FYI Starlink and the ethernet adapter

[Neal]

Starlink offers an ethernet adapter on their store which if you can run a cable connection to your router, such as my Pepwave, to Starlink, this is an ideal way to access your Starlink Internet. My concern is all of the Wi-Fi noise by having multiple routers in your RV such as for my I use a Pepwave BR1 Pro 5G and now Starlink adds its own Wi-Fi router to the mix. Another reason you want to get Wi-Fi 6 devices if you can which both the Pepwave and Starlink routers use and connect with the 5 Ghz Wi-Fi instead of 2.4 if using Wi-Fi when able. Starlink offers an option in the settings to separate 2.4 and 5 Ghz networks but I haven't messed with that (yet).

When I first setup my Starlink with a cable (ethernet) connection to the WAN port of my Pepwave router all worked fine but stowing the Starlink was hit or miss much less the app unstowing option showing once stowed. When I got things setup with the Ethernet connection I used the option in the Starlink app to disable the Wi-Fi to minimize the noise as mentioned above. I was having some connectivity issues which later I determined to have nothing to do with the router but I reset the router to get Wi-Fi back and this is done by unplugging and replugging the power connection into the base of the router. I initially did this by pulling the plug from the outlet 3-4 times and amazingly that did not reset it when actually doing this from the plug into the router did.

Since resetting my router a few weeks ago I left Wi-Fi on and did not disable it. For whatever reason, even with the ethernet connection to my Pepwave which is the only way I connect to Starlink, the Starlink app works much better communicating with the router. Maybe it's a bug in the router that just doesn't like having it's Wi-Fi radio(s) turned off, but it is what it is. Again, I only connect to Starlink via the Pepwave WAN connection, my phone is Wi-Fi connected to the Pepwave and not Starlink and the app works much better - as it is expected to work.

So the moral of the story is from what I've observed, even if using the cable connection, which I recommend over Wi-Fi connections any day, don't disable Starlink's Wi-Fi radio which is an option in the app. Maybe it will work better for others but since leaving it ON after being reset I haven't had any issues stowing or unstowing the dishy.

 

[Scotttkd2]

I have Starlink connected to pepwave via Ethernet adapter only and leave the WiFi active just to connect to with my phone to check for updates, and control the dish settings. In pepwave SSID settings, you can choose channels to make sure your not overlapping wireless channels, and their are many apps you can download for your phone to scan WiFi channels for said interference. Seems to be stable combination for me.

 

[docj]

I have the round Starlink dish so my situation is different, but it's my understanding that with the rectangular dish it is expected that you will put the router into "bypass mode" (bridge mode) which disables the WiFi and, essentially, shuts off the router function of the device. If you connect the Ethernet cable to your Pepwave you should be able to access the Starlink app but you will need to set a specified static route.

 

[Neal]

I have the round Starlink dish so my situation is different, but it's my understanding that with the rectangular dish it is expected that you will put the router into "bypass mode" (bridge mode) which disables the WiFi and, essentially, shuts off the router function of the device. If you connect the Ethernet cable to your Pepwave you should be able to access the Starlink app but you will need to set a specified static route.

Yes, I could connect to Starlink but it was not reliable. You could stow it, it may take a few times, but you could never unstow it. With the Wi-Fi not disabled I'm still connecting through the Pepwave as I'm not using the Wi-Fi for anything yet it connects much more reliably and all functions work better. Stow it and immediately get an unstow button. Now maybe there was a firmware update since last time, I don't know, but it's working much better this time around by not disabling the Wi-Fi.

 

[lemondrop9344]

Still going through the initial learning phase of the Gen 2 Starlink.
I have the Ethernet adapter, but have yet to use it. At this juncture with my existing setup, I'm beginning to wonder if it's worth the effort.
I have the Starlink WiFi signal set up as a priority 1 through my Peplink BR1 Pro LTEA (CAT 20 4G) & distribute the signals via Ethernet or Peplink WiFi to the various clients on the LAN in my RV. The DISHY is mounted on a tripod behind the RV & pointed generally towards the NW. I suspect there are some obstructions. However, since it's performing in a satisfactory fashion, I'm not really motivated to resolve any issues.
I've run a few speed tests to sort of establish a baseline. Download speeds have been around 200 Mbps & upload speeds have been around 40 Mbps. The Starlink's signal is 2.4 Ghz.
I have always been a proponent of Ethernet connectivity when ever possible, however running Ethernet cabling in a RV can be a major PITA to do it correctly (nothing like have exposed cabling all over the place to get the boss on the war path).
As a general rule, if something is performing in an acceptable fashion, I don't try to fix it. Based on other user's experience with Starlink; did you notice any significant improvement with Starlink distributing the signal through a hardwired router? What am I missing with this train of thought?

 

[Neal]

I would take a cable connection over Wi-Fi any day if available. I'm still using the cable connection as the sole method of communicating with Starlink and just noting that NOT disabling Wi-Fi via the app seems to make everything work as expected. Maybe if I did try it again now it would still work as expected as maybe the router reset fixed something, who knows, or maybe a firmware update occurred from prior. But again, cable is my preference and leaving Wi-Fi enabled although unused has everything working perfect.

 

[Scotttkd2]

lemondrop9344.....I cant speak for your pepwave device, but there is some known isues with some pepwave devices bringing a WAN signal in on WiFi and then sending out on same freq. IE 2.4ghz input on the WAN and a 2.4ghz SSID to devices on the LAN. It has something to do with interference and can result in a lot of dropped packets and similar issues. I expect if your device was subject to this issue you would already know it and be dealing with it, but another case for hardwired WAN inputs. Unfortunately my MAX Transit Duo is one of the devices and pepwave has no fix for it last time I checked.

 

[lemondrop9344]

An update.... As indicated earlier I'm just beginning to explore the Starlink 'stuff'.
Sort of by accident I found out the Stralink router is broadcasting both a 2.4 Ghz & a 5 Ghz WiFi signal. I switched the Peplink device to receive the 5 Ghz signal which is subsequently distributed primarily over Ethernet. ROKU's receive it by WiFi from the Peplink.
I too prefer Ethernet connectivity if it doesn't involve some 'Rube Goldberg' setup to get the cables where they are needed.
Based on how the Starlink & Peplink are performing now, I am reluctant to try & fix something that is not broke.
Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Jim]

I too prefer Ethernet connectivity if it doesn't involve some 'Rube Goldberg' setup to get the cables where they are needed.

Using the Ethernet adapter ( assuming you want to use it to plug into another router or PC ) requires you go into the phone app and "bypass" the Starlink modem. Not a big deal and easy to do. But if you later decided to go back to the Starlink modem, you can't just undo the bypass, you have to do the complete Starlink startup again.
Again, not a big deal, but one that you shouldn't have to do.

 

[Scotttkd2]

Hi Jim, not sure why on your bypass comment, I am using the Ethernet without bypass and feeding my pepwave router on the WAN port with no issues. I only use the starlink WiFi as a management interface and only my phone connects to it when needed. Otherwise all devices connect to my pepwave, some on 2.4ghz and some on 5ghz. My wife connects directly to LAN port on pepwave to her computer for work. Other than the WiFi in and wifi out frequency collision issues I explained in a previous post, we have no issues at all with no bypass.

 

[Neal]

...requires you go into the phone app and "bypass" the Starlink modem...

I'm not aware of a requirement to disable anything but the first time around I did disable the Wi-Fi router. After I reset the Starlink router I did NOT disable anything and I'm solely getting Starlink via Pepwave's WAN port. It appears to me to work much better this time around without turning off Wi-Fi. I did check my phone and the Starlink Wi-Fi is broadcasting so I could connect to it if I wanted to. I prefer not throwing more Wi-Fi noise around but leaving it as is as it's working wonderfully.

I like having the option to direct connect to the Starlink router over Wi-Fi is I need to triage something. So far since reset no need, love it!

 

[Jim]

I'm not aware of a requirement to disable anything but the first time around I did disable the Wi-Fi router.

Perhaps not necessary if you're plugging a computer into the Ethernet adapter, but if you're plugging another router into the adapter, (in our case, a Ubiquity router) there is a good chance the Starlink router and the other router will fight. We went through this here at the park.

But regardless of whether you decide to run them together or not, the point I was trying to make is, you will have to go through the initial setup again to enable the bypassed modem. You can bypass the Starlink router via the app, but you can not reinitialize it without performing the initial setup again.

 

[redbaron]

My square dish plugs into a poe Injector, and then into my pepwave. I don't use the wifi modem device at all.

 

[Neal]

If your router uses DHCP for connected devices, as Pepwave does (unless configured otherwise) the Starlink router will get assigned an IP address and connect just fine. I assume your Ubiquity router also has DHCP setup and should work the same. The IP addresses Starlink uses is a bit odd. even more odd is the gateway. I certainly would like to control the network Starlink uses and the IP address for the connection but I found out it's just best to let it do it via DHCP off of the Pepwave.

This is my WAN config (Starlink port):

 

[Scotttkd2]

Jim....As long as the routers are assigned different IP address ranges there should be no issues with them running side by side. It is possible that you could get channel interference issues from the WiFi side on both units, but Ubiquity allows you to either let the router self manage channel usage, or you can manually manage the channels used for both 2.4 and 5ghz to avoid any interference issues. I don't believe at this time there is a way of a way to change channel settings on the Starlink router, mostly due to Starlinks desire to keep it simple for the folks that aren't technology savvy in those areas. A quick scan with a smart phone app of the channels in use by Starlink will tell you which channels to stay away from for peak results.

 

[Neal]

Jim....As long as the routers are assigned different IP address ranges there should be no issues with them running side by side. It is possible that you could get channel interference issues from the WiFi side on both units, but Ubiquity allows you to either let the router self manage channel usage, or you can manually manage the channels used for both 2.4 and 5ghz to avoid any interference issues. I don't believe at this time there is a way of a way to change channel settings on the Starlink router, mostly due to Starlinks desire to keep it simple for the folks that aren't technology savvy in those areas. A quick scan with a smart phone app of the channels in use by Starlink will tell you which channels to stay away from for peak results.

In my setup Pepwave scans every morning (once per day) and figures out channels. When I tried out Ubiquity not long ago at home it had nice control over all of that as well. Fortunately Wi-Fi is not that strong so campgrounds shouldn't be too bad but closely parked rallies may be a concern. I've been to some rallies where they raised this concern. Apartments can't be great for this but this is why Wi-Fi expansion continues (6, 6E, etc.).

Interesting @redbaron as I figured the dishy needed their router for account control, dish alignment, etc. Anything that does not work by removing the white router from the setup? Any feature loss? stow, unstow, etc.? From what I've read the router is a power hog. Not sure how a PoE injector compares, I have one, I may try it, but that could solve power concerns for boondockers.

 

[Jim]

My square dish plugs into a poe Injector, and then into my pepwave. I don't use the wifi modem device at all.

View attachment 15131

Did you modify the power line that comes default with Starlink?

 

[Jim]

If your router uses DHCP for connected devices, as Pepwave does (unless configured otherwise) the Starlink router will get assigned an IP address and connect just fine. I assume your Ubiquity router also has DHCP setup and should work the same. The IP addresses Starlink uses is a bit odd. even more odd is the gateway. I certainly would like to control the network Starlink uses and the IP address for the connection but I found out it's just best to let it do it via DHCP off of the Pepwave.

This is my WAN config (Starlink port):

View attachment 15132

I was not aware the Starlink IP address could be changed? Until today, everything I've read says the Starlink IP can not be changed.

 

[Neal]

Like @Jim said, I think there's more to this, you must have put an ethernet connector on the end of one of the cables? Details please.

 

[Neal]

I was not aware the Starlink IP address could be changed?

I don't think it can which is why I leave it on DHCP. The Pepwave handshakes with the Starlink router as you can see in my screenshot.