Use a Raspberry Pi with Speedify Channel Bonding Technology
A Gunrun backpack built around a LiveU Solo is the reflex answer for IRL streaming gear, and it works, but the price starts near $1,600, which is a lot for one creator to spend on staying online.
Speedify is an app that does the same core job in software: it moves your broadcast over two or more internet connections at once (Wi-Fi, 4G/5G cellular, Ethernet, Starlink and satellite), so one weak cellular signal cannot end a stream. Speedify needs two or more internet connections for that; with only one, Speedify works as an encrypted VPN and cannot stop that connection from dropping. This walkthrough weighs a Raspberry Pi rig against a LiveU Solo, lists the components and software, and gets you live with Speedify for a fraction of the cost. For a wider look, see how LiveU competitors compare.
Speedify keeps your stream online while you move
What You Should Look at when Choosing Your IRL Streaming Gear
Along with a camera or smartphone for the video part, you should also make sure you have a fast and reliable internet connection, which means you need a way to use multiple connections at once.
In this example, the Speedify team installed Speedify on a Raspberry Pi 4. Speedify combines internet connections in software, which covered the combining part of the job right away. The same kind of Pi hotspot can carry an IRL stream on YouTube Live.
IRL Streaming Gear: Components List
Below you’ll find a sample list of the components in this budget IRL streaming gear. Similar hardware with the same functions works just as well.
Sample components and costs
- Smartphone: iPhone 11 Pro or newer, or an equivalent for video; $0 if you already have one.
- Computer: Raspberry Pi 4 or newer, $55
- Computer accessories: GeeekPi Acrylic Case with Fan RPi 4, $10
- Battery pack: $38.
- Organizer: Cocoon GRID IT! Accessory Organizer, $11
- Camera support: Smatree telescoping selfie stick, $23
- Backpack: Jansport backpack, $30
- Mobile connections: USB cellular dongles, tethered smartphones
- Speedify: as low as $4.99 per month on the 3-year plan (Linux needs a paid plan)
- [Optional] Dedicated streaming solution, if you want to multistream. You can also live stream directly from the platform’s app (YouTube, Facebook Live, Instagram and others).
The total budget for this IRL streaming gear is about $200 plus the cost of the smartphone, if you don’t have one already. The build still costs far less than the Gunrun backpack, and you may not need to buy all of this equipment if you already have similar items.
Software You Need for This IRL Streaming Gear
As mentioned before, one of the core elements of this live streaming backpack is Speedify, an app that can combine multiple internet sources into one connection for more stable and secure live streaming, video calling and web browsing. You can easily set up Speedify on your Raspberry Pi using the instructions here.
And, as mentioned above, if you want to live stream to more than one platform at once (Twitch, YouTube, Facebook Live, Instagram and others), you need a dedicated streaming solution. Here are some examples:
- Streamlabs OBS: apps for both iOS and Android
- Streamyard: runs in the browser
- Melon: runs in the browser
- Restream: runs in the browser.
Get the IRL Streaming Gear Live
The Speedify team first tried building OBS on the Raspberry Pi, but it proved too unstable, and the streaming quality was limited by the Raspberry Pi’s hardware.
So the build uses the Raspberry Pi as a router that combines internet connections (see the video above), sharing the combined Speedify connection with the smartphone over Wi-Fi, which keeps the setup easy to operate from a backpack.
You can use any streaming solution that supports your smartphone’s operating system, iOS or Android.
All you have to do is:
- connect your smartphone over Wi-Fi to the combined Speedify connection from the Raspberry Pi (check out this guide on how to set that up).
- start the livestream from your smartphone, either through the dedicated streaming solution or directly from the social media platform’s app.
Miri X510: a Ready-Made Router That Combines Internet Connections for IRL Streaming
If you would rather not build a Raspberry Pi rig, the Miri X510 is a third-party router powered by Speedify. The Miri X510 takes up to 7 direct internet connections, can receive cellular sharing from up to 20 phones, and runs on 2 hot-swappable NP-F batteries (sold separately).
Speedify
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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.
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