IRL Backpack v7 Setup & Use Guide

Welcome to your IRL Backpack v7!

The key topics this guide covers

First Steps
Registering the LiveU and Modems
Configuring IRLToolkit (Recommended)
Starting your IRL Backpack Stream
Ending your IRL Backpack Stream
Preparing for your next IRL Backpack Stream
Other Tips & Important Information

UnlimitedIRL offers personal one-on-one support via Discord DM with all IRL Backpack owners. If you did not provide your Discord ID when buying your backpack, please contact us to set it up. We can help you with your IRL Backpack setup and offer support before, during and after your IRL streams.
You can contact us via email at support@unlimitedirl.com , @UnlimitedIRL on X, or join The IRL Discord for assistance.

Now available as a video:

1. First Steps

After unboxing your IRL Backpack, ensure that the HDMI and USB cables on your IRL Backpack's LiveU encoding device in the side pocket are connected, as they may be unplugged during shipping to prevent damage. Plug them back into their associated ports before continuing.

Inside the separate padded ziplock envelope included with your IRL Backpack, you will find the USB-C charging block for your backpack, with various regional AC cords for different regions. We suggest storing these items in the main compartment of your IRL Backpack. You will also find the original protective case for your LiveU - this is not used in the IRL backpack. If you had chosen to bundle a CamSaver with your IRL backpack, you will also find a small baggie with 3 hex keys, used to loosen and tighten the clamps on your CamSaver, as well as remove the CamSaver entirely, if needed.

To power on your IRL backpack, first turn on your backpack's side pocket battery pack by pressing the round button on the top. The info display on the battery pack will indicate the current charge level. You may need to charge it before first usage. Your can charge the battery pack using the included USB-C charging block thru the port labeled “Charging Port” in the figure above.

Turn on the LiveU Solo PRO by holding the POWER/START button to the right of the display until you see the boot screen that says 'LiveU' - It will take a few minutes to fully power on and be ready for use.

The optionally included Sony Action Cam is stored inside the backpack’s main zipper compartment during shipping.

Turn on your camera by pressing the top power button until you hear the beep sound. You can then connect it to the included USB and Micro HDMI cable leads for power and the video feed into the backpack.

Ideally, this is how the the camera screen should look. If some of these setting are not correct or missing, make changes in first page of the video settings menu. Use the MENU button to access all settings, navigate to

using the DOWN button, then press the REC/ENTER button to access video settings. You may also see icons for WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS which can all be disabled in the camera settings

as these features are not required for livestreaming.

The camera can be mounted either on the monopod/tripod combo or the shoulder mount - the choice is yours! It completely depends on the style of stream you would like to have and it's of course possible to change things up by switching mounts while live. We recommend threading the leftover cable sleeve into the backpack when using the shoulder mount.

2. Registering the LiveU and Modems

As part of the initial set up, you will now need to register the LiveU Solo PRO video encoder on the Solo Portal here: solo.liveu.tv/register

This portal will allow you to configure your streaming destination, activate or cancel your Solo Connect modem kit, and view connection information about your backpack from a remote location

The serial numbers for your LiveU Solo PRO and Solo PRO Connect modems are provided for you on a paper insert on your IRL Backpack box. Your LiveU serial number is also visible under the “Unit Info” screen of your LiveU. Press the jog wheel (after the Solo has powered on) to access this menu. The “Referral Code” on this web page can be left blank.

Once you've successfully registered the LiveU, click “My Devices” at the top of the page to navigate to the Solo Portal solo.liveu.tv

If you purchased a Solo Connect modem kit to use with your IRL backpack, connect your LiveU to an available WiFi network to activate Solo Connect. You can configure the WiFi connection under the “Interfaces” menu on the LiveU’s on-device screen. Once the unit is connected to WiFi, it should say “Ready” at the bottom of the LiveU’s screen.

Now that your LiveU has been connected to WiFi, when visiting the Solo Portal solo.liveu.tv you should see “Activate Solo Connect” as an available option. The Solo Connect serial number is included on the paper insert in your IRL Backpack's box as well as on a sticker on the back of the Solo Connect modems in the format: SC####-#####

Note: Solo Connect modem kits are sold and activated as a set of 2 or 4 modems, but if you choose to add an additional 2 later for a total of 4 Solo Connect modems, you will not be able to revert back to a 2 modem configuration.

Make sure to use reseller code solo-uirl when prompted for an exclusive 5% off your Solo Connect monthly plan. This lifetime discount is recurring every month.

Next, you'll select the data region for your Solo Connect modems. You can see available countries for each Solo Connect region here. Your selected data region can be switched at anytime by contacting LiveU support or when an existing subscription expires. Once the region has been selected, proceed with submitting payment details and purchasing the service. Note: the USA & North America region includes coverage in the USA and Mexico.

After you've submitted payment for your Solo Connect activation, it can take up to 6 hours for the modems to be provisioned for your service region.

If you bought 2 modems initially and are adding 2 more (or if you received your IRL Backpack before June 2024), you're able to access the 4 modem service and pricing via the “2x2” activation method. Just activate 1 of the 2 kits like you normally would, and create a support ticket by sending an email to solo.help@liveu.tv including:
i. Name and email address used on solo.liveu.tv portal
ii. LiveU Solo Serial Number
iii. Both Solo Connect modem kit serial numbers (begins with SC)
iv. Explanation that you need a special “2x2” activation and pricing set-up. Also include the ‘solo-uirl’ reseller code.

If you didn’t add a Solo Connect modem kit with your IRL Backpack order, you can purchase it separately here. If you don't want to use Solo Connect for connectivity, you should instead click “Add LRT” on the Solo Portal to enable bonding of your own modems. LRT is a patented video and audio delivery protocol developed by LiveU. It supports low latency, high resiliency video and audio transmission and was built from the ground up to accommodate the special properties of 4G/5G cellular as well as more traditional wireless and wired networks. In particular, LRT is optimized to support the bonding of multiple IP connections. A license to use LRT is necessary to enable bonding and to use more than one internet connection source with your LiveU. LRT is included with Solo Connect, but otherwise must be purchased separately.

If you have a Solo Connect service plan, do not click “Add LRT” as it is included in the purchase of Solo Connect and is not needed. The “Add LRT” button will disappear when your Solo Connect modems have finished activating. See more about activating Solo Connect here.

Please wait for LRT to activate - this can take up to 6 hours.

Once your Solo Connect or standalone LRT service plan has been activated and your LiveU is powered on and connected to WiFi, you will now see the option on the Solo Portal https://solo.liveu.tv to toggle on LRT (it will be off by default) and will be prompted to select a LRT server zone. Select the geographically closest zone from the provided list, making sure to disregard any similarly named zones. A dedicated guide for enabling LRT can be found here.

Australia_Melbourne	India_Mumbai	UAE_Dubai
Australia_Sydney	Italy_Milan	UK_London
Brazil_Sao_Paulo	Japan_Osaka	UK_Newport
Canada_Montreal	Japan_Tokyo	USA_Ashburn
Germany_Frankfurt	Singapore	USA_San_Jose

LRT should be enabled at all times.

Finally, you should see a “Low Delay Mode” toggle appear in the top right of the Solo Portal next to the “GO LIVE” button. If you don't experience issues with the default off setting (5 second delay), don't have time sensitive content, or know you will be in a location where cellular signal may be challenging - keep this toggled disabled (High Resiliency Mode). The extra seconds allow the device additional time to successfully send more video data to the server.

If you have content that is sensitive to when it makes it to the end-user or want to experience improved interaction, try out Low Delay Mode with its reduced latency and see if it helps your workflow or viewer experience! Enabling this sets the delay from the LiveU to the server to 1 second.

The next steps address preparing a connection between your IRL Backpack and the streaming destination of your choice!

3. Configuring IRLToolkit (Optional)

IRLTookit is a cloud-based OBS service allows you to easily manage an IRL broadcast from your phone and offers important features including offline protection, H265 & SRT support, as well as the ability to customize your stream similar to how you would a desktop stream. Learn more here: irltoolkit.com

Once you've signed up for an IRLToolkit Streaming Server and received your login details, follow this detailed instructional guide to configure your LiveU to stream to IRLToolkit. The LiveU must be powered on and connected to a network (usually WiFi) to program the destination on the solo.liveu.tv portal. The configuration of the LiveU only needs to be done once.

After following the initial configuration guide above, login to the IRLToolkit dashboard irl.run on your phone or computer using the same credentials provided earlier and start the sever up if it's not running already. Click Destinations in the menu at the top of the screen and add a new Twitch destination or Custom RTMP details for other platforms. To add alerts and overlays, you can access the cloud OBS directly by going to OBS -> Remote. The remote is where you will manage the stream design to your liking. For example, you can add a StreamElements/Streamlabs alert box URL (or similar service) so that donation, sub, and follow alerts can show on the stream but there's also many more customization possibilities of course!

It's important to remember that while you're not live on a platform and if the the cloud server does not receive any video input for 10 minutes, it will automatically shutdown. You'll then need to press “Start Server” again just before you're ready to go live. As soon as you're live, the server will not shutdown until you “Stop” the stream in the IRLToolkit dashboard.

4. Starting your IRL Backpack Stream

Please note that while your IRL Backpack stream runs independently of any phone or computer, in order to update your broadcast title on your preferred streaming platform, you will need to use a phone or computer and login through the respective platform's official mobile app or web creator dashboard. For example, you can use the Twitch app to make any necessary updates to your stream title before continuing.

To begin a broadcast using IRLToolkit, first make sure your IRLToolkit server is started up by logging in to the server at irl.run using your username and password or a token link.

Ensure the LiveU in the side pocket of your backpack is powered on and the small display on the LiveU displays “Ready” at the bottom with a video preview in the background. Your IRL Backpack's camera should be plugged in (see First Steps, above) and powered on. Queue the stream to your IRLToolkit server by pressing the physical “POWER/START” button on the LiveU to start sending video & audio to your cloud OBS server. Once ready to go live to the internet on your selected platform, click the green Start button on the main irl.run dashboard. Once you see the status at the bottom turn green and say “Online”, the broadcast is live on your selected channel.

The “Bitrate” for each ingest represents the received bitrate on the server from the IRL Backpack. This number may vary depending on signal strength and is reprocessed by IRLToolkit to a static fixed bitrate before being sent to your selected streaming destination. You can also use this web dashboard to monitor and later stop your broadcast.

If you're not using IRLToolkit but instead streaming directly to a platform such as Twitch, Youtube or Kick through the Solo Portal you only need to press the physical “POWER/START” button on the LiveU Solo PRO to start broadcasting.

5. Ending your IRL Backpack Stream

If you're using IRLTookit, once you're ready to finish a broadcast, open the irl.run dashboard and click the red Stop button to end the broadcast to the internet and set your stream to offline.

Press the physical POWER/START button on the LiveU two times to confirm end broadcasting. If you won't be streaming again in the same session, you should turn your LiveU off. Press & hold the same POWER/START button until the shutdown progress bar is complete and the LiveU turns off.

Hold down the main circular power button on the side of your battery to shut off charging power to all components.

Power off your Backpack's Sony camera by pressing the power button on the top until you hear the audible beep. If you aren't using the CamSaver, we recommend unplugging your camera from the cable loom's USB and Micro HDMI cables when storing your IRL Backpack to prevent damage.

Ensure components are fully turned off to prevent draining the batteries when not in use.

6. Preparing for your next IRL Backpack Stream

To charge your IRL Backpack, you only need to charge the main battery pack in the side pocket, as all other components charge from that (unless you are using an alternative camera). You can do this by plugging the included USB C AC charger brick into the C2 USB-C charging port on the top of the battery.

Consider if you want to make any changes or additions to the cloud OBS server for increased personalization of your IRL streams. Not utilizing a service like this yet? Research further into the feature set that could be provided for enhancing your content. Contact us if you need any help, we'd be happy to give advice. We typically respond within a few hours.

If you ran into any unexpected issues during the last stream that you're unable to resolve on own, contact UnlimitedIRL support or community members on Discord for help.

7. Tips & Important Information

You can store the included monopod and tripod inside the large zipper compartment of the backpack (zipper closest to your back) when using your backpack camera on the shoulder mount. This is also a good place to keep these items when you've finished your stream.
The IRL Backpack v7 is certified for air travel in cabin/carry-on luggage only. Per International Air Transport Association (IATA) regulations, batteries with a rating of up to 100Wh are generally allowed in carry-on luggage without prior approval from the airline
When using a Solo Connect kit with your IRL Backpack, the modems will automatically attempt to use different cell carriers to diversify your signal connectivity.
With the IRL Backpack's Solo PRO encoder, you can use up to 6 different internet connections with your IRL Backpack: 4 external USB modems (5G & 4G), WiFi & Ethernet. While you can use up all 4 USB modem slots with Solo Connect modems or your own USB modems, the built-in WiFi could be used to tether off a smartphone, a MiFi device, or connect to the network of a building/hotel/venue. The ethernet port can also be connected to an ethernet source.
The cable loom between the camera and the Backpack will wear out eventually - especially the HDMI cable. The lifespan of cables can be extended with good care and by limiting intense movement. We sell replacement cable looms here. We also a sell the CamSaver as an add on product to reduce strain on your cables.
The IRL Backpack and it's primary components are not waterproof. Take care while operating when it is raining, and when streaming near or in bodies of water.
While the Sony Action Cam is the standard camera we include with the IRL Backpack - you're able to use nearly any video camera with clean HDMI output, unlocking the potential to broadcast a stream in a completely different style and quality.
Stay safe and have fun!