Starlink faced a shaky start in France. The original approval was in February 2021, but it was annulled by the Conseil d’État on April 5, 2022, for failure to consult the public. Approval was given again after consultation on June 2, 2022. The service expanded to Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy in July of that year, then added Martinique and Guadeloupe in September.
However, Starlink still comes with some issues that may hamper its adoption across the globe. The biggest issue that internet users might face with Starlink is the use of carrier-grade NAT (CGNAT).
Simply put, your internet connection is not fully open, and won’t be able to do port forwarding thanks to a double NAT connection or your ISP performing CGNAT on your connection.
Why is Port Forwarding a problem on Starlink?
One of the main reasons Port Forwarding on Starlink can be problematic is that many ISPs use Carrier-Grade NAT (CGNAT) to conserve IP addresses. Your ISP assigns a single IP address to several users, and all rely on that IP address.
What is CGNAT?
CGNAT stands for Carrier Grade Network Address Translation. Most ISPs, including Starlink, use CGNAT to conserve their IPv4 pool. The IPv4 protocol only supports 4 billion IP addresses. ISPs perform CGNAT to assign a single IP address to multiple users, saving their already depleted IP pool.
Bypass CGNAT on Starlink in France
To make this process easier, use the PureVPN port forwarding add-on. This add-on will allow you to bypass CGNAT and configure port forwarding for your devices. Here’s how it’s done:
- Sign up for PureVPN.
- Login to the PureVPN member area.
- Click the subscription tab.
- Click Configure.
- Apply your desired port settings (scroll below).
- Click Apply settings.
Fix Double NAT with Starlink in France
For now, you can’t use a public IP address that can be easily port forwarded on Starlink. However, you can resolve the Double NAT issue if you use a VPN service (like PureVPN) that offers a static and dedicated IP address.
You will have to set up your router to use the dedicated IP address that you use with your VPN. You will need to use this WAN IP address on your router to set up the WAN connection. If done right, you will be able to bypass both the CGNAT restrictions and the Double NAT status.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does your Starlink Router have CGNAT?
It definitely does. This is because Starlink provides CGNAT-enabled routers to assign IP addresses. By doing so, the Starlink router works with other ISPs.
How can I bypass CGNAT?
The simplest way to bypass CGNAT with Starlink is to use a VPN service. By doing so, you make use of a virtual and dedicated VPN tunnel between your internet-enabled device and a VPN server. You get another ISP address as a result.
Does CGNAT affect online gaming?
Absolutely. Modern online multiplayer games rely on incoming and outgoing connections to host, connect and communicate. CGNAT blocks incoming traffic by default. You will need to bypass CGNAT for the best online gaming experience, especially when using Starlink.
