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Starlink Mini as a failover

jackpearce.co.uk

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Re: Starlink Mini as a failover

#111

Post by jagged-chisel »

dylan604 wrote: post #109
codethief wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> My carrier detects and throttles hotspot traffic by measuring packets TTL, so I tweaks the router's iptables to dodge that. Could you elaborate on this?

I have a friend that is also curious. Their fibre cable was cut by addicts trying to find a source of copper that took a few days to be repaired. Using their hot spot during the outage used up their allotted hot spot bandwidth for the month. My friend would be very interested in how to avoid potential down time in the future.

Might I suggest an email address added to your HN profile, lest a publicly posted reply result in observation by a nefarious telecom employee who just might obviate the proposed solution to your friend’s conundrum.

Re: Starlink Mini as a failover

#112

Post by syntaxing »

The use case varies but for what it’s worth, most major cellular provider in the US offer fallback Internet plans. Ranges from 10-20 a month depending if you already have a line with them. AT&T has an interesting one where your phone lines hotspot is free and unthrottled whenever your fiber is impacted.

Re: Starlink Mini as a failover

#114

Post by tshaddox »

kkapelon wrote: post #8

Using a 4g/5g router is much easier and probably cheaper/power efficient. Depending on your area you don't even need an external one. A simple 4g dongle would do.

There are probably cheaper options, especially if you want to literally use your smartphone as the hotspot, but the Verizon home backup internet plan I looked at recently is $20 a month (and gives you 7 24-hour periods per month of unlimited data).

The Verizon home router is included when you sign up (you have to return it if you cancel). I bought it out of desperation when my home fiber internet was down all weekend due to a local tech screwing up and unplugging my house from the breakout box on the curb, but given the cost and the normal reliability of my home internet it’s really barely worth it.

Re: Starlink Mini as a failover

#115

Post by bobmcnamara »

codethief wrote: post #104
zzyzxd wrote: post #81

I have a GL.iNet travel router. When I am not travel, it connects to the router's second WAN port. If my main internet goes down, it takes me 30 seconds to tether my phone and failover manually. My carrier detects and throttles hotspot traffic by measuring packets TTL, so I tweaks the router's iptables to dodge that. Typically I get over 400 Mbps. From time to time I get the itch to improve my home network uptime, an…

> My carrier detects and throttles hotspot traffic by measuring packets TTL, so I tweaks the router's iptables to dodge that. Could you elaborate on this?

Sure, it's widely known.

Default TTL is usually 64.

Phone traffic TTL is 64.

But when behind the phone-as-router/gateway, compy traffic TTL is...63!

Re: Starlink Mini as a failover

#116

Post by bobmcnamara »

dylan604 wrote: post #109
codethief wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> My carrier detects and throttles hotspot traffic by measuring packets TTL, so I tweaks the router's iptables to dodge that. Could you elaborate on this?

I have a friend that is also curious. Their fibre cable was cut by addicts trying to find a source of copper that took a few days to be repaired. Using their hot spot during the outage used up their allotted hot spot bandwidth for the month. My friend would be very interested in how to avoid potential down time in the future.

TTL++l0l

Re: Starlink Mini as a failover

#117

Post by jonathonlui »

codethief wrote: post #104
zzyzxd wrote: post #81

I have a GL.iNet travel router. When I am not travel, it connects to the router's second WAN port. If my main internet goes down, it takes me 30 seconds to tether my phone and failover manually. My carrier detects and throttles hotspot traffic by measuring packets TTL, so I tweaks the router's iptables to dodge that. Typically I get over 400 Mbps. From time to time I get the itch to improve my home network uptime, an…

> My carrier detects and throttles hotspot traffic by measuring packets TTL, so I tweaks the router's iptables to dodge that. Could you elaborate on this?

Some mobile phone providers check the packet TTL to limit tethering.

Network packets commonly have start with default TTL values of 64, 128, or 255. Each hop in the network subtracts 1.

When phone connects direct to carrier (cell tower, I assume) the carrier will see TTL of 64.

A laptop tethered to a phone introduces a hop so laptop-to-phone TTL is 64, phone-to-carrier TTL is 63.

Carriers can then limit bandwidth if network packet that don't have a common TTL.

For `iptables` look at `--ttl-inc 1` (to add back the 1 so 63 => 64) or `--ttl-set 64`.

Alternatively, you set the tethered devices to use a TTL of 65, e.g. linux/mac `sysctl -w net.inet.ip.ttl=65`

Re: Starlink Mini as a failover

#118

Post by SV_BubbleTime »

light_hue_1 wrote: post #28
bradley13 wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

His politics are less extreme than you probably think. Modern journalism goes for clicks, which means generating outrage.

Did you see what DOGE did to the government? In particular to USAID? Estimates are that this has already killed hundreds of thousands of people who relied on that aid. The issue isn't just Musk's politics. It's that his actions have been evil, the kind of negative impact that major wars have. We're talking something like 1 million dead people per year with a quarter of those being children. For a level of assistance…

>USAID? Estimates are that this has already killed hundreds of thousands of people who relied on that aid.

I know this was “the line” upfront… but USAID had nothing to do with aid… it was a soft power factory… it was the “we’re helping” face of the CIA.

Re: Starlink Mini as a failover

#119

Post by SV_BubbleTime »

forinti wrote: post #79
bob1029 wrote: post #16

I prefer having a 2nd wired connection as my backup. The satellite connection has some clear benefits, but it's still going to outer space. A DOCSIS failover won't suffer from rain fade or a something landing on the antenna. If I've got a situation so bad it takes out both of my connections I've probably got bigger things to deal with than internet access. The buried fiber getting cut by is really the only thing that…

I have a second fiber connection and found out recently that both fibers come along the same route and when a fire took out a utility pole, I lost both connections. I then found out that all providers bar one (there are 5 or 6) come along the same street. So if you are going to go with this option choose carefully your providers!

This entirely.

“I like docsis”… cool, it turns to fiber 500ft after your house.

Re: Starlink Mini as a failover

#120

Post by grumbelbart2 »

Kaliboy wrote: post #78
grumbelbart2 wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What makes Musk different than Blackrock for instance? Open support for right-wing parties and politics all over the world.

And then citizens get to vote on what they perceive as important. If you can show me the list of people you boycotted due to open support for left-wing parties we can talk. Or do we only attempt to silence those that have standpoints we don't agree with? Let me know, I'm new to this silencing of opinion thing but I notice it's what society will democratically choose for given the loud voices in that direction.

Am I not allowed to choose who I buy my stuff from? Or is it only businesses that are allowed to decline services at will.

And do you really belive the richest man in the world, owning one of the largest social media sites, is being "silenced"?

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