The protocol you pick decides whether a rough connection stutters for half a second or ends your broadcast. For IRL there are really three options, and only one of them survives a dead modem.
RTMP, in one paragraph
RTMP is old, simple, and everywhere. It has no real way to recover when a connection gets choppy. At a desk on a wired connection it is perfectly fine. On cellular it falls apart, because the first rough patch either stalls or kills the stream. If you are streaming IRL on mobile, RTMP is the thing you are trying to escape.
SRT, in one paragraph
SRT recovers lost data and smooths out a choppy connection, so it rides out the small hiccups that wreck RTMP. The catch: it still uses one connection. Great for a single strong link. But lose that link (dead tower, dropped modem) and SRT has nowhere to go.
SRTLA, in one paragraph
SRTLA is the bonded version of SRT. It spreads one stream across every connection you have at once, and a relay joins it back together. This is the one built for a backpack on cellular: it survives a dead modem because the other connections keep carrying the stream. Full breakdown in SRTLA bonding explained.
Side by side
| RTMP | SRT | SRTLA | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recovers lost data | no | yes | yes |
| Uses multiple connections | no | no | yes |
| Survives a dead modem | no | no | yes |
| Needs a relay | no | optional | yes |
| Best for | wired desk | one strong link | bonded mobile rig |
How to actually choose
- Wired connection that never moves: RTMP is fine. Do not overthink it.
- One strong cellular or wired link, no bonding gear: SRT. You get recovery without needing a relay.
- Two or more connections, a Belabox or bonding phone app, streaming on the move: SRTLA. This is the IRL answer.
The relay is the deciding factor for SRTLA
SRTLA is only as good as the relay joining it back together. The free open source version works, but everyone runs it with the same default settings. Our relay is custom tuned (closer to what official Belabox cloud does than to the plain version) and built to ride out a rough connection. Same protocol, very different field performance.
What most people are actually choosing between
For most IRL streamers the answer is SRTLA, because the failure you actually hit is a dropped connection, not a shortage of clean bandwidth. Optimising for throughput when your problem is a dead tower solves the wrong thing. The price is a small relay delay.
The keep your stream live guide stacks SRTLA with your own OBS and NOALBS, so neither a dropped connection nor a rough feed can end your broadcast.
FAQ
- Is RTMP ever the right choice for IRL?
- On a single rock solid wired connection, RTMP is fine and simple. The moment you are on cellular, walking, or bonding multiple modems, RTMP cannot recover or combine connections, and SRT or SRTLA wins.
- What is the difference between SRT and SRTLA?
- SRT is one connection that recovers lost data. SRTLA spreads that same stream across several connections at once. SRTLA needs a relay to put it back together. Plain SRT does not.
- Does SRTLA add delay?
- It adds a small delay at the relay so it can put your stream back together in order. In exchange you get a stream that survives a dead modem. For IRL that trade is almost always worth it, and a tuned relay keeps the added delay low.