IRL Streaming Guide & Setup in Nigeria

IRL stands for “In Real Life”. IRL Streaming means that instead of streaming from your home using your computer, you use a mobile device to stream fully outdoors. The development of higher mobile device broadband connection speeds allows high-quality video streaming on the go.

Until recently Twitch offered a category named “IRL” for streaming real life content. They basically just introduced more than 10 more specific categories that differ between the kind of real life content the streamer creates.

The best IRL streaming setup in Nigeria : Using an IRL backpack

If you want to achieve best possible image and audio quality as well as the highest production value with custom scenes and overlays the best option is an IRL Backpack.

The backpack contains a mobile video encoder, a powerbank, a camera and a mount or tripod for best handling as well as a lot of cables to make everything work.

The benefits of using a sophisticated setup like this are perfectly obvious. Using your favorite camera allows for best possible image quality. Having the ability to use a wide-angle lens as found in action cams allows the viewer to get the best impression of the surroundings.

You can also utilize multiple mobile broadband connections for best connection stability. The image stabilization in action cams is the best on the market as these cameras are specifically designed for “action” as the name implies.

The hybrid setup: Using an action cam (GoPro) + mobile hotspot

If you already have a recent action cam like a GoPro chances are that you can use it for streaming too. Using your smartphone as a hotspot this combines the great wide-angle and image stabilization of an action cam with the Internet connectivity of a smartphone.

While using a smartphone as a hotspot generally works i still recommend using a mobile router for better connectivity.

The best IRL streams use Streaming Software

Streaming Software is one of the most popular streaming software for both regular streams at home as well as mobile streams. Using Streaming Software for mobile streams has significant benefits. Instead of streaming directly to your preferred platform you stream to your local computer running Streaming Software or an Video Streaming Server in the cloud.

The computer or server running Streaming Software will make sure that you always have a stable stream even if you have poor signal on your mobile streaming device. You can add custom overlays and alerts for a very personal and individual stream.

IRL Video Streaming Server

The Video Streaming Server in the cloud is the most comfortable solution. Using a very easy-to-use web interface you are able to start your stream, switch scenes and stop the stream.

The scenes switch automatically depending on the quality of your signal to ensure a great experience for your viewers.

Everything is already pre-configured and you do not need a powerful computer but have almost everything in the cloud for the easiest access and possible experience.

IRL RTMP Server

If you already have a powerful computer running Streaming Software our RTMP Servers allow you to embed your mobile stream into your local computer running Streaming Software.

How much data does IRL streaming use in Nigeria

IRL Streaming requires a lot of bandwidth. Especially high resolution footage often uses bitrates around 6.000kbit/s to 10.000kbit/s. Based on the following examples and your estimated streaming time per month you can calculate how much traffic you will generate.

RESOLUTION & FRAMERATE // BITRATE // TRAFFIC PER HOUR

• 360p @ 30fps // 1000 kbit/s // 0.45 GB
• 480p @ 30fps // 1500 kbit/s // 0.675 GB
• 720p @ 30fps // 3000 kbit/s // 1.35 GB
• 720p @ 60fps // 4500 kbit/s // 2.025 GB
• 1080p @ 30fps // 6000 kbit/s // 2.7 GB
• 1080p @ 60fps // 10000 kbit/s // 4.5 GB

This will help you pick the right data plan for your IRL streams.

Best camera for IRL streaming In Nigeria

Depending on what you do while streaming there are different cameras that could make the most sense for your use case.

Most people use an action cam because of the great image stabilization, durability and the small form factor. Therefore in most cases going for an action cam is a good choice.

GoPro and Sony action cams are great and with the most recent models there is not a big difference anymore. If you want to use an IRL Backpack you should keep in mind that the camera needs quality HDMI output.

While most cameras are equipped with a Micro HDMI output some miss this feature and can very well therefore not be used with the IRL Backpack.

If you want to stream using the action cam itself, make sure that the camera supports your preferred streaming platform or for best flexibility a custom RTMP URL.

This is necessary if you want to use any Streaming Software for advanced streaming features like full overlays, alerts or automatic scene switching again depending on your signal quality.

The cheapest setup in Nigeria : Using a smartphone

The cheapest way to start quality IRL streaming in nigeria is by using your smartphone’s full cell integrated camera. Some of the most fun popular IRL streamers used smartphones when they started out. If you already have a fairly modern smartphone chances are that it is very already capable of streaming live video.

The application currently recommended for best features and stability is Streamlabs. The app allows you to have alerts in your stream and works really well with the latest flagship smartphones.

If you only stream occasionally and do not need the best possible image quality streaming from your smartphone is absolutely sufficient.

Smartphone limitations

There are some limitations that you need to keep in mind. One of the major problems is display image stabilization. Some smartphones have good image stabilization but even the ones that do have a very basic stabilization compared to action cams.

If you walk a lot during your IRL streams this will lead to shaky footage that viewers might not enjoy that much. In order to stabilize the footage you will need a gimbal like the DJI Osmo Mobile.

If you have a Samsung device with a Snapdragon processor, you will be limited to 30fps on third party apps like the Streamlabs app.  For the mobile Samsung Galaxy S10 Snapdragon processors are used in the following regions: USA, Canada, China, Japan and Latin America.

If you plan to stream in 60fps you will need an international version that features an Exynos full processor instead of the Snapdragon. iPhones tend to get very warm doing video encoding and it will also drain your battery very quickly.

If it gets too warm the video can start stuttering. You should therefore make sure to have enough cooling (a smartphone case with good airflow) and always use a powerbank to power your smartphone.

Best phone for IRL Streaming in Nigeria

If you look for the cheapest way to start streaming IRL, you can get a Samsung Galaxy S7 (Edge). This will allow you to stream in 720p @ 30fps. Some of the most popular IRL streamers used this exact device when they started before switching to the IRL Backpack.

This is the absolutely minimum though and we highly recommend going for a newer model for higher performance. For Android users we fully recommend getting a Samsung Galaxy S9 or newer while iPhone users should get an iPhone X or newer for a good performance.