Why Use Cellular Bonding When Broadcasting Online Live Video
When broadcasting live video online, reliable Internet connectivity is essential. Live media producers are constantly looking for solutions to get the job done without issues such as low quality video, stuttering, buffering and even dropouts.
The problem is you cannot trust a single Internet connection when live streaming, because something can go wrong at any time due to temporary infrastructure problems, wireless signal coverage, etc. That's why it's best to use two or more Internet connections.
Internet bonding for live streaming is the norm for broadcasting video nowadays. It usually means using multiple cellular connections simultaneously (cellular bonding) through dedicated bonding hardware. Using a bonded network connection to live stream provides the reliability you need to avoid any type of broadcast issues.
But what is the best Internet bonding solution for live streaming? Check out our comparison sheet below that includes both hardware bonding and software bonding solutions such as LiveU, Peplink, Teradek, Mushroom Networks, Streambox, TVU Networks, Dejero and Speedify.
The Ultimate Comparison Sheet of Internet Bonding for Live Streaming Solutions
We analyzed the most popular solutions for bonded Internet when broadcasting live video online. We took into account a few criteria, including equipment, maximum bitrate supported and cost. Here are the facts.
| Dejero | LiveU | Mushroom Networks | Peplink | Speedify | Streambox | Teradek | TVU Networks | |
| Typical equipment | Dedicated hardware bonding device | Dedicated hardware bonding device + streaming service subscription | Dedicated hardware bonding device | Dedicated hardware bonding device | Software subscription to run directly on supported devices | Dedicated hardware bonding device + streaming service subscription | Dedicated hardware streaming / bonding device + streaming / bonding service subscription | Dedicated hardware bonding device |
| Portability | No | Some solutions only - e.g. LiveU Solo | Some solutions only - e.g. Streamer, Streamer Pro | Some solutions only - e.g. SpeedFusion Engine Series | Yes, depending on the device it’s running on: laptop, mobile device | Some solutios only - e.g. AVENIR Mini 5 | Some solutions only - e.g. Teradek Bond, Teradek LinkPro | Some solutions only - e.g. TVU One / Nano |
| Supported connection types | Ethernet (Gateway 211 only), Wi-Fi, cellular | Ethernet, Wi-Fi, cellular | Ethernet, Wi-Fi, cellular | Ethernet, Wi-Fi, cellular | Ethernet, Wi-Fi, cellular | Ethernet, Wi-Fi, cellular | Ethernet, Wi-Fi, cellular | Ethernet, Wi-Fi, cellular |
| Maximum bonding speed | 1 Gbps | 20 Mbps for streaming / 60 Mbps for file transfer (LU600 HEVC) | Streamer Pro: 30 Mbps max. throughput Streamer: 1 Gbps (standalone), 30 Mbps (RTMP) max. throughput |
200 Mbps with SpeedFusion Cloud |
300 Mbps - Speedify public servers 1 Gbps - Speedify with dedicated server |
1 Gbps | According to streaming settings - limited by ingest servers | 1 Gbps for the 5G TVU One Router (portable) |
| Technology | Smart Blending Technology | LiveU Reliable Transport (LRT) | Broadband bonding | SpeedFusion and other business-oriented ones | Channel bonding, Speedify protocol | Network bonding | Sharelink, Core | IS+ cellular bonding |
| Cost | Approx. $4000 for the Gateway 211 | Starting at $995 for the LiveU solo + $450 / year for the LRT service | Starting at $10,000 | Starting at $499 for the Peplink UBR LTE + SpeedFusion Cloud subscription starting at $20 / 6 months / 500 GB | $90 / year Optional: additional cost for the dedicated server(s) |
Starting at $495 for the Streambox Cloud Event Package + the cost of the Avenir Mini 5 | Starting at $4,990 for the Teradek LinkPro Backpack + $25 / month for the Sharelink service + additional cost per GB over 50 GB | Upon request - should be at least a few hundred dollars for the TVU Router Nano |
All solutions work very well for use cases such as:
- IRL live streaming
- remote learning
- online and hybrid events - including wedding videography, concerts, etc.
- reporting from the field
- entertainment
- houses of worship
Reasons to Go with Speedify Software Internet Bonding for Live Streaming
As you can see above, there are three main differentiators when it comes to Speedify vs. any of the other bonded Internet solutions for live streaming:
- hardware vs. software-only - Speedify's internet bonding solution prioritizes live streaming while running on any computer or mobile device. Being a software-only service, Speedify is much more versatile and portable. It's not limited to specific bandwidths and you don't need additional space, power sources or equipment to set it up in order to get great results when live streaming or transferring files.
- Cost - all hardware-based internet bonding solutions (Dejero, LiveU, Mushroom Networks, Peplink, Streambox, Teradek and TVU Networks) have an initial investment of at least $495 plus the subscription to cloud bonding services. With Speedify, you only pay for the monthly or yearly subscription.
- Flexibility - instead of being committed to dedicated bonding hardware with Speedify you can turn any supported device into an internet bonding machine for live streaming. If you want, you can even create your own bonded Internet router and use it in a similar way to a hardware bonding device.
Looking for a real world use case? Read about Doug Piper's decision to live stream beer tasting using Speedify after considering a LiveU setup.
Live Stream with Reliable Bonded Internet Using Speedify on Your Computer or Mobile Device
Speedify is the only app that can combine multiple internet sources into one bonded super-connection for more stable and secure live streaming, video calling, and web browsing. Its channel bonding technology uses all available connections at the same time instead of switching between them.
The main benefit of this is getting a stable connection, with failover protection, which is very important when live streaming anything. If one of your connections fails or becomes unusable, Speedify will route all the data through the other working connection(s) until performance is on par with the initial connection. Speedify automates all of this activity. You don’t have to do anything, and you most likely won’t even notice anything different is happening.
As a VPN, Speedify provides advanced encryption, without forcing you to sacrifice speed or reliability. Speedify is compatible with all recent computers and mobile devices. Please check the updated system requirements on the download page.
Download Speedify
Speedify is the only app that can combine multiple internet sources into one bonded super-connection for more stable and secure livestreaming, video calling, and web browsing.
