Cost Effective Alternative to Mushroom Networks for Live Streaming and Broadcasting
Teams comparing bonding options for live streaming usually reach the same fork: an appliance built for the job, or software that runs on the kit they already carry. The appliance route means capital cost per crew and something extra to transport.
Speedify is software that bonds Wi-Fi, Ethernet, 4G/5G cellular and Starlink on the laptop or phone already in the bag, with no appliance to buy.
Read below how the two approaches compare for broadcasting, and where software is the better fit.
With Speedify, your internet stays on when one connection fails.
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How Speedify's channel bonding technology works on any hardware
Get started with Speedify for your business
Speedify offers three commercial paths. They're not exclusive — most enterprise customers combine two or more.
01
Speedify Teams
Speedify on every supported OS for every team member
Centralized dashboard for billing, user provisioning, and usage analytics
CSV import/export and a RESTful management API
02
Speedify for Routers
License for supported OpenWrt routers
Powered by Speedify hardware lineup ready to deploy out of the box
Miri, GL.iNET, and other partner models
Whole-LAN bonding without per-device install
03
Embed Speedify into your product
A · DIY
Build it yourself with the Speedify SDK.
Integrate Speedify into your iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux, or QNX product. Full developer documentation, sample code, and supported integration paths. You own the build, we provide the bonding stack.
B · CUSTOM ENGINEERING
Have us build it for you.
Mushroom Networks vs. Speedify – Which is Better
Looking for an alternative to Mushroom Networks? Here’s how Speedify compares from the point of view of fast, reliable and secure Internet for live streaming and broadcasts:
|
Mushroom Networks |
Speedify |
|
|
Typical equipment – what you get for what you pay |
Dedicated hardware bonding device |
Software subscription to run directly on supported devices |
|
Portability – can be used on the go |
Some solutions only – e.g. Streamer, Streamer Pro |
Yes, depending on the device it’s running on: laptop, mobile device |
|
Supported connection types |
Wired Ethernet, Wi-Fi, cellular |
Wired Ethernet, Wi-Fi, cellular |
|
Supported operating systems |
All |
All major ones – Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux |
|
Technology |
Broadband bonding |
|
|
Maximum bitrate |
Streamer Pro: 30 Mbps max. throughput Streamer: 1 Gbps (standalone), 30 Mbps (RTMP) max. throughput |
1 Gbps (Speedify with dedicated server) |
|
Cost |
Both 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
Why Choose Speedify as an Alternative to Mushroom Networks
As you can see above, there are three main differentiators when it comes to Mushroom Networks vs. Speedify:
- hardware vs. software-only – Mushroom Networks claims they aggregate bandwidth for speed, reliability & lower cost, to set your network on autopilot. Speedify’s solution prioritizes live streaming while running on any supported 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 power or equipment to get great results when live streaming or transferring files.
- Cost – While there’s no recent official data on the cost for a Mushroom Networks Streamer or Streamer Pro solution (you have to contact sales), an older article claims this cost is around $10,000. With Speedify, you only pay for the monthly or yearly subscription.
- Flexibility – with Mushroom Networks you are committed to their dedicated bonding hardware. Speedify allows you to turn any supported device, including OpenWrt routers, into a bonded streaming machine. If you want, you can even create your own bonded Internet router and use it in a similar way to a Mushroom Networks hardware device.
Looking for a Hardware Alternative to Teradek? Get the Miri X510 Bonding Router
How Speedify Can Help Your Organization
Speedify provides mission critical solutions for consumers and businesses of all sizes. Speedify’s unique channel bonding technology makes it possible to dynamically spread individual packets amongst all of your available internet connections so even large single-socket transfers such as streaming video, uploading, or downloading files can benefit from a major speed boost!
Alongside the app itself, available for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android and OpenWrt routers, Speedify can also be embedded into other software apps via the Speedify SDK, or into networking, IoT and hardware products via the Powered by Speedify program.
Mushroom Networks Broadband Bonding vs. Speedify Comparison
|
Feature |
Mushroom Networks Broadband Bonding |
Speedify |
|---|---|---|
|
Plan Tier / Type |
Depending on hardware solution, typically 2-12 bonded connections |
Depending on data usage, up to 31 bonded connections |
|
Architecture |
Hardware device |
Cloud-native SaaS |
|
Servers |
Dedicated |
Shared |
|
Licensing Model |
Per-device licensing |
Subscription-based licensing |
|
Platform Support |
Linux |
Embedded Linux, OpenWrt |
|
SDK Licensing |
No |
Yes |
|
Failover Method |
Automatic failover |
Packet-level automatic failover |
|
Hardware partners |
No (proprietary hardware) |
Yes |
|
Average bonding performance |
Depending on hardware used |
200-300 Mbps |
|
Other features |
ISP Agnostic, Advanced HTTP Downlink Bonding, Traffic Grooming and Management |
Encryption, QoS, WAN Aggregation, Connection Resilience, Carrier Agnostic, Prioritized streaming, Wi-Fi cellular sharing, Cost Aware, WAN Smoothing, Error correction and packet loss, Dynamically use other protocols (i.e. UDP) |
|
Management Interface |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Annual Cost |
$$$$ |
$$ |
5 Differentiating Features of Speedify vs. Mushroom Networks
Hardware agnostic – you can run Speedify on any supported device and platform, including the major operating systems (Windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS and Android), as well as OpenWrt routers. No need for proprietary hardware.
Mobile and desktop clients– as an organization, you are not limited to using specific hardware devices, such as routers. Speedify can also be used directly on clients’ devices, such as computers, mobile phones, tablets, etc.
Wi-Fi cellular sharing – Speedify enables users to share and combine 4G LTE and 5G cellular connections between multiple devices connected on the same network. This feature is called Pair & Share.
Cost aware – enterprises can prioritize how each WAN connection is used with Speedify, including setting limits per connection.
Dynamically using multiple protocols – automatically switch between TCP, UDP and HTTPS to optimize speed and reliability depending on usage.
Speedify Business Solutions
Speedify Teams
Speedify for Routers
Speedify Embedded Solutions and Integrations
Embed Speedify software into your app or hardware products and leverage the core channel bonding technology of Speedify in new and interesting ways.