6 ms·

I'm thinking of using this for a backup connection if FIOS fails... we'd switch our office over to starlink... currently we switch to comcast and it's basicaly

by taf2 5y ago

I'm thinking of using this for a backup connection if FIOS fails... we'd switch our office over to starlink... currently we switch to comcast and it's basicaly unsable... so wonder if starlink would be good for ssh connections etc...

solarengineer 5y ago
When I connect to remote servers over SSH, I usually start a screen (another alternative is tmux) session and then perform my administrative and diagnostics actions in that session. This way, even if I get disconnected, I can reconnect and join that running session. There are other benefits to a screen multiplexer - such as multiple remote users being able to attach to the same session, a joy when a distributed team needs to diagnose an issue or watch some actions together.
- jefftk 5y ago
  Combine with mosh and you can even keep editing while the connection blips!
- iotku 5y ago
  You may also want to look into mosh [1] as it will handle dropouts and continue where ssh would just fail on its own. Also has local echo for points of high latency. Was a real life saver on some of the terrible sat connections of yesteryear. 1. https://mosh.org/ https://mosh.org/
  - aruggirello 5y ago
    How does it compare to autossh?
    - wffurr 5y ago
      autossh just re-reestablishes your ssh connection. It doesn't tolerate packet loss very well or have local echo like mosh. mosh does require UDP ports, though, which might be problematic with some firewalls or proxies.
  - starfallg 5y ago
    Mosh is great, but if you don't need the predictive terminal emulation, then you can try Eternal Terminal, which is easier to get running due to not needed an UDP port open.
- taf2 5y ago
  yeah i use screen for everything too... still there are times when a connection dropping is a bit scary...
wil421 5y ago
I’d fix the Comcast problem before switching over to something that is pretty much guaranteed to have drop offs at this point in time. There are also devices that will give you a cellular LTE backup like the U-LTE from UniFi. I’ve heard the plans are a bit pricey. https://store.ui.com/collections/unifi-accessories/products/unifi-lte https://store.ui.com/collections/unifi-accessories/products/...
- taf2 5y ago
  Yeah we have mifi’s as backup as well but usually only a few people can be on those. But also thinking about dedicated fiber… but honestly none of these seem as cool to me right now as bunch of satellites
olyjohn 5y ago
I work from home on Starlink. My SSH sessions work just fine. When I first got the service, it was dropping quite a lot, but even then SSH worked pretty well. But these days, if there are any drops, I can't tell. The improvements in the last few months have been massive. I am even about to drop my land line, because WiFi calling on my cell phone has been nearly perfect. It works better than my cell phone does when I am in a good service area.
- GoOnThenDoTell 5y ago
  mosh instead of ssh helps for unreliable connections
HWR_14 5y ago
If you live somewhere with FiOS, Starlink is going to be a non-starter. FiOS requires high density. High density kills Starlink connections. I suppose Starlink can support a small, negligible, percentage of customers in an urban (or even suburban) area. (Same total number as a rural area.) So, if you think they are going to cutoff registrations as oppose to oversubscribe when they hit that point you may want to sign up right away.
- freeopinion 5y ago
  I'm not sure if you are using FiOS as a synonym for FTTH. If so, you might be interested to know I live somewhere with FTTH that is reasonably low-density (~25-30 people per sq km). I think Starlink will be a very serious consideration here.
  - HWR_14 5y ago
    When I say FiOS, I'm thinking gigabit+ FTTH/FTTD (I'm not 100% sure of the difference). Given that you quoted people per sq km (about 70-84 people per sq. mile), you're probably not in the US. In the US, it's hard to get fiber outside of areas with the high density I'm quoting (at least in my experience). But yes, that density seems fine for Starlink (although maybe it isn't in the end, who knows yet.)
    - freeopinion 5y ago
      My understanding is that StarLink is aiming for 100M un-guaranteed in beta. So that's considerably below gigabit. But I also know that most households with FTTH around here use considerably less than 50M. So perhaps you meant that gigabit internet kills Starlink. FTTH has some advantages over Starlink. But Starlink also has advantages over FTTH. If you need more than 100M, Starlink is not in the game yet. But if you want some leverage with the local monopoly and have typical usage... Or, if you snowbird (common case here) and want the same provider on the border of Canada and the border of Mexico...
      - HWR_14 5y ago
driverdan 5y ago
LTE makes a lot more sense if you have a decent signal. The cost is lower and speeds are comparable in many areas if you have good hardware.
grognak420 5y ago
For ssh you could use tmux or screen in case you get disconnected

by taf2 5y ago

solarengineer 5y ago

When I connect to remote servers over SSH, I usually start a screen (another alternative is tmux) session and then perform my administrative and diagnostics actions in that session. This way, even if I get disconnected, I can reconnect and join that running session. There are other benefits to a screen multiplexer - such as multiple remote users being able to attach to the same session, a joy when a distributed team needs to diagnose an issue or watch some actions together.

jefftk 5y ago
Combine with mosh and you can even keep editing while the connection blips!
iotku 5y ago
You may also want to look into mosh [1] as it will handle dropouts and continue where ssh would just fail on its own. Also has local echo for points of high latency. Was a real life saver on some of the terrible sat connections of yesteryear. 1. https://mosh.org/ https://mosh.org/
- aruggirello 5y ago
  How does it compare to autossh?
  - wffurr 5y ago
    autossh just re-reestablishes your ssh connection. It doesn't tolerate packet loss very well or have local echo like mosh. mosh does require UDP ports, though, which might be problematic with some firewalls or proxies.
- starfallg 5y ago
  Mosh is great, but if you don't need the predictive terminal emulation, then you can try Eternal Terminal, which is easier to get running due to not needed an UDP port open.
taf2 5y ago
yeah i use screen for everything too... still there are times when a connection dropping is a bit scary...

wil421 5y ago

I’d fix the Comcast problem before switching over to something that is pretty much guaranteed to have drop offs at this point in time. There are also devices that will give you a cellular LTE backup like the U-LTE from UniFi. I’ve heard the plans are a bit pricey. https://store.ui.com/collections/unifi-accessories/products/unifi-lte https://store.ui.com/collections/unifi-accessories/products/...

taf2 5y ago
Yeah we have mifi’s as backup as well but usually only a few people can be on those. But also thinking about dedicated fiber… but honestly none of these seem as cool to me right now as bunch of satellites

olyjohn 5y ago

I work from home on Starlink. My SSH sessions work just fine. When I first got the service, it was dropping quite a lot, but even then SSH worked pretty well. But these days, if there are any drops, I can't tell. The improvements in the last few months have been massive. I am even about to drop my land line, because WiFi calling on my cell phone has been nearly perfect. It works better than my cell phone does when I am in a good service area.

GoOnThenDoTell 5y ago
mosh instead of ssh helps for unreliable connections

HWR_14 5y ago

If you live somewhere with FiOS, Starlink is going to be a non-starter. FiOS requires high density. High density kills Starlink connections. I suppose Starlink can support a small, negligible, percentage of customers in an urban (or even suburban) area. (Same total number as a rural area.) So, if you think they are going to cutoff registrations as oppose to oversubscribe when they hit that point you may want to sign up right away.

freeopinion 5y ago
I'm not sure if you are using FiOS as a synonym for FTTH. If so, you might be interested to know I live somewhere with FTTH that is reasonably low-density (~25-30 people per sq km). I think Starlink will be a very serious consideration here.
- HWR_14 5y ago
  When I say FiOS, I'm thinking gigabit+ FTTH/FTTD (I'm not 100% sure of the difference). Given that you quoted people per sq km (about 70-84 people per sq. mile), you're probably not in the US. In the US, it's hard to get fiber outside of areas with the high density I'm quoting (at least in my experience). But yes, that density seems fine for Starlink (although maybe it isn't in the end, who knows yet.)
  - freeopinion 5y ago
    My understanding is that StarLink is aiming for 100M un-guaranteed in beta. So that's considerably below gigabit. But I also know that most households with FTTH around here use considerably less than 50M. So perhaps you meant that gigabit internet kills Starlink. FTTH has some advantages over Starlink. But Starlink also has advantages over FTTH. If you need more than 100M, Starlink is not in the game yet. But if you want some leverage with the local monopoly and have typical usage... Or, if you snowbird (common case here) and want the same provider on the border of Canada and the border of Mexico...
    - HWR_14 5y ago

driverdan 5y ago

LTE makes a lot more sense if you have a decent signal. The cost is lower and speeds are comparable in many areas if you have good hardware.

grognak420 5y ago

For ssh you could use tmux or screen in case you get disconnected