How Much Bandwidth Does a Video Conference Actually Use?

Video conferencing has become essential, but bandwidth requirements vary dramatically depending on quality settings, number of participants, and platform. Here's what you actually need.

Bandwidth Calculator Calculate total bandwidth needs for video conferencing

Single User: One-on-One Calls

For a single participant on a 1:1 video call:

Platform	Audio Only	SD Video	HD (720p)	Full HD (1080p)
Zoom	60-80 Kbps	600 Kbps	1.2 Mbps	3.8 Mbps
Microsoft Teams	30-60 Kbps	500 Kbps	1.2 Mbps	2.5 Mbps
Google Meet	30-50 Kbps	1 Mbps	2.6 Mbps	3.2 Mbps
Cisco WebEx	64 Kbps	500 Kbps	2.5 Mbps	3 Mbps

These are per-direction numbers. A video call uses bandwidth for both sending and receiving.

Group Calls: Gallery View Multipliers

Group calls multiply bandwidth for receiving multiple video streams:

Participants	Zoom (HD)	Teams (HD)	Meet (HD)
3-4	1.5-2.5 Mbps	1.5-2.5 Mbps	2.5-3.2 Mbps
5-10	2.5-3.5 Mbps	2-3 Mbps	3.2-4 Mbps
10-25	3.5-4 Mbps	3-4 Mbps	3.2-4 Mbps
Large meeting	4-5 Mbps	4-6 Mbps	4 Mbps

Modern platforms use SFU (Selective Forwarding Unit) architecture—you receive video at different quality levels based on screen real estate. The person speaking gets HD while thumbnails get lower quality.

Screen Sharing Impact

Screen sharing adds to video bandwidth and varies by content:

• Static content (slides, documents): 50-300 Kbps
• Mixed content: 300-800 Kbps
• Video playback in share: 1.5-4 Mbps
• High motion (demos, scrolling): 1-2 Mbps

Screen sharing replaces your camera video, so total bandwidth may not increase as much as you'd expect.

The Asymmetry Factor

Video calls are asymmetric. You send one stream (your camera) but receive multiple streams (everyone else). In a 10-person meeting:

• Upload: 1.5-2.5 Mbps (your video + audio)
• Download: 3-4 Mbps (9 other participants)

This matters for networks with asymmetric bandwidth (like many cable connections with lower upload speeds).

Minimum Requirements by Platform

Official minimum requirements from each vendor:

Platform	Minimum	Recommended
Zoom	600 Kbps up/down	1.5 Mbps up/down
Teams	500 Kbps up/down	1 Mbps up/down
Google Meet	1 Mbps symmetric	2.6 Mbps symmetric
WebEx	500 Kbps up/down	2 Mbps up/down

"Minimum" often means degraded quality. Plan for recommended or higher.

Network Quality Matters More Than Speed

Video conferencing is sensitive to network quality, not just raw bandwidth:

• Latency: Keep under 150ms for natural conversation
• Jitter: Variation in latency causes choppy video/audio
• Packet loss: Even 1% causes noticeable quality issues

A 10 Mbps connection with high jitter performs worse than a stable 5 Mbps connection. QoS (Quality of Service) that prioritizes video traffic helps more than raw bandwidth.

Planning for Multiple Concurrent Calls

For an office with simultaneous video calls:

Concurrent Calls	Minimum Bandwidth	Recommended
5	15 Mbps	25 Mbps
10	30 Mbps	50 Mbps
25	75 Mbps	125 Mbps
50	150 Mbps	250 Mbps

These assume HD video and some screen sharing. Reduce by 40% for SD-only environments.

Conference Room Considerations

Conference room systems have different needs:

• Room system cameras: Often 1080p60, requiring 4-6 Mbps
• Multiple screens: Additional receive bandwidth
• Content sharing from room: May be higher quality than laptop sharing
• Dedicated bandwidth: Consider VLAN prioritization for room systems

Budget 10 Mbps per conference room for comfortable headroom.

WiFi vs. Wired

Wired connections are significantly more reliable for video:

• WiFi issues: Interference, congestion, variable latency
• Recommendation: Wire conference rooms and high-volume users
• WiFi minimum: 5 GHz band, strong signal (-65 dBm or better)
• WiFi 6: Better for video due to OFDMA and improved congestion handling

Bandwidth-Saving Tips

• Turn off video when not speaking: Reduces upload significantly
• Use speaker view: Fewer full-size video streams to receive
• Blur backgrounds: Reduces video complexity and bandwidth
• Lower resolution settings: Most platforms allow manual quality limits
• Audio-only for large meetings: Consider for 50+ participants
• Dial-in option: Provide phone dial-in for bandwidth-constrained users

Practical Takeaways

For reliable HD video conferencing:

1. Plan for 5 Mbps per concurrent user (both directions)
2. Ensure symmetric bandwidth or at least 2 Mbps upload per user
3. Implement QoS for video traffic
4. Wire conference rooms
5. Monitor jitter and packet loss, not just throughput