# How good does my wifi have to be? Shade is designed to work effectively across a wide range of internet connections. You don't need a perfect connection to use most of Shade's powerful features. Here's what you need to know about internet requirements for Shade. ### Most Shade features work great on standard connections Even with modest internet speeds (under 50 Mbps), you can still effectively use most of Shade's core features: * Playing back the web proxy * Sharing with external collaborators * Reviewing and leaving comments * Creating collections * Managing and editing metadata * Generating transcriptions and AI metadata These features are optimized to perform well even when your connection isn't blazing fast. ### Uploads and downloads Uploading and downloading files directly from the webapp (outside of the ShadeFS mount) will work at whatever speed your internet connection provides. These operations will complete successfully regardless of connection speed—they'll just take proportionally longer on slower connections. ### ShadeFS considerations The ShadeFS mount is where internet speed becomes more important. Since ShadeFS works by streaming bytes of media files on demand as you access them in your file explorer or NLE, connection quality directly impacts performance. For optimal experience with ShadeFS, especially when working with high-resolution media, we recommend: * A stable connection of at least 250 Mbps for working with 4K 8-bit video * Ideally, a wired gigabit ethernet connection for the most consistent performance ### Working with fluctuating connections If you experience fluctuating performance during playback, Shade provides a solution: you can pin files offline through the Shade app. Pinning videos performs a full download to your local cache, allowing you to work with them smoothly regardless of connection quality.
### The bottom line Shade is built to be flexible across various internet environments. While a faster, more stable connection will enhance the ShadeFS experience, the majority of Shade's functionality remains highly usable even on standard connections. You don't need perfect internet to get great value from Shade. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://academy.shade.inc/help-center/general-faq/how-good-does-my-wifi-have-to-be.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.