Angelcam lets you play back recordings at 1×, 2×, 4×, and 8× speed. On a slow internet connection, higher speeds can cause stuttering. This article explains why.
Why connection speed matters
Fast playback means your device needs to download video data faster — at the same multiple as the speed you selected. A camera that normally requires 2 Mbps to play back smoothly will need roughly 16 Mbps at 8×.
If your connection to Angelcam's servers can't keep up with that rate, playback starts to stutter.
When it's most likely to happen
Mobile connections. Mobile data tends to have variable speeds and higher latency, making it the most common situation where fast playback runs into trouble.
High playback speed (4× or 8×). The bandwidth requirement scales directly with the speed — 8× needs eight times as much as 1×.
Multiple cameras open at once. Each open camera adds to the total load. Three cameras at 4× means roughly 12× the normal bandwidth requirement.
High-bitrate cameras. 4K cameras or cameras configured with a high bitrate need more bandwidth to begin with — and that multiplies with speed.
What you can do
Use a faster internet connection. This is the most straightforward fix. A faster, more stable connection to Angelcam's servers means higher playback speeds will work reliably. A wired ethernet connection is the most reliable option.
Try a lower speed. Switching from 8× to 4× or 2× cuts the required bandwidth significantly.
Close other camera tabs. Reviewing cameras one at a time reduces the total load.
Lower the camera's recording bitrate. If you control the camera's settings, reducing the resolution or bitrate will reduce how much bandwidth fast playback requires — but only for recordings made after the change, and at the cost of lower video quality.
The recording itself is fine
Stuttering during fast playback doesn't mean the recording is corrupted or has gaps. If you switch back to 1× and the video plays smoothly, the recording is complete — the issue is on the download side only.
Still having trouble? Contact us at hello@angelcam.com and let us know which speed you were using and how many cameras were open.