Starlink with your own router, mesh or Ethernet

Starlink's UK specifications page currently offers its V4 dish in two home kits: V4 + Router 3 (which Starlink calls the Standard 4 X and describes as best for residential users) and V4 + Router Mini (the Standard 4). Starlink's UK residential page labels its plans by Wi-Fi: Residential 100 Mbps "Good Wi-Fi", Residential 200 Mbps "Great Wi-Fi" and Residential Max "Best Wi-Fi". It doesn't say which router each plan comes with, so look at what's in your box, or in the app, before you buy any extra equipment. The same page says Residential Max customers can add an optional Starlink Mini, the portable kit with its Wi-Fi router built into the dish, which is why it's in the table.

A WAN (wide area network) port is the socket that faces the internet; a LAN (local area network) port is for devices in your home. Starlink says the Router 3, with a dedicated backhaul (a separate radio band the router keeps for talking to mesh units), suits larger or multi-level homes, homes with many devices, and streaming, gaming and remote work. It positions the Router Mini for smaller homes, flats, simple set-ups and dead spots. Both use WPA2 security. Starlink adds that coverage estimates vary with layout, building materials and interference, and that brick, stone, mirrors or several walls can reduce it.

The two kits are wired differently, which matters later. In the Router 3 kit, Starlink's setup guide runs the dish cable straight into the Router 3, which plugs into the mains through its power supply. In the Router Mini kit, the dish cable goes to a separate power supply, and a 2 m Starlink Ethernet cable runs from the power supply to the Router Mini. When you first set up either kit, you join a Wi-Fi network called STARLINK and a browser window asks for a new network name and password; Starlink calls this step optional but recommended.

Not with the current UK kits. Starlink's help centre says the Router 3 has a WAN port and two LAN Ethernet ports, and the Router Mini has one WAN port and one LAN port. The Starlink Ethernet adapter is for the older Gen 2 router, which came with the Standard Actuated and older High Performance kits and has no Ethernet ports of its own. If you've been given or bought a second-hand kit, check which router it has: Starlink says a Gen 2 router needs the adapter before you can plug anything in by cable.

Plugging in a wired device

1. Router 3: the leftmost port is the WAN port, which the dish cable already uses. Take off the rubber cover on the back and plug your device into one of the two LAN ports underneath, marked with a LAN icon.
2. Router Mini: the WAN port, marked with the Starlink symbol, takes the cable from the power supply; use the other port for your device.
3. Need more sockets? For both routers, Starlink says to plug an Ethernet switch (a small box that turns one port into several) into a LAN port.
4. Cable: Starlink recommends Cat5e or better. Our guide to wiring your home with Ethernet covers cable types, switches and powerline adapters.

Older kits come with their own cautions. For the Standard Actuated kit, Starlink says to plug a switch into the Ethernet adapter and not to turn on bypass mode for it, because bypass is for a third-party router and provides only one IP address. For the old circular Standard kit, it says not to put a switch between the power supply and the router.

The Starlink Mini is different. Its single Ethernet port is closed by a Starlink plug. To wire something in, you remove the plug and fit Starlink's own Mini Ethernet cable (sold separately) or a standard Ethernet cable. Starlink warns that the Mini is no longer rated IP67 (its dust and water rating) with a standard RJ45 cable fitted, and recommends its own cable to keep the weatherproofing.

A mesh system uses several Wi-Fi units working as one network; our guide to mesh Wi-Fi vs Wi-Fi extenders explains the general idea. With Starlink you have two routes, and they don't combine.

Route 1: add Starlink's own mesh units

Starlink says the Router 3, Gen 2 router and Router Mini can mesh with each other (its accessories guide adds the Starlink Mini), and the Router Mini is sold partly as a mesh node to fill dead spots. Starlink's advice for setting it up:

1. Make sure your Starlink is set up and online first.
2. Plug the new unit into a socket, ideally one to two rooms from the main router. Starlink says each node should pair directly with the main router, because chained nodes perform worse, and that more than three mesh nodes can reduce performance.
3. Stay connected to your existing Starlink Wi-Fi, not the new unit's own STARLINK network, and open the app.
4. Within about one to two minutes a new mesh node notification should appear. Tap Pair; the node takes about one to two minutes more to connect.

For a very large home, over 6,000 sq ft (about 560 m²), Starlink suggests running Ethernet between the routers. For a wired mesh link, run the cable from a LAN port on the main router to the WAN port on the mesh node.

Route 2: your own mesh system instead

Starlink's specification sheets say its routers are not compatible with third-party mesh systems, and its mesh install guide says you cannot add a Starlink mesh router to an existing third-party mesh. So if you prefer, say, a mesh kit you already own, it takes over the whole home network: its main unit connects to Starlink like any third-party router (see bypass mode below), and Starlink's Wi-Fi goes off.

Before you buy a router, it's worth knowing what Starlink's own router already lets you do. There's no web admin page to log into: Starlink says its router has no administrator portal, and all available settings are made in the Starlink app. Starlink lists them as:

• Wi-Fi network name and password, including separate 2.4GHz and 5GHz network names
• Reboot and factory reset
• Custom DNS servers
• A custom LAN subnet (the range of addresses your home devices get); Starlink's steps are Network, then the gear icon, choose your network, pick a subnet from the dropdown and save
• Bypass mode, content filtering and client pausing

Starlink also runs network modes: a Default network, where devices can see each other for casting, printing and file sharing, and a Guest network that keeps visitors' devices apart and stops them opening the Starlink app. What it lacks, by Starlink's own account, is MAC filtering (allowing or blocking devices by their hardware address) and port forwarding. If neither matters to you and Starlink mesh covers your home, you may not need your own router at all.

Starlink says bypass mode turns off the Starlink router's Wi-Fi completely so your own router manages the network. The general points about choosing and setting up your own router are in our guide to using your own router with UK broadband; here is what's specific to Starlink.

1. Get Starlink working first. Bypass is switched on in the Starlink app, so set Starlink up as normal with its own router and check it's online before you bring in yours.
2. Turn on bypass in the Starlink app, under Settings. On the Router Mini, Starlink gives the path as Settings > Bypass mode > Enable.
3. Connect your router. On the Router 3, Starlink says to plug your router directly into one of the Ethernet ports on the back of the Starlink router. Plug the other end into your router's WAN (internet) port.
4. Set your router's WAN to DHCP, so it picks up its address from Starlink automatically.
5. Check the light. A violet light shows the Starlink router is in bypass mode. It turns off after an hour, so don't worry when it goes dark.

Two things the steps don't spell out. First, on the Router 3 kit the Starlink router stays in place: the dish cable runs into the Router 3, and your own router plugs into the Router 3's Ethernet ports, so the Router 3 stays plugged in and powered even in bypass mode. Second, Starlink's bypass article gives Router Mini owners the app steps but doesn't say where your own router plugs in. The Router Mini kit's setup guide says its spare port can connect "3rd party hardware", but that isn't a bypass instruction, so ask Starlink before buying cables.

Your own router without bypass

You can plug a router into a Starlink LAN port and leave bypass off, but then both routers may be doing NAT, which our guide to CGNAT, static IP and IPv6 calls double NAT, along with the problems it can cause for games. On Starlink, bypass mode is how you hand the job over to your own router.

If you use your own router for failover

Some routers can switch to a second connection when one drops. Starlink says such health checks should ping a public address such as 8.8.8.8 or 1.1.1.1 (its own DNS servers don't respond to ping), checking every 10 seconds and marking the link down after five failures in a row. Our guide to a backup broadband connection covers the wider idea.

Our CGNAT and IPv6 guide explains these ideas in general. In short, CGNAT means many customers share public IPv4 addresses inside the provider's network. Here is how Starlink says it works (checked October 2026):

• IPv4 by default: CGNAT. Your Starlink gets one IPv4 address by DHCP from the 100.64.0.0/10 range, the block reserved for CGNAT. Starlink says this default policy "blocks all inbound ports".
• IPv6: public, on every plan. Starlink says it supports native IPv6 across all its routers, kit versions and service plans, and that each Starlink gets a delegated /56 IPv6 prefix (a block of public addresses for your home network) via DHCPv6-PD. If you use your own router, it has to support DHCPv6-PD (prefix delegation) to receive that block.
• Public IPv4: Priority plans only. Starlink's article on switching to a public IP says it's available only on the Local Priority and Global Priority plans, both of which appear in Starlink's UK contract summary. They aren't among the Residential and Roam plans in our comparison, and neither of Starlink's IP articles lists Residential.
• No static IPs. Starlink says it doesn't provide static IP addresses, and that from time to time addresses will change, for resilience, as capacity grows or when new countries join the network. The reservation system it describes, which keeps addresses through reboots, sits under its public IPv4 option.

That last point matters if you set IPv6 firewall rules for a device at home: Starlink doesn't promise the prefix stays the same, so check your rules if something stops being reachable. If you use your own router, its status page shows the internet (WAN) address Starlink gave it. On Starlink's default policy, expect one in the 100.64.0.0 to 100.127.255.255 range, the CGNAT block; our CGNAT guide explains how to compare it with your public address. Starlink also says users may see changes over time, such as publicly routable addresses and non-CGNAT set-ups.

Everyday things (streaming, browsing, video calls, downloading games) start from inside your home and work normally behind CGNAT. Problems come when something outside needs to start a connection to a device inside.

Port forwarding and remote access

Port forwarding is a router rule that sends incoming traffic to one device, such as a CCTV recorder, a media server or a home VPN server. Starlink says its Wi-Fi routers don't support port forwarding or firewall rules for IPv4 or IPv6, and that for port forwarding you need a third-party router that supports it and a public IP on your Starlink service. On a Residential plan, then, incoming IPv4 connections are out. Because Starlink gives you public IPv6 addresses, a router whose IPv6 firewall can allow chosen incoming connections is the route to try, but it only helps if the device or app connecting in also uses IPv6.

Gaming and NAT type

Xbox says a NAT (network address translation) problem can stop you hearing friends in a party or hosting or joining a multiplayer game, and that you want your NAT type to be Open. With Starlink's router offering no port forwarding and its default CGNAT blocking all inbound ports, Xbox's advanced fix of opening ports through port forwarding won't work over IPv4. Our CGNAT guide explains Xbox's NAT types and what Xbox says about private addresses. We found no statement from Xbox or PlayStation about Starlink itself, so test the games you care about early: Starlink's UK residential page advertises a 30-day trial. On speed of response, Starlink's UK contract summary gives latency of 25-50ms on land (100ms or more on open waters) and says its speeds make it suitable for online gaming (checked October 2026). Our guide to latency, ping and jitter puts that in context.

VPNs

A work VPN that connects out from your laptop is the easy case. Starlink says it supports VPNs that use TCP or UDP, that SSL-based VPNs typically work best through CGNAT, and that the VPN must support NAT traversal. It lists SSTP, OpenVPN and WireGuard as client VPNs that generally work well with CGNAT, and PPTP and L2TP as ones that generally don't. Starlink adds that it can't troubleshoot VPN connections, that the Starlink app might not work properly while a VPN is on, and that a VPN can affect performance. If your employer's VPN uses an older protocol, ask your IT team before you switch. A VPN server at home that you connect into from elsewhere runs into the port forwarding limits above.

Ports Starlink blocks

Starlink blocks some ports for all customers, including outbound port 25 (SMTP, used to pass email between mail servers) over TCP and UDP, outbound TCP 445 over IPv4 (SMB, Windows file sharing), and NetBIOS ports 135-139 in both directions. Inbound, it blocks UDP ports including 1900 (SSDP). If you run your own mail server or rely on an old device that sends email straight out on port 25, plan around it; our guide to email that won't send on home broadband may help.

• Check your kit. Router 3, Router Mini or Starlink Mini? It decides how many Ethernet ports you have and how bypass works. An older Gen 2 router needs Starlink's Ethernet adapter.
• Check whether you need your own router at all. For better coverage, Starlink mesh units are the simplest add-on; for wired devices, a switch on a LAN port may be enough.
• Ethernet WAN with DHCP. Your router needs an Ethernet internet (WAN) port that can be set to DHCP, the setting Starlink asks for.
• IPv6 with prefix delegation. Look for DHCPv6-PD support, so the router can receive the /56 block Starlink provides.
• IPv6 firewall controls, if you want anything at home reachable from outside.
• VPN protocol. If you rely on a VPN, check it's one Starlink lists as working through CGNAT.
• Speed. Starlink's UK contract summary gives expected peak-hour ranges for the Residential plans of up to 300Mbps download (Residential Max, 50-300Mbps) and 15-35Mbps upload (checked October 2026), so a router with gigabit (1Gbps) ports has room to spare.

Once it's set up, run our broadband speed test on a wired device and then over Wi-Fi in the rooms you use most. A big gap between the two points to your Wi-Fi rather than Starlink. If you need a public IPv4 address, for example to host game servers, Starlink offers it only on Priority plans; our CGNAT guide covers fixed-line providers that sell a static IP, and you can compare broadband deals at your postcode.

If you're still deciding on Starlink, our guide to what happens when you install Starlink covers the dish, cables and placement, and our guide to satellite broadband in the UK covers the wider picture. You can compare Starlink's plans or browse the broadband providers we compare.

Two things your router choice won't change. Starlink's UK residential page lists internet plans only and mentions no phone service, and Starlink's router help pages describe Ethernet ports, not a phone socket; our guide to a home phone with Starlink covers the options, and our CGNAT guide notes CGNAT can affect some internet phone (VoIP) services. And every box needs power: Starlink's home set-up guides plug the kit into a mains socket, its mesh units go into power sockets, and your own router needs one too. Our guides to Starlink's power use and digital phone lines in a power cut cover what that means.