Manual failover has a visible gap
When an operator waits for a stream to fail before changing networks, the RTMP session may already have stopped. DNS, routing and encoder reconnection add more delay. Viewers see buffering or an ended live event while the production team troubleshoots the uplink.
Bonded links provide continuous alternatives
With StarBonding, several local links are active within the bonding session. If one link degrades, available links continue carrying the stream. This is different from keeping an unused backup adapter that requires a manual routing change after failure.
Destination control is separate
Restream destinations can be started or stopped independently, but destination availability and local link availability are different concerns. Bonding protects the route from the Windows encoder to the StarBonding service; it cannot prevent an outage at a third-party platform.
Plan for worst-case capacity
A failover design is only useful if the remaining links can carry the configured bitrate. Measure sustained upload, retain sensible bitrate margin and decide which links are truly independent. Rehearse a modem or cable disconnection before the live event.