Roon ARC + Starlink router recommendations

Support ARC: Port Forwarding Help
1 
{
"ipv6_connectivity": {"status":"NetworkError","status_code":504,"error":"error: Error: ETIMEDOUT, response code: undefined, body: undefined connected? undefined"},
"ipv4_connectivity": {"status":"NetworkError","status_code":504,"error":"error: Error: ETIMEDOUT, response code: undefined, body: undefined connected? undefined"},
"external_ip": {"actual_external_ip":"216.ggg.jjj.kkk","actual_external_ipv6":"2605:aaa:bbb:ccc:ddd:eee:bbb:fff","router_external_ip":"100.lll.mmm.nnn"},
"status": "status": MultipleNatFound
,
"natpmp_autoconfig": {"status":"NotFound"},
"upnp_autoconfig": {"server_ip":"192.168.0.1","found_upnp":true}
}

Unable to get Roon ARC to work since switching to Starlink. I know there is supposedly IPv6 support, but I’m not sure if my TP-Link router has the ability to “port forward” IPv6 (or turn off the IPv6 firewall) - I certainly can’t figure it out. I’m willing to buy a new router and looking for recommendations from anyone else who is successfully using Starlink and Roon ARC. I’ve been using Plex for mobile listening and I’m tired of managing two libraries - need this to work. Also quite disappointed that I’m paying $15/month for Roon and having to post this crap in a forum instead of having some kind of dedicated support.

2

Hi Randall,

Fellow user here.

You might want to take a read of this forum post.

Note for Starlink Customers - #3

3

Yep, I’ve read it. I’m referring to point #2 - and that I’m not sure if my router (TP-Link Archer AX50) supports “pinholing” the IPv6 network. I have the Starlink router in bridge mode and I’m using a “3rd party router” as suggested. But I certainly can’t find any setting that allows Roon ARC to work.

4

Hi @Randall_Spears,

Thank you for reaching out to the Roon Labs Technical Support team. I’m sorry to hear you’re having trouble with port forwarding.

The easiest way to work around this is by using Tailscale, which lets you bypass port forwarding entirely. You can learn more about how to set that up in this article:
https://help.roonlabs.com/portal/en/kb/articles/tailscale-setup-instructions-linux-roonserver

That said, if you’d prefer to troubleshoot port forwarding directly, we’re happy to help with that too. Just let us know how you’d like to proceed.

5

I will use Tailscale as a last resort if I need to, but I’d like to not have to rely on it unless I absolutely have to.

6

Hello @Randall_Spears,

Even with the Starlink router in bridge mode, that doesn’t guarantee all ports are automatically opened or forwarded to your Arche.

But I certainly can’t find any setting that allows Roon ARC to work.

By “settings,” you’re likely referring to UPnP or manual port forwarding options. In your case, we recommend setting up manual port forwarding instead of relying on UPnP.

I did a quick search and found the user manual for the TP-Link AX50. You can find instructions on how to configure port forwarding at the following link:

:link: TP-Link AX50 Port Forwarding Guide

Let us know if you need help with the configuration steps!

7

Thank you, I know how to setup port forwarding - it’s been setup to forward the Roon port (55000) for years. But it’s NAT forwarding over IPv4, which doesn’t work with Starlink according to you guys. So, port forwarding does nothing in this case.

8

Hello,

In case if port forwarding does nothing, the only option is Tailscale.

9

The post about Starlink says that if you use a third party router and open stuff in the IPv6 firewall it should work. My router doesn’t seem to have the capability to do that. Please go back and read my initial post, which is asking about routers that have this capability. Really seems like you did not read my post at all. Quite frustrating.

10

Hello @Randall_Spears

Starlink uses Carrier-Grade NAT (CGNAT) for its standard residential service, meaning it doesn’t offer native IPv6 to most users. While Starlink routers are IPv6 compatible and assign IPv6 addresses to connected devices, these addresses are not externally routable. To get a public IPv4 address and enable features like port forwarding, customers need to subscribe to a priority service plan and enable the public IPv4 option. As in your case, from the initial diagnostic report, we see the 3 different IPv6 addresses, so even if your AX50 supports the firewall feature, the incoming request will be blocked by the NAT, which stands in front of your router.

11

Okay, well this is essentially completely the opposite of what the Starlink post says.

12
13

Hey @Randall_Spears,

@mjw has linked a relevant article above - let us know if you have any additional questions, otherwise it seems like Tailscale may be your best option moving forward.

Thank you!

14

Okay, yeah, I guess I might as well - I appear to have a fundamental misunderstanding of the Starlink + Roon situation. Might I suggest you guys change your “Note to Starlink Customers” to reflect what was discussed here instead of leading Starlink customers to incorrectly believe that they can access Roon ARC without Tailscale.

15

Hi @Randall_Spears,
Sorry for the confusion, and thank you for your input. We’ll definitely take a look at how we can improve the documentation related to Starlink.

Please let us know how ARC performs after setting up Tailscale. We’d love to hear how it goes.

17

Hi @Randall_Spears,

Closing the loop here. Thank you for your patience and for bearing with us.

The Roon-side Starlink documentation you’d found (“Note to Starlink customers”) was largely internal, Early Access alpha-testing support material based on Starlink’s implementation as of early-mid 2022. Starlink’s infrastructure - along with ours - has significantly changed since then and this document should have been archived. Our apologies again for the confusion.