Live Video Transport with Live Stream Fleet Gateway
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There are several challenges associated with the transportation of video over the internet from one location to one or multiple other locations. A potential use case, as an example, involves transmitting camera feeds from a school sports event to a remote location for editing purposes before broadcasting it on YouTube. Regardless of the specific situation, simply sending the feeds over public internet presents challenges and is not advisable due to privacy and security concerns. However, the Live Stream Fleet solution effectively address many of these challenges, as outlined in this article.
The Live-Streaming Challenge
Imagine you are on-site with a single video camera, prepared to share live footage with colleagues across the globe for editing and production. You require:
- Zero technical friction: Plug-and-play, eliminating the need for complex networking configurations.
- Mobility: The ability to relocate from your current location, utilising Wi-Fi or cellular data to a remote site without the need for reconfiguration.
- Reliability and security: Encrypted, low-latency transport over the public Internet.
However, the majority of available solutions fail to meet these requirements.
Traditional Approaches to Live Video Transport: Challenges and Considerations
Traditionally, live video transport over the internet has relied on protocol stacks such as SRT, RIST, or ZIXI that help protect the video flow. The implementation of these protocols necessitates specialised hardware, and encryption, such as using a VPN, might be a good idea to protect data streams that are transported over internet.
However, traditional solutions present several challenges that can be costly and add operational complexity.
VPNs and Leased Lines:
- Setup Overhead: Tunnel configuration, firewall rules, and IP management can be time-consuming.
- Latency and Single Points of Failure: All traffic backhauls through a central VPN gateway can introduce latency and make the system vulnerable to single points of failure.
- Vendor Lock-In: Tying to specific hardware and protocol licenses (SRT, RIST, ZIXI) can lead to vendor lock-in and annual support fees.
Proprietary Hardware and Licenses:
- High Upfront Cost: Expensive hardware and protocol licenses (SRT, RIST, ZIXI) can be a significant investment.
- Vendor Lock-In: Tying to specific hardware and protocol licenses can result in vendor lock-in and annual support fees.
Complex Protocol Stacks:
- Steep Learning Curve: SRT, RIST, or custom multicast setups require specialised skills and knowledge.
- Fragile at Scale: Firewalls or NATs often break one-way streams, necessitating on-the-fly adjustments.
Reconfiguration Nightmares:
- Moving Endpoints: Every new network (coffee shop, stadium) requires new IP addresses or open ports.
- Downtime Risk: Re-provisioning often results in lost minutes—or hours—on air.
How Live Stream Fleet Gateway Solves It
LSF Gateway was built to eliminate these pain points:
| Challenge | LSF Gateway Approach |
|---|---|
| Network Complexity | In-built traversal handles NAT and firewalls transparently. |
| Expensive Hardware | Runs on any small, cost-effective single-board computer. |
| Protocol Overhead | Ingests UDP, RTP, TCP natively—no extra licenses or codecs. |
| Mobility & Reconfiguration | Configure once, then move anywhere without changing settings. |
| Security & Encryption | WebRTC data channels provide DTLS/SRTP encryption out of the box. |
| Redundancy | Hitless protection switching switches streams on packet-loss. |
Note: While LSF Gateway’s traversal works across most home and office NATs, extremely restrictive corporate firewalls may still block peer connections.
Key Features and Benefits:
- Point-to-Multipoint Streaming: One source, multiple receivers—no additional resource consumption. This saves bandwidth costs.
- Protocol-Agnostic Inputs/Outputs: UDP, RTP, or TCP feeds are all transmitted over a single secure channel.
Web-Based Monitoring and Configuration:
- Real-time monitoring of latency, packet loss, and stream health.
- Remotely adjusting endpoints and viewing logs from your browser.
Compact and Affordable Deployment: Incorporate a compact embedded device into your system and deploy it swiftly.
Ready to Stream—Without the Stress?
Streamline your live-video workflow today. For a step-by-step guide, configuration examples, and a list of recommended devices, visit:
And if you’d like a personalised walkthrough or demo, get in touch with our team and we’ll show you how quickly you can go live.