Problems with local channels using DirecTV and StarLink internet access

[ASTravelers]

Last week I setup my new DirecTV (DTV) Streaming, Gemini steaming device and StarLink internet service.

I had problems with the local channels switching to locations other than my billing address. (With DTV the local channels are supposed to be tied directly to your billing address)

It seems to be that with StarLink the satellites that are passing by your physical location will connect to the ground stations in various places. The ground stations may be located some number of miles away. Maybe as far as 200 miles away. (Our experience was that we had the Seattle (170 miles away) then later Medford, OR, (275 miles away) local channels. We are physically located 20 miles west of Portland, OR.)

More details:
-- I am physically located about 20 miles west of Portland, OR.
-- When I first configured the Gemini and connected to my StarLink WiFi, I was receiving Seattle, WA, local channels. (Could not record any programs, but more on that later.)
-- Spent 1.5 hours in chat session with DTV. They changed my billing address to the Portland area and also had me do a factory reset on Gemini, which of course required me to repeat the Gemini configuration. I was now receiving the Portland local channels. Also I now could record programs. Somewhere in this process I learned that DTV won't let you record if you internet location is different than your billing address.
-- The next evening when I powered my Gemini back on I found I lost the Portland local channels and was receiving the Medford, OR, local channels (about 275 miles away). Also I could not record programs.
-- The following morning I was still receiving Medford local channels.
-- I decided to try a few things. I powered off my StarLink and connected to my Verizon jetpac, which I figured was bound to have a Portland internet location rather than wherever the StarLink satellite might connect to.
-- Now connected to my jetpac I still received the Medford local channels.
-- I did a factory reset on the Gemini and went through the full configuration process. Still connected to my jetpac, I now was receiving Portland local channels. I believe doing a factory reset and reconfiguration on the Gemini forced DTV computers to verify my internet location. DTV seeing I was located in the Portland area they gave me the Portland locals. Also I could now record programs.
-- Next I powered off my jetpac and powered up StarLink and connected to StarLink WiFi and I still had the Portland local channels.

At this point I stopped testing and using DTV to think about my next step. My decision is that I would cancel my DTV and just go back to my Dish Network Satellite TV, that I had been using for about 13 years.

Conclusions:
-- While DTV insists that your local channels are tied directly to your billing address. That is not totally correct. At some time DTV will check your internet location and give you the local channels for that location. The computers will are programed to compare that to your billing address and block you from recording programs if the two don't match.
-- Using a service, like StarLink, where you may make a connection to a place other than near your physical address, you may experience receiving local channels different that from your physical location and stop you from recording programs.

I hope that others will find my experience helpful.

 

[raoul5788]

to Satelliteguys ASTravelers!
Would using a static IP address solve your problem? Are they even available with Starlink?

 

[b4pjoe]

DIRECTV Stream doesn't like when your home IP address changes and can cause issues like you are seeing. DIRECTV sets your home IP address and when it connects later from another IP address it thinks you are out of your home network. And they only allow you to change your home IP address 4 times per year.

 

[slice1900]

Most likely Directv is determining your location based on the location of the Starlink ground station your satellite link to them is going. That's not always going to be in your viewing area.

 

[raoul5788]

There must be an easy fix for this. Directv must have figured for this exact situation.

 

[b4pjoe]

There must be an easy fix for this. Directv must have figured for this exact situation.

They haven't. People that have a service like T-Mobile 5G Home Internet that uses CGNAT have the same problem not only with DIRECTV but also Hulu Live TV. Hulu Live TV doesn't impose the 4 times a year limit to change your home IP that DIRECTV does but a user can't change it on Hulu Live TV. They have to get someone from Hulu to change it every time the IP changes. DIRECTV went another route by letting the users change their home IP address but only 4 times a year.

CGNAT (Carrier-Grade NAT) is a variant of NAT that is used by internet service providers (ISPs) to provide internet access to their customers. CGNAT works by allowing multiple customers to share a single, public IP address.

StarLink uses CGNAT also.

What is Starlink IP address?​

As Starlink uses CGNAT also so you do not have an individual IP address. Instead you share one address with several other users.

Youtube TV assigns your home area by your billing address which DIRECTV and Hulu Live TV should both do too but they haven't so far.

 

[raoul5788]

They haven't. People that have a service like T-Mobile 5G Home Internet that uses CGNAT have the same problem not only with DIRECTV but also Hulu Live TV. Hulu Live TV doesn't impose the 4 times a year limit to change your home IP that DIRECTV does but a user can't change it on Hulu Live TV. They have to get someone from Hulu to change it every time the IP changes. DIRECTV went another route by letting the users change their home IP address but only 4 times a year.



StarLink uses CGNAT also.



Youtube TV assigns your home area by your billing address which DIRECTV and Hulu Live TV should both do too but they haven't so far.

Well, that is flat out stupid!

 

[ASTravelers]

I doubt this issue is of any real concern to DTV corporation. The number of people this issue affects, compared to the total number of DTV Streaming users, is bound to very, very small. It primarily affects people in RVs (a few exceptions for Tmobile at home) who move around and really want local channels wherever they go. Also people like me (the original poster of this thread) who wanted to use DTV over StarLink internet.
I created this same posting on two RV'ing forums. Replies I have received have stated that since ROKU has internet location INACTIVE in the ROKU streaming device, the local channels always come from where your billing address is. Another reply stated that they use DTV on iOS devices and the local channels changes with their physical location. They stated they can't record on the non home location local channels they can record non local channel TV channels with the iOS devices.

 

[ASTravelers]

Thanks everyone for the most hopeful replies. Y'all pretty much confirmed what I was experiencing, as detailed in the original post in this thread.
At this point I have returned my DTV Gemini and canceled my DTV service because of the local channels issue. I will be staying with Dish Network and keeping StarLink for my internet.
We spend quite a bit of time each year in locations that have weak to poor and some with absolutely no cell coverage. Having StarLink for both phone over WiFi and fast internet access will be great. When we arrive in a location w/o cell service we still will be able to call Dish Network and change our local channels to our physical location.

 

[Johnnyspot]

Thanks everyone for the most hopeful replies. Y'all pretty much confirmed what I was experiencing, as detailed in the original post in this thread.
At this point I have returned my DTV Gemini and canceled my DTV service because of the local channels issue. I will be staying with Dish Network and keeping StarLink for my internet.
We spend quite a bit of time each year in locations that have weak to poor and some with absolutely no cell coverage. Having StarLink for both phone over WiFi and fast internet access will be great. When we arrive in a location w/o cell service we still will be able to call Dish Network and change our local channels to our physical location.

You could use a Fire Stick instead which doesnt use your location and uses your zip

 

[ASTravelers]

You could use a Fire Stick instead which doesnt use your location and uses your zip

One thing that I really didn't emphasize was that we really want to be able to switch the local channels to whatever physical location we are in.
We spend quite a bit of time (total of probably 3 months of the year) at our daughter's house parked in her back yard in Dallas. Then we spend a 4-6 weeks in Oregon. With Dish Network the Portland spot beam covers just about the entire state of Oregon, about 60 miles into Calif and up to the Canadian border. Then we spend quite a bit of time at our home in San Antonio. We spend shorter amounts of time in other locations as well. In each place we really like to have access to the local TV programming.

 

[brockb]

We've had similar issues. We live in Michigan and winter in Alabama. When we are in Alabama, we use Starlink as our internet, and we do get the local channels for the area. Sometimes I have to reboot the Gemini a couple of times for them to show up. What we can't do is select new programs on the local stations to record, we only have the option to watch live. Interestingly, any programs/series set to record on our home locals still record and we can watch them in Alabama. My wife likes this as she can record our local home news and watch it while we are away.

When I talked to DVT about this they told me similar to what they did the OP, that the local service was tied to your billing address but the only way to change it was to use a credit card with the same zip as the area you are in. They told me there is no such thing as a service address with Stream like there is with Satellite.

 

[brockb]

We've had similar issues. We live in Michigan and winter in Alabama. When we are in Alabama, we use Starlink as our internet, and we do get the local channels for the area. Sometimes I have to reboot the Gemini a couple of times for them to show up. What we can't do is select new programs on the local stations to record, we only have the option to watch live. Interestingly, any programs/series set to record on our home locals still record and we can watch them in Alabama. My wife likes this as she can record our local home news and watch it while we are away.

When I talked to DVT about this they told me similar to what they did the OP, that the local service was tied to your billing address but the only way to change it was to use a credit card with the same zip as the area you are in. They told me there is no such thing as a service address with Stream like there is with Satellite.