How many SIMs, modems, and bonded connections do you need for IRL?

This is the question that decides whether your IRL stream holds: how much connection do you actually need to hit your target quality, and how do you get there? Here is how it works, from one phone to a fully bonded backpack.

The core math

Your stream needs a steady upload, and the rule that keeps you off the BRB screen is simple: only use about 70 percent of your real upload speed, so spikes and packet loss have room. One modern 5G phone gives you maybe 5 to 8 Mbps of usable mobile upload in the real world, and a lot less in a crowd.

• 720p30 sends 3,000 kbps, so plan about 4.3 Mbps of upload. One good connection is usually enough.
• 720p60 or 1080p30 sends 4,500 kbps, so plan about 6.4 Mbps. One strong 5G line, or two weaker ones bonded.
• 1080p60 sends 6,000 kbps, so plan about 8.6 Mbps. To hold it in a crowd, you want two bonded connections.
• 1440p60 (2K) sends 9,000 kbps, so plan about 12.9 Mbps. Three or more bonded, broadcast-grade territory.

How to add connections

There are three ways to get more pipes, plus a second job of combining them.

• One modern phone with dual eSIM: a primary line plus a backup. This is failover, it switches when one dies, it does not combine them. A great cheap entry, but effectively one pipe.
• Extra phones as hotspots: each tethered phone adds a real pipe you can bond. Cheap if you have old phones lying around.
• Dedicated modems like the Nighthawk: better radios and an ethernet port to wire to the encoder. The real upgrade.

Then you combine the pipes with bonding, and add a relay so a dropped link becomes a BRB, not a restart.

Pick the build for your target