So I’m in the middle of streaming and boom – connection lost. Or it starts buffering like crazy and everyone’s watching a slideshow instead of my actual stream. Then it disconnects completely and I have to start over, losing half my viewers in the process!
This is infuriating…
And judging by the thousands of complaints online, I’m definitely not the only one dealing with Facebook Live being unreliable as hell. Sometimes it works perfectly, other times it disconnects every 30 seconds like it’s got commitment issues.
Your Internet Is Probably The Problem
Okay real talk – 90% of the time when Facebook Live keeps disconnecting or buffering, it’s because your internet upload speed is trash. Not your download speed (that’s for watching stuff), your UPLOAD speed which is what streaming requires.
Facebook recommends at least 4-5 Mbps upload for decent quality. But here’s the thing – you actually need MORE than that because your connection fluctuates. If you’re streaming at exactly your max upload speed, any tiny drop will cause buffering or disconnects.
Go test your speed right now!!
Use Speedtest.net or any speed test site. Look at the UPLOAD number. If it’s under 5 Mbps you’re gonna have problems. If it’s under 3 Mbps? Forget streaming entirely until you upgrade your internet or change locations.
WiFi Is Your Enemy
If you’re streaming on WiFi instead of ethernet cable, that’s probably why you keep disconnecting. WiFi is unstable by nature – signal strength drops when you move, interference from other devices, walls blocking signal, your neighbor’s WiFi competing for channels.
All of that causes packet loss which makes your stream buffer and disconnect.
- Plug an ethernet cable directly into your router if possible
- If you must use WiFi, get as close to the router as you can
- Kick everyone else off the WiFi during your stream (seriously)
- Turn off downloads, Netflix, anything eating bandwidth
I switched from WiFi to ethernet and my disconnect rate went from like 50% to maybe 5%. Huge difference!
Facebook’s Settings Are Fighting You
There’s this setting in Facebook Live Producer called “End live video if stream stops” that’s sometimes enabled by default. So if your connection hiccups for even 2 seconds? Facebook automatically ends your entire stream instead of just buffering through it.
Go to your Live Producer settings and make sure that box is UNCHECKED. This lets Facebook handle temporary drops without killing your whole broadcast.
Why is this even an option…
It’s like Facebook designed it to punish people with unstable internet. Which is most people! Not everyone has fiber optic connections running directly into their house.
Your Bitrate Is Too High
If you’re using streaming software like OBS or Streamlabs, your bitrate setting might be way too high for your internet connection. Facebook recommends 4000 Kbps (4 Mbps) MAX, but if your upload speed is only 5 Mbps total, you’re gonna have constant problems.
Here’s the rule: Your bitrate should be about 70-80% of your upload speed. So if you have 5 Mbps upload, your bitrate should be around 3000-3500 Kbps, not 4000.
Lower your bitrate in your streaming software settings. Yeah the quality drops slightly, but at least your stream won’t disconnect every minute! Better to have lower quality that actually works than HD that buffers constantly.
Too Many Active Streams
Did you know Facebook limits how many streams you can have active at once? Pages get 5 active streams max, personal profiles get 2. If you’ve got old streams that never properly ended still counting as “active,” you might be blocked from starting new ones!
Go check your past broadcasts and make sure everything is properly ended. Sometimes streams glitch out and Facebook thinks they’re still running even though they stopped hours ago.
And if you’re testing your setup? Make sure you actually END the test stream before starting your real one. I’ve made that mistake before and couldn’t figure out why my main stream kept failing.
Your Phone Is Dying
If you’re streaming from mobile and your battery is low, your phone might be throttling performance to save power. This can cause your stream to lag, buffer, or disconnect randomly.
Charge your phone before streaming! Or better yet, keep it plugged in during the entire broadcast. Also turn off battery saver mode if it’s on – that definitely messes with streaming performance.
Learned this the hard way…
Was streaming an event, battery hit 15%, and suddenly everything started glitching. Phone was prioritizing battery over stream quality and it showed!
Background Apps Killing Your Stream
Close literally everything else on your device before streaming. Other apps running in the background eat up processing power and bandwidth. Even if they’re not actively being used, they’re still there draining resources.
On your phone: Force close all apps, turn off automatic updates, disable notifications if possible.
On computer: Close Chrome tabs (those things are memory hogs), exit Spotify, shut down Steam, quit Discord. Anything not essential for the stream needs to go.
Your device has limited resources and Facebook Live needs as much as it can get to maintain a stable connection. Don’t make it compete with 47 other apps for attention!
Streaming Software Settings Are Wrong
If you’re using OBS, Streamlabs, or any encoding software, your settings might be configured incorrectly for Facebook. Here’s what Facebook actually wants:
Keyframe interval: 2 seconds (this is crucial – if it’s set to 4+ seconds you’ll have problems)
Rate control: CBR (constant bitrate, not variable)
Max resolution: 1080p (going higher won’t work anyway)
Audio bitrate: 128 Kbps
Getting these settings wrong causes all kinds of buffering and disconnect issues. Facebook’s servers expect specific formats and if you’re sending something different, they struggle to process it properly.
Facebook’s Servers Are Having A Moment
Sometimes – and you’re not gonna like this – the disconnects are 100% on Facebook’s end. Their live streaming infrastructure goes down or gets overloaded, especially during peak hours when millions of people are streaming at once.
Check Downdetector to see if other people are reporting Facebook Live issues. If thousands are complaining? It’s not you, it’s them. Just wait it out or reschedule your stream.
There’s literally nothing you can do when Facebook’s servers are toast except sit there and watch your stream fail repeatedly.
So fucking frustrating!!
For a company worth billions, you’d think they could maintain stable streaming servers. But nope! They go down more often than a cheap WiFi router.
Your Cache Needs Clearing
If you’re streaming through Facebook’s website on desktop, browser cache might be causing issues. Old cached data can conflict with the live streaming process and cause weird disconnects or buffering.
Clear your browser cache and cookies, then try streaming again. On Chrome: Settings > Privacy > Clear browsing data > Cached images and files.
Also try a different browser entirely. If Chrome isn’t working, test Firefox or Edge. Sometimes one browser handles Facebook Live better than another for no logical reason.
Mobile Data vs WiFi Drama
If you’re on mobile, you might be automatically switching between WiFi and cellular data without realizing it. Your phone tries to be helpful by switching to whichever connection is “better” at any given moment, but this causes your stream to disconnect when it switches!
Pick ONE connection and stick with it. Either turn off WiFi and use only mobile data, or turn off mobile data and use only WiFi. Don’t let your phone decide for you.
And if you’re using mobile data, make sure you haven’t hit your data cap. Some carriers throttle your speed after a certain amount, which will absolutely destroy your stream quality.
Firewall or VPN Blocking Ports
If you’re streaming from a work network, school network, or using a VPN, there might be firewall rules blocking the ports Facebook Live needs to communicate. This causes random disconnects that seem completely inexplicable.
Try disabling your VPN temporarily and see if the stream stabilizes. If that fixes it, you know the VPN was the problem. You can either stream without it or try a different VPN service that doesn’t block Facebook’s ports.
For firewalls, you might need to whitelist Facebook’s streaming servers, but honestly that’s complicated and most people won’t have access to change those settings anyway.
When Nothing Else Works
After trying everything and Facebook Live still keeps disconnecting? Here’s what actually worked for me after weeks of struggling:
Upgraded my internet plan from 10 Mbps to 50 Mbps upload. Yeah it costs more, but streaming became 100x more reliable instantly. If you’re serious about streaming and your current internet sucks, it’s worth the investment.
Switched to streaming during off-peak hours (morning/early afternoon instead of evenings). Fewer people on Facebook’s servers means better performance on their end.
Started using a mobile hotspot as a backup connection. When my main internet drops, I can quickly switch to my phone’s 5G and keep the stream alive. Saved my ass multiple times!
And honestly? Sometimes Facebook Live just isn’t worth the headaches. If you’re constantly fighting with disconnects and buffering, consider streaming on YouTube or Twitch instead where the infrastructure is more reliable. Then post clips to Facebook after.
Life’s too short to fight with Facebook’s garbage streaming service every single time…
And if you’re dealing with other Facebook nightmares, check out guides on videos not playing or account deletion issues. Because when one thing breaks on Facebook, usually three other things are broken too!
If this article helped you finally get through a stream without disconnecting 47 times, share it with another frustrated streamer who’s probably about to throw their phone out the window right now!!