To determine you actual usable upstream (upload) bandwidth, you'll need to do some tests. And I specifically DO NOT mean something like Ookla SpeedTest or similar, as all such tests intentionally exclude values that are most important for livestreaming.
you are not using WiFi, right? if you are, you have to check your sustainable WiFi throughput capabilities first
first - clean boot Operating System, possibly even in safe mode (depends on how 'clean' your PC is). Make sure no background processes running which would interfere (which processes? that is for you to know about your system.. I can't tell you)
test large upload to anywhere (basic circuit test). A timed large file upload to OneDrive, Google Drive, etc will suffice [yes, there are better tests, but anywhere you can upload at close to 7mb/s will work (presuming ingest ability at least = to your sending rate]
- For this test results to be meaningful, you need to turn OFF all other Internet connected devices (I specifically do NOT mean not just actively transferring data. I mean OFF).
- Hopefully, you will see transfer rates fluctuating, around the 7mb/s range. If not that high, time to call ISP and find out why. If end of long DSL line... probably no much they'll be willing to do.
- Ideally, run the test at a couple different times in the day, because like auto traffic, bottlenecks vary over time.
Now, whatever the low threshold on the above test is, would be your maximum stream rate. And to be safe, I'd back off that amount by at least 20%, possibly more depending on consistency, control of ALL your own LAN traffic, etc
- then test to your content delivery network (CDN, ie YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, wherever) at that rate. [again, EVERYTHING on LAN turned OFF, unless you have network engineer knowledge/tools to identify exact traffic usage on a per device basis, under TCP handshake implications, etc]
why this second test? first tests to a 'random' Internet destination. 2nd test is for your specific provider's route to your CDN
I was on an AT&T DSL line (since upgraded to fiber), with a 10mb/s upload cap. I could reliably stream at 7K kb/s... but YMMV.. it depends. Because 1. I was using Ethernet, not WiFi, and 2. I knew everything running on the LAN, and had done thorough testing, I was comfortable streaming at higher than 50% of rated upload capacity. How much buffer to leave depends on your knowledge of networking, your real-time monitoring of all LAN devices, etc.
