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[dee.jay]

Taken the decision to cease my remaining VDSL circuit this week and transition 100% to Starlink. I kept a single line going just as a backup in case anything ever went "wrong" with Starlink because there's always someone working from home, but the time has come to turn AAISP off. I upgraded my L2TP service to the domestic variant (I had the light version just to test incoming access), and last night switched everything over. The one really useful thing about AAISP and their control panel was that I could retain the static IP address I've had since 2018 and have that be the primary routed IP on the L2TP connection, so when opnSense initiates that connectivity I still get the same address.

As that really is only for incoming access I don't need to NAT everything out L2TP but for the individual machines that require a fixed IP (maybe for setting up a server) it can get individually NAT'ed/Port Forwarded.

Overall, very happy with the new setup, Starlink is capable of 300+Mbps. Sure, the latency is higher, but for large downloads it's a damn sight quicker than VDSL.

So that's it for FTTC for me, had it since it went live in April 2012 from my cabinet, first taking Sky Broadband at 40/2, then becoming amongst the first users to upgrade to "Sky Fibre Pro" getting the full 80/20. I was never able to get the full 80 due to distance but did start off in the low 70's. As more and more neighbouring properties took the service the speed gradually got slower due to crosstalk and in the end it dropped to around the 59-60Mbps mark. It has served it's purpose well, but it is time to move on.

Dropping AAISP saves £35 a month, as the L2TP is £10. But, does mean one less device powered up, and a much simplified opnSense configuration remains.

So, a moment of silence for the last remaining HG612 that operates on a copper line in DJ HQ. That modem had run flawlessly for nearly 12 years without any issues. Those modems are pretty solid! Got three of them here, I should probably clean them up and sell them!

[kitz]

Sure, the latency is higher,

iirc from the samples you kindly provided to satisfy my curiosity, there wasn't really a great increase compared to some of the high levels of interleaving I've seen used by some of the old unbundled profiles. Although I'm not sure personal what its like using time critical apps.. it must be said that the latency has improved remarkably for satellite now making it a very viable option if there is no sign of FTTP or FTTC and they are stuck with slow speed ADSL.

Good luck with the switchover, I hope everything goes smoothly for you.

[dee.jay]

>ping bbc.co.uk

Pinging bbc.co.uk [2a04:4e42:400::81] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 2a04:4e42:400::81: time=38ms
Reply from 2a04:4e42:400::81: time=33ms
Reply from 2a04:4e42:400::81: time=30ms
Reply from 2a04:4e42:400::81: time=31ms

Ping statistics for 2a04:4e42:400::81:
    Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
    Minimum = 30ms, Maximum = 38ms, Average = 33ms



33ms average to BBC, and IPv6 natively works too.

[Alex Atkin UK]

I still have huge concerns that Starlink is a financially viable service long-term, I'd absolutely not rely on it and especially for work.  Anyone using the Internet for work should have a backup regardless of how reliable their primary connection is anyway.

But I guess ultimately you have to weigh up the cost of that backup vs not being able work for weeks.

[dee.jay]

That is fair enough but the service has been around for quite some time now. If I have to go and get FTTC again then so be it. Have recently noticed that 5G is available in my house now, so I will dig out my 4G router and try that and see if the service has improved. Would be very simple to add that as a backup option, and have opnSense direct traffic to a different router.

I have used it full time since June with only one outage in September.

I do agree that people relying on home broadband for work need a backup though.

Not sure how you arrive at not being able to work for weeks though? Offices still exist at my company and my wifes

In truth, what I am ultimately aiming for is using Starlink as a backup for FTTP, with it going to be imminently available. Intention is to put it in roam mode and pause, unpause when required...

[Alex Atkin UK]

Not sure how you arrive at not being able to work for weeks though? Offices still exist at my company and my wifes

I was thinking worst-case scenario where Starlink has a major issue that needs launching new satellites, not something you can just do overnight.  Or if Dishy breaks, who knows how long it would take to get a replacement.

We've already seen reports of the speed tanking in some areas as it being a worldwide service its not so simple to upgrade the network to cope if they suddenly get a huge influx of new customers all in one region.  I think they are mostly relying on the satellites having a short life span so they will get replaced with newer, higher capacity models before capacity becomes a huge issue.

[g3uiss]

Most comms satellites have a minimum life of 20 years. They are pretty much mature now, current failure rate is around 2%.

[dee.jay]

I was thinking worst-case scenario where Starlink has a major issue that needs launching new satellites, not something you can just do overnight.  Or if Dishy breaks, who knows how long it would take to get a replacement.

We've already seen reports of the speed tanking in some areas as it being a worldwide service its not so simple to upgrade the network to cope if they suddenly get a huge influx of new customers all in one region.  I think they are mostly relying on the satellites having a short life span so they will get replaced with newer, higher capacity models before capacity becomes a huge issue.

Given there is full fibre in most of my cell, I doubt there will be many other customers in my area. However, my equipment breaking is something indeed that is of concern, no dish means no internet and it could be days before a replacement gets to me...

[Alex Atkin UK]

Most comms satellites have a minimum life of 20 years. They are pretty much mature now, current failure rate is around 2%.

This is the problem with Starlink, due to the low earth orbit the FCC demanded they be replaced every 5 years to make sure they are in a good enough condition to de-orbit safely, this also means they have to be made cheaper with a life span of 5-7 years.  But there being more of them increases the risk of something going wrong and even one collision could be a complete disaster for the whole constellation.

This is also why the cost of running it and not having any problems launching new satellites is a huge issue and highly suspect that it can ever be economically viable, as over time there wont be enough customers to cover the costs when most people will be able to get better, cheaper land-based broadband.  Particularly given SpaceX seem to constantly be on the brink of bankruptcy, eating through government funds to keep things going.

Musks whole empire feels like a pyramid scheme to me, where he juggles money between businesses to keep them afloat.

[dee.jay]

So I fished out my Mikrotik 4G router, spanned through a new VLAN and within 10 minutes have LTE internet on my LAN. Will get that moved upstairs, need to find a good position for it and then can set it up as a backup gateway for the home workers Problem solved.

[Chrysalis]

Good to see it worked out well for you, I was also pleased when I moved to VM and kept my IP via L2TP.  The sheer amount of bandwidth increase easily overcomes any loss in latency.

[Ronski]

I recently sold two HG612 modems, they still fetch good money on eBay, I still have one left.

As for back up broadband, as has been mentioned as long as you have reasonable 4G/5G this can be setup instantly by tethering to a mobile, or a matter of days to buy a suitable modem and SIM.