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Starlink Mini as a failover

jackpearce.co.uk

201–210 of 249 posts

Re: Starlink Mini as a failover

#201
post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

TFA specifically calls out not wanting to depend on 4G/5G coverage, which is anything but ubiquitous: > It has the advantage of working pretty much anywhere with a view of the sky so no relying on mobile network coverage. I'm also not sure if $25/month is anything close to the global average for unlimited 4G/5G data (if even available).

Sounds way too high to me, I am paying €8.80/month for unlimited 5G, calls and texting

I pay $25 for my backup 5G internet - but unlike a mobile plan, it's actually unlimited at 300mbps, and I don't have to resort to TTL shenanigans and such to use it for my whole network. It's just plugged into one of the ports on my router, and provides it with real public IPv4. Ran it for a few days when the fiber dropped out and consumed 200GB without complaint from either myself or the ISP.

Re: Starlink Mini as a failover

#202

I've just done something similar in response to a heavy storm that's taken out the fiber where I live (7 weeks now, still hasn't been reconnected). Starlink has been a life saver and works flawlessly (~200Mbps, Had to get this going quickly so used tplink gear as it was readily accessible and surprisingly it's worked quite well. Used an NX210 (for WiFi to house and the backup 4G sim). Connected the NX210's WAN to an…

you must be around leiria? :D

Re: Starlink Mini as a failover

#203

I also do this. Xfinity went out for a few hours earlier this month and Unifi failed over almost instantly, and within minutes we had high speed internet once I upgraded us. The standby mode would have been plenty for basic web browsing, too. $5/mo for pretty guaranteed connectivity, plus being able to take it around with me on travels is pretty awesome.

How likely is it that this $5 deal will continue in the future? It sounds like a no-brainer WAN backup option, are Starlink going to discontinue it when they realise that people are using it as such?

Also, is this available globally or UK-only? I can't find any mention of it on the local Starlink site.

Re: Starlink Mini as a failover

#204
post #91
post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unifi is one of the few consumer-grade routers that supports dual WAN.

While the GUI and other polish certainly makes it more approachable then many I wouldn't really call it "consumer-grade", it's definitely into prosumer/SMB territory. And in that market there are thankfully a number of solid competitors fwiw, both directly the exact same head to head niche (Omada), more disjoint but sometimes higher value deals like Mikrotik, and open source solutions focused on embedded (like OpenWR…

Another slightly-above-consumer-grade device is the Firewalla. It works really well, the only time I even notice it's failed over is (a) when I get an alert on the phone and (b) search engine results start coming up in Spanish.

Re: Starlink Mini as a failover

#206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where on earth are you living with that kind of price point? Unreal.

Italy, France and Spain have 200GB+ plans for 10€. Romania reportedly has unlimited for 4€ but I don't know which operator. US plans just aren't comparable as they've been historically f'd with astronomical monthly payments.

> Romania reportedly has unlimited for 4€ but I don't know which operator.

Orange Yoxo is the only one which has actually-unlimited, all the others have a fine-print somewhere with "up to X GB/month, then bandwidth is severely throttled".

I'm using the 4.9€ plan for a mountain webcam[1] and they have been true to their word, no throttling so far.

[1] https://ignis.maramures.io/

Re: Starlink Mini as a failover

#207
post #42

A mobile failover would be cheaper and would give you better connectivity in heavy rain. A 4G dongle can be purchased for $15, rather than $200 for a Starlink Mini. Then, let's say your main internet source fails and you need to actually use the backup plan beyond the standby amount of 0.5 Mbps. That will cost you a minimum of $50 for Starlink, versus roughly $25 for a month of unlimited cell service. As for standby…

Yeah. I live at the base of a hill and cell service alone is pretty marginal for video or anything else requiring high bandwidth a low latency.

Re: Starlink Mini as a failover

#208
post #179
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yup, OP is from the UK. In the UK I got a ThreeUK business SIM for £49 that lasted 2 years with 500GB data. It sits in wan failover and manages about 50mbps which is perfect to keep most services running.

Is that £49 a month, or £49 for the 500GB data? Sounds useful!

Mine was £49 one off for 500GB renewed each month for 2 years. Here's another example: https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/three-500gb-preloaded-5g-da...

Re: Starlink Mini as a failover

#209
post #153

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.

Yeah but if you need Internet failover, cell phone towers are likely flooded. Starlink will be much more available (probably).

Or they’re just offline, because their backup batteries only last a few hours, and the gensets for the backhaul have run out of diesel. Iberian blackout last year, I didn’t even know it had happened until I went to pick the kid up from school - just another day at the home office.

Re: Starlink Mini as a failover

#210

Be aware of rain fade. Unit is only rated to operate up to 50 C Hail impact protection for antenna ?

I mean, if you’re planning on using it in Death Valley on a rainy day, sure, you might have some problems. Also it doesn’t brush your teeth for you.
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