Starlink

[plowhog]

Starlink is driving me crazy lately. They keep switching my ground station from Los Angeles to Seattle. Then back. Then switch again. And so on.

Everytime they switch ground stations, Hulu Live TV quits working. Hulu is required as part of their content agreements to verify locations they stream to. Their first level support always asks for an IP address from ipchicken.com, then exclaims: You are not in Nevada, you are in Seattle!!!

First level support at Hulu doesn't work, so I always ask for a supervisor. A friendly supervisor advised in the future, say these magic words: "I have had a Starlink IP change, and I need an address override."

Live TV was out again this morning-- I was switched overnight back to Los Angeles. Called Hulu, said the magic words, and within 2 minutes I was back up and running.

If you use Hulu Live TV, i suggest trying the magic words. For me it cut the service phone call down from 20-30 minutes to a quick response.

btw, to try to get a Northern Nevada IP address to give them, I put my phone into airplane mode, turned off wifi, waited a few minutes, then exited airplane mode. Did an IP check and Verizon first served up a Lodi, CA location. On 2nd try, a Bakersfield, CA location. While I am sitting in Northern Nevada.

 

[ponytug]

Hulu is picking off the location from the IP lookup and that's a common failing. It will keep failing because a) the ground station can change, and b) Starlink does intentionally change the IP addresses of their gateways. The latter is a security feature, and not a bug in my view.

There is a setting on the Starlink router to makes the Starlink's actual GPS location available to devices being served by it. I don't know if your Hulu device can use it, or will believe it.

If it happens too often, you could put Hulu onto a VPN that surfaces some place stably, and use that as your address...

All the best,

Peter

 

[LouNY]

Hulu is picking off the location from the IP lookup and that's a common failing. It will keep failing because a) the ground station can change, and b) Starlink does intentionally change the IP addresses of their gateways. The latter is a security feature, and not a bug in my view.

There is a setting on the Starlink router to makes the Starlink's actual GPS location available to devices being served by it. I don't know if your Hulu device can use it, or will believe it.

If it happens too often, you could put Hulu onto a VPN that surfaces some place stably, and use that as your address...

All the best,

Peter

Were is this setting?
I have never seen it while going through the various menu's.

 

[plowhog]

you could put Hulu onto a VPN

A bit ironic that although many use a VPN to spoof a fake location so they can get live TV in a different market, such as for sports, I might instead need to use a VPN in reverse-- to "spoof" that I really am sitting in my living room!!

 

[ponytug]

Were is this setting?
I have never seen it while going through the various menu's.

It is a bit hidden. Here are the secret handshakes to get you there;
Scroll to the bottom of the first page, where it says
"STARLINK NNNN.XXXX. ADVANCED" and click on "ADVANCED", then scroll to the bottom of that sub-menu, where it shows "Debug Data", and click on "Debug Data", then scroll to the very bottom of the debug information, where there are two sliders/toggles. The location information is the bottom one, "Allow access on local network". Turn it on, and local devices can get the GPS location from the Starlink dish.

I don't know what devices would/could access the GPS information. Per this Reddit thread, it responds to a grpc query from local devices;

https://www.reddit.com/r/Starlink/comments/xgcdm6/starlink_location_settings

All the best,

Peter

 

[LouNY]

It is a bit hidden. Here is the secret handshakes to get you there;
Scroll to the bottom of the first page, where it says
"STARLINK NNNN.XXXX. ADVANCED" and click on "ADVANCED", then scroll to the bottom of that sub-menu, where it shows "Debug Data", and click on "Debug Data", then scroll to the very bottom of the debug information, where there are two sliders/toggles. The location information is the bottom one, "Allow access on local network". Turn it on, and local devices can get the GPS location from the Starlink dish.

I don't know what devices would/could access the GPS information. Per this Reddit thread, it responds to a grpc query from local devices;

https://www.reddit.com/r/Starlink/comments/xgcdm6/starlink_location_settings

All the best,

Peter

Thanks, switched it on will see how things go and if anything changes.

 

[sd455dan]

Not sure if this has been posted before.
Interview by Ellie in Space concerning the new mini Starlink that can fit in a backpack also commentary on Starlink losing out on rural broadband contract.

Now being offered for order, initial roll out only offered to a limited group. Full roll out in July.

The mini dish has an on board router

 

[Locoweed]

I live in a area that does not have Starlink available yet. I am considering getting Starlink Roam & then converting to home when it becomes available. Can anyone with the Roam version give me their download & upload stats? I know is is less than home, but the critical question is how much less?

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I live in a area that does not have Starlink available yet. I am considering getting Starlink Roam & then converting to home when it becomes available. Can anyone with the Roam version give me their download & upload stats? I know is is less than home, but the critical question is how much less?

That's how I started, was called RV version then. I didn't notice much difference once I got the home version, was way better than anything i had before.

 

[plowhog]

I am considering getting Starlink Roam & then converting to home when it becomes available.

I have two SL residential systems and a SL "RV" system (is it renamed roam?)

I can't say I've ever seen much difference, but part of that is SL speeds vary constantly.

Also, not to be difficult, but I don't think anyone can answer your question. It's my understanding that these systems are dependent on other traffic in your particular area. So what's going on in areas away from you might be quite different than your experience.

I wouldn't let the speed dissuade your purchase-- I've always had plenty of speed for my needs in all circumstances.

 

[Locoweed]

I live in a fairly remote area. There is a state park & campground about 4 miles away & is not in the hex cell I live in, where service isn't available for home owners. I don't know if that is significant or not.

 

[BigBlue1]

I live in a area that does not have Starlink available yet. I am considering getting Starlink Roam & then converting to home when it becomes available. Can anyone with the Roam version give me their download & upload stats? I know is is less than home, but the critical question is how much less?

Starlink is available everywhere now. Unless you live in a cell at high capacity or something. The 'select availability' ended quite a while ago.

 

[ponytug]

Starlink is available everywhere now. Unless you live in a cell at high capacity or something. The 'select availability' ended quite a while ago.

That is 99% true, but there are a few spots in Texas and the SW and WV (Green Mountain radio area), where it is not available, and a few more areas of high demand where it is limited availability. So, it is possible that @Locoweed lives in one of those small areas...

Starlink | Availability Map

View availability, coverage, speeds and latency for Starlink service.

www.starlink.com

All the best,

Peter

 

[Locoweed]

Yep, I live in the only area in Texas that isn't open yet. It was recently updated to available in 2025.

 

[LouNY]

I see that Starlink is bringing out a new dish, very compact but slower speed.

 

[John0829]

Mine is suppose to be delivered today 6/21, hope to get it up this weekend if it does show up.

 

[BigBlue1]

Yep, I live in the only area in Texas that isn't open yet. It was recently updated to available in 2025.

Interesting. That sucks. Did not know there were still any spots like that.

 

[Locoweed]

 

[jymbee]

I see that Starlink is bringing out a new dish, very compact but slower speed.

SpaceX Sells Starlink Mini Dish For $200, But Only In Latin America​

 

[LouNY]

SpaceX Sells Starlink Mini Dish For $200, But Only In Latin America​

SpaceX has unveiled its latest innovation in satellite internet technology: the Starlink Mini dish. This compact and affordable device, priced at just $299, is set to transform the way people access the internet, especially in remote and underserved areas. With its built-in router and advanced MediaTek Wi-Fi 6 chip, the Starlink Mini dish promises to deliver high-speed internet with low latency, all while fitting conveniently into a backpack.

Key Takeaways

• Price: $299
• Release Date: July/August 2024
• Dimensions: 11.4 inches x 9.8 inches
• Wi-Fi Standard: 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6
• Latency: 23 ms
• Download Speed: 100 Mbps
• Supports multiple simultaneous 4K video streams
• Powered by MediaTek MT7629 Wi-Fi SoC