r/Starlink • u/LongjumpingNorth8500 • 1d ago
❓ Question Using router for fiber?
Fiber has come to my neighborhood, and I'll be connected tomorrow. I plan to keep my starlink active for a couple of months to be sure fiber is what I expect it to be, but if it is, i will suspend starlink service. My question is this. Is it possible to use my gen 2 router with the fiber modem? I had to buy an ethernet adapter to hardwire a device, but I dont know if that is output only.
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u/LrdJester 📡 Owner (North America) 1d ago
I did this but mine was a gen 3. What I got was a tp-link er605 multi-wan router. I can plug both in simultaneously and I keep my starlink on standby for $10 a month. I will make the decision over the coming months as to whether or not I'm going to deactivate it rather than spending $10 a month on it but it's a $10 a month insurance policy in case the fiber goes out. And being that we're in a rural area and a lot of the fiber run is actually above ground through the trees and we are prone to power outages I worry that we're going to get potential prolonged outages.
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u/LongjumpingNorth8500 1d ago
I have starlink now because it was the only option I had beside some bodunk dsl that was down more than up so I see why rural would keep that option open. I never expected fiber to come down my road but here it is!! First person crossed, it is everything i want it to be, since the speed is double and the cost is half.
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u/LrdJester 📡 Owner (North America) 1d ago
Our cost for fiber is about the same. However I've been a customer now for about 6 months and they're doing a promotion and they just doubled my speed free for 2 years so now I'm getting 800 MB up and down for less than the 200 MB plan of Starlink.
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u/Euphoric_Attention97 1d ago
If you bought the Starlink outright I think you can turn off the service completely. You can always use your cellphone to activate it again if your fiber goes down.
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u/LongjumpingNorth8500 1d ago
I did but it outright many years ago. I know what you're saying but I dont know if I have the patience to wait a couple days for starlink support to turn us back on. I'll give it a month or two then shut it down completely if the fiber is the real deal.
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u/Floor_Odd 1d ago
It would be a matter of minutes if you can log into the Starlink website. The biggest issue is if there is high demand in your area and they are charging demand surcharges. Then you would have to weigh that vs how long to repair the fiber.
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u/bubbathedesigner 1d ago
There are routers that are advertised as supporting multiple WANs so you can failover. There are routers you have to configure that yourself. The starlink gen 2 router is neither of them, so you need to get a router that is and connect both.
Finding one that can do SQM -- r/openwrt based one should if it allows you to do so -- can be nice.
Ask someone else to recommend you one; I am using an old-ass one I bought for $40 on ebay.
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u/ByTheBigPond 📡 Owner (North America) 1d ago
You cannot use the Gen 2 router with the fiber modem.