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I have just got Starlink and can connect wirelessly to it fine. I can put it in bypass mode, plug a 2m ethernet cable into the adaptor and connect this to my Netgear 4 - Stream AX1800 WiFi 6 Router, reset the router, set it up, and connect to wireless fine.
The problem is when I plug a cat6 ethernet cable into the adapter and connect the router to this, that it doesn’t work. It says no internet connection and when i go thru the setup it thinks there is a cable unplugged. This cable runs from my barn, where the Starlink is, to my house. It doesn’t make any sense that there could be an issue with the cable (unless it’s not compatible for some reason I’m unaware of) as i am currently still paying for another internet service provider which is 4g wireless. The cat6 cable can plug into this 4g wireless modem and then connect the other end of the cable to the aforementioned router and it works fine. Please help! I really hope the cable is compatible as it goes underground between ny house and barn, so can’t really replace it. Thanks very much!
SOLVED! I put a switch in between the Starlink ethernet adapter and the cat cable which runs up to our house and connects to the Netgear router. No idea why this would make any difference but the router recognised the cable straight away.
@J27 wrote: I have just got Starlink and can connect wirelessly to it fine. I can put it in bypass mode, plug a 2m ethernet cable into the adaptor and connect this to my Netgear 4 - Stream AX1800 WiFi 6 Router, reset the router, set it up, and connect to wireless fine.
What is the "it" in bypass mode? The thing that delivers Starlink?
What is this adapter? Does it sit between the Starlink device and the router?
The problem is when I plug a cat6 ethernet cable into the adapter and connect the router to this, that it doesn’t work. It says no internet connection and when i go thru the setup it thinks there is a cable unplugged.
What is "this"? The adapter or the router?
You shouldn't plug anything into the network upstream from the router.
To get a connection from the router to the barn, you need to plug the cable that goes to barn into the router.
Re your first question, the “it” in bypass mode is the Starlink router.
Re your 2nd question, the adapter is the Starlink ethernet adapter you can purchase from Starlink, in order to be able to plug an ethernet cable into it, as the Starlink modem has no ethernet ports. Yes, the Starlink adapter sits in between the Starlink modem and my Netgear router.
Re your 3rd question, the “this” is the cat6 ethernet cable which runs from my barn to my house. One end gets plugged into the Starlink adapter (which is in the barn, along with the Starlink dish plus modem), the other end of this cable gets plugged into the Netgear router up at my house.
Really hoping I can get this running asap!! Thanks very much
Re your 2nd question, the adapter is the Starlink ethernet adapter you can purchase from Starlink, in order to be able to plug an ethernet cable into it, as the Starlink modem has no ethernet ports. Yes, the Starlink adapter sits in between the Starlink modem and my Netgear router.
So the adapter is a simple one "in <> out" thing with no other devices plugged into it.
Sometimes people try to put a "switch" between modem and router to feed other devices at the same time. That doesn't work.
I should have asked earlier, what is this "Netgear 4 - Stream AX1800 WiFi 6 Router"? That's not a model number I recognise.
AX1800 is a wifi technology, not a model number. Various devices could fit that description. For example the EAX15/20 are mesh extenders rather than routers.You won't get far with one of those.
Your first message said
"It says no internet connection and when i go thru the setup it thinks there is a cable unplugged."
What is "it" there? Are you trying to set this up with an app on a mobile device?
Netgear likes to push that approach but it can produce that sort of error message. A more reliable approach is a web browser and the graphical user interface (GUI).
If the 4g modem happily feeds the router over the cable from the barn, that should confirm that it is a compatible cable.
Is it possible to test the Starlink to Netgear connection in the barn with no cable in the middle?
Yes trying to setup using Nighthawk app as this is what instructions in the box say to do.
How do you access the web browser GUI? And what’s the process?
That’s what I thought too re the cable, surely must be fine since it works with the 4g modem and the Netgear router.
I can try test the Starlink to Netgear connection in the barn with no cable in the middle (so connecting from Starlink wirelessly to the Netgear router, if possible). But I’m not sure what this would solve if it did work, as once the router is back up in my house it will be too far to try connect with the modem down in the barn.
An update!! The cat5a cable in wuestion which runs from the Starlink adapter in my barn to my house works!! I’ve plugged it directly into my smart tv and it worked straight away! So it must be a Netgear router problem. Any ideas how to get this going?? Someone elsewhere suggested it could be an IP issue, but I’m not sure? Thanks
@J27 wrote: Someone elsewhere suggested it could be an IP issue, but I’m not sure? Thanks
I wouldn't be sure either. At least, not without e better explanation. But even if it were, how would you expect to fix it?
We still do not know if you have made any attempt to set up the router with a web browser and the graphical user interface (GUI).
The error message that you described at the very beginning is sometimes associated with trying to set up the router with the Nighthawk app. That is not the best way to go abut the task, especially when you are using Apple hardware.
The cat5a cable in wuestion which runs from the Starlink adapter in my barn to my house works!! I’ve plugged it directly into my smart tv and it worked straight away!
As I read it, which may be wrong, you have been trying to set up the router by connecting it to the Starlink adapter and then to the cable to the house.
Have you thought of repeating the above experiment and putting the router in the house, where the TV now sits?
If I have got it wrong, try moving the router to the barn and setting it up there. If nothing else, that would definitely rule out the cable. If you can't set it up there, then the router may be dead.
If you can set it up in the barn and get it to work you can then move it to the other end of the cable in the house. If it fails there, then the cable could be suspect.
Yes, I have tried using the web browser to try set it up, makes no difference.
I’m not using any Apple hardware to set it up, not sure where you got that from (was it when I said in my last post the cat5e cable works when I plug it directly into my smart tv? This is just a Panasonic tv.
Correct you’ve slightly misread my setup configuration. I’m trying to set it up with the router in my house. The cat5a cable goes from my barn (where Starlink and adapter are) underground to my house. Approx run of 80m.
As mentioned previously i can take the router to the barn and plug it into the Starlink adapter with a shorter 2m cable and connect to router wifi and it works fine. This you would think would mean the cat5a cable which runs underground is faulty, however this doesn’t make any sense for 2 reasons as previously stated: 1 i can plug the cat5a cable directly into my smart tv in my house and it works 2 i can replace starlink modem with other isp modem, plug cat5a cable into this , then plug cat5a cable into Netgear modem up at house and it works
So, Starlink works fine, cat5a cable seems to work fine, Netgear router works fine - just won’t work altogether!!!
Some say there is a ethernet adapter that comes from the ISP that maybe needed and or use of a non managed switch in between there equipement and the NG router. Something to contact the ISP about and ask them.
Thanks, I’m already using the Starlink ethernet adapter as noted previously (otherwise there’d be nowhere to plug a cable into the Starlink modem). I’ve tried adding a switch after the cat5a cable/before the router, which didn’t work, but will try today adding the switch between the Starlink modem and the cat5a cable and see if it makes any difference.
FYI all users please note, When I plug the cat 5a cable directly into my smart tv I can view the connection stats eg IP DNS MAC address, if this can help at all somehow. I tried copying these details into the router setup (so using static ip rather than get dynamically from ISP) and it didn’t work.
Can you confirm CAT # cable? There is only CAT5, CAT5e and CAT6 and CAT6A
CAT6 UTP would be recommended cabling for use between the ISP equipement and NG router.
Yes try the Ethernet adapter connected to a non managed switch then connect the router to the non managed switch. I'd power OFF the ISP equipement and NG router for 1 minute then back ON.
Similar to a Cable Modem (configured for a consumer or SMB service, without a special service for a bigger network with multiple Internet addresses, the Starlink Modem in bridge mode can does accept just one MAC address (== one computer, smart TV, or router WAN port at a time). Rebooting the Starlink might be required to forget the previous MAC address. (says my friend sailing the seas worldwide with a Starlink and a Netgear WiFi Mesh on-board).
SOLVED! I put a switch in between the Starlink ethernet adapter and the cat cable which runs up to our house and connects to the Netgear router. No idea why this would make any difference but the router recognised the cable straight away.
Thank you for the approach. Very strange, Gigabit Ethernet links are supposed to come up reliably. Would like to challenge Netgear to look into this interop issue.
