RailStream

Background

RailStream is a subscription rail‑camera platform founded in 2011 by audio‑visual engineer Michael Kisser. What began as a single high‑definition railcam in Fostoria, Ohio has grown into dozens of premium sites across the United States and Canada, each engineered for broadcast‑grade video and immersive sound. The company’s differentiator is fidelity: many locations include multi‑mic arrays and DSP that render true positional audio.

RailStream’s audience spans families, enthusiasts, and industry professionals. The Roku app alone counts 250,000+ installs, with paid memberships at $12.95/month (or $144/year) funding ongoing expansion. On any given day, the platform moves 15–20 terabytes of video, self‑hosted from Michael’s on‑premises data center.

As quality and demand grew, so did the operational stakes. RailStream needed an enterprise‑class network capable of sustained multi‑gigabit throughput, redundancy, and centralized control without the licensing overhead of traditional vendors. Michael had historically mixed products (including pfSense at the edge), but as the footprint scaled, heterogeneity became friction. With guidance from technology consultant Thomas Lawrence, RailStream standardized on Ubiquiti UniFi—from the gateway and switching core to 60 GHz building links and campus Wi‑Fi.

Key stakeholders

• RailStream (client & operator): Michael Kisser (founder), Andrea Kisser (operations & field installs)
• Technology advisor/partner: Thomas Lawrence (design validation, testing)
• Site hosts: museums, manufacturers, B&Bs, and private properties that partner with RailStream to host cameras (often with broader UniFi‑based networking on their premises)

Business Requirements

High‑throughput, resilient edge.

Sustain 24/7 ingest and delivery: SRT streams coming in from 40 camera sites, GPU‑accelerated transcoding to **375 ABR outputs**, and multi‑gigabit egress to viewers—without downtime.

Centralized management at scale.

Adopt, monitor, and update distributed networks for RailStream and site hosts from one control plane, with predictable configurations and rapid troubleshooting.

Standardized, license‑free economics.

Avoid per‑device or per‑feature subscription creep. Roll out repeatable designs that keep OPEX low while enabling quick growth into new locations.

Redundancy without complexity.

Introduce switch‑level resiliency (MC‑LAG) and survivable site links (e.g., 60 GHz with 5 GHz failover) that are straightforward to deploy and support.

Why UniFi

License‑free platform that scales.

RailStream eliminated recurring licensing while gaining an enterprise‑capable gateway (UXG Enterprise), MC‑LAG‑ready switches, robust Wi‑Fi 6 APs, and flexible wireless point‑to‑point—all managed from a self‑hosted UniFi Network Application. The result is a predictable, repeatable stack spanning headquarters, data center, and remote host sites.

Operational simplicity, single pane of glass.

Zero‑touch adoption, uniform VLAN design, and consistent policy make changes safer and faster—critical when video services are 24/7.

Performance per watt.

Thomas highlights the UXG Enterprise’s efficiency

Michael’s production numbers back it up, with the gateway moving ~1.96 Gbps while drawing ~27–29 W per PSU in redundant mode.

Built for resilient topologies.

UniFi Enterprise switches with MC‑LAG provide a redundant, loop‑free core without spanning‑tree fragility. For host campuses, UniFi 60 GHz bridges deliver ~1 Gbps building‑to‑building with 5 GHz failover—a simple, reliable way to extend the LAN.

Deployment & Key Features

Redundant core with UXG Enterprise + MC‑LAG switches

RailStream replaced a pfSense edge with a UniFi UXG Enterprise and migrated to UniFi Enterprise switches configured for MC‑LAG. Dual power, dual uplinks, and bonded switch pairs now underpin the transcoding cluster and storage arrays. The design provides:

• Non‑stop routing across routine maintenance windows
• Switch resiliency (active/active uplinks with MC‑LAG) without complex vendor‑specific protocols
• Consistent policy & telemetry in the UniFi dashboard

Multi‑gigabit performance at low power

At the RailStream edge, bandwidth is both inbound and outbound:

• Inbound: SRT ingest from ~40 primary cameras over the public internet
• Transcoding: On‑prem GPU farm (seven NVIDIA Tesla cards) generates ~375 ABR variants per site for 270p–4K outputs using H.265
• Outbound: Peak 2–3 Gbps egress to viewers; 10 Gb fiber with 3 Gb commit ensures headroom

In production, the UXG Enterprise routinely handles ~2 Gbps with ~30 W draw. This headroom and efficiency are meaningful for a 24/7 operation: cooling stays manageable, and power budgets remain predictable.

Building‑to‑building 60 GHz & campus Wi‑Fi for host sites

RailStream doesn’t just run cameras—it often engineers the host’s network too. In Fostoria, Ohio, a manufacturing partner needed to connect three buildings across the tracks. RailStream deployed UniFi 60 GHz links (gigabit‑class) with 5 GHz failover and layered a VLANed LAN with PoE switching and Wi‑Fi. Elsewhere, a museum spans 3.5 city blocks covered by UniFi APs, coping with 200+ concurrent guests during events.

Benefits:

• Fiber‑like throughput without trenching permits or carrier delays
• Simple failover when weather or line‑of‑sight conditions change
• Unified management of switching + Wi‑Fi + point‑to‑point from the same controller

Centralized management, self‑hosted control plane

All UniFi devices (core and host sites) are managed through a self‑hosted UniFi Network Application on a Linux VM in RailStream’s cluster. This decouples the control plane from the gateway and allows Michael to onboard MSP‑style clients (e.g., a church, executive residences) with a single, well‑known toolkit.

• Zero‑touch adoption & templated site profiles for fast turn‑ups
• Uniform VLANs/SSIDs for production, staff, and guests
• Fine‑grained telemetry for bandwidth hogs and RF hygiene
• Change control that respects 24/7 streaming SLAs

Additional Solutions & Expansion

UniFi Protect on dedicated NVR

RailStream is consolidating non‑rail security workloads for select hosts onto a dedicated UniFi NVR, simplifying camera management that historically spanned multiple vendor ecosystems. The dedicated NVR approach also sidesteps constraints encountered when stacking smaller NVRs. For hosts, the advantages are clear:

• Single interface for cameras, storage quotas, and retention
• Unified identity & permissions for staff
• No per‑camera licenses—predictable lifecycle costs

AI‑assisted operations on top of a stable UniFi network

With the network foundation in place, RailStream is layering AI analytics on the GPU farm:

• Real‑time classification (e.g., Brightline vs. freight) and PWA alerts that jump viewers to the right moment in the timeline
• Acoustic event detection (e.g., cutoff wheel sound) that has already helped rail police respond to theft attempts near monitored yards

While these analytics are application‑level, their reliability depends on a predictable, low‑latency network—precisely what UniFi’s standardized switching and routing provide.

60 GHz expansion playbook

Host partners increasingly ask RailStream to bridge buildings or light up temporary event areas. The team now treats UniFi 60 GHz + 5 GHz as a standard kit: fast to deploy, centrally managed, and proven under real‑world conditions. This playbook shortens delivery timelines and removes carrier dependencies, enabling RailStream to expand sites where fans—and railroads—want them most.

Evaluating SD‑WAN for multi‑site resiliency

As the number of ingest points grows, RailStream is evaluating UniFi’s SD‑WAN (Site Magic) to simplify secure site‑to‑site connectivity and policy‑based failover across ISPs. The goal is to further reduce operational friction as the camera network pushes beyond its current scale.

Conclusion

RailStream’s differentiator is uncompromising fidelity—4K video and cinematic, positional audio—delivered at enterprise scale from an on‑premises data center. Meeting that bar required a network that is fast, redundant, simple to run, and economical to grow. UniFi delivered on all four:

• Scale & performance. A UXG Enterprise edge and Enterprise switching with MC‑LAG sustain ~2–3 Gbps peaks and 15–20 TB/day of traffic while staying power‑efficient.
• Consistency & control. A self‑hosted UniFi controller gives RailStream one place to push policy, monitor service health, and rapidly onboard new hosts.
• Practical resiliency. MC‑LAG, dual PSUs, and 60 GHz links with 5 GHz failover keep streams online through maintenance and environmental variability.
• License‑free economics. UniFi’s model avoids per‑device software fees, enabling RailStream to standardize a repeatable kit that scales cleanly across sites and partners.

Looking ahead, the team plans to broaden its UniFi Protect footprint for host security, continue deploying 60 GHz campus links, and fold AI‑driven features deeper into the viewer experience. With UniFi as the common fabric, RailStream is positioned to add sites faster, support partners better, and keep delivering the experience that keeps enthusiasts—and railroads—coming back.