Webcams come with different resolutions. Even if you have the highest quality webcam, you should have a faster internet connection to make use of the higher resolution. Because, when the video is streamed over, it is compressed to reduce the size of the data.
But how much bandwidth does a webcam requires to stream with the highest quality possible in their respective resolutions? Let us discuss all about it in this blog post.
How much Bandwidth does Webcam use?
Every webcam uses a certain bandwidth according to its resolution. A 720p HD webcam uses around 0.5 to 2.5Mbps, 1080p uses 1.5 to 4.5Mbps, 2K uses 3 to 8Mbps, and 4K uses 10 to 20Mbps of bandwidth. That means, if you want to get higher picture quality during the video stream, you should have an internet connection that provides the maximum bandwidth of the respective webcam resolutions.
Let us explore this in more detail and understand the bandwidth usage of each resolution.
Bandwidth usage of 720p Webcam
The 720p webcam available in the market is usually HD and has a frame rate of 30fps. A webcam with this resolution requires at least 0.5Mbps of bandwidth to stream a good-quality video. If you want to stream it in the highest quality, you should at least have a bandwidth of 2.5Mbps.
This bandwidth is also dependent on the type of video compression standard used. Almost any commercial webcams use the H.264 MPEG-4/AVC encoding to stream videos. With this compression standard, the webcam uses 0.5 to 2.5Mbps of bandwidth.
Bandwidth usage of 1080p Webcam
When it comes to 1080p, the resolution is higher and consumes more data. It requires higher bandwidth even if you stream in normal quality. In H.264 encoding, the webcam uses around 1.5Mbps which streams a normal quality video.
If you want to stream with the highest quality, then the camera uses up to 4.5Mbps of bandwidth. You can get the best video stream quality if you have an internet connection more than this bandwidth. Also, if the frame rate goes higher than 30fps, then the webcam uses more bandwidth.
Bandwidth usage of 2K Webcam
The 2K webcam gives you a great picture quality with the video streams and it is more than sufficient for many users. In fact, a 2K camera is used only by a certain group of people due to its high bandwidth requirements.
Unless you have a minimum bandwidth of 3Mbps, you cannot get a good video stream quality with 2K webcams. If you want to enjoy the highest streaming quality, then you should have more than 8Mbps of bandwidth.
If the frame rates go more than 30 fps, then you will need more than 10Mbps to have a good quality stream.
Bandwidth usage of 4K Webcam
4K is the highest available webcam resolution in the market and you can have great picture quality. Only a very few people, especially professionals use this webcam due to the necessity of higher bandwidth for seamless transmission.
A 4K webcam uses 10Mbps at the least to stream a normal quality video while it uses more than 20Mbps to stream with the highest video quality. the webcam uses only 30fps and if you have an internet connection that can provide more than 20Mbps of speed, then you can comfortably use this webcam.
These are the different bandwidth usage of webcams with different resolutions. Let us now get to know the benefits of using a webcam with higher resolution.
Read: Is Autofocus important for Webcam?
Benefits of using a webcam in higher resolution/bandwidth
Using a webcam with higher resolution or bandwidth will result in the following benefits:
- High Video Quality – Since video streaming involves data compression, using a low-res webcam doesn’t provide good image quality. When you use a high res webcam, you can enjoy good image quality despite the compression. Also, when you combine this high-res webcam with good bandwidth connectivity, you can get the highest image quality.
- Seamless Streaming – When you have high bandwidth with high resolution, you can have the video stream without any interruptions. You will have fewer stuttering, lags, and drop-in resolutions.
- High FPS streaming – If you have higher bandwidth, you can comfortably use high FPS webcams. This can provide you with fluid video streams and can aid in professional video callings. It is highly useful in Work from Home scenarios and corporate video conferences.
- Better Zoom – having a high-res webcam helps you to zoom in on objects or people as per your requirement. Even during the video stream, you can focus on different subjects seamlessly, and doesn’t affect the image quality.
- Better Low Light Performance – many webcams don’t perform well with low light conditions. But some webcams have increased exposure to low light and require a good resolution and bandwidth. So, having a higher bandwidth webcam can provide a high-quality video stream even at low light conditions.
- Stable Connectivity – Webcams can stay connected to the internet and stream videos without any interruptions if you have higher bandwidth and resolution. Many webcams tend to stream poorly when there is low bandwidth. So, having a webcam with high resolution and high bandwidth is necessary for continuous video streams without interruptions or lags.
These are the benefits you can get when you use a high-res webcam in high resolution. Now let us find out how to reduce bandwidth on the webcam in necessary situations.
Read: Is 720p webcam sufficient?
How do I reduce bandwidth on my webcam?
You can reduce webcam bandwidth usage in the following ways whenever you have a bad internet connection or other connectivity issues:
- Lower the resolution – The best way to reduce bandwidth usage of the webcam is to lower the resolution. Every webcam has settings to reduce video quality, and this will result in moderate bandwidth usage.
- Lower the frame rate – If your webcam uses more than 30fps, there are chances for the webcam to use more bandwidth. Therefore, reduce the fps the 30 or lower for reducing the bandwidth.
- Turn off extra features – Certain features like motion stabilization, low light compensation, background blur, etc. can also impact your bandwidth usage. Turning them off will help significantly.
Read: How to use PlayStation Camera as Webcam?
Conclusion
Now we know how much bandwidth a webcam needs and uses to stream videos. For every resolution and frame rate, the bandwidth usage increases. Therefore, with the help of this information, you can choose the best webcam for your requirement and capacity.
