Video calculator
Streaming Bandwidth Calculator
Pull-stream bandwidth, traffic, and main/sub stream capacity from bitrate, duration, overhead, and concurrency.
Network camera and livestream bandwidth
Sum main streams, sub streams, concurrent pulls, duration, overhead, and safety margin.
- Total bandwidth
- 112.08 Mbps
- Selected duration
- 403.48 GB
- Binary traffic
- 394.02 GiB
- Main stream load
- 65.02 Mbps
- Sub stream load
- 36.86 Mbps
- 30-day continuous
- 36.31 TB
Known bitrate mode is the most reliable capacity estimate.
Formula notes
In known bitrate mode, the calculator adds video and audio bitrate for each profile, multiplies by stream count and concurrent pulls, then applies protocol overhead and safety margin. It reports decimal GB for traffic planning and GiB for binary storage comparison.
What this calculator is for
Use this streaming bandwidth calculator for RTSP cameras, NVR previews, live video pull traffic, private streaming servers, and support cases where a link must carry several main and sub streams at the same time.
It is different from a file-size calculator. Here the important question is not only the bitrate of one video file, but how many clients, servers, cameras, or preview tiles are pulling each stream.
Main stream and sub stream planning
Main streams usually carry recording or full-quality playback. Sub streams are often used for mobile preview, multi-camera grids, low-bandwidth remote links, and event thumbnails. Count both when they are active at the same time.
Known bitrate versus resolution estimate
Resolution and frame rate help form a rough estimate, but they do not uniquely determine compressed bitrate. Use configured bitrate, measured average bitrate, or VMS reports when possible. Estimate mode is best for early planning before a camera or encoder has been configured.
Worked example
Sixteen cameras with 4 Mbps main video, 64 Kbps main audio, 512 Kbps sub
video, 64 Kbps sub audio, one main pull, four sub pulls, and 10% overhead need about
112 Mbps. Over eight hours, that is about 403 GB of traffic.
Before sizing a production link
- Measure both average and peak bitrate when the scene has motion, noise, rain, or night footage.
- Decide whether clients pull directly from cameras or from a relay, NVR, CDN, or media server.
- Add margin for protocol overhead, retransmission, packet loss, TLS, and operational headroom.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate streaming bandwidth from bitrate?
Add video bitrate and audio bitrate, multiply by the number of streams and concurrent pulls, then apply protocol overhead and safety margin. Main streams and sub streams should be counted separately before adding them together.
Should I count main stream and sub stream traffic together?
Yes, if both are being pulled at the same time. A recorder may pull the main stream while mobile clients or preview walls pull sub streams. The total network load is the sum of every active stream path.
Does resolution determine stream bandwidth?
No. Resolution and frame rate can help estimate bitrate, but compressed bandwidth also depends on codec, motion, noise, scene complexity, GOP length, encoder settings, and bitrate control mode. Use measured or configured bitrate when available.
How much data does 1 Mbps use per hour?
A continuous 1 Mbps stream uses about 0.45 GB per hour, 10.8 GB per day, and 324 GB over 30 days before any extra safety margin. The calculator applies the same conversion to your total stream bandwidth.
What overhead should I use for RTSP, RTP, HLS, or WebRTC?
Use a small editable overhead value rather than a fixed rule. RTP over UDP, RTSP over TCP, HLS segments, WebRTC, TLS, packet size, retransmission, and packet loss all change real traffic. Start around 5-15% when you do not have measured data.
Why does VBR traffic differ from the calculator?
Variable bitrate changes with scene activity. Fast motion, noise, night footage, rain, grain, and frequent I-frames can push bitrate higher than a quiet average. Plan with measured peaks or add safety margin for production links.