Cellular Connectivity and Performance (which hotspot is best?) 

Phone SIMs work just fine.

It isn't required; it will automatically switch between them by default based on mostly on which has the strongest signal. Your chance of having consistently higher bandwidth is better if you do set the selected band manually though. And the only way to do it is to manually go through the bands one at a time, lock the radio to each of them, and run some tests. It's time consuming.

It depends. With the carriers I’m less likely to use I’ll usually go with a prepaid. But with my primary T-Mobile account it’s just another phone line, since it’s easier to get large data allocations with those than tablet plans

I used the external antennas on the MoFi, specifically because that is one of the advantages that you get with that product. The others were tested inside the trailer, which has a cellular repeater so the performance differences between a device being inside and outside aren't that great (I did check it; the differences were subtle.)

No. The USB modems I have literally cost just 15% of what the Nodes do, and perform the exact same function.

Doug Johnson Productions I thought the same but the Nodes have better antennas, SMA-Connectors and diversity - that can result in a huge performance difference as you have seen with your MoFi.

If you engage the Band Lock, aggregation is disabled. So yeah, leave it on Auto. They recommend selecting a single band IF you find that it gives you the most consistent performance. Cellular devices can switch bands on you unexpectedly if they aren't locked. So test it both ways and see what gives you the best connection.

Both the ATEM switchers and AES/EBU only support two channels of audio. If you want to record multiple audio sources, you'll need a mixer which supports multi-channel recording.

@@djp_video According to Blackmagic, each cable supports 2 channels of AES/EBU. An example is there "Mini Converter SDI to Audio" converter supports 6 channels of AES/EBU with only 4 TRS ports. THis is why I'm confused about AES in general. I've never seen a legit method to use the 2 channels per cable in a recording.

Okay, yes, the Mini Converters will handle more channels than the switchers will. SDI video carries 16 channels of audio. And even though SDI has 16 audio channels, the ATEM switchers ignore everything but the first two. AES/EBU is digital, and each AES/EBU stream carries two channels of audio -- so you get two channels with a single cable. But it means that any device you attempt to connect also has to support AES/EBU, which isn't that common in low-end to midrange equipment. And I haven't seen any inexpensive AES/EBU Analog converters. The cheapest I'm familiar with is the Behringer SRC2496 which converts two channels in each direction. In the case of the Blackmagic Design Audio-to-SDI embedder, it can insert up to 8 channels of audio into the video signal if the source for those channels is AES/EBU. In the case of analog audio, these converters will embed up to four channels. (The SDI-to-Audio operates similarly, but in reverse.) The Audio-to-SDI lets you select which of those channels receive the audio from the converter's TRS inputs, in groups of 4 or 8 depending on whether your source is analog or AES/EBU. So you could embed on to channels 1-4 or 5-8 or 9-12 or 13-16 (analog) or 1-8 or 9-16 (AES/EBU). The SDI-to-Audio converter lets you select from these same groups as well. If you need to embed more channels than one converter can handle, you can add a second (or third or fourth). But at that point I'd consider looking into other solutions. The Dante-based system I'm using can handle many, many channels over a single Ethernet connection, for example, and is more robust. If you do happen to need more than 4 (analog) or 8 (AES/EBU) and use multiple embedders, make sure any audio sources which are sensitive to phase differences (a stereo source, for example) are going through the same embedder. Because the ATEM switchers only support two channels of audio, even if that's what you're using you'd still need to deembed the audio to go to a separate mixer if you need more than two channels over a single SDI connection.

@@djp_video Thanks for the response. it does seem complex to go AES route - especially if I'm combining from an audio mixer merging with ATEM - they would have a slight delay difference also. hrmm. Dante or MAGI seems to make more sense. One thing I recall when recording from my hyperdeck pro is that all 16 channels of audio are included on a recording but I didn't check if the muted channels were actually recorded as well - but set to mute or not... Anyway, I appreciate the detailed response.

The HyperDeck Studio Mini lets you choose how many audio channels to record. The other models always record all 16 channels.

SIM7 adds 600MHz support but loses carrier aggregation.

@@djp_video HI Doug..this is super helpful video thx. Just weighing up the Go vs the X vs the Solo...and the MOFI looks like a must. The link above goes to the SIM7 (prob Amazon changed their link). You seem to be recommending the SIM4 ..I assume because of the aggregation?

@@philpritchard5173 The two models are similar... the difference is that the SIM7 is better equipped for Verizon here in the USA. If you aren't using Verizon the SIM4 is the way to go.

@@djp_video Awesome. Thx mate.

@@djp_video Thanks Doug. Can the Vidiu Go be used just for it's cellular bonding capability (i.e. without the encoding)? I have the the Atem mini pro which can do the switching and encodingI I just want a really good and reliable internet connection OUT, esp when I relying on cellular signals only in remote locations with no wifi or ethernet connection?

No. MoFi must have changed their site. I'm presently using the MoFi 5500 with 5G and have retired my 4500.

The Carrier Aggregation only works for downloads. But the MoFi is much better for uploads than any other device I tried, by a pretty wide margin.

I've never researched options for that.

Not directly. But some USB-to-Ethernet adapters work. I've had good luck with the Linksys USB300M.

I haven't seen that behavior. And I've streamed video for hours using mine.

@@djp_video Ugh such a frustrating issue. It works perfectly when I do a test stream, and then sure enough it starts caching right before an event starts. I feel like I can't trust it now. Thanks again. I appreciate you taking the time to reply.

Do you mean in terms of software? Or connectivity? Can you clarify a little bit for me?

@@djp_video I would like to know the signal strength recommended for wireless hotspot.

If you're willing to pay for a bonding service and multiple cellular accounts, sure. The MoFi solution doesn't require either.

I've since upgraded to the MoFi 5500 so I can take advantage of 5G.

They are unlocked, and they adapt automatically to whatever SIM you insert as long as the particular model of Node that you get is compatible with the cellular network in your area. There are regional variations of the different Node models.

Doug Johnson Productions maybe I was inserting the AT&T sim the wrong way. What is the exact orientation because I tried and still could not get the bars of signal.

If you aren’t getting enough bandwidth with a single cellular connection you might need to bond multiple connections using a device with that capability like the Teradek VidiU X/Go or LiveU Solo series. I have a video here on the channel where I bond 7 connections with my VidiU Go. While 7 is a little excessive, you can watch that to get an idea of what bonding looks like.

@@djp_video Thanks! I'm still learning but eager to crack this setup and software. I'm fascinated by live/remote streaming. Will surely watch your other video.

I've been using Google Fi with it mostly. I try to use it just as a backup, but sometimes Internet connectivity at a venue is so bad or so expensive that we have to rely on cellular as our primary means of connection.

@@djp_video I always thought that was google fiber! did not know until now it was mobile service, thanks! Are there any mobile data only plans that you know about?

Do you mean to control them remotely over a cellular connection? With a VPN, yeah, it should be possible. But I don't know that I'd want to do that considering the high latency and still needing a solution for transferring video.

VidiU's speed tests have always been all over the place. I don't trust the results.

@@djp_video So I should trust my speedtest? Because RU-vid a lot of the times says that there is a problem with the upload speed, allthough I don't notice it watching my livestreams afterwards. If I click it away it takes a while before RU-vid once again complaints.

Of the speed test tools available, the one I trust the most (by far) is dslreports.com. Speedtest.net would be my second choice, but a lot of ISPs cheat with that one (prioritizing speed test data over everything else so the numbers are artificially high). RU-vid's algorithm isn't very smart. If you have a static graphic on screen, for example, it doesn't take anywhere near as much data to encode that for live streaming because nothing is changing on screen, so most encoders will drop the bitrate way down. RU-vid then complains that it isn't getting enough data. But in that particular case, more data wouldn't produce a better quality picture. Take everything that RU-vid says about the quality of the stream with a grain of salt.

You don't think it could be a QOS issue do you?

Yes.

On projects for other companies a few times. I’ve never owned one of my own

It takes a 12V power source, so a 12V battery could be used to power it for quite a long time.

@@djp_video can you send me a pic of such a battery. can a V-mount battery be upset with a D-tap

In my area T-Mobile has the best overall coverage and lowest rates of the big three. So I maintain several data lines (same as you'd get with a tablet like an iPad) for streaming needs. For those occasions where T-Mo doesn't have adequate coverage at a particular venue, or if I want to have some carrier diversity I'll use a prepaid AT&T SIM. (I've used both Phone SIMs and hotspot SIMs and they both work just fine.)

@@djp_video do you need a plan with hotspot or will it just work off the data of a normal plan.

@@knightwalkr If you use the VidiU app you don't need hotspot data.

@@djp_video I live out in the middle of no where with no high speed internet and I’m looking at options to use a data plan. Just cat cable to the computer and use the data off the plan if possible.

If the speeds can be maintained it could be a great option for Internet access on the go. One thing that the media hasn't really communicated very clearly is that bandwidth is shared among users in a geographical region. So the more users you have in view of a satellite, the slower their connection is going to be. This potentially means it might become unsuitable for densely populated areas if they get very many customers. Starlink has been designed to primarily provide service in areas where other options aren't available. As such, performance could potentially not be viable in metropolitan areas if too many city-dwellers sign up. For areas away from cities, it's likely to be the best option.

@@djp_video ok thanks! Seems like lte would be the way to go for now at least

I have accounts with several cellular providers, and switch out the cards based on who has the best coverage at any given location.

@@djp_video Do you know if you can use the liveusolo with the mofi?

The MoFi is just an Internet connection, so yes, it would work.

@@Kraftedmemories Did you end up going this route?

I don't have any 5G routers yet, but when I do I will.

Cellular bonding is a solution. Liveu, Dejero, or AVIWEST/HAIVISION are some options.

A line chart probably wasn't the best choice. But I couldn't figure out how to do two separate axes for transfer speed and milliseconds with the bar chart.