LiveU Solo (Pro) & LRT™: Everything about the mobile video encoder

When it comes to professional mobile streaming, LiveU offers a range of solutions for creators and broadcasters who need reliable video transmission in the field. Among the most popular are the LiveU Solo and LiveU Solo Pro, compact hardware encoders built around LiveU's proprietary bonding technology. This article covers everything you need to know about the devices themselves, how the LRT bonding service works, and how to pair them with a cloud streaming server for a professional and stable setup.

What is the LiveU Solo?

The LiveU Solo is a portable video encoder designed for professional live streaming on the go. You connect your camera directly to the device via HDMI or SDI, and the Solo handles encoding and transmission to your streaming destination. It supports resolutions up to 1080p at 60fps and can establish an internet connection via USB LTE modems, Ethernet, or WiFi. The combination of multiple connection options and LiveU's bonding technology is what sets it apart from simpler streaming solutions.

There are two hardware variants of the standard LiveU Solo. The regular version includes both an SDI and an HDMI input, while the LiveU Solo HDMI offers only an HDMI port. SDI is the standard connector in professional broadcast environments, while HDMI is found on most consumer cameras and video equipment. If your workflow is entirely HDMI-based, the Solo HDMI is the more affordable choice. If you work with professional cameras or production switchers that use SDI, or if you might need that option in the future, the full version is worth the difference.

LiveU Solo Pro: The Next Generation

Introduced in late 2022, the LiveU Solo Pro is a significant step up from the original Solo. The most important upgrade is resolution support: the Solo Pro handles up to 4K at 60fps in both H.264 and HEVC (H.265). HEVC is particularly valuable for mobile streaming because it delivers the same video quality at roughly half the bitrate of H.264, which directly reduces data consumption and puts less strain on your bonded connections.

The Solo Pro also increases the number of simultaneous network connections you can bond. While the original Solo supports two USB modem ports plus Ethernet and WiFi, the Solo Pro supports up to four external USB modems alongside WiFi and Ethernet, for a total of six bonded connections. This additional capacity makes a real difference in challenging network environments where signal strength from any single carrier is limited or inconsistent.

Power input has also been updated on the Solo Pro. The device uses USB-C for charging, which means a much wider range of external battery packs are compatible, unlike the original Solo which requires a 12V DC connection for external power. The internal battery provides approximately three hours of continuous operation.

Both the original Solo and the Solo Pro support SRT output in addition to RTMP, which is useful when sending your stream to a server that supports the SRT protocol. SRT adds error correction and lower latency on top of the efficiency benefits already provided by HEVC.

How LiveU LRT Bonding Works

LRT stands for LiveU Reliable Transport, and it is the core technology behind what makes LiveU devices reliable in the field. The basic idea is straightforward: instead of relying on a single internet connection, LRT combines the bandwidth of multiple connections simultaneously. If one connection weakens or drops out entirely, the others compensate automatically. The result is a stream that stays live and stable even when individual network conditions are poor.

On the Solo Pro, this means you can bond up to four LTE modems from different carriers, a WiFi connection, and a wired Ethernet connection at the same time. The LRT service runs in the cloud on LiveU's infrastructure and intelligently manages traffic across all active connections, adapting the video bitrate in real time based on available bandwidth. This is fundamentally different from simply connecting to the strongest available network, because it uses all of them together.

It is important to note that LRT is a subscription service and is not included in the hardware purchase by default. If you are using your own data plans rather than LiveU's data plans, you need to purchase the LRT subscription separately to activate the bonding functionality.

Battery Life and External Power

The built-in battery on the original LiveU Solo provides around two hours of use. If you need longer runtimes without stopping to charge, external power is an option, but there is an important detail to keep in mind: the USB ports on the original Solo are exclusively for LTE modems and cannot be used to charge the device from a standard power bank. External power on the original Solo requires a 12V DC connection.

The Solo Pro addresses this with its USB-C power input, making it compatible with a much wider range of portable battery solutions and simplifying the field kit considerably.

Using the LiveU Solo with a Cloud Streaming Server

The LiveU Solo handles the mobile side of the equation: encoding the video signal from your camera and transmitting it reliably over bonded cellular connections. But where that stream goes next has a significant impact on the quality and professionalism of your broadcast.

Adding streaming software like OBS Studio as a layer between your LiveU Solo and the streaming platform gives you a significant upgrade in both reliability and production quality. OBS is the one that sends the final stream to Twitch, YouTube, or wherever you broadcast, which means your viewers always see what OBS is outputting, not a direct mirror of your mobile connection. If the feed from your Solo drops out, OBS can automatically switch to a fallback scene and keep the stream running. You also get full control over scenes, overlays, and transitions, turning a raw camera feed into a polished broadcast.

For streamers who do not want to run a local PC, our IRL Broadcasting Server hosts a full OBS Studio instance in the cloud and handles the entire workflow: receiving your Solo's feed, forwarding the stream to the platform, and automatically switching to a fallback scene when the incoming connection drops or the signal becomes too weak. The server runs 24/7, so your broadcast stays live even if you are not actively monitoring it.

If you already have a streaming PC with OBS, our IRL Endpoint Server is the more affordable option. It receives the feed from your Solo and makes it available as a stable source inside your local OBS instance. The same automatic scene switching is included, so OBS reacts to connection drops without any manual intervention. If you already have the hardware, this is the most cost-effective way to get a professional IRL setup running.

If you want to embed your live stream directly into a website, our Video Live Stream Hosting includes an HTML5 web player and optional password protection, so you can broadcast to your own audience on your own terms rather than relying entirely on platform infrastructure.

Who is the LiveU Solo For?

The LiveU Solo and Solo Pro are aimed at anyone who needs professional-grade live streaming in situations where a reliable wired internet connection is not available. Sports reporters and journalists covering events in the field, event videographers streaming from venues with poor WiFi, and IRL streamers who broadcast from public spaces all benefit from the bonding technology that LiveU provides. The hardware is compact and battery-powered, which makes it practical to carry as part of a field kit alongside a camera and accessories.

For creators who are serious about stream reliability and want a setup that can handle the unexpected conditions of real-world locations, the LiveU Solo Pro paired with a cloud streaming server offers a genuinely professional solution at a fraction of the cost of traditional broadcast infrastructure.