Combine Starlink, 4G, 5G, DSL and Others on a Raspberry Pi to Avoid Poor Video Streaming Quality, Buffering and Dropouts
A bonding router combines several internet connections into one, so a live stream keeps a steady upload and stays online when one connection drops. You can build one on a Raspberry Pi with Speedify, an app that combines Wi-Fi, 4G/5G cellular, Ethernet, Starlink and satellite internet connections (DSL included) at the same time and splits the traffic packet by packet across all of them.
This guide shows how to build an internet bonding router for streaming from a Raspberry Pi and Speedify: the parts list, the setup steps and how to place the router and its connections.
Speedify combines your connections into enough upload to go live
How do I use WiFi and 4G/5G cellular at the same time with Speedify?
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Why You Need to Use an Internet Bonding Router for Streaming
Choppy, low quality video, buffering and disconnects during a live stream usually come from a single connection running out of upload capacity or dropping. The fix is to use all available Internet connections at once.
Most streamers have at least two Internet connections available when streaming live:
- Your home or studio Internet or the Wi-Fi provided by your hotel, cafe, train, etc.
- Your 4G / 5G cellular connection from your smartphone.
- A public Wi-Fi hotspot.
- A USB cellular dongle you may have from your network carrier.
You usually use the first one as your main connection. And if that fails, you might remember to connect by creating a hotspot from your phone or tethering it to your computer. But why not use all that are available?
Dedicated hardware for combining connections, from vendors such as LiveU or Peplink, does the same job in a sealed box, and Speedify itself also runs on ready-made routers (listed in the last section). This guide covers a lower cost route instead: a Raspberry Pi running Speedify.
Benefits of Using a Raspberry Pi as an Internet Bonding Router
The Raspberry Pi is the best known single-board computer, used for projects from art to cybersecurity and robotics. The Pi has been on the market since 2012; the Raspberry Pi 4 and the newer Raspberry Pi 5 are the current models. Turning one into an Internet bonding router costs far less than a dedicated appliance, and the Pi can still do other jobs.
Speedify is the software that turns the Raspberry Pi into a bonding router. Speedify uses all of your Internet connections at the same time instead of switching between them, splitting traffic packet by packet across them (a software form of link aggregation). Speedify also encrypts that traffic like a VPN on its way to Speedify’s servers. Running it on a Raspberry Pi has three advantages over a fixed appliance:
- it’s more flexible, accepting any type of Internet connection;
- it will not become obsolete in a couple of years, because the software that combines the connections keeps getting updated;
- it’s truly portable: power the Raspberry Pi with a battery pack while traveling and move around using multiple cellular and Wi-Fi networks.
Requirements for the Raspberry Pi Powered Internet Bonding Router for Streaming
- 1 x Raspberry Pi 4 or newer. More RAM is better; the 4 GB version is the recommended choice for this build.
- 1 x Raspberry Pi 4 or newer case, for protection and convenience.
- 1 x Raspberry Pi 4 or newer power supply, for when you have access to an outlet. Make sure it matches your type of outlet. On the move, use a USB-C cable with a battery pack that delivers at least 3A of output current (15W of output power); a Raspberry Pi 5 needs a 5A (27W) supply to power USB modems and phones at full current.
- 1 x micro-SD card to run the Raspberry Pi OS.
- USB / Bluetooth keyboard and mouse to configure the Pi initially.
Alternatively, you can purchase all the above (and more) as the Raspberry Pi 4 Desktop Kit. You also need:
- Additional Internet connections. The Raspberry Pi’s built-in Ethernet port can take a connection from a Starlink router, DSL modem or cable modem, and its internal Wi-Fi can create the Wi-Fi hotspot for other devices to connect to. To also use another Wi-Fi network as an internet source, add a USB Wi-Fi adapter. Add USB cellular adapters if available, or tether a smartphone to the Raspberry Pi over USB.
- 1 x paid Speedify plan to run Speedify for Linux (Speedify has no free tier on Linux).
How to Build the Internet Bonding Router for Streaming on a Raspberry Pi
Here are the steps to build a Raspberry Pi based Internet bonding router for streaming:
- Install and configure Speedify on Raspberry Pi OS: follow the instructions in the Speedify knowledge base.
- Add the connections you want to combine to the Raspberry Pi. Speedify recognizes them automatically; follow the instructions in the Speedify knowledge base.
- To share the combined connection over Wi-Fi, follow the instructions in the Speedify knowledge base, or find the walkthrough on the Speedify YouTube channel. To share it over wired Ethernet instead, see the steps here.
- Connect your devices to the new router over Wi-Fi or Ethernet. If one connection drops, traffic moves to the others, so the stream stays up as long as one connection is still working.
- To limit cellular data use, set a capped cellular connection to Speedify’s Backup priority so Speedify uses it only when the other connections fail; see the Connection Priority section here.
Where to Place the Raspberry Pi Router and Its Connections for Streaming
Here are some tips to get the best out of your Internet bonding router when broadcasting live:
- Place the Raspberry Pi router as close to the Internet source as possible, especially when that source is a Wi-Fi hotspot.
- If using cellular connections, keep the adapters (USB dongle, your smartphone) close to windows, so the signal does not get attenuated.
- If possible, use the built-in Ethernet adapter on the Pi for your home Internet source and share the combined connection over Wi-Fi.
By default the Raspberry Pi router running Speedify delivers the best combined speed and lowest latency the connections allow. Because traffic goes through Speedify’s servers in the cloud, the result also depends on the route to the nearest server, so there may be room for improvement. If the combined speed is lower than expected, check out this guide on fixing that.
Speedify Is Used on Millions of Devices Worldwide
Speedify has made internet connections faster and more reliable for businesses and individuals since 2014.
15M+
Speedify downloads worldwide75K+
5-star reviews for Speedify on iOS and Android82
Speedify server points of presence in 50+ cities on 6 continents500TB+
Of internet traffic carried by Speedify every weekSpeedify Partners
Speedify works with these companies to bring faster, more reliable internet and networking technology to their customers and employees.
Ready-Made Internet Bonding Routers That Run Speedify
If you would rather not build one, Speedify also runs on routers: OpenWrt 23.05 or later (x86_64 and aarch64), supported GL.iNet models running GL.iNet firmware, and Powered by Speedify routers such as the Miri X510. These routers need a Speedify Router License; a Raspberry Pi built as in this guide runs Speedify for Linux on a paid Speedify plan. Contact the Speedify team to choose the right setup.
Speedify Business Solutions
Speedify Teams
Speedify for Routers
Speedify Embedded Solutions and Integrations
Add Speedify to your own app or hardware with the Speedify SDK. Your product then combines internet connections, fails over automatically when one drops, and encrypts the traffic, using the same technology as the Speedify app.