Streaming fallback is a handy tool for ensuring uninterrupted video streaming, even when your primary video providers are down, geo-blocked in your country or blocked by some third-party apps. This guide will walk you through setting up streaming fallback on Sky Pilot using Vimeo, Wistia, or Sprout.


Prepare for the Process:

Before we begin, please note that if you are an existing Sky Pilot merchant, you may need to update your theme version. To do this, navigate to settings, select theme, and add a new theme. The minimum supported version for the list theme is 1.2.5, and for grid, it's 0.2.4.


Setting Up Streaming Fallback:

  1. Log in to your Sky Pilot account and go to the product page with the video attached
  2. Click on the Vimeo video for which you want to set up a fallback.
  3. You will see an option to select a fallback video. This will be an mp4 video that will be streamed directly on your store if the primary video cannot be played. If you need to upload this mp4, go to Files page 

This is how it looks when it's correctly setup

How to test it

If you want to see how the fallback works in case of a blockage, you can either install a third party app to block Vimeo (such as https://www.techloq.com/, https://www.meshimer.com or https://www.gentechsolution.com) or manually block vimeo.com via your terminal.

For Windows:

  1. Now, open Notepad as an administrator.
  2. Open the file "C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts".
  3. At the bottom of the file, add "127.0.0.1 vimeo.com www.vimeo.com"
  4. Save the file. You might need to restart the browser / restart computer

For Mac:

  1. Open Terminal.
  2. Type "sudo nano /etc/hosts" and press Enter.
  3. Enter your password when prompted.
  4. At the bottom of the file, add "127.0.0.1 vimeo.com www.vimeo.com"
  5. Press Control+X to save the file
  6. Type "sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder" to flush cache. You might need to restart the browser


Remember to remove these entries when you're done testing. You might need to restart browser and / or computer


In conclusion, with a fallback set up, you can ensure that your customers always have access to your video content, regardless of any issues with your primary video provider. 

If you need further assistance, don't hesitate to reach out to Sky Pilot support at support@skypilotapp.com or via the live chat at skypilotapp.com