OBS-in-a-Box Setup Guide
Everything you need to go live on Whatnot with a pro-quality camera setup — pre-configured, packed, and ready to build. This guide walks you from unboxing to your first stream.
What's in the box
Your kit ships as one package containing everything below. Before you build anything, unpack it and check off each group so you never discover a missing cable mid-setup. Items are grouped in the order you will use them: the computer first, then the camera, lighting, audio, and the cables that tie it together.
The packing checklist
1·Streaming computer
The brain of the kit. Runs OBS and your Whatnot show.
- MacBook Air — pre-loaded with Chrome + OBS, your camera scene, mics, and Whatnot output settings all configured
2·Camera & mounting
Your picture and everything that carries it into the MacBook, plus what holds the camera steady.
- Sony ZV-1 II camera — the main camera, already selected as your OBS video source
- Dummy battery — powers the camera from the wall so it never dies mid-show
- Micro-HDMI to HDMI adapter — converts the camera's tiny HDMI port to full size
- HDMI cable — carries the camera's video out to the capture card
- Elgato Cam Link capture card — turns the camera's HDMI into a USB video feed the MacBook can read
- Camera mounting cage — rigid frame around the camera; tripod plate is pre-attached
- Camera tripod — holds the camera at eye level; the cage clicks onto its plate
3·Lighting
Two-point lighting so your products read clearly on camera. Everything comes in a pair.
- Video lights ×2 — 100W each; your key and fill light
- Light stands ×2 — adjustable stands the lights mount onto
- Softbox diffusers ×2 — clip over the lights to soften harsh shadows
4·Audio
Wireless mic so buyers hear you clearly, already set as your OBS audio source.
- Hollyland Lark M2S wireless mic set — 2 lav mics (transmitters) + receiver; pre-set as the OBS audio device
5·Connectivity
Expands the MacBook's ports so the capture card, mic receiver, and power all connect at once.
- USB-C multi-port hub — one cable to the MacBook, multiple ports for your gear
6·Extras
Bits and pieces that ship inside the product boxes. You likely will not need most of these, but they are yours.
- Miscellaneous accessories — screwdriver keys, manuals, and optional tripod accessories included by the manufacturers
What's packed where
Your kit comes in two parts: the gear inside the hard case, and a few larger items packed outside it. The case map below mirrors how the interior is laid out — the lid pockets up top, the camera and big gear in the base. Your shipping box may be arranged differently; these groupings are what stay constant.
Connecting your gear
With the kit unpacked, connect each piece in this order: camera, microphone, then lighting. Each part below is a short sequence — follow the steps top to bottom. Setting up OBS and going live on Whatnot come in the next sections.
Camera setup
- Unpack the camera gear. Take the Sony ZV-1 II, its accessories, and the camera tripod out of the case.
- Mount the camera on the tripod. Using the thumb screw on the side of the tripod head, fix the ZV-1 II vertically to the tripod with its pre-attached tripod plate.
- Power the camera with the dummy battery. Insert the battery-shaped part into the camera's battery compartment, connect the other two dummy-battery parts together, and plug them into a wall socket for continuous power.
- Connect the camera to the MacBook. Plug the micro-HDMI adapter into the camera, run an HDMI cable from the adapter to the Elgato Cam Link, then use the provided USB-A to USB-C adapter to plug the Cam Link into one of the MacBook Air's USB-C ports.
- Turn the camera on using the power button on top.
Microphone setup
- Unpack the mics. Take the Hollyland mics out of their bag, along with the USB-C to USB-A cable inside.
- Connect the receiver. Open the case and remove the receiver (the rectangular piece on the right side). Plug the cable's USB-C end into the receiver and the USB-A end into the USB-C hub, then connect the hub to the MacBook Air. The receiver powers on automatically as you take it out of the case.
- Pair the lav mics. Remove one or both lav mics (the transmitters) from the case; they power on and connect to the receiver automatically after a few seconds.
Lighting setup
- Unpack the lighting. Take out the two light panels with their power supplies, the two light stands, and the two softbox diffusers.
- Mount the lights on the stands. Use the included stand adaptors — the top adjustment insert and screw-style adaptor — to attach each light to a stand.
- Plug in the lights using their included power supplies.
- Add the softbox diffusers. Easiest method: remove the metal ring from the softbox, attach the ring to the light, clip the softbox onto the ring, then open the softbox.
- Match the light color to the camera. Turn the lights on and set their color temperature to about 5500K to match the camera's preset white balance (close to daylight, the most natural look).
- Position the lights. Place one light on each side at a 45° angle facing you, as far back and as high as the stands can stably go. Farther away and higher gives more even, flattering light.
Top-down view: one light in each corner and the camera in the center, all angled 45° toward you. Push the lights as far back and as high as the stands stably allow.
MacBook & OBS setup
Your MacBook ships pre-configured for streaming. Sign in, get it online, open OBS, and confirm your camera and audio are coming through. Do this once and you are ready to go live.
- Sign in to the MacBook with the account below. You can change these later and sign in to your own Apple account.
UsernameWhatnotPasswordwhatnotseller
- Connect to the internet by ethernet. The USB-C hub has an ethernet port. Run an ethernet cable from the hub to your router. You must use a wired connection to stream reliably with OBS; Wi-Fi drops are a common cause of mid-show failures. Run a quick internet speed test to confirm the connection is working.
- Open OBS. Make sure the camera and mic are already connected (Section 3), then open OBS from the Dock or Applications.
- Confirm your feeds. You should see your camera in the OBS preview, and your audio levels moving in the Audio Mixer on the right-hand side of OBS.
- Output is already set. All the output settings needed to stream to Whatnot are pre-configured for you. No changes required.
- Customize if you like. Add custom graphic overlays, extra cameras, or any other sources you want. The overview guide below walks through it.
Taking your show live on Whatnot
With your gear connected and OBS open, here is how to schedule, connect, start, and end a show. Run through it once in Private Mode to confirm everything works before you go public.
With OBS open, open Google Chrome (please do not use another browser), go to whatnot.com, click your profile image in the top-right corner, and open the Shows section.
Your profile menu: tap Shows.
Schedule a new show in Private Mode so you can safely test broadcasting with OBS before going public.
A show set to Private Mode (note the "Disable Private Mode" control), used here as the OBS test show.
Expand the left-hand menu of the Seller Hub, open the Shows section, and go to Show Tools. Show Tools is your home for connecting Whatnot to OBS and starting and stopping your live shows.
Seller Hub left menu: Shows → Show Tools.
On the right side of the Show Tools page, scroll to the OBS Websocket Server Password box, enter whatnot, then click Connect. A confirmation appears in the bottom-right corner once OBS is connected.
Enter the websocket password and click Connect.
Only start and stop your shows from the Show Tools page. Do not try to start an OBS show from any other Whatnot page.
Click Open Show next to your private-mode show (it opens in a new tab), return to Show Tools, and click Start Show. Your show is now live from OBS with your camera visible. You will see confirmation messages in the bottom-right, and OBS will show Stop Streaming at the top of its Controls.
Open Show, then Start Show, from the Show Tools page.
To check your audio and video, send your show link to a friend or family member on a different Whatnot account. Opening your own live show in the app will not preview your feed — it acts as a stream controller instead.
To end your show properly, return to Show Tools and click the red End Show and Stop OBS button. This ends the show on both Whatnot and OBS at once (while you are still connected to the websocket). A raid also ends the show, but after raiding you must manually click Stop Streaming in OBS.
End Show and Stop OBS ends both at the same time.