Starlink Mini as a failover

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Starlink Mini standby & use cases

  • Standby mode offers ~500 kbit/s unlimited; commenters say this is enough for:
    • Periodic photo uploads from remote cameras.
    • Low‑res security video where most of the frame is static.
    • Basic web browsing during outages.
  • Several people use Starlink (Mini or full dish) as home failover; report quick manual or automatic switchover, good speeds (200–350 Mbps), and reliability comparable or superior to their ISP.
  • Some note rain can cause brief slowdowns or outages; others say only very heavy storms affect it. Cloud cover alone generally not a problem, though there is disagreement.
  • One concern: talk of needing to activate full‑speed service at least once per year or pay extra, which would reduce the attractiveness of standby; details are unclear.

Cellular vs satellite failover

  • Many argue 4G/5G backup is:
    • Much cheaper (cheap dongles/routers, low‑cost SIMs, ISP‑bundled 4G backup).
    • More power‑efficient and simpler to integrate.
  • Counterpoints:
    • Mobile coverage and throughput are highly location‑dependent; some urban and rural users find it unusable.
    • When grid power or a primary ISP fails, nearby cell towers can lose power or become congested, making mobile backup ineffective.
    • Starlink is valued because its failure mode is more independent of local infrastructure, especially for multi‑day outages.

Routers, multi‑WAN, and network setups

  • UniFi gear is frequently mentioned for dual‑WAN and automatic failover; some see it as polished but expensive “prosumer” gear, and argue any Linux box or cheaper routers (Mikrotik, TP‑Link, GL.iNet, EdgeRouter, etc.) can handle multi‑WAN.
  • Some users combine:
    • Fiber/DOCSIS + Starlink + 4G/5G in various priority chains.
    • Mesh setups across locations using WireGuard/Headscale.

Reliability, redundancy, and physical infrastructure

  • Experiences range from near‑“five nines” FTTP/FTTC with almost no downtime to very flaky DOCSIS or mobile.
  • Multiple wired ISPs can still share the same physical route; one incident took out two “independent” fiber connections at once.
  • In storms and extended outages, local water plants, cell towers, and cabinets can lose power after their batteries/generators deplete; Starlink plus local UPS is seen as strong mitigation.

IPv6 and technical quirks

  • Starlink can provide public IPv6 prefixes (e.g., /56), but configuration on some routers requires SLAAC rather than DHCPv6; this confuses some and fuels complaints about IPv6 complexity and tooling.
  • A side thread explains how mobile carriers may detect and throttle tethering via packet TTL, and how users adjust TTL on routers to evade this; effectiveness is acknowledged as carrier‑dependent.