DHCP Configuration

Starlink uses DHCP for IPv4 and SLAAC/DHCPv6-PD for IPv6 to assign the router or client connected directly to the Starlink terminal an address or prefix.

Starlink can only assign one IPv4 address per client. IPv6 capable routers will be delegated a /56 prefix for the router to manage.

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Using the Starlink WiFi router

If you use the Starlink WiFi router, IP addresses will be assigned to the Starlink router and the router will NAT all the client traffic towards your Starlink. The Starlink Gen2 WiFi router is compatible with IPv6 and will assign IPv6 addresses to compatible WiFi or wired clients.

If you plan to use Starlink WiFi and ethernet dongle be mindful of double NAT issues!

If you have a 3rd party router and a High Performance Starlink, use the included Starlink Ethernet cable to avoid NAT issues.

DHCP Lease Time

Starlink IP addresses are leased for 5 minutes at a time. However that doesn't mean your IP will change every 5 minutes. Starlink will try to maintain your IP for as long as the device is connected and has a public IP.

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Mobile Users

If you have a mobile Starlink the IP address may change if you move locations. These changes will cause a brief DHCP handoff outage.

This is a fundamental limitation with how the internet works and is not a Starlink specific restriction.

The internet is made of stationary routers around the world to route traffic from a specific list of IP address (called prefixes) to the internet.

Starlink is a global service and has many different routers in different locations to provide the lowest latency connection possible.

Starlink IP Address Reservation

Public IP addresses are bound to the Starlink device for 24 hours regardless of the DHCP lease time. This ensures that if the Starlink device is rebooted or disconnected for less than 24 hours the IP address will not change.

Additionally, if the Starlink device is offline for greater than 24 hours the IP address will remain associated to the Starlink device but becomes a candidate for reassignment if there are no other IPs available in the it the Starlink IP pool.