Fixed Plan Active Outside Registered Service Cell
The STARLINK-PORTABILITY_DEGRADED (Starlink) EV fault code means: Fixed Plan Active Outside Registered Service Cell. This is a moderate severity code.
- Keep driving?
- Yes, but fix soon
- DIY difficulty
- easy
- Estimated cost
- $0 if you update your service address and availability exists at the new location. $50/mo add-on for Portability or Roam plan upgrade if you need to travel regularly. No hardware repair cost involved.
A $30 car code reader can't do diesel. The HD7000 reads full-system codes and does parked DPF regen, idle/speed-limit, and service resets from the cab — on everything from a 6.7 Cummins/Power Stroke/Duramax pickup to Class-8 trucks (Detroit, Paccar, CAT, Volvo, Mack, International).
Check Price on AmazonAffiliate link -- we earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Full-system 6/9/16-pin diesel scan tool for Cummins, Paccar, CAT, Detroit and more — plug-and-play, no subscription. A cheaper way to read heavy-duty codes a basic OBD2 scanner skips entirely.
Check Price on AmazonAffiliate link -- we earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Common Symptoms
- Starlink mobile app shows 'PORTABILITY_DEGRADED' or 'Service Degraded' in the status banner
- Download and upload speeds are noticeably slower than normal, sometimes just a few Mbps
- Video calls drop, buffer, or fail to connect at full quality
- The Statistics tab in the Starlink mobile app shows high latency and frequent outages
- The app Diagnostics screen indicates the dish is connected but service is deprioritized
- Pages load but streaming services like Netflix or Zoom stall at low resolutions
- No physical hardware fault, dish is tracking satellites and sky is clear
Probable Causes (Ranked by Likelihood)
- Dish is operating outside its registered home service cell on a residential fixed-location plan, triggering automatic deprioritization Very Likely
- User moved the dish temporarily (camping, travel, job site) without upgrading to a Roam plan or enabling Portability add-on Very Likely
- Service address on the Starlink account was never updated after a permanent move to a new location Likely
- Portability add-on was previously active but lapsed or was manually disabled in the account portal Possible
- Dish is physically near the boundary of its registered cell and GPS drift or satellite handoff places it just outside the covered zone Possible
- Account is on a Business or Priority plan but is in a region not yet covered under that plan tier at this location Less Likely
Step-by-Step Diagnostic Procedure
Open the Starlink mobile app and go to the main status screen. If you see 'PORTABILITY_DEGRADED' or a banner saying service is limited, your dish is confirmed to be outside its registered service cell.
Tap the Statistics tab in the Starlink mobile app and check your current download speed, latency, and obstruction percentage. If hardware looks healthy but speeds are well below 50 Mbps, deprioritization is the cause, not a dish or cable problem.
Check your registered service address by going to the Starlink mobile app, tapping your account name, then Service Address. Compare it to where the dish is physically sitting right now.
If you have moved permanently, update your service address in the app or at account.starlink.com. Starlink will confirm availability at the new address. Note that your original cell slot does not transfer automatically and a waitlist may apply.
If you are traveling and want to keep using the dish away from home, go to account.starlink.com and either add the Portability option to your existing residential plan or switch to a Roam / RV plan. As of mid-2024 Roam is approximately $50 per month on top of your base plan, or you can switch plans outright.
If you only need service at this temporary location for a short trip, the simplest fix is to pause use and reconnect at your registered home address. Speeds will return to normal immediately when you are back in your registered cell.
If none of these account changes apply and you have not moved the dish, contact Starlink support through the Starlink mobile app. There is a small chance your registered cell boundary was administratively adjusted, which requires a support ticket to resolve.
Common Fixes by Vehicle
What techs usually find when diagnosing STARLINK-PORTABILITY_DEGRADED on specific platforms — tap a platform for the fix and the exact part:
Starlink subscribers traveling outside registered service cell Easy DIY
Fixed-location plans deprioritize you when used outside the registered cell. Symptoms: speeds drop dramatically during peak hours, especially upload. Two paths: (1) Update your service address in the app to the new location -- once per month is allowed. (2) Switch to a Roam plan (~$50-165/mo depending on tier) which has full mobility but slightly lower priority than fixed plans. RVers, vanlife, snowbirds -- Roam is built for you. Keep both plans active during transition since changes can take 24h. If you're permanently relocating, just update the address.
Labor: 5 min plan change in appFrequently Asked Questions
What does PORTABILITY_DEGRADED mean on my Starlink app?
It means your dish is physically located outside the service cell that is registered to your account. Starlink residential plans lock you to a specific geographic cell. When you use the dish somewhere else, Starlink does not cut you off completely, but it drops your traffic to the lowest network priority. The result is slow speeds, especially when the local satellite beam is busy.
Can I still use Starlink with this status showing?
Yes, but at significantly reduced speeds. You will stay connected enough for basic browsing and messaging. Video calls, streaming, and large file transfers will likely struggle. Think of it as dial-up era speeds on a good day until you resolve the plan or location mismatch.
How much does it cost to fix?
If you moved permanently and Starlink has capacity at your new address, updating your service address is free. If you want to travel with the dish regularly, adding the Portability option or switching to a Roam plan costs roughly $50 per month extra on top of your current base subscription. There is no hardware to replace and no technician needed.
Will my speed go back to normal once I return home?
Yes. The moment the dish is back inside its registered service cell, deprioritization lifts automatically. You do not need to reboot the dish or change any settings. Full speed resumes on its own within a few minutes of the dish reconnecting to satellites in your home cell.