable internet. Their minimum plan is 40.00 a month after the intro price of 20.00 for 6mos. They say they have tiered speeds of 4mb and 8mpb downloads and 384kbps to 2mpbs upload speeds.

Even though I would not like switching my dsl router to a cable router and have to renetwork it to my netgear router this would be a possibility.

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**** please note I am not committing upgrading right now. ****************8

I'd love to but I've got to work certain things out before I sign on the dotted line so to speak.

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Would 2mbs upload be ideal for smooth webcam use? Also how much is affected by the other persons speed? They have 1mbps download over wireless but I don't know thier upload speed. What is the best way to match speeds for stable video?

Suggestions are welcome.

Again please note I am not ready to sign up for either on the spot. This is a planning phase.

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One other note I would have the possiblity of getting at&t uverse fios but unfortunately it is bundled only and I can't get just the internet portion. I don't want to switch cable tv right now. Also WOW cable is available in my area but I don't want to switch cable services so I'm not really considering them as an option right now.

Thanks for any realworld examples you can provide.

Also a link on how to determine your upload speeds would be appreciated. Thanks.

[jagabo]

How much upstream bandwidth you need depends on the frame size and compression type used by the software.

Try SpeedTest.net for upload and download bandwidth.

[yoda313]

bandwidth you need depends on the frame size and compression type used by the software

Unfortunately that is a locked part of the puzzle since this on the Playstation 3. Whatever format they use is what I have to deal with. As far as I know there is no way to scale it for speed sensitivity.

Try SpeedTest.net for upload and download bandwidth.

Thanks I'll check it out.

EDIT - Here is what I found out:

327kbps down
259kpbs up

Server distance - 60.57mi to center of city of server approx

Ping 275ms

I used yahoo maps to get an estimate of the distance from where I am to the center of the city that the test server was in (it was the suggested closest test server to use).

Now whenever I go into my dsl modem it says its configured for 384kbps so that was where I got my number from. That must be peak maximum.

So where do I go from here?

[guns1inger]

The first hop - from your connection location to the exchange - determines the connection speed. The closer you are, the closer to the speed you are paying for you will get. You have a 384/256 kbps connection, which is pretty slow, even by DSL 1 standards (technically you have ADSL - Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line). I am stuck with ADSL 1, as we don't have ADSL 2+ in my area (stupid backwoods country), and I get 1.5mb/256kbps on my connection.

The fact that it is asymmetrical also means that even if you bump up your download speed, your upload speed will remain 256 kbps on ADSL 1, and you may still find that the outgoing video is going to be choppy regardless of how smooth the incoming video is.

In short, if you want smooth two-way communication then you need to find a play that has good upstream and well as downstream bandwidth. ADSL 1 does not offer that. Cable and ADSL 2+ are better options.

The other thing to consider is QoS (Quality of Service) over the network. Some routers can be configured to give priority to certain ports or protocols to ensure that certain traffic, such as VOIP or webcams, gets better bandwidth than, say, casual browsing or email. If your router/modem supports this you may find you can improve the speed for the cam by configuring it correctly.

[edDV]

I thought 768 down / 256 up was the lowest DSL. At least it is here.

My AT&T line allows the following options

1500 down / 256 up as low as $14.99/mo. first time subscribers.
3000 down / 512 up $30/mo.
6000 down / 768 up $35/mo.

I remember getting choppy but usable peer to peer webcam with a 28.8 Kb/s connection back in 1990's. At that time ISDN 128 Kb/s was to be envied.

[jagabo]

From a server about 30 miles away, my cable connection gets about 6000 kbps down, 1000 kbps up, and a ping time around 40ms.

Note that these types of speed tests vary depending on traffic so running them late a night is more likely to show the maximum your line can sustain.

[yoda313]

I am stuck with ADSL 1, as we don't have ADSL 2+ in my area (stupid backwoods country), and I get 1.5mb/256kbps on my connection.

The fact that it is asymmetrical also means that even if you bump up your download speed, your upload speed will remain 256 kbps on ADSL 1, and you may still find that the outgoing video is going to be choppy regardless of how smooth the incoming video is.

In short, if you want smooth two-way communication then you need to find a play that has good upstream and well as downstream bandwidth. ADSL 1 does not offer that. Cable and ADSL 2+ are better options.

Thanks for the info there.

The other thing to consider is QoS (Quality of Service) over the network. Some routers can be configured to give priority to certain ports or protocols to ensure that certain traffic, such as VOIP or webcams, gets better bandwidth than, say, casual browsing or email. If your router/modem supports this you may find you can improve the speed for the cam by configuring it correctly.

I recently bought a new wireless router. Its a superG netgear rangemax router. It is the WPN824 model. I checked its packaging and indeed it says it has Quality of Service feature on it.

I think it said it was automatic. Is that really a configurable option?

@jagabo and eddv - thanks for the input.

Is cable internet a better option for smooth video both incoming and outgoing?

[jagabo]

Is cable internet a better option for smooth video both incoming and outgoing?

It will depend on what your cable company offers and how well they're set up. But you are getting pretty poor speeds now so it's likely you will do better with cable.

[guns1inger]

I thought 768 down / 256 up was the lowest DSL. At least it is here.

My AT&T line allows the following options

1500 down / 256 up as low as $14.99/mo. first time subscribers.
3000 down / 512 up $30/mo.
6000 down / 768 up $35/mo.

I remember getting choppy but usable peer to peer webcam with a 28.8 Kb/s connection back in 1990's. At that time ISDN 128 Kb/s was to be envied.

We still have ISPs offering 256/256 at the bottom end of the market. Not much use for more than email

[yoda313]

@jagabo - yeah that's kinda what I was thinking.

@guns1inger + eddv - believe it or not I play Halo 3 on my internet speeds. Granted I'm only a captain grade 3 and I have had the game for over a year now. (also I'm not really that good either but it sucks having slow speeds).

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Regarding the netgear router I did read online at netgear.com that it can be configureable for QOS. The nice thing is you can even tell it which lan jack to specify.

I will need to look up which port the ps3 utilitize. I also need to know if I need a specific port just for the playstation eye camera.

I appreciate the insights guys.

I may end up doing more research into switching to cable. As I said this is not an immediate switch but something I'm looking into.

[jagabo]

QOS is really only an issue if you have multiple services competing near the limit of your bandwidth. Some services will get priority over others. For example, if you have a download running while you're playing a game, the game I/O can get priority over the downloads. Or IP telephony might get priority over web browsing. That sort of thing.

[redwudz]

You might try the demo version of NeoTrace with your PC. It will show you the times between hops and should tell you if there is a bottleneck. It can also give you the location of each node in the trace. One site for DL: http://www.brothersoft.com/neotrace-5176.html

[rhegedus]

Does the video go direct from person-to-person or does it go via the video software company servers i.e. Skype?

[yoda313]

Does the video go direct from person-to-person or does it go via the video software company servers i.e. Skype?

@rhegedus - it is over the playstation network on the playstation 3. I don't know how its routed.