Speedify Uses a Tethered Android Phone as Backup for Starlink on Ubuntu Linux to Keep You Online
If Starlink is your primary internet on Ubuntu Linux, Speedify turns your Android phone’s 4G/5G cellular into an automatic backup by tethering it over USB. Speedify uses Speedify’s channel bonding technology to run Starlink and the tethered Android phone together, so weather, a dish obstruction, or satellite congestion no longer interrupts an active download, SSH session, or VoIP call. Your traffic shifts to the phone with no dropped sessions, and when both connections are healthy Speedify bonds them for faster upload and download speeds and encrypts your traffic on both paths.
This guide covers why a tethered Android phone is a convenient backup for Starlink on Ubuntu, how Speedify manages both internet connections, and how to set up Speedify in three steps.
Embed Speedify software for the next generation of routers, networking appliances, and smart devices
Speedify Teams
Get faster uploads and downloads and a more reliable internet connection for all the people and devices in your business using the Speedify software app or Powered by Speedify routers.
Speedify for Routers
Power your OpenWRT, GL.iNET, or Miri router with Speedify and combine Wi-Fi, Ethernet, 4G, 5G, Starlink and other satellite internet connections together.
Speedify Embedded Solutions and Integrations
Embed Speedify software into your app or hardware products and leverage the core channel bonding technology of Speedify.
Quick answer
Should you get a backup connection for Starlink?
Yes. Starlink goes down every day — an always-on dish averages about 34 minutes of downtime daily from routine satellite handoffs. A second connection keeps you online when Starlink drops.
What’s the best backup connection for Starlink?
A 4G/5G cellular hotspot or SIM is the most practical backup for most Starlink users — it works anywhere Starlink works, requires no installation, and uses a different network so outages rarely overlap. Cable or DSL broadband is a strong option if you have it at a fixed location. A second Starlink dish is also possible if you need maximum throughput.
How do you use two internet connections at once with Starlink?
Speedify combines Starlink with any other connection — cellular, cable, Wi-Fi, or a second dish — into one bonded connection. Speedify runs on your phone, laptop, or router. When Starlink drops, Speedify moves your traffic to the backup instantly, so calls don’t cut out and downloads don’t stall. Speedify is free to try.
71% of Speedify’s Starlink users already run a second connection. The data below shows why.
Try Speedify free →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.
Why Tether an Android Phone Alongside Starlink on Ubuntu Linux
Starlink and your Android phone’s 4G/5G cellular data use entirely separate infrastructure. Starlink connects through low-Earth-orbit satellites. Android’s cellular data connects through ground-based carrier towers. A weather event or satellite issue that disrupts Starlink does not affect your phone’s cellular connection. A tower outage does not affect Starlink.
For Ubuntu users who already have an Android phone, USB tethering turns that phone into an immediately available second internet connection. No additional hardware subscription is needed beyond your existing mobile data plan. Plugging in via USB also keeps your Android phone charged while it provides the tethered connection to your machine.
With Speedify running on your Ubuntu machine, both Starlink and the tethered Android phone carry your traffic simultaneously. If Starlink drops during an active SSH session, download, or VoIP call, Speedify reroutes all traffic through the tethered cellular connection without interrupting the session.
How Speedify Manages Starlink and a Tethered Android on Ubuntu
Once USB tethering is active on your Android phone and your Ubuntu machine is connected to both the tethered interface and Starlink Wi-Fi, Speedify detects both connections and begins monitoring them. Speedify tracks latency, packet loss, and available bandwidth on each path every few milliseconds.
When both connections are healthy, Speedify distributes traffic across both and delivers up to 95% of their combined upload and download capacity. When one connection degrades, Speedify moves all traffic to the healthy connection at the packet level. Sessions stay live.
Speedify also encrypts all your internet traffic across both the Starlink and tethered Android connections, protecting your data on every path.
How to Combine Starlink and a Tethered Android Phone on Ubuntu Linux with Speedify
Step 1: Enable USB Tethering on Your Android Phone
On your Android phone, go to Settings > Connections > Mobile Hotspot and Tethering and enable USB Tethering. Connect your phone to your Ubuntu machine using a USB cable. Ubuntu should recognize the Android phone as a new network interface automatically. Run ip link or check Network Manager to confirm the tethered interface is active.
Step 2: Connect Your Ubuntu Machine to Starlink Wi-Fi
Using your built-in Wi-Fi interface, connect to your Starlink network via Network Manager. Confirm both the Starlink Wi-Fi and the tethered Android interface are active and assigned IP addresses.
Step 3: Download and Run Speedify
Download Speedify for Linux and install it on your Ubuntu machine. Speedify will detect both connections and begin bonding them automatically. No manual routing configuration is needed.
Speedify manages both connections in the background from that point: combining them for faster upload and download speeds, monitoring both paths, failing over instantly, and encrypting all traffic.
NEW!
Miri X510 Bonding Router
POWERED BY SPEEDIFY
Bond up to 7 Links Simultaneously
Combine wired, Wi-Fi, 5G, and LTE connections plus Pair & Share with other Speedify users.
Battery-powered Portability
Who Should Use Speedify with Starlink and a Tethered Android on Ubuntu Linux
- Linux engineers and developers working remotely on Ubuntu with Starlink as primary internet who want their Android phone’s cellular data as a live backup
- System administrators running Ubuntu workstations at locations where Starlink is the main connection and an Android phone provides the cellular fallback
- Researchers and data scientists running long jobs on Ubuntu who cannot afford a connectivity drop and always have an Android phone available
- Businesses deploying Ubuntu machines in remote locations where Starlink is primary and a team member’s Android phone serves as the backup path
- Anyone running Ubuntu on Starlink with an Android phone available who wants both connections combined and managed automatically
Speedify Is Used on Millions of Devices Worldwide
Speedify has powered stronger Internet for millions of consumers since 2014
15M
Millions of Speedify downloads worldwide, and growing every day5⭐️
More than 75,000 5-star reviews for Speedify in the iOS and Android app stores82
Points of Speedify presence in datacenters around the globe500TB
Hundreds of terabytes of fast, secure data streamed every week via SpeedifySpeedify Partners
Speedify partners with these amazing organizations to deliver better internet and next-generation networking technology to their customers and employees.
Speedify Also Monitors Your Starlink Dish Status on Ubuntu Linux
Speedify displays real-time Starlink dish alerts in the app on your Ubuntu machine. If your Starlink dish detects a stuck actuator motor, a non-vertical mast, or a thermal throttle condition, Speedify shows the alert in the dashboard. Alerts appear when the condition has been active for at least 15 seconds and clear once the issue is resolved.
Speedify combines connection bonding and Starlink hardware monitoring in one application on Ubuntu.
Speedify Business Solutions
Speedify Teams
Speedify for Routers
Speedify Embedded Solutions and Integrations
Embed Speedify software into your app or hardware products and leverage the core channel bonding technology of Speedify in new and interesting ways.