Remio adjusts what it sends you, moment to moment, to match your network. The VIDEO group in Advanced settings is where you set the boundaries it adjusts within — not a fixed quality, but a ceiling, and a rule for what to give up first when the network can't keep up.
Find it on iPhone and iPad — tap the gear on the Devices screen, then VIDEO. On Mac — Remio → Settings → Advanced. These settings are global — they apply to every computer you connect to — and a change takes effect on your next session, not the one you're in.
Leave Quality preset on Auto and When network struggles on Latency unless you have a specific reason not to. That's the setup Remio ships with, and it's the right choice for most sessions. Read on if you want to hand-tune it, or if you're not sure what any of these rows actually do.
Quality preset — a shortcut, not a separate setting
The preset is a shortcut for the two sliders underneath it. Pick one and Remio sets Video bitrate and Max frame rate to matching values. Move either slider away from where the preset left it, and the row simply relabels itself Custom — your preset choice isn't lost, it's just no longer an exact match.
| Preset | Video bitrate | Max frame rate |
|---|---|---|
| Auto | No cap — Remio adapts freely, all the way up | |
| Low | 5 Mbps | 30 fps |
| Balanced | 15 Mbps | 60 fps |
| High | 30 Mbps | 60 fps |
| Ultra | 50 Mbps | 120 fps |
Bitrate and frame rate are ceilings, not targets
This is the part that trips people up: Video bitrate and Max frame rate don't tell Remio what to send — they tell it the most it's allowed to send. Remio always adapts below that number to match your actual network conditions. Setting either one higher never forces higher quality on a weak connection; it just raises the ceiling for when your network has room to use it.
- Video bitrate — a slider from 5 to 50 Mbps. Push it all the way to the top and the row reads Auto: uncapped, same as the Auto preset.
- Max frame rate — a slider from 15 to 120 fps, capping how many frames per second Remio will ever send, however good the connection gets.
Because these are ceilings, there's rarely a downside to leaving them high or on Auto if your network can support it — you're not spending anything you don't have available. The reasons to cap them are specific:
- Metered or slow connections — cellular data with a cap, or a link that simply can't sustain much. A lower bitrate ceiling keeps Remio from trying to use more than you want it to.
- Hot or battery-constrained laptops — encoding and decoding more frames per second costs more power and generates more heat. Capping frame rate trims that cost.
- Shared Wi-Fi — on a network you're splitting with other people or other traffic, an uncapped Remio session can be a greedy neighbor. Capping it leaves room for everything else.
When network struggles — what gets sacrificed first
Ceilings decide the best case. When network struggles decides what happens in the worst case — the moment your connection can't deliver everything at once, and Remio has to give something up.
| Choice | What it protects | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Latency (default) | Keeps motion smooth by lowering detail | Gaming and anything fast and interactive |
| Quality | Keeps the image sharp and lets motion stutter | Reading text, design, and other detail-focused work |
| Balanced | A little of both | General use when you don't want to think about it |
On a relayed connection, Remio manages this trade-off automatically and your choice here doesn't apply — there's no manual override once a session is relaying. And today, this setting is only honoured when the computer you're controlling is a Mac. Windows and Linux hosts manage the trade-off themselves for now.
If a relayed connection is the actual problem — not which trade-off it makes, but that it's relaying at all — the fix lives elsewhere. See Port forwarding for how to get a direct connection instead.
What to pick, by use case
| Use case | Quality preset | When network struggles | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Competitive gaming | Balanced or Ultra | Latency | Your inputs landing in real time matters more than a sharp image — this keeps motion responsive under pressure. |
| Everyday desktop work | Balanced | Balanced | Good quality most of the time, with a sensible compromise if the network dips. |
| Reading and code | High | Quality | Text needs to stay crisp; a moment of stutter while scrolling is barely noticeable. |
| Photo and design | Ultra | Quality | Accurate color and fine detail are the point — protect them even if motion isn't perfectly smooth. |
| Metered cellular | Low | Latency | Caps how much data Remio can use, and keeps the session usable if the connection gets worse. |
Seeing what you're actually getting
Open the connection info panel from the in-session toolbar. It shows the live frame rate, bitrate, and connection type you're actually running at — not the ceiling you set, but the real number Remio has adapted to right now. If it's consistently sitting well below your ceiling, the network is the limit, not your settings.
For a broader look at what direct versus relayed connections mean for that number, see Port forwarding. For everything else on the Advanced settings screen, see the Advanced settings reference. And if a session isn't behaving the way this page suggests it should, Troubleshooting is the place to go next.
Streaming quality questions
What does the Quality preset actually control?
It's a shortcut that sets the Video bitrate and Max frame rate sliders below it to matching values in one tap — Low, Balanced, High, or Ultra. Auto removes the cap entirely. If you move either slider away from what the preset set, the row just relabels itself Custom; nothing breaks.
Are Video bitrate and Max frame rate the quality Remio sends, or a limit?
A limit. Both are upper bounds — Remio always adapts below them to match your real network conditions. Raising either one doesn't force higher quality on a weak connection; it just raises how high Remio is allowed to go when the network can support it.
What does the top of the Video bitrate slider mean?
Auto — uncapped. Push the slider all the way to the right and it stops showing a Mbps number and reads Auto instead, the same as picking the Auto preset.
What's the difference between Latency, Quality, and Balanced in When network struggles?
They decide what gets sacrificed the moment your connection can't deliver everything at once. Latency keeps motion smooth by lowering image detail, and is best for gaming or anything fast and interactive. Quality keeps the image sharp and lets motion stutter instead, best for reading text or design work. Balanced splits the difference. Latency is the default.
Does When network struggles do anything on a relayed connection?
No. On a relayed connection Remio manages that trade-off automatically, and your choice here doesn't apply. It only takes effect on a direct connection.
Does this setting work if the computer I'm controlling runs Windows or Linux?
Not yet. When network struggles is currently honoured only when the computer being controlled is a Mac. Windows and Linux hosts manage that trade-off themselves for now.
Why would I ever cap bitrate or frame rate instead of leaving them on Auto?
Three common reasons: a metered or slow connection where you don't want Remio using more data than necessary, a laptop that's running hot or low on battery where a lower frame rate reduces encoding and decoding cost, or a shared Wi-Fi network where you don't want Remio taking all the available bandwidth.
How do I know what quality I'm actually getting in a session?
Open the connection info panel from the in-session toolbar. It shows the live frame rate, bitrate, and connection type Remio is actually using right now — the real number, not the ceiling you set.
Do these settings apply to one computer or every computer I connect to?
Every computer. The VIDEO settings in Advanced settings are global, and a change takes effect starting with your next session rather than the one already in progress.
Related guides
- Advanced settings reference — every setting on that screen, explained.
- Port forwarding — get a direct connection instead of a relayed one.
- Audio settings — the AUDIO group right below VIDEO.
- Troubleshooting — the broader catch-all for connection problems.
- Benchmarks — how Remio's streaming performs in independent testing.
