Why Is My Stream Offline? 5-Minute Diagnostic Checklist
Your stream is down. Listeners are complaining. You're panicking.
Take a breath. 90% of stream outages have simple causes. Work through this checklist and you'll likely fix it in under 5 minutes.
The 60-Second Checks (Do These First)
✓ Check 1: Is AutoDJ Actually Running?
Log into MediaCP → Dashboard. Does it say Online or Offline?
If Offline: Click "Start AutoDJ". Wait 10 seconds. Fixed? Great. If not, continue.
If it says Online but listeners hear nothing: Your stream is running but broadcasting silence. Skip to Check 4.
✓ Check 2: Test the Stream Yourself
Open VLC or any media player. File → Open Network Stream. Paste your stream URL. Does it play?
Plays fine? Your stream is working. The issue is your website player or listener's connection, not your stream. Skip to "Website Player Issues" below.
Doesn't play or times out? Continue to Check 3.
✓ Check 3: Can You Access MediaCP?
If you can log into MediaCP, our servers are up. If MediaCP won't load, there might be wider issues - check our status page or contact us immediately.
✓ Check 4: Is Something Playing?
MediaCP Dashboard → "Now Playing" shows current track name.
Shows a track name? Audio is playing. Continue.
Shows nothing or "Offline"? Check:
- Do you have music uploaded? (AutoDJ → File Manager)
- Do you have a playlist created with tracks in it?
- Is the playlist actually assigned to AutoDJ?
The 2-Minute Checks (Common Issues)
✓ Check 5: Are You Actually Broadcasting the Right Stream?
If you have multiple mountpoints (/live, /mobile, etc.), make sure listeners are using the active one. Check which mountpoint AutoDJ is broadcasting to.
✓ Check 6: Listener Limit Reached?
MediaCP → Statistics. Current Listeners vs Listener Limit.
If you're at capacity (e.g., 50/50), new listeners get rejected. Solution: Upgrade plan or wait for someone to disconnect.
✓ Check 7: Source Encoder Connected?
If you broadcast live (not AutoDJ), is your encoder (BUTT, SAM, etc.) still connected?
MediaCP shows "Source: Connected" or "Source: Disconnected". If disconnected:
- Check your internet connection
- Check encoder hasn't crashed
- Try reconnecting
If encoder keeps disconnecting, check password hasn't changed and port isn't blocked by firewall.
The 5-Minute Checks (Less Common)
✓ Check 8: Audio File Issues
Corrupted MP3 files can cause AutoDJ to skip tracks or stop. Look at MediaCP logs for errors like "Could not decode file".
Fix: Delete problematic tracks, reupload from good source files.
✓ Check 9: Playlist Empty or Wrong Settings
AutoDJ → Playlists. Check:
- Playlist has tracks in it (not empty)
- Playlist is enabled (not disabled)
- Playlist weight isn't zero
✓ Check 10: Server Maintenance
Check our status page: hippynet.freshstatus.io
We announce maintenance in advance. If planned work is happening, it'll be listed there with expected duration.
Website Player Issues (Stream Works, Player Doesn't)
If VLC plays your stream fine but your website player doesn't:
HTTPS Website, HTTP Stream
Problem: Modern browsers block "insecure content" (HTTP) on secure sites (HTTPS).
Fix: Use HTTPS stream URL (we provide this). Change http:// to https:// in your player code.
Player Code Outdated
If you copied embed code years ago, it might be Flash-based (doesn't work anymore). Get fresh HTML5 player code from MediaCP.
Browser Cache
Your website updated but listeners see old player? They need to hard-refresh (Ctrl+F5 on Windows, Cmd+Shift+R on Mac).
Network/Connection Issues
Listeners Can't Connect But You Can
Likely their network blocks streaming (some workplace/school networks do this). Nothing you can fix - different ports sometimes help, but not guaranteed.
Stream Works on WiFi, Not Mobile Data
Their mobile provider might throttle streaming. Again, not your problem to fix. Suggest they try different provider or use WiFi.
International Listeners Having Issues
Some countries block/throttle international streams. VPN helps (on their end, not yours).
Still Down? Emergency Checklist
- Restart AutoDJ (Stop → Wait 10 seconds → Start)
- Clear AutoDJ queue (if stuck on problematic track)
- Check our status page for service issues
- Test stream URL in VLC (proves if stream itself works)
- Check email for any service notifications from us
Still broken after all that? Time to call us.
When to Contact Support
Call us immediately if:
- MediaCP won't load at all
- Stream was working fine, suddenly offline, and none of the above fixes it
- You're broadcasting a live event and can't troubleshoot
Phone: +44 800 520 0073 (24/7)
Email: support@hippynet.co.uk
Ticket: Submit ticket
We're engineers. We've seen every possible failure mode. We'll get you back on air.
Preventing Future Outages
Set up silence detection (available in higher plans) - automatically alerts you if stream goes quiet.
Configure AutoDJ properly - even live-only stations should have AutoDJ ready as fallback.
Monitor stream health - check MediaCP stats occasionally, especially before big broadcasts.
Have backup internet - mobile hotspot can save live broadcasts when primary internet fails.
Keep our number saved - when things break at 2am, you want engineers who answer, not a ticketing system.
Last updated: November 2025
Written by engineers who've diagnosed thousands of stream failures. These checks catch 95% of issues.
