Equipment and bandwidth
The minimum (and recommended) setup for streaming on Avatok.
You don't need a studio to broadcast on Avatok, but there are a few minimums that separate a watchable stream from one viewers leave.
Camera
- Minimum: a recent laptop's built-in webcam (720p).
- Recommended: a USB webcam at 1080p, or a phone as a wireless camera. Either is a clear step up from a laptop's built-in cam.
Microphone
Audio matters more than video. Viewers tolerate slightly fuzzy video; they won't tolerate echo or background noise.
- Minimum: a wired headset.
- Recommended: a USB condenser mic on a desk stand, off-axis from your mouth to avoid popping plosives.
Lighting
Face a window during the day, or put a soft light in front of you (not behind) at night. Two-point lighting (key + fill) is enough for any setting.
Bandwidth
- 720p stream: minimum 3 Mbps stable upload.
- 1080p stream: minimum 6 Mbps stable upload.
- Test at fast.com before the broadcast. Run the test for a full minute — short bursts can be misleading.
Wired beats wireless
Plug into Ethernet if you can. Wi-Fi works but is the single most common cause of mid-stream packet loss. If you must Wi-Fi, sit close to the router, on the 5 GHz band, with as few other devices on the network as possible.
Write to support@avatok.ai. We answer every email and we'd rather hear from you than have you give up.