If Video Stream Stability failed or showed a warning, start here. Follow the steps in order. You can stop as soon as that row says you passed. WebRTC is real-time encode + decode.CPU. Encoding camera + screen is expensive. An old laptop, thermal throttle, too many tabs, or a locked-down secure browser will drop frames even on a gigabit link.Hardware encode off. If the browser cannot use the GPU/encoder, software encode eats the CPU.Camera pipeline. A 1080p/4K webcam, a cheap USB cam, a virtual camera, or a bad driver can stall capture before packets ever leave the machine.Power saving. Battery mode, background throttling, or OS “efficiency” cuts CPU right when the encoder needs it.
What this check is
Video Stream Stability is a short live camera test. It asks: can your computer take your camera picture and send it smoothly, the way it will during your exam?
It is not asking how fast your internet plan is. That is what Download Speed and Upload Speed are for (you need at least 3 Mbps on each). Those can pass and Video Stream Stability can still fail. That is normal. They measure different things.
Older hardware can also be the bottleneck. A computer that is several years old, or only just barely meets 4 CPU cores and 8 GB of RAM, can struggle with Video Stream Stability even when Download Speed and Upload Speed pass. Closing apps and restarting can help, but they cannot make old hardware new. If Step 1 and Step 5 do not help, try a newer computer (Step 6).
What the message on my results means
TIO looks at three things. If more than one has a problem, you see the worst one.
If your result talks about | You will see something like | What that means for you |
|---|---|---|
Your computer / encoding / frame rates | Device couldn't maintain stable video feed due to encoding delays or low frame rates. Consider a more performant computer. | Your computer could not keep up while the camera was on. Other apps, battery saver, heat, or a machine that is too small or old can cause this. |
Your network / dropped frames | Network unstable due to dropped frames. Check your network, move closer to your router, or limit other streaming devices. | Video packets were late or lost. Your Wi-Fi, a VPN, or a busy network can do this even if your plan is “fast.” |
Lighting / dark video | Video appears too dark. Please turn on additional lights in your workspace or move to a more well-lit room. | Your picture was too dark. This is lights in the room, not your internet. |
If it says Unable to check video stream stability, the test did not finish. Restart, close other apps, install any waiting computer updates, and run Test It Out again.
If it only says Your video connection is unstable. Check your network, restart your computer, and close all other apps, start at Step 1. You will learn whether it is your network or your computer as you go.
The other rows on the same screen
This row | What it is checking | If this row passes… |
|---|---|---|
Video Stream Stability | Live camera video | You are ready for the live camera part of the exam |
Download Speed / Upload Speed | How much data your connection can move (at least 3 Mbps) | Your internet can move enough data. It does not prove live video will stay smooth |
CPU Core | Your computer has at least 4 cores | Your computer meets the size requirement. It can still struggle if it is busy, hot, or older hardware that is only just at the minimum |
Computer RAM | Your computer has enough memory (you need 8 GB) | Memory is enough. The camera test can still fail |
Support Chat Stability | Chat can reach us | Chat works. Video can still fail on its own |
How to fix it - do these in order
Use the same computer and room you will use for your exam. This takes about 15–20 minutes.
Before you start: Plug in your charger. If you have a phone, be ready to turn on a hotspot. If you have a second computer, you will use it later. If you can, do this the day before your exam.
Step 1. Restart and start clean
Restart your computer. Then:
Plug in the charger. Turn off Low Power Mode or Battery saver. On Windows, choose Best performance if you see it.
Close extra browsers, Zoom, Teams, Meet, games, music apps, and any software.
Open only the browser you need for the exam (Chrome, or Guardian Browser if that is what you must use).
Run Test It Out again. Look at Video Stream Stability, Download Speed, and Upload Speed on the same screen.
If Video Stream Stability passes, you are done. Use this same clean setup on exam day.
If it still fails or warns, go to Step 2.
Step 2. See if your computer is working too hard
Start Test It Out again so the camera test is running. Then open:
Windows: Task Manager (press Ctrl + Shift + Esc). Open the Performance tab and look at CPU.
Mac: Activity Monitor (search for it in Spotlight). Look at CPU %.
What you notice | What to do next |
|---|---|
CPU stays around 80–100% | Your computer is likely the problem. Go to Step 3, then Step 5. |
CPU is not high, but video is still bad | More likely your network or lighting. Go to Step 3. |
The laptop is hot or the fan is very loud | Put it on a hard table, not a bed or couch. Wait a minute. If video gets better, heat was slowing it down. Then continue to Step 3. |
Step 3. Look at Download Speed and Upload Speed on your TIO results
What those rows say | What to do |
|---|---|
Download or Upload failed or warned, and Video Stream Stability also failed | Your connection is part of the problem. Go to Step 4. |
Download and Upload passed, Video Stream Stability failed, and CPU was high in Step 2 | Your computer is the problem. Go to Step 5. |
Download and Upload passed, Video Stream Stability failed, and CPU was not high | Live video is still having trouble even though the speed rows look fine. Go to Step 4, then Step 6 if you can. |
Download or Upload says Incomplete | That check did not finish. Go back to Step 1 and run Test It Out again. |
Step 4. Change only your internet
Keep using the same computer. After each change, run Test It Out again and look at Video Stream Stability, Download Speed, and Upload Speed.
Sit closer to your Wi-Fi router. If you have a network name that ends in 5G or 5, use that one.
Ask other people in your home to pause streaming, downloads, and games for a few minutes.
Turn off VPN.
If you have an Ethernet cable, plug the computer into the router.
If you cannot plug in, turn on your phone’s hotspot and join that instead of home Wi-Fi. Keep this same computer.
If the camera test is clearly better on a cable or hotspot, your home Wi-Fi is the problem. See If it is your internet.
If it still fails on both home Wi-Fi and hotspot, go to Step 5.
Step 5. Give your computer less to do
Unplug extra monitors if your exam allows only one.
Unplug extra USB cameras. Turn off virtual-camera apps (OBS, ManyCam, Snap Camera). Use your laptop’s built-in camera if you have one.
Keep one browser window. Close extra tabs.
Use an up-to-date Chrome, or Guardian Browser if that is required.
On Windows: Settings → System → Display → Graphics. If your laptop has two graphics chips, let the browser use the high-performance one.
Run Test It Out again.
If Video Stream Stability passes, your computer was the problem. Use this same setup on exam day.
If CPU is still maxed, or the check still fails, go to Step 6.
Step 6. Try a second computer on the same Wi-Fi
If you have another laptop or desktop, use it on the same Wi-Fi, in the same room. Restart it, plug it in, close extra apps, and run Test It Out.
What happens | What that means | What you should do |
|---|---|---|
The second computer passes and this one fails | This computer is the problem | Use the second computer for your exam if you can. See If it is your computer. |
Both computers fail | The Wi-Fi or room network is the problem | See If it is your internet. |
You do not have a second computer | Use Step 4 as your answer | Bad on both Wi-Fi and hotspot → your computer. Better only on hotspot → your home internet. |
Step 7. Lights and camera
Do this if TIO said your video was too dark, or if CPU was not high and the check still fails.
Turn on the room lights. Face a lamp or a window. Do not sit with a bright window behind you.
Try the built-in camera instead of a USB camera, or the other way around if you have both.
Unplug a USB camera, wait 10 seconds, and plug it into a port on the computer (not a hub).
Make sure the browser is allowed to use the camera: Windows Privacy settings, or on a Mac, System Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera.
If the preview is black, upside down, or starts and then dies, that is the camera or its software, not your internet plan.
If it is your internet
Sit closer to the router, or use a cable.
Use the 5 GHz Wi-Fi name if you have one. Avoid the far room and 2.4 GHz if you can.
Ask others to pause streaming during your exam.
Keep VPN off.
A phone hotspot can get you through. Plug the computer into power. The hotspot can still drop.
School, dorm, and work networks sometimes block live video even when Download and Upload pass. Try a network you are allowed to use.
Do not buy a faster internet plan yet. If a hotspot or a cable works on this same computer, your plan was not the real problem.
If it is your computer
On exam day, do Step 1 again: restart, plug in, close extra apps, one browser.
Keep the laptop on a hard table and on power.
Use the built-in camera if a 4K USB camera is causing trouble.
Do not run Zoom or other meetings in the background.
Age is a bottleneck too. If your computer is several years old, even if CPU Core and Computer RAM passed, it can still be too slow for the live camera. Closing apps cannot add cores, memory, or a faster processor. If CPU stays maxed after a clean restart, or those rows failed, you need a different computer. You need at least 4 CPU cores and 8 GB of RAM, and a machine that can keep up while the camera is on.
Common questions
Download and Upload passed. Why did Video Stream Stability fail?
Those two rows only check how much data your connection can move. Video Stream Stability is a live camera. Wi-Fi trouble, a VPN, a blocked path, or a busy computer can still fail the live check. Stay on your TIO results. Do not run another speed test.
It said my computer. I have a new or “gaming” laptop.
The camera test needs free power right now. Other apps, battery saver, heat, a 4K camera, extra screens, or a virtual camera can overload a strong laptop. Do Step 1 and Step 5 first. If CPU Core is below 4, you still need another device.
My computer is several years old. Can that be why I failed?
Yes. Older hardware is a common bottleneck for this check. The live camera asks your computer to encode video in real time. A machine that is several years old, or only just has 4 cores and 8 GB of RAM, can struggle even when Download and Upload pass. Do Step 1 and Step 5 first. If it still fails, use a newer computer if you can (Step 6).
It said my network. My plan is hundreds of Mbps.
Look at Upload Speed on your TIO results, not the number on your bill. Then do Step 4. A fast plan does not mean live video will stay smooth.
It said my video is too dark.
Turn on lights first. TIO is talking about the room, not asking you to buy a new webcam. Swap cameras only if lights do not help or the preview is black.
It says Incomplete.
The check did not finish. Restart, close other apps, install updates, and try again. Incomplete does not mean your internet failed.
CPU Core passed, but Video Stream Stability still said my computer.
CPU Core only means you have enough cores. Video Stream Stability means your computer could not keep up during the live test. Both can be true.
I have to use Guardian Browser, or my school locked the computer.
Still do Step 1. You may not be able to change graphics settings. If CPU Core or RAM failed, you need another computer. If chat and video both fail, turn off VPN and try a different allowed network.
Should I buy faster internet?
Not first. Try a cable or phone hotspot on this computer. If you have a second computer, try that on the same Wi-Fi. Change your internet only if both computers fail on that network and a cable or hotspot does not help.
If you still need help
Write this down (or take screenshots) and send it to support:
Which row failed, and whether it mentioned your computer, network, or lighting
What Download Speed and Upload Speed said (pass, warning, fail, or incomplete)
Whether CPU was high or low while the camera was on
Whether a hotspot or cable worked better than home Wi-Fi
Whether a second computer on the same Wi-Fi worked better
Which browser you used, and that you restarted