BELABOX and Streamrun
BELABOX solves the hardest part of an IRL uplink: bonding several connections together with SRTLA, the protocol its own developers created. Streamrun is a cloud streaming engine that takes the stream from there and adds disconnect protection, multistreaming, device switching, and format conversion.
They work on different layers, so this page is less about choosing one and more about how they fit together, including alongside BELABOX Cloud.
The two parts of BELABOX
BELABOX is best understood as two pieces: the device that bonds, and the cloud service that terminates.
The BELABOX device
BELABOX software running on a single-board computer turns it into a portable encoder that captures your video and bonds multiple internet connections at the source using SRTLA, sending them as a single resilient stream. This is where BELABOX is strongest, and since the project develops SRTLA, it is the reference for how connection bonding should behave.
BELABOX Cloud
Their paid service that receives the SRTLA stream, terminates it, and forwards the result as RTMP or SRT to your destination. It handles the server side of bonding so you do not run your own SRTLA termination. Its role is that relay step, not multistreaming or format conversion.
You do not need dedicated hardware to bond. Phone apps like Moblin and IRL Pro support SRTLA too, so you can bond straight from a phone. A common setup pairs the phone's own 4G or 5G connection with a second phone on a different network shared over a WiFi hotspot, giving you two independent links without a separate encoder. The bonded SRTLA they produce terminates the same way a BELABOX device's does.
Where Streamrun fits
Streamrun is a cloud streaming engine. It can terminate SRTLA itself, so a BELABOX device can point straight at it, and it also accepts ordinary RTMP or SRT from any encoder or phone. Once the stream arrives, Streamrun does the work that sits above bonding.
That includes keeping your platforms live through a full connection drop, sending one input to several platforms at once, switching input devices mid-stream, and producing horizontal or vertical output for each destination. This is the systems view behind streaming without disconnects.
Which layer does what
A dash means a job is simply not that layer's role, not that it does it badly. Each piece is built for one part of the path.
Read across and the pattern is clear: BELABOX owns bonding, Streamrun owns the streaming engine, and SRTLA termination can happen at either BELABOX Cloud or Streamrun. None of them is trying to do the others' job.
Ways to put them together
Pick the path that matches how much source-side bonding you need and whose infrastructure you prefer.
BELABOX device, straight into Streamrun
Bond your connections with a BELABOX device and send the SRTLA stream directly to Streamrun, which terminates it. You get BELABOX bonding at the source and the full Streamrun engine after it, with one service to manage on the cloud side.
BELABOX device, BELABOX Cloud, then Streamrun
If you prefer to terminate SRTLA on BELABOX Cloud, keep doing that and forward its RTMP or SRT output into Streamrun. You stay on BELABOX infrastructure for bonding and termination, and Streamrun adds multistreaming, disconnect protection, and format conversion on top.
No bonding, just Streamrun
If a single strong connection is enough for your streams, you can skip bonding entirely. Stream from a phone or encoder over RTMP or SRT to Streamrun and rely on disconnect protection to cover short drops. You can always add a BELABOX device later if your conditions get harder.
Where connection bonding is heading
SRTLA is the widely deployed way to bond connections for IRL today, and BELABOX develops it. The SRT protocol has since added connection bonding to its own specification, although device and server support for it is still limited. RIST, another low-latency transport, is also designed with bonding in mind.
The point is that bonding is an evolving area, and the tools closest to the protocol have the clearest view of it. Streamrun stays deliberately at the streaming engine layer and works with the bonded input these transports produce, rather than trying to reinvent bonding itself.
Frequently asked questions
What is BELABOX?
BELABOX is a software package that turns single-board computers such as the Orange Pi 5 Plus, Radxa Rock 5A, 5B and 5B+, or Jetson Nano into a portable video encoder. That encoder bonds several internet connections at the source using SRTLA, the connection bonding protocol the project developed, and sends them as one resilient stream. People often call the finished unit a BELABOX device for short. Because the project develops SRTLA itself, it is the reference point for how bonding works.
What is BELABOX Cloud?
BELABOX Cloud is their paid service that receives an SRTLA stream and terminates it, forwarding the result as RTMP or SRT to wherever you point it. It handles the server side of bonding so you do not have to run your own SRTLA termination. It is focused on that relay role rather than on multistreaming or format conversion.
Do I need a BELABOX device to bond connections?
No. BELABOX hardware is one way to bond, but phone apps such as Moblin and IRL Pro also support SRTLA. A common phone-only setup bonds the phone's own 4G or 5G connection with a second phone on a different network shared over a WiFi hotspot, which gives you two independent links without a dedicated encoder. Streamrun terminates the bonded SRTLA from a phone app the same way it does from a BELABOX device.
Is Streamrun an alternative to BELABOX?
They cover different layers, so it is more useful to think of them as complementary. BELABOX bonds connections at the source. Streamrun is a cloud streaming engine that terminates the stream and adds what a bonding relay does not: disconnect protection, multistreaming, device switching, and horizontal or vertical conversion. If you do not need source-side bonding, Streamrun can be your whole setup. If you do, it pairs with BELABOX.
Does Streamrun work with BELABOX Cloud?
Yes. Streamrun can terminate SRTLA itself, so you can point a BELABOX device straight at it. If you would rather use BELABOX Cloud for SRTLA termination, you can do that and forward its RTMP or SRT output into Streamrun. Either way you keep BELABOX bonding at the source and gain Streamrun disconnect protection, multistreaming, and format conversion.
What about SRT and RIST bonding?
SRTLA is the widely deployed way to bond connections for IRL today. The SRT protocol has since added connection bonding to its own spec, though device and server support for it is still limited. RIST, another low-latency transport, is also designed with bonding in mind. Because BELABOX develops SRTLA, it tends to have the clearest view of where bonding is heading. Streamrun focuses on the streaming engine layer and works with the bonded input these transports produce.
Related
IRL Streaming Server Options
Self-hosted termination versus a managed cloud engine, and where bonding fits.
RTMP vs SRT
How SRT and SRTLA relate, and where RTMP fits on the platform side.
Live Stream Failover
The disconnect protection Streamrun adds once the bonded stream arrives.
IRL Streaming: The Complete Setup Guide
The full picture of getting an IRL stream live and stable on the move.
Works with your BELABOX setup
Point a BELABOX device or BELABOX Cloud at Streamrun, or stream direct over RTMP or SRT. Either way you get disconnect protection, multistreaming, device switching, and format conversion.