Can I combine Starlink Internet and my iPhone's Internet connection on Ubuntu Linux? Yes, Speedify can help!

This article explains how to use Speedify on Ubuntu Linux to combine your Starlink internet connection with your iPhone's 4G/5G cellular connection, so you get faster upload and download speeds and a more reliable connection overall.

What You'll Need

  • A working Starlink setup with a Wi-Fi network name (SSID) and password
  • An iPhone with an active cellular data plan that supports Personal Hotspot
  • A USB cable to connect your iPhone to your Ubuntu Linux computer
  • Speedify installed on your Ubuntu Linux computer

Let's Get Started

Make sure your Starlink dish is set up according to the instructions included in the package. Once it's up and running, connect your Ubuntu Linux computer to the Starlink Wi-Fi network:

  1. Click the arrow in the top-right corner of your screen to open the System Menu.
  2. Go to Wi-Fi > Select Network and choose the Wi-Fi network associated with your Starlink connection.
  3. Enter your Starlink Wi-Fi password to connect.

Need help with this step? Visit the Ubuntu help documentation to learn more about connecting to a Wi-Fi network.

Step 2: Enable Personal Hotspot on Your iPhone

Personal Hotspot lets you share your iPhone's cellular data connection with other devices over Wi-Fi, USB (Universal Serial Bus), or Bluetooth. For this setup, you'll be sharing it over USB.

  1. On your iPhone, open Settings.
  2. Go to Cellular > Personal Hotspot, or Settings > Personal Hotspot depending on your iOS version.
  3. Toggle Personal Hotspot on.

From this screen, you can confirm the name of your iPhone (which is what other devices will see) and set or verify the hotspot password.

Note: If you don't see the Personal Hotspot option, contact your carrier to confirm that your plan supports it.

Need help with this step? Visit Apple's support page for more details on setting up Personal Hotspot.

Step 3: Connect Your iPhone to Your Ubuntu Linux Computer via USB

Use a USB cable to connect your iPhone to your Ubuntu Linux computer.

  1. Plug one end of the USB cable into your iPhone and the other into a USB port on your computer.
  2. If your iPhone displays an alert that says "Trust This Computer?", tap Trust.
  3. Your computer will recognize the connection. Open the System Menu and look for a new Wired Connection entry - that's your tethered iPhone.
Note: There are known reports that USB tethering from an iPhone to Ubuntu may be broken in iOS 14. If you run into issues, check the Apple community discussion for more information.

Step 4: Download and Install Speedify

With both internet connections active, you're ready to let Speedify combine them.

  1. Download and install Speedify on your Ubuntu Linux computer if you haven't already.
  2. Launch Speedify. It will automatically detect your Starlink Wi-Fi connection and your tethered iPhone connection.
  3. Speedify will start combining both internet connections right away, giving you faster upload and download speeds and a more stable connection.

You can manage settings, view usage statistics, and apply limits to individual connections by clicking on them from the Speedify dashboard, or by navigating through the main Settings menu.

Speedify runs quietly in the background, optimizing your internet traffic - including prioritizing streaming internet traffic to reduce buffering and disconnects.

Did you know - if you need to keep multiple devices connected in areas with limited or spotty coverage, Speedify's Pair & Share feature lets you share a 4G/5G cellular connection wirelessly between devices. It's useful for event venues, remote locations, and travel, where other network options like Wi-Fi may be slow or unreliable.