Your stream is only as good as your internet connection. Here are our recommendations and best practices for configuring your network for live streaming to a live broadcast or streaming to a venue.
Note: Enterprises require a firewall setup for live streaming from private networks to secure sensitive data, regulate access, and ensure uninterrupted streaming services by mitigating potential cyber threats.
If you are a viewer and want to know about the recommended networks for yourself, refer to Network and browser requirements for viewing streams.
Ideally, you should stream over an Ethernet connection on a dedicated (unshared) network. Network speeds fluctuate constantly, depending on numerous factors, so be sure to test your upload speed frequently.
Generally speaking, you should set your encoder's outgoing bitrate much lower than your available upload speed to allow for network fluctuations. Keep in mind that other factors, such as firewalls and network congestion, can come into play when producing a stable stream.
When setting up your encoder settings, we suggest the following based on the results of an upload speed test on this site. Refer to the table below:
| Upload Speed | Resolution | Framerate | Bitrate |
| 4mbps minimum | 720p | 30 FPS | 2000kbps |
| 4.1-10mbps | 720p | 30 FPS | 2500kbps |
| 720p | 60FPS (option to enterprise accounts only) | 5000kbps (max recommended) | |
| 10.1mbps-25mbps | 1080p | 30 FPS | 4000kbps |
| 25.1mbps and above | 1080p | 30FPS | 5000kbps (max recommended) |
| 1080p | 60FPS (option to enterprise accounts only) | 9000kbps (max recommended) |
If you are streaming at a bit rate significantly less than 2000kbps, your stream may appear pixelated or experience lag.
Regardless of your network strength, you should always record your stream locally. Many software encoders offer this feature, or you can record directly onto a camera.
⚠️Note: Vimeo offers bonded streaming.
There is no maximum size for input, but in output, we always transcode it to 256/128/56 kbit 48kHz, so sending a higher bitrate for audio beyond 256 kbps doesn’t help.
Firewall configuration
If you are having issues starting a stream to Vimeo via RTMP, you or your IT team may need to check to see if Firewall ports are blocked. This is common, especially if you are on a corporate network (office, convention center, hotel, school, etc.).
Note about DNS lookup
DNS lookup usually uses UDP port 53, but the configuration of your operating system, browser, or application may affect this. Please ensure that your final whitelist allows DNS resolution to work properly.
RTMP streaming with a third-party encoder
If you use an external encoder and you see an error message immediately upon trying to start the stream or a blank preview player and a grey Go Live button when the stream preview is enabled, this could indicate a Firewall issue.
All encoders use various internet ports to communicate with Vimeo, all of which must be made open to incoming and outgoing communication.
Refer to the table below:
| Domain | Ports | Functionality |
| rtmp-global.cloud.vimeo.com rtmp.cloud.vimeo.com |
443 | Streaming via RTMPS |
| rtmp-global.cloud.vimeo.com rtmp.cloud.vimeo.com |
1935 | Streaming via RTMP (insecure, please use RTMPS if your encoder supports it ) |
Some third-party encoders may have specific requirements for working in restricted networks. Check their documentation to learn about these requirements.
RTMP streaming with Livestreaming Studio
Refer to the table below:
| Domain | Ports | Functionality |
| rtmp-global.cloud.vimeo.com rtmp.cloud.vimeo.com |
443 | Streaming via RTMPS |
|
livestreamstudio.net studio-sub-manager.vimeows.com |
443 | Required to launch Livestream Studio application |
| api.vimeo.com | 443 | Required to communicate with Vimeo API for managing user live streams/videos / etc |
| i.vimeocdn.com | 443 | Access to user assets (vimeo thumbnail, etc) |
|
vimeo.com f.vimeocdn.com i.vimeocdn.com studio-webcontrol.livestream.com |
443 | Login into your Vimeo account in the browser (only during the first login or on changing account) |
Notes:
- To log into your account via SSO, you also need to whitelist SSO-related domains. Refer to your SSO provider’s documentation provided documentation for more information.
- This instruction covers only simple scenarios for logging into Livestream Studio and streaming to Vimeo. Other cases (especially ones that involve network services, e.g., streaming to a destination outside of Vimeo) may require additional domains to be whitelisted.
Streaming with Browser Studio
Refer to the table below:
| Domain | Ports | Functionality |
| vimeo.com | 443 | Access to Browser Studio |
| api.vimeo.com | 443 | Required to communicate with Vimeo API for managing user live streams/videos/etc |
| i.vimeocdn.com | 443 | Assets for the Vimeo website |
| f.vimeocdn.com | 443 | Scripts for the Vimeo website |
|
identitytoolkit.googleapis.com *.firebaseio.com |
443 | Realtime scene switching + live interactivity tools |
|
*.agora.io *.edge.agora.io *.sd-rtn.com *.edge.sd-rtn.com |
443 | Realtime video communication |
If you are a broadcaster, you need to whitelist SSO-related domains to log into your account via SSO. Refer to your SSO provider’s documentation for more information.
Recommended network configuration for streaming to a venue
Refer to the table below:
| Domain | Ports | Functionality |
|
*.vimeo.com, *.vimeocdn.com *.googleapis.com *.google.com |
443 | Access to Venues website |
|
*.agora.io *.edge.agora.io *.sd-rtn.com *.edge.sd-rtn.com |
443 |
Realtime video communication |
Accessing Broadcaster Preview Page for RTMP streams
Please contact your account manager or customer support for instructions on accessing the broadcaster preview page from a restricted network.