I'm using the Yolobox to provide streaming of small concerts and events. The groups I'm working for were looking for something that I can train their staff to use -- all the other options I've tried are ridiculously complex and require good working knowledge, just in case something isn't right the day of the event. I'm confident I can train non-technical staff on the Yolobox and they'll be successful. That's a big success for a product with these features. Plus, the price is amazing compared to the alternatives!

The Yolobox takes all the guesswork out of the setup. Plug the cameras in, connect to power and the network, and you're good to go. I have found that the wifi can be tricky to keep a stable connection, but it is rock solid on a wired Ethernet connection. There is an active support group on Facebook that helps you work out any other issues you might experience. And the company is working hard to bring out new features and refine the software to make it even more useful.

Only drawback that I really see is that audio is mono, not stereo. You'll want to test what you plug into the audio input to make sure it works properly; I have success using a small TASCAM recorder to handle XLR inputs and then using the line out from the TASCAM to the Yolobox. Audio input via HDMI works flawlessly (still mono though), so if you have a higher-end camera, that's probably your best option.

YoloBox to the rescue! Man, I am enjoying YoloBox.

My review is going to be very positive because I stream weddings Live for a living. This means I know what gear the Yolobox replaces in my workflow and how it makes my job easier.

So, before I tell you why I like it and how I use it, let me give you the three drawbacks first.

1. YoloBox is a generation one product. This means that there could be some bugs in the software from time to time. The Team behind YoloBox is great with software updates, and they have come through regularly to address bugs and requested features. The team is great and I wouldn't consider the "first gen" product to be a drawback.

2. Hardware- the only hardware complaint I have is the screen brightness is low for outdoors. I would say its about 400-500nits (but that's just a guess). This means that id you stream outside like I do you will need a bright monitor. I use a feelworld 2200 nit monitor and it works great.

3. Learning curve. I see that the user rating is low and have read many of the reviews here. At first I was skeptical to buy because of the reviews. But, I'm a tech guy and decided to take the gamble. I'm glad I did because Yolobox is helpful to me and replaces my laptop... but the learning curve is steep. There are not many videos about how to use yolobox. If you are a first time streamer, this is way different than streaming using your phone. So, if that's you, you may encounter frustration if you ever have to use the custom RTMP server because the facebook direct integration is down.

Ok.. now that the cons are out of the way, lets talk about the pros.

1. YoloBox replaces my laptop, wireless hotspot, and software that I would usually have to use to stream. Normally, I would have to set up my cameras, set up my wireless transmission, set up my encoder, set up my hotspot, and configure all that to work with my laptop. I would have to do this for every event and it means that if I would need to be at the event two hours early just to make sure the software for streaming and hardware were all connected and getting a good handshake. Now, I arrive about an hour early to set up the cameras and connect them to yolobox and go live. It has saved me time, which is money, and I appreciate that.

2. The software is simple to use. It's just plug and play. plug in the HDMI from the camera and add a pre recorded video from the sd card, and press go live. It's simple once you set up the software. Just push one button.

3. YoloBox is about an inch thick, has a three hour battery, and feels great to hold. It's not fragile and feels like something made to be used. It's so small that I can put it on top of my camcorder and use that camera as the main camera while switching to the other camera angles on yolobox all while live streaming.

4. Now think about that last sentence for a moment... When I record a wedding I use three angles: main on a video tripod with wheels, a static camera put on a larger tripod also on wheels (but usually not moving) and a walk-a-bout camera on a gymbal. From my main camera YoloBox lets me see ALL the angles while streaming live. This means I can switch as needed so that my audience can get the best view. If someone moves in front of my main camera then I can switch to my gymbal camera without missing the shot. So, the yolobox gives a directors perspective at the same time as live streaming, switching, and recording... which leads me to my next point...

5. Yolobox can record the stream to the sd card while streaming and switching! This is AWESOME. Have you ever had a client that wants an immediate edit? well, this recording is excellent to give them. It will look and sound just as good, if not a little better, than the live stream itself. So what's not to love? Not much, really. If I need to do a final edit for a client I can always use the recordings captured on my camera. But for immediate turn-around work, the SD recording can't be beat.

So, who is this for? Well, that depends.

If you need to stream multiple cameras live on a regular basis AND you are familiar with live streaming software and protocols, then this is for you.

If you are someone used to streaming through your webcam or phone and don't know what RTMP stands for, then you will have a tough time getting started with YoloBox. It is true that YoloBox is one touch streaming with YouTube, Facebook, and others, but you will need the knowledge of how a live stream broadcast works if you ever need to troubleshoot why your live stream isn't working. Here is a BIG hint: It's usually not YoloBox hardware. Issues are generally found with policy updates from the CDN's themselves... Oh yeah, that last term "CDN" is an industry term. It means Content Delivery Network. If you didn't know that, that's an indicator that you may need to learn more about live streaming to make your experience with YoloBox easier.

Here is an example of troubleshooting that I did when I first got my YoloBox (and why having a tech background could be helpful in this instance). I got YoloBox and wanted to stream with it. After testing I determined that using my phone's wifi hotspot wasn't providing the throughput that I needed on location (like the beach or a church).

So I went to Tmobile and ordered a tablet sim card. I asked the sales agent to make sure that I got a plan with unlimited internet streaming for tablets. just $25 a month was the charge and I went happily on my way. I streamed two weddings and another small event and then started to notice something happening to my stream. It started looking choppy. The frame rate dropped and the data rate was choppy. After the wedding I started troubleshooting (good thing I was recording in camera that day).

It would have been easy to blame YoloBox for the problem, and for a little while I did. But then I decided to call Tmobile. When I talked with business support I found out the problem. It's wasn't Yolobox at all. It was the internet plan. Although I got the plan with "unlimited" internet, the plan only included 5GB of HIGH SPEED video streaming (to the sim card, streaming to youtube is the same as watching youtube)... If I wanted truly unlimited video streaming that would be an extra charge. It turns out that I used up all my included data and was being throttled by Tmobile on that wedding day.

So, I hope this helps. I find yolobox to be a great addition to my gear and hope you do to.

I purchased this unit thinking it was all I needed. Just to find out all the software updates are not for this unit. This unit is a very old unit and the company only focuses on the newer units. I returned this and got the PRO version and could not be happier. All options work and runs great.

Yolobox is, in my opinion, the most complete and convenient singular option for quality streaming. The YoloLiv team created a great product that will meet the needs of both beginner and advanced video streamers.

I've only owned the Yolobox for a few weeks and it's already has additional capabilities and performance enhancements added.

If you're looking for a simple solution for streaming with advanced features, the Yolobox is the answer.

Unlike many tech companies, YoloLiv listens to the customers and is constantly trying to make the Yolobox better.

I think what I love most is the super supportive user group on Facebook. We share lots of experiences and info so you're not alone.

This is my first time working with live streaming hardware and I was able to set it up and use it in minutes. Hopefully i can become proficient after a few uses. One quirk I experienced, was that when I flipped/rotated the screen it was fine u til I went to try and connect to a different WiFi source and the screen rotated and I was trying to use it upside down. Perhaps this will be fixed in a future update.