Linux: Use a Secondary Cable / DSL Wi-Fi Connection Together with Your Starlink Ethernet Link
Combining two Internet connections may seem like rocket science, but it’s actually quite simple if you have the right channel bonding app like Speedify.
When you're using Starlink as your main Internet connection, it's recommended you combine it with another Internet source, for more reliable connectivity. As we all know, satellite connections , including Starlink, are prone to being unreliable, whether it's a temporary outage or the weather is acting up.
In this guide we'll show you how you can use your Starlink satellite Internet connection via wired Ethernet together with another Wi-Fi network (that can be your old cable / DSL connection, for example) and then use Speedify to combine them on Linux.
You can also combine Starlink via Wi-Fi - see our Getting Started page for guides on that. Just select "Starlink" as one of the connections to combine.
Speedify can bond your Starlink satellite connection with any number or combination of other Internet connections and will intelligently distribute your online traffic among them for optimal performance. Plus, if you get disconnected from Starlink in the middle of an important video call or file transfer, Speedify will seamlessly failover to your other working Internet connection(s) without skipping a beat.
Speedify Starlink Index — real-world performance from 6,209 Starlink users: 2.4% downtime, about 34 minutes a day for always-on connections
Starlink goes down every day.
Here’s what that actually looks like.
Speedify passively monitors every connection it bonds. These figures come from 6,209 Starlink users over 14 days — compared in real time against the other connections on the same devices. No speed tests, no lab conditions.
Daily downtime
~34 min
2.4% of connected time unreachable
Median latency
60 ms
p90 spikes to 257 ms
Avg packet loss
0.17%
vs 0.08% on T-Mobile
71% ran at least one other connection simultaneously — 4,381 of 6,209 users. Cellular is the most common backup.
Use Speedify to stay online during satellite handoffs every 15 seconds
Research confirms Starlink switches between satellites every 15 seconds on a fixed schedule. Each satellite handoff is a potential dropout, and on a congested network or with any obstruction, those Starlink dropouts become real interruptions.
Speedify fixes Starlink connection drops by combining your Starlink internet connection with another satellite dish, Wi-Fi, 4G/5G cellular, or wired Ethernet at the same time. When Starlink drops, Speedify keeps your traffic moving on the backup internet connection instantly.
Speedify alerts you about your Starlink dish status
Speedify software alerts you about your Starlink dish status as soon as your dish experiences an issue - e.g. when your actuator motor is stuck, the mast is not vertical or there's a thermal throttle.
Speedify's Starlink Control Center helps you monitor all your Starlink dishes, read obstruction maps, and align multiple dishes all in the Speedify app. Get a real-time view of each dish's health and optimize the position of each Starlink dish, so you get the best possible performance out of your Starlink connections.
Speedify makes your uploads and downloads faster, more reliable, and more secure.
Speedify combines Wi-Fi, 4G / 5G cellular, Ethernet, Starlink, and other satellites for faster internet uploads and downloads
Speedify is the only software app that combines Wi-Fi, 4G / 5G cellular, Ethernet, Starlink and other satellites at once for secure, faster, and more reliable internet uploads and downloads so you stay online without interruptions.
Speedify will automatically detect and start using any available Internet connections on your device while intelligently distributing your online traffic between them for optimal performance. If you need help we have quick start guides available for most common set ups.
Speedify gets you faster uploads and downloads from the devices around you
Speedify's Pair & Share feature lets you and the devices around you pair up and share 4G/5G cellular both ways, so every paired device gets faster uploads, faster downloads, and a steadier internet connection. All sides share and use each other's cellular at once, unlike a personal hotspot, where one device gives and the rest take.
Speedify's Pair & Share feature runs over the local network between devices already running Speedify, with no extra hardware and no new data plans. Speedify creates an encrypted pool of shared 4G/5G cellular connections across all paired devices. Each device taps into that shared pool of combined connections for faster upload and download speeds and a more reliable internet connection.
See how you can use Speedify to combine different Internet connections:
3 Steps to Combine Starlink via Wired Ethernet with Cable / DSL via Wi-Fi on Ubuntu Linux
Step 1: Connect to Your Starlink Internet via Wired Ethernet
As of January 2023, Starlink comes in the box with the Wi-Fi router only. But you can get a Starlink Ethernet adapter you mount between the dish and the Wi-Fi router. This will provide a wired Ethernet port you can input into your Linux computer.
Connect an Ethernet cable between your router or modem and the Ethernet port on your Ubuntu computer. If your computer doesn’t have a built-in Ethernet port, try using a USB to Ethernet adapter instead. Ubuntu will start using your Ethernet connection and you should see it listed in the System Menu under “Wired Connection”.
Step 2: Connect to Your Cable or DSL Internet via Wi-Fi
Click on the arrow in the top right corner (also known as the System Menu) then Wi-Fi > Select Network and choose your desired network. Keep in mind, private networks may require you to enter a password before connecting.
Step 3: Download and Install Speedify
Last but certainly not least, download and install Speedify. Once running, Speedify will automatically detect any available Internet connections and combine them for increased speed, security, and stability. This means you should see both your Starlink wired Ethernet connection as well as your cable / DSL Wi-Fi connection in the app's user interface.
You can manage settings, view statistics, and even apply limits to individual connections by either clicking/tapping on them from the Dashboard or by navigating to the desired connection through the main Settings menu.
Speedify will work quietly in the background to optimize performance including prioritizing streaming web traffic to avoid stuttering, buffering and disconnects.
Whether at home, work, or on-the-go, Speedify is the only VPN that makes your online experiences faster, more reliable, and more secure.
Get started with Speedify today!
With Speedify you can combine Wi-Fi, 4G / 5G cellular, Ethernet, Starlink and other satellites into one bonded super-connection to improve livestreaming, video calling, gaming, web browsing, and everything else you do online.
Speed
Stability
Security
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