| Hosting Plan | Features | Disk Space | Bandwidth | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Shared Shared |
|
5GB
|
50GB
|
$5.95/month
Usual price:
|
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Stream101 Introduction
Stream101 is a US-based hosting company. As the name suggests, it specializes in streaming services, or to be more precise, audio streaming.
The company was created in 2002, as an Internet radio service. The company was eventually rebranded. Under new management, it upgraded its infrastructure and started offering additional services, including hosting plans in 2008.
Stream101 is headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Services and Specializations
Stream101 is almost exclusively focused on audio streaming. The company currently offers several hosting plans, specifically designed for audio streaming.
The streaming plans are divided in two tiers. The cheapest Economy plan offers streaming speeds ranging from 32 kbps to 128 kbps. All plans come with unlimited bandwidth. Pricing depends on the allocated bandwidth per listener, so 128kbps plans cost four times as much as 32kbps plans.
Premium packages offer SHOUTcast or ICEcast support, allowing users to run instances of either, and connect their broadcasting software to them.
In addition to streaming packages, Stream101 offers a few shared hosting plans, including basic plans, reseller hosting, and WordPress hosting.
Stream101 Infrastructure
Information on Stream101’s infrastructure is limited. The last update on the server info page is two years old, so there is a chance some of the hardware was already upgraded.
In any case, the company listed relatively impressive minimum server specifications. According to the last update, Stream101 employs Intel Xeon processors in quad-socket configurations, for a total of 16 physical CPU cores.
Stream101 stresses that it uses very fast links, including multiple Tier 2 links. The servers are located in the DuPont Fabros Data Center in New Jersey. The datacenter is LEED Gold Certified, boasts over 1000 Gbps capacity, using a TenGigabit Ethernet Network (10 GigE).
Though information on some infrastructure elements is sketchy, the company urges potential clients to ask specific questions about their hardware platform if they need additional details. In other words, this should not pose a serious problem.
Support and Customer Service
Stream101 uses a ticketing system for support. The company also lists a US phone number, but the focus is clearly on ticketing.
In the first quarter of 2016, the average uptime of the company’s streaming servers was in excess of 99.99 percent.
In 2008, Stream101 received the Broadcasting World Best Uptime Award.
Summary
Stream101 is a highly specialized hosting company. While it also offers shared and reseller web hosting plans, the company’s primary focus is audio streaming. Stream101 does not appear to be offering video streaming plans at this time.
The company offers a range of audio streaming plans, including relatively basic low-bandwidth plans for users on a tight budget. However, if you need something more serious, and are willing to pay for it, you can get more serious 128 kbps plans, with SHOUTcast or ICEcast support.
The company boasts low downtime and high bandwidth. The latter is obviously important for streaming services, and it’s worth noting that Stream101 claims it never uses more than 70% of its hardware resources, even in peak hours.