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Bandwidth tips and tricks

  1. Bandwidth tips and tricks

    The amount of bandwidth a Qumulex system uses for cloud uploads and remote viewing depends mostly on how the cameras are set up. The tips below reduce bandwidth without affecting the video you need.

    Camera stream settings

    • GOP (I-frame interval): set the GOP to at least twice the frame rate, so a full I-frame is sent about every 2 seconds. Each I-frame captures the entire image and is much larger than the frames in between, so sending them too often wastes bandwidth. A GOP that’s too long can cause playback and storage issues. Most cameras default to a 1–2 second GOP.
    • Second stream: enable a lower resolution stream on every camera (ex. 640 or 720 wide). Qumulex records the high resolution stream, but chooses the stream for live view dynamically. The lower resolution stream is used on mobile and multi-camera layouts, which greatly reduces bandwidth and improves the viewing experience.
    • See Camera Best Practices for the recommended stream settings: https://www.qumulex.com/kb/camera-best-practices

    Motion settings

    Every event recorded is video that may be uploaded to the cloud. Make sure you’re only recording events that matter.

    • Exclusion zones: if the camera supports them, exclude areas with constant, irrelevant movement, such as trees, flags or TVs.
    • Detection zones: make sure the detection zone only covers what’s important. Each manufacturer offers different options, and some cameras allow more than one motion window.
    • Sensitivity: adjust sensitivity for the size of the objects you want to capture. Check that the camera isn’t triggering motion when nothing important is happening.
    • Night time: video noise in low light can trigger motion all night. Reduce sensitivity if needed, balanced against capturing what you need during the day.

    Cloud upload scheduling

    Qumulex lets you control how much bandwidth each Gateway uses for cloud uploads, and when.

    • Without a Bandwidth Schedule, the Gateway sends data to the cloud in real time. If there isn’t enough bandwidth available, the data is queued and synchronized as bandwidth becomes available.
    • To set a schedule, open the Network tab on the Gateway. For example, if the site’s internet is shared and busy during business hours, you can throttle uploads from 9 AM to 5 PM and let the Gateway use what it needs after hours.

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