Lessons Learned on Running a Reliable Live Stream with Starlink
Yes, you can stream on Starlink. Watching Netflix or YouTube usually works well. Live streaming to Twitch or YouTube is harder, because a live stream needs a steady upload the whole time, and your Starlink internet connection has short dropouts and an upload speed that goes up and down. The difference is the buffer: a video you watch plays from a few seconds downloaded ahead, while a live stream you send keeps only a small buffer, so a Starlink dropout hits a live stream the way it hits an online game.
The fix is a second internet connection, like a phone hotspot or a DSL or cable line, plus the right stream settings. Speedify uses Starlink and that second internet connection at the same time, so your stream stays live when Starlink dips. Below is what the Speedify team learned running a Starlink live stream 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Speedify adds a second internet connection to Starlink for faster uploads and downloads, and failover
Starlink Internet Connection Dropouts Happen to Everyone
Speedify measures thousands of Starlink users in more than 150 countries. From 29 September to 12 October 2026, fixed Starlink dishes went offline for about 37 minutes a day on average, and Starlink dishes on RVs and boats for about 61 minutes a day.
Starlink also switches each dish to a new satellite every 15 seconds, and a switch can cause a short dropout. Even a perfectly installed Starlink dish goes offline, and about 7 in 10 Starlink users on Speedify use Starlink together with a second internet connection, like 4G/5G cellular.
What the Speedify Team Learned Running a 24/7 Starlink Live Stream
- The Speedify team ran a live stream over Starlink (how the 24/7 Starlink live stream was set up), together with the office’s Comcast cable internet connection. Speedify ran on the streaming computer and used both at the same time. The test helped the Speedify team improve how Speedify handles Starlink’s delays and dropped data.
- After 3 months, to match what most people have, the Speedify team swapped the Comcast cable line for a much weaker internet connection with an upload speed of only 1.5 Mbps, like an old DSL line or a weak cellular signal.
- To keep the live stream from disconnecting, the Speedify team had to lower the stream’s resolution, bitrate and a few other settings. The details are below.
Stream Settings That Keep a Starlink Live Stream Running
Starlink’s speed and delay change from minute to minute. Some of the time a Starlink internet connection handles a high-quality 1080p live stream, and other times it can’t upload more than 1 to 2 Mbps. Starlink also drops out completely now and then, so you need a second internet connection used together with it.
Even with 2 internet connections, the stream can go down if the second one isn’t strong enough to carry the live stream on its own when Starlink drops. Here’s what the Speedify team tried:
- Lowering the bitrate (how much data the stream sends each second) from 5,000 kbps to 1,500 kbps
- Lowering the stream resolution from 1080p to 720p
- Setting auto-reconnect in OBS, the free streaming software, to try 200 times with the shortest delay
- Trying the dynamic bitrate setting in OBS, which was still in beta at the time
- Turning on Twitch’s Disconnect Protection setting, which works with OBS when you stream straight to Twitch, but not through Restream, a service that sends one stream to several sites at once (the Speedify team used it to reach YouTube too)
For reference, Twitch recommends 3,000 kbps for 720p at 30 frames per second, and 4,500 kbps for 720p at 60 or 1080p at 30. The team went lower than that because 1,500 kbps is what the weak second internet connection could carry on its own. With those changes, the Speedify team ran a fairly stable 720p live stream on Starlink and a 1 to 2 Mbps second internet connection. The full test results are in the Speedify team’s Starlink streaming results spreadsheet.
Computer and Software Fixes for a Steadier Starlink Live Stream
Besides the internet problems, the Speedify team ran into other problems on the 24/7 live stream: the streaming computer ran out of memory and processing power, and OBS kept crashing. Most of that came from asking one setup to do a lot at once:
- viewer commands that changed scenes and played animations,
- Python scripts that took photos for time-lapse videos, and
- live Speedify data shown on the stream.
The fix was a simpler setup. Fewer moving parts made the stream easier to manage and more reliable, so the Speedify team cut some of the viewer commands, OBS scenes and animations, and trimmed the Python scripts.
One more problem: power outages. When the power goes out, the stream goes out. Plan a second power source, like a battery or a generator, if you want to stay live until the power comes back.
Keep Your Starlink Live Stream Online with a Second Internet Connection and Speedify
A 1080p live stream on Starlink alone is possible, but sooner or later it will disconnect.
Because Starlink’s speed, delay and dropped data change so much, use a second internet connection together with Starlink whenever you live stream, make video calls, upload or download large files, or work from home. You can’t predict when your internet will go down, so be ready for it. Speedify combines Starlink and your second internet connection, so when Starlink drops, your stream keeps going on the other one. Speedify’s Streaming mode also puts live streams and calls first.
One last thing: your second internet connection has to carry the live stream on its own until Starlink recovers. Depending on its upload speed, lower the bitrate and resolution so your viewers still get a clear picture. Download Speedify on your streaming computer to use both internet connections at once.
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