A Belabox is the workhorse of a serious IRL rig. It bonds your modems, it is rugged, and it does not care that it is buried in a backpack. Two things make or break it: the relay it talks to, and how easily you can reach the box once it is sealed up and on your back.
Step 1: create your relay endpoint
In the dashboard, set up an SRTLA relay in the region nearest you. Copy three things: the host, the port, and the stream id.
New to the protocol? Start with SRTLA bonding explained, then come back.
Step 2: point the Belabox at the relay
On the Belabox:
- Set the streaming protocol to SRTLA.
- Paste in the relay host and port.
- Add the stream id.
That is the whole ingest setup. The box now knows where to send your bonded stream.
Step 3: add SIMs and go live
Insert your modems and confirm each one connects. Start the stream. SRTLA spreads across every connection and our relay joins them back together on the other end. Walk around and watch it lean on different connections as your coverage changes. That movement is bonding doing its job.
Give it more than two connections if you can
Two SIMs is the minimum that earns the word bonded. A third connection gives SRTLA somewhere to go when you switch towers, which is exactly when two SIM rigs stutter.
Step 4: turn on remote control
A Belabox already has a web interface you can open on its local IP, over any of its connections, as long as you are on the same network. The catch in the field is that you usually are not. Your connections are cellular modems and SIMs that nothing outside can reach, so the local web interface is not much help once you are out walking.
Remote control fixes that. We are one of the only options besides official Belabox cloud that lets you reach a Belabox from anywhere, not just the same network. We run an endpoint at remote.irl.ac that your box talks to instead of Belabox cloud.
SSH into the box. The web interface shows the username and password under System. Then run:
curl -fsSL https://remote.irl.ac/install.sh | sudo sh
The script comes from us with our address already in it, so it takes no arguments. The install does not modify the Belabox software itself, so it survives an apt upgrade, and sudo bb-agent uninstall puts the box back on Belabox cloud whenever you want.
Check that it took:
bb-agent status
You want NODE_OPTIONS active and a preload loaded line. The command exits non-zero if anything is wrong.
Now set a remote key. It links the box to the browser page. Either use the box's own web interface (http://belabox.local, then Remote), or run:
sudo bb-agent set-key my-secret-key
Any key works. You choose it, we do not issue it, and whoever knows it can control the encoder, so treat it like a password.
Then open https://remote.irl.ac/?key=my-secret-key. From your phone, while live, you can nudge the bitrate as your signal changes, restart the encoder if it gets unhappy, and adjust settings without ever opening the bag. Anyone else on your team who has the key can do the same, so a mod can fix a setting while you keep walking.
If the box will not connect
Run bb-agent logs and look for DNS validation failure. If it is there, run
sudo bb-agent set-dns-mode pin-all and try again.
What remote control actually adds
The box is already reachable on its local web interface when you are on its network. Remote control adds the two things that matter in the field: reaching it from anywhere (not just the same WiFi or modem), and letting your whole team control it.
Belabox cloud, or us?
If you already looked at official Belabox cloud, the side by side (regions, payment, support, what overlaps) is in Belabox cloud vs IRLServer. Both are good. The right pick depends on where you stream and how you want to pay.
Once the box is bonded and you can reach it from your phone, pair it with drop protection: your own OBS pulling the relay as a source, with NOALBS switching scenes so a rough feed never ends the broadcast.
FAQ
- Can I change settings on the Belabox while I am live?
- Yes. With remote control linked you can change bitrate, restart the encoder, and adjust settings from your phone. You do not have to stop and open the backpack.
- Do I need remote control if the Belabox already has a local web interface?
- The local web interface works when you are on the same network as the box. In the field your connections are cellular modems you cannot reach from outside, so remote control is what lets you (and your team) reach the box from anywhere. We are one of the only options besides official Belabox cloud that offers it.
- Which protocol should I pick on the Belabox?
- SRTLA, so the box bonds across all your modems. Plain SRT works on a single connection, but then you lose the whole point of a bonded rig.