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To test your connection, run a speedtest to the data center where your Shadow is located. The purpose of a speedtest is to determine the effectiveness of your internet connection between your device and the data center.

 

💡 For accurate results, run the speedtests provided in this article from your local device. These speedtests will send data between your local connection and Shadow's data centers. 

 

How to run a speedtest

Follow the steps below to run a speedtest on your local device. This speedtest will analyze your internet connection's download, upload, ping, and jitter over time from your location, which is important for streaming. 

1. Close Shadow if it is currently running and open a browser on your local device.
2. Choose your data center from the list below.
3. A new tab will open with the name "Easy Speedtest". Click Run.
4. Run this test from your local device, and not within Shadow.

If you're not sure where your Shadow is located, or you don't have an active Shadow account, choose the data center most relevant to your location.

Data Center	Location
PA1	Paris, France
FRSBG01	Paris, Strasbourg
DEFRA01	Frankfurt, Germany
FRDUN02	Dunkirk, Germany
TX1	Dallas, TX, United States
USWDC01	District of Columbia, United States
USPOR01	Portland, OR, United States
CAMTL01	Montreal, QC, Canada

 

Click Run speedtest, then wait until the download, upload, ping, and jitter tests have finished.

While the test is running, it will display your connection as a graph. Wait until the graph has been completely charted before exiting or aborting the test.

Once the speedtest has finished, you should see a graph similar to the image below. The download, upload, ping, and jitter will be complete.

For the best experience on Shadow, your graph should display the following:

1. A download speed of at least 15Mb/s or more. If your download speed falls below 15Mb/s, the connection is unstable, or there's packet loss on your connection, this will cause issues with your stream.
2. An upload speed should be 5Mb/s or higher. An upload speed of 5Mb/s is enough to use a basic mouse, keyboard, and controller. More bandwidth-heavy devices like webcams, microphones, external storage drives, racing wheels, and other gamepads require a faster upload speed as high as 100Mb/s.
3. A connection that has a 30ms ping or less. Ping (or latency) is the amount of time it takes your internet to communicate with a server. If your ping is low, Shadow can send and receive data between the server and your device at a much more efficient rate. The image, sound, and input from your USB devices will become delayed or distorted if your ping is too high.
4. Little to no jitter. Jitter is when there is a time delay in sending data over your network connection.
5. Connect your device to the internet via an Ethernet cable or a 5GHz Wi-Fi channel. Ethernet and 5GHz Wi-Fi channels are typically much faster and more stable than 2.4GHz Wi-Fi channels. Shadow can be used on 4G LTE and 5G cellular networks, but a wired connection is generally more reliable than a wireless one.

See device requirements for using Shadow.

Your test results are based on the connection provided by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and your distance from the data center.

1. Power-cycle your modem / router. Power cycle your modem and router to reset and re-establish a connection to your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Shut down your computer and unplug your modem/router. Plug them back in after 60 seconds and watch the lights on your modem/router. Once the lights are on, start your computer.
2. Keep all your local components up-to-date. Check that your modem/router and your local computer are totally up-to-date. That includes the operating system and driver updates.
3. Disconnect/turn off any devices that are not in use. Some devices could be using bandwidth while on standby. Gaming consoles, for example, might download and install updates. Turn off these devices to keep your bandwidth free.
4. Use an Ethernet cable. Using a wired Ethernet connection will make your connection more stable and eliminate additional latency compared to a wireless connection.
5. Change your Wi-Fi configuration. If a wired Ethernet connection is not possible or your device requires a wireless connection:
   • Connect to a 5GHz network. Some routers offer both 2.4GHz connections and 5GHz.
   • Place your devices closer to your router.
6. Look for signs of packet loss. Packet loss occurs when data fails to reach its destination. You'll see packet loss on a speed test when there are "gaps" or "breaks" in the graph, as shown below. This can make the stream stutter and even lose connection. You can also check the Stats for packet loss.
   

Open the Shadow launcher on your device to modify the following settings:

1. Lower your maximum bit rate. The maximum bit rate is the amount of bandwidth Shadow can use on your connection.
   You can change this one of three ways:
   • Use Auto detect to let Shadow choose your bit rate. Restart auto-detection to have Shadow test your connection again.
     
     
     
     
   • Use the Custom setting to choose your own maximum bit rate using the slider. We recommend setting Shadow's bit rate to 10Mb/s less than your current internet speeds. For example, if your lowest speeds are 42Mb/s, Shadow's maximum bit rate should be about 30Mb/s.
     
     
     
     
     
   • Open Quick Menu → Streaming while you're connected to your Shadow. Click the arrows or enter your own bandwidth setting to change this amount.
     
     
     
     
2. Change Streaming Preferences. In the launcher, go to Settings → Optimize Streaming → choose Prefer Reliability (TCP). This will change which protocols Shadow will use for streaming.
   
   
   
   
3. Enable High Efficiency Video Coding (H265). If your internet connection is not very fast, enable this setting. If your device was made before 2014, it may not support H.265 encoding and must be disabled.