How to Build a Mobile Live Streaming Backpack for IRL
The heaviest part of an IRL streaming backpack is usually the thing you need least: a dedicated box whose only job is to merge internet connections. Software can do that merging instead, which leaves room for batteries. Here is how that works in a live broadcasting backpack.
Speedify is an app that broadcasts over two or more internet connections at the same time (Wi-Fi, 4G/5G cellular, Ethernet, Starlink and satellite), so a dead spot on one carrier does not take your stream down with it. With only one internet connection, Speedify works as an encrypted VPN and cannot stop that connection from dropping, so carry at least two (for example a phone’s 4G/5G cellular plus Wi-Fi or a second carrier’s hotspot). What follows covers why streams wobble on the move and how Speedify compares with hardware boxes that combine internet connections.
Why IRL Streams Lose Their Connection
Almost every streamer deals with unreliable internet at some point, and it’s most annoying when you’re streaming live to your followers.
The most common situations where you might encounter these type of connectivity issues live streams include:
- When traveling or on the go: on the street, a bus or a train. You may be connected to a bad / spotty WiFi hotspot.
- In crowded areas: the available bandwidth on both WiFi and cellular connections may not be enough to serve everyone at a stadium, a concert or a frat house party.
- At home: your ISP may be doing maintenance work right when you’re broadcasting live, or throttling your connection.
Here’s what happens: if the connection is unreliable, you may not be able to stream at a high resolution because bandwidth is limited, so your videos may appear jittery or choppy. And if your connection is spotty and disconnects, you lose many of your viewers, at least for that stream.
So your IRL streaming backpack needs an upgrade to handle unfriendly internet conditions while streaming live.
Combine Connections in an IRL Streaming Backpack with Speedify
Speedify is an app that gets you faster, more reliable and secure internet. Speedify allows you to use multiple internet connections at the same time. Speedify runs on computers, smartphones, tablets and various devices that run Linux, including Raspberry Pi. Depending on the device, you can combine any mix of two or more Wi-Fi networks, cellular networks and wired networks. Combining them adds an automatic internet failover mechanism for reliability and gives the stream more upload bandwidth. In Redundant Mode, Speedify sends each packet over every connection and uses the copy that arrives first, so latency (ping) follows whichever connection is faster at that moment.
To use 2 or more internet connections at once, Speedify relies on its technology for combining internet connections: your traffic is split packet by packet across all of them.
If one of your connections fails, Speedify automatically reroutes all the traffic through your other available connection(s). This happens in the background without you having to do anything. When the dropped connection is back online, Speedify will pick it up and start using it again.
Software vs Hardware for Combining Internet Connections in an IRL Streaming Backpack
Combining internet connections is key to a fast and reliable connection when live streaming, and it is not tied to one architecture. You can choose a mixed hardware-software solution from companies like Peplink and Mushroom Networks, or go with Speedify’s software-only implementation, which you can also deploy on a hardware device of your choice running Linux.
Many people choose solutions built around dedicated hardware, such as multi-WAN routers or SD-WAN networking devices. If you’re planning to adopt a hybrid hardware-software solution, here are some things you should consider.
- Performance: you are limited by the performance of the hardware and sometimes by its software. Your smartphones or computers may be able to go faster, but it won’t make any difference.
- Flexibility: will this solution still be usable if you change something in your current setup?
- Scalability: hardware gets old quickly. Does the solution include free hardware upgrades?
- Cost of implementation: hardware adds a cost to the final solution.
On the other hand, if you choose a software-only solution like Speedify, the benefits are straightforward. The only limitations you’ll have are related to:
- the devices you’re using and what type of network connections they support.
- the speeds of the Internet connections you’re planning to combine.
There are no flexibility or scalability issues. When it comes to cost, Speedify is only a fraction of the price of mixed hardware-software solutions.
Encrypt IRL Stream Traffic on Compromised Wi-Fi
Speedify also protects you on compromised Wi-Fi networks: Speedify’s encryption keeps other people on the network from reading what you send.
Before Speedify, users often had to choose between security and speed. With two or more internet connections, the combined speed usually makes up for the cost of encryption. You can have both. On a single connection, Speedify can be a little slower, like any VPN.
Cut down on low quality video, buffering and dropped streams when IRL live streaming: carry two internet connections and let Speedify combine them. Get started with Speedify today!
Speedify
Get started with Speedify today.
Speedify combines Wi-Fi, 4G/5G cellular, Ethernet, Starlink and satellite into one faster, more reliable internet connection. Free to try: 5 GB a month with a free account. No credit card required.
🚀 Speed
Faster uploads and downloads, because Speedify uses all your internet connections at once.
📶 Stability
If one internet connection drops, Speedify moves your traffic to the others in milliseconds.
🔒 Security
AES-256 encryption on every internet connection, on any network you join.
15M+ downloads worldwide. 75K+ five-star reviews on iOS and Android.