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Using the Starlink field of view app can be a little bit tricky at first. Once you have a few things figured out within the app it does become another great tool to help diagnose potential service problems. The app has changed dramatically since its inception, offering a few more features now to help you locate the best possible place to install Dishy as well as check to see if there is anything blocking or encroaching into the signal area. Lets jump right in and go through some of the features found inside the Starlink app. Note: This app does not work on all phones, some older models will not support the function. Although this app is high tech it isn't 100% accurate. Always border on the side of giving you more than you think you should is the best rule to follow. We used to be able to catch signals in between trees when setting up older Satellites, but those days are long gone, you need the whole area open for Starlink to perform its best. The Visibility Tool is Found in the Visibility Tab on the Starlink app home page. Check occasionally the prompt will give you the latest report. If it shows any blockage you know you now have some follow up work to do. On the very bottom press the "CHECK FOR OBSTRUCTIONS" button. This activate your phone's camera to help you check the field of view. Let's get outside and get started. Remember to be as safe as you can, climbing roofs and using ladders is dangerous. On top of that when you're using the app you have to be looking into your phone while moving, I always recommend to work in tandem and having someone spot you while you're looking into your phone. Even if it's on the ground you could trip and hurt yourself, it's the little falls that get us. Wear a hat and sunglasses to help block the sun if it's a bright day, sometimes you'll be looking right around the sun and possibly right into it! DON'T STARE AT THE SUN! Even through a lens it can damage your eyes. Follow the arrow direction until you see the lighted section. This is where your satellite signals are coming from throughout the day. Unlike conventional satellite systems that are stationary, the Starlink satellites are constantly moving. This makes for a much larger field of view then your standard system. For those of us who have used satellites in the past we know that they can be deeply impacted by trees around them. Once you have found the lighted area you want to follow along the separating light and dark shades, watching for anything to show in the lighted area. I know not everybody is going to get a clean shot every time. If you can't get it perfectly clear then be ready to put up with slow sluggish speeds and intermittent problems. Not really ideal if you're going to be using your Starlink a lot. The more open space the better. The Starlink field of view looks like a giant oblong circle, it is too large to see the whole of it in a phone screen, therefore you have to move the phone around while trying to stay in one place and at the height/area that Dishy will be mounted in for your final testing. Make sure to consider future growth of bushes and trees as well as tall objects. These can all block signals and cause interruptions in your service. Let's look at a few examples and see if you can tell what is good and what might be a problem. Not only will trees grow over time but they will be moved by the wind, which can stretch out their branches. Even when it rains it causes the branches to lean out from all that extra weight. It is just good practice to stay away from trees if possible. However when choosing between a rock and a hard place, in picking which necessary evil will have the least impact on the signals, this will depend a lot on your region, but the same principles apply across the board. Trees that have less growth both in height and in fullness, pointed or pointy tree tops are better, thinner branches and leaves making the trees less dense. Very important to factor in growth or future plans of development. The Starlink self aligning system is great, but even the best alignment won't get you around blatant obstacles. Check around the whole perimeter, don't just check one area and think that you will be fine. Look all around in both the light and dark areas for potential causes of lost signal. It is easier to do this once than twice, albeit you'll be really good at setting up Starlinks after a few years. Take your time and move slowly, it can be a bit awkward as you're holding the phone almost directly above your head while trying to turn, have a friend hold you from tripping or falling, or at least get them to record it. There are many factors to consider in the placement of your Dishy, alignment is perhaps the most crucial, the weather with the winds and rain can easily cause a lot of issues too. Poor installation will lead to problems later down the road in which you might find yourself waiting in a long email queue to get a message back saying that they checked your system and it has some obstructions and they recommend you move the dish. Look, having some obstructions won't completely cut off your internet, we've had a few clients that had blockage and said that it performed better than what they have ever had before, although I don't know if that is saying very much. If problems do arise later down the road, lets say a router failure...but its intermittent so you replace the router only to have the same problems....I hope you see where I'm going with this, it ends up being a bit messy in the end, where as when the job is done to its full potential it is easier to diagnose and rule out problems to keep your internet services running at its ultimate performance level. We hope you have been enjoying these articles, if you do then join our community for free today and stay up to date with our latest's articles and talk with a community of other Starlink users. Sign Up.

Have you been thinking about ordering a Starlink system? If so you might be wondering if its speeds are fast enough to deal with your day to day needs. In this article we will break down how Starlink stands up to some of the most common uses of bandwidth and see if it is a good option for you and your family. Starting with common but less demanding examples (emails, video conferencing) and working our way up to very taxing examples (streaming 4K, online gaming). Let's get right into it Will Starlink be able to send emails? Let's start small. Emails are definitely not a huge drain on your bandwidth. Considering that on average only 1Mbps is recommended to send emails. This shouldn't be difficult for any provider to achieve. That being said, Starlink can very easily handle emails. Now if your current internet tends to go offline quite often then the stability of a Starlink system may be beneficial for you. Will Starlink be able to video conference? Nowadays many people work from home. They may be working for a company or starting their own home based business, either way video calls with employees and clients have become very common. Even personal calls to friends and family are a very popular method of communication, primarily brought on by the pandemic. Zoom, for instance, had 10 million daily meeting participants in December 2019, but by April 2020, that number had risen to over 300 million. If video calling has become a necessity for you, then this is a big one. Zoom is very flexible when it comes to bandwidth; they recommend upstream connection speeds of 1.5-3.0Mbps for optimal performance in group meetings with HD video quality. If your connection speed drops below these thresholds, your video quality will be automatically adjusted to keep you in the meeting. Will Starlink be able to stream? The short answer is yes it will… in fact very well. The Starlink system that we have been using over the last year has averaged around just above 100Mbps download speeds. This is more than enough to comfortably stream your favorite shows even in 4K. In this example we will use one of the most popular streaming services Netflix. (Most other streaming services will fit these specs as well). Netflix recommends that you have a minimum speed of 3 Mbps for streaming standard definition (480p) and 5 Mbps for high definition (720p or 1080p). These numbers are not too difficult to reach. In fact most rural internet providers can offer these bandwidth speeds. Where Starlink starts to separate itself from the pack is in 4K streaming. Netflix recommends that you have a minimum of 25 Mbps for 4K (3840p). This is doubled for each device that is streaming in 4K. So if you have 2 TVs streaming in 4K at the same time you would need a minimum of 50 Mbps to stream smoothly. So as you see the bandwidth needs add up very quickly and it's important to meet these requirements to have an enjoyable experience. Will Starlink be able to play online video games? This is a difficult question because of many factors involved, but in a word YES. A multi-layered question like this takes some explaining but in a rural setting especially, Starlink is a no brainer. Online gaming is much more demanding on your internet than simply streaming a YouTube video. The first question is what type of gaming are you doing. There is a large difference between playing “Words with Friends” on Facebook and playing “Fortnite” with all your settings cranked to max. Most video game manufacturers say that 3 Mbps download and a 1 Mbps of upload should be sufficient to game. From my experience I say double these numbers at least to avoid lag while playing. The download speed is how fast data is pulled from the server and upload speed is how fast you send data to others. Download speed is typically much faster, because most of what you do online (loading Web pages, streaming videos, etc.) consists of downloads. Additionally, the term “ping” or “ping rate” refers to how fast you get a response from your Internet connection after you send out a request. Surprisingly when it comes to gaming your ping rate is just as important than either download or upload speeds. Ping is also called latency and Starlink is well within the parameters to have a fluent gaming experience. The Ping rate is measured in milliseconds (ms) and 50ms to 100ms should be just fine for even the most demanding online games. From our testing Starlink is consistently around 40ms and often below. In Closing As you can see the amount of bandwidth needed drastically changes depending on your task. Hopefully this article gave you a better idea of how your provider may stack up with your day to day needs. Starlink is rapidly becoming a great option for many people across the world and will continue to be for years to come. If you are having trouble with your current internet situation, maybe Starlink is for you. Thank you and don't forget to subscribe!

Are you curious about how much bandwidth Starlink can deliver? How much data (bandwidth) you use while using certain devices, apps at certain times of day. A lot of people spend time constantly speed testing their network trying to figure things out, but there is a more useful tool than the speed test that not too many are talking about, it's Starlink's Network Statistics. You can check your network statistics in both the Starlink App as well as from a browser. Checking and understanding your bandwidth usage through the network statistics will help you make the most of your Starlink internet, helping you deal with your day to day needs. To access your Starlink Network Statistics and run your own tests, go into your app and click on stats or go into your browser and type in 192.168.100.1 and click on stats. I prefer checking in my browser on my P.C. The charts are a little larger and more spread out, but the app works fine too. Once you're in the app you can run tests and watch your statistics both increase and decrease. You will notice a lot of fluctuation, with numbers dropping but that is normal as your system sends millions of packets back and forth, causing temporary pauses in transmission. It is the overall average that you will want to try and observe, as better seen in both the blue and green graph lines. This is where you can see the bandwidth that is being used, you might be surprised at how little certain system use compared to others. Using the blue graph we can see that it has peaked at 31Mbps but mainly stayed in between 10-15 range over the last 15 minutes. The Data Map on the left will change, so make sure to take note. It will grow as your bandwidth usage surges and shrink as it's less used. This is a good way to do a quick check on your bandwidth to help spot problems. If that number is big you have a lot going on on your network. Upload, although extremely important, is not used as much. Hence the reason most ISPs offer fast 100Mbs+ download speeds with often only 10-20Mbps upload speeds. Uploading graphs will show up if you're sending large files, like pictures and videos and over online meetings using video. Video games also place a steady demand on the upload speeds. The data map on the left constantly changes but gives you a quick way to see how hard your network is working. The bigger the number, the harder the system is working. Check out what it is when everyone is gone to see what your resting bandwidth usage is and watch it surge once everyone gets home and online. The graphs give you a better overall picture but you can see how much of a surge your network is getting. Checking at the peak of the day lets you see how hard the network is working. You can see in the image that the graphs are staying fairly steady around the 70Mbps, download and 1Mbps upload. The Starlink system has no problem running at this rate, there were 6 devices being used when I ran this test as well as another 5 devices sitting dormant on the network, waiting to be activated. The Latency Graph shows how delayed your satellite ping is. Gamers in particular want this as low as possible or at least as steady as possible, because Starlink is pinging moving satellites there is a lot of fluctuation. This graph will change if you have a lot of interference outside of the dish, like tree branches moving that are just clipping your signals. Not exactly precise as no matter how clear the sky it will still be jumping a lot. The uptime graph lets you know how long you have been kicked off line from the satellites. If you're seeing a lot of downtime here then my first go would be to check the field of view, especially if it happens in the wind. The leaves can block signals and cause outages as they move around. It could also just be a poor mount that moves in the wind as well. All these tools found in stats only help point you in the direction of the problem but doesn't give you the answer, you still have to use some good old brain power to figure out the rest. That doesn't discredit its use at all, in the hands of well studied Starlink user there is plenty of info to glean from to help solve some complex problems. We hope you have been enjoying these articles. If you have then feel free to become a member for free and stay up to date with everything Starlink!

That's it, NO MORE WIFI FOR YOU! Kids these days are very deeply entwined in the internet, their life can revolve around it. From video games to social media, they're spending hours everyday on the sticky web. As parents you often have to face challenges of...well lets just say nicely, lazy little couch potatoes and getting them to do things like their homework and chores. There is a number of ways to do these groundings, one of the more common forms is the removal of internet access, no gaming, no streaming no social media.(Unless they have their own phone plan, then they'll start using that, racking up the data bill instead) It cuts right at the heart and life line of most teenagers. This is a little easier said than done, you can round up all the devices and stash them away or you can just kick them from the network. The Starlink system gives the ability to do a lot more than what previous providers could, the kiddos will become even more dependent on their internet now, maybe even too much but that is another topic. Can You Turn The WIFI Off With Starlink? Short answer is no...there isn't a little toggle switch in the app, (however there are a couple workarounds) all have their shortcomings until Starlink brings out more network controlling features with their system. The options we found are: 1. Unplugging the router(Gen 1 only) Takes out your WIFI network but can stilled be used with hardwired devices. This cannot be done with a Gen 2 system. but you can put it in bridge mode this will disable the WIFI. 2. Stowing the System This takes out all services, including yours but starts back up quickly and will save some power. This is primarily used if you move Dishy around a lot. 3. Changing The Password Gives you the ability to keep the network up and running, your phone with the Starlink app will still have access and whatever other devices you choose if any. 4. Unplugging the whole system. Very effective no network at all, and will take a bit to boot back up and do any updates it may have missed. Until Starlink brings out the feature themselves the best workaround that still gives you network availability and some control is option 3. It can be done in a matter of minutes from your phone in the Starlink App by changing your password. Disclaimer here, when you change your password it will remove all devices except hardwired,(If being used) Anything using your WIFI, camera systems, IOT smart systems, security and monitoring systems will all be removed for the time in which you shut down the network. Most networks are set-up for all devices to reconnect as soon as the Starlink network becomes available with the original password, if a device doesn't come back online then you will have to manually add it to the network. Modern day technology changes fast, so be patient and always check for equipment updates and follow the manufacturer's instructions. Make notes of all your logins and password, keep them safely. These notes will help with networking further down the road. It is Simple and easy, by setting and resetting the WIFI password also known in technical terms as your SSID.(Service Set Identifier) This is the place where everyone goes to login to use your Starlink system, every device that wants to use the network will have to scan for the SSID and then enter in a password. A lot of modern day routers give you the ability to control devices on the network, unfortunately the Starlink set-up doesn't allow you to do this with their router. But there is a pretty good work around that will have your couch potatoes moving around in no time at all. This only takes about 5 minutes to do so it can be done very quickly on a whim. The first step is to go into the Starlink App and click on Settings, just under your WIFI networks name is your password that you already made for the network. Take note of what it is (I'm sure you already have it memorized). Now make a new one to replace it, make it something only you will guess, and preferably 16 characters long but that is another topic I will cover later on. Just make sure you remember both your new and old passwords. Once you've changed the password you'll notice that you will have gotten kicked off the network yourself as well as everyone else's device. This is where it gets a little tricky so be patient and follow the prompts on your phone for finding and connecting to your network. You will still have the same network showing but you're unable to connect. Find the tab to select the network and forget the old network. Now rescan for your WIFI Network and place in the new password, then voila...you are now connected and everybody else is disconnected. Their devices will keep trying to hook into the network but they won't be able to until you either give them the new password or change back the password to the original one. Which is done by just going through the same steps as before and changing the password back. Before changing your password take note of how many devices are on it, this will help identify which devices have or have not reconnected. When you reinstate the original password all the devices should automatically sink back up to the network, this can take 10 or so minutes so be patient. If some devices don't hook back up then you might have to manually do them, following the manufacturer's directions, always making sure your equipment is up to date. By clicking in the network setting you can see all the devices in the network with the connection type and signal strength. If one device is having problems then you can check it here for low signals. Although the Starlink router is good, it is not perfect and even annoying at times. Right now you can't access a lot of standard router features, including safety ones as well as monitoring. This is where a lot of aftermarket routers excel at as well as many other things and are much more capable and powerful if you have the budget. The Starlink router is decent, but it could be better for sure. Well they served their time and have done their chores and homework(As much as they could offline) and now you want to reconnect everybody(thing) back online. You just follow the steps all over again and change your password back to the original. It will take some time for things to come back online and you will have to forget the network from your phone again but ideally all other devices will reconnect themselves as long as their connections were left alone. It isn't a bad thing to practice your connecting and reconnecting of network devices, learning about your network. Keeping your eye on your network activities and understanding how it works will only improve your experience all well making it more safe and secure. There are definitely other reasons why a person would shut down there WIFI other than grounding kids, maybe suspect the neighbor is grabbing some bandwidth, to many devices on the network, just a plain old network clean up. We would like to hear about your tricks and tips for the Starlink system, how you have found innovative ways to use it? comment below and let us know your thoughts and ideas. Thank you for reading, we hope you have enjoyed it, if so then please think about becoming a member for free, stay up to date with everything Starlink and join a community of users sharing their experiences.

The new availability map on Starlink.com website gives us a breakdown of Starlinks service area. This is really significant for a few reasons. That Starlink felt the need ,to make one is saying something already. They did not make it the most evident, almost obscure. You have to sniff around on their site to find it, it wasn't even linked to the search motor at the time of writing this article. Lets go to www.starlink.com and take a look at the map. In the top left corner on Starlinks homepage screen. It will pull up a digital globe in shades of green, grey and black. Try to zoom into your location. Once you have zoomed in enough you will be able to locate your area. Using the legend and the shades of green you can see if you're in an open area. We have tested our system and marked our area in which we were able to move the Dishy around and still keep it working. We have a 1 mile/1.5 kilometer radius around are dishy. Because we're in dark green Starlink is not activating any new customers in the area. There is enough users that they don't want to diminish existing signal quality for the clients, or maybe its a trouble spot...but I don't think so as my system has been working fine with speeds typically between 150-200Mbps. If they are capping the area while maintaining these speeds all I can say is "bravo" Starlink. The Satellites are constantly moving as well, go to www.satellitemap.com and click on Starlink and check out your satellites above your service area. While the satellites are passing by, you can see the fluctuations in signals while testing. It doesn't go offline but it can definitely slow your speeds down, not usually noticeable unless you are speed testing at the time. Running Multiple speed-test back to back rarely ever stays steady with a Starlink system, unlike fiber lines that can be extremely consistent in its delivery the Starlink system is tracking and changing satellites frequently. This causes ups and downs but not easily noticed, even at its weakest points it still delivers great bandwidth. The main cause of shut downs is updates that happen very early in the morning hours. If you zoom out on the map you will see more visible dark spots. Could you possibly use this map for mobile services? I would think so. If you can use it as a new customer looking for the Starlink system I don't see why it couldn't be used the same for existing customers. Looks like we just found a mass RV migration tracking map, I'm sure they'll be looking at this before leaving to their next destination. Some areas in the map are filled in with a lot of dark green showing a high amount of Starlink users in the area. I would suggest getting on the list if you're in one of these areas as "spots are limited" no pun intended. Will RV'ers use this map for travelling to find the open Starlink areas? will this map be accurate enough to help them connect? It will be put to the test this summer as the RV's start rolling out for the summer vacations!. The release of the Starlink availability map has definitely caught my curiosity, Let me know what you think of it by commenting below. Thank you for reading, if you're enjoying the content then become a member to stay up to date with everything Starlink.

Starlink (Premium) Business Has Been Released, Should I Get It. Starlink is hitting new heights launching its new business class internet package. Apart from the Gen1 and Gen2 systems they have introduced a higher tier service originally called premium but now listed as business on the Starlink website. So what is all the hype, and should I be considering it as an option for my services? How much better is Starlink Business then the Standard Starlink System? We list 7 ways Starlink Business kills its competition and takes the Crown. Its mobility and set up are unheard of and set an industry benchmark for future capabilities of rural internet, but then again you have to consider the price. 1. Speed and no data caps! How fast is Starlink Business? It's rated at 150-500Mb download speed. To put that into perspective if you already own a home Starlink system, where its system peaks at 150Mbs is where business starts! I would say that is "getting down to business". Although this is a good starting point, this isn't all that Starlink Business offers. Following what we have seen from the majority of Starlink users speed testing, they fluctuate heavily, up and down tests with great speeds at times and then just enough to maybe get by, but certainly nothing to brag about. This up and down bandwidth comes from satellites coming in and out of the field of view as well as many other factors to be considered in your network. If the new Business Starlink can stabilize its bandwidth with the bigger dish with sustained speeds at 150+Mbs, but we suspect it will average closer to 350+Mbs download with less fluctuation then its little brothers, this real time bandwidth can easily power 4-5X the amount of regular dishy. 2. Service, live technical help desk! Well not quite, but yes you have a live digital connection. You get priority support as a client that is paying over $600.00 a month should have. When you're dealing with a business, downtime is money. You don't just miss the grand finale of your favorite tv show, you can lose out on thousands and in some cases millions of dollars if your business internet goes down. Starlink knows this and offers first hand support for anyone willing to pay over the $600 monthly bill. Having been in the industry setting up internet systems rurally for years now I know what clients have paid and how much they received for that amount, trust me, Starlink Business is running at a fraction of the cost of most rural business solutions that use data on a large scale, not only is it cheaper it is running sometimes a 100X faster too. How can this be beat, Elon threw a 1-2 punch and landed both on the chin for a knockout solution to rural business internet. 3. Stability, less downtime means more uptime. Starlink Business is claiming the signals will be stabilized better through a larger Dishy. It even claims that it is "24/7 critical information" which sounds cool, but it's a bit vague as to its true meaning. A logical assumption for me would be that extra stability helps in case of a critical emergency 24/7...on top of the priority support line for their quickest response time to get you back up and running asap. 4. Throughput, more users means a stronger routing system is needed. the Starlkink router will be suffice for a smaller office of 3000 sq ft potentially more, but a lot of commercial systems use hardwired connection for security and performance reasons, which would make me assume that a lot of Starlink Business systems will be plugging into an existing network of patch cables and servers. Usually that infrastructure is expensive and in place already, sometimes costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. so they won't be replacing it if it can be avoided. Large scale operations like dairy farms to remote McDonald's restaurants, there is going to be a long line to get ahold of one of these systems. In a business network there are multiple heavy users, the distribution of the bandwidth between these users can really cause the system to slow down, the routing system is almost as crucial as the satellite signal feed coming directly into the home/business. A bottle neck anywhere in the topography will slow down the entire system. 5. Pricing, if Starlink Business has all this going for it, it must be really expensive? The answer is yes no! Yes compared to any standard of home network this is a ridiculous amount of money, but no if you're talking about commercial grade satellite equipment. Go price some of these units out and you're looking at 3-10'000 dollars for equipment and installation. On top of data rate charges that can reach into the thousands if used heavily in a month. So comparing apples to apples Starlink once again gets the upper hand. Don't get me wrong, $650.00 a month is costly. But when you're running a business that is internet dependent as most are quickly becoming, that bill will easily become a great return on investment, and yeah a very nice right off as well. 6.No Contract. I personally like this one the most as to me it is a statement saying that Starlink is willing to stand by its product and services. You're not trapped in a contract, if you don't like or have no need for it then you can cancel at any time, you might even get a partial refund for the equipment if you choose to send it back. In a day and age where large companies like to lock you in as theirs for years, Starlink once again has come in as the King of doing it right. 7.Mobility. This is a really big deal, working in the rural internet industry for years now I have seen many small town internet systems that just can't handle a large bandwidth user. Without that being offered in town businesses will go elsewhere. Well the Starlink Business is opening the doors for rural businesses with new opportunities to bring bandwidth big enough to run a large scale operation. Knowing that this is now an option might help fill some of our small towns that have felt the pains of people migrating to the larger cities. The doors of opportunity have been swung wide open for rural businesses needing an internet solution. The King, The Champion but also the new kid on the block that has to prove himself. It is going to be a matter of time before we truly know the limitations of Starlink Business. For now though every thing is looking up, and based upon the majority of existing Starlink users they have hit a grand slam homerun. If the business side of Starlink performs even half as well it will be considered progress, if they deliver the goods as stated then they will be wearing the champs crown for a long time to come. Thank you for reading this article, if your enjoying the content that make sure to become a member.

We have heard of many cases of Starlink customers who have been waiting patiently for their new internet system, when it finally arrives it is hard to hold back the excitement (we know the feeling). It's like Christmas morning for adults and for those rural customers that have dealt with spotty internet service, low speeds, or all of the above. So you follow the simple directions to set up the Dishy in an open area on your property, plug it in to power and wait for the magic.. nothing happens.. why? In this article we are going to talk about some troubleshooting tips and tricks when trying to get your new Starlink up and running. A common issue we have run into is an incorrect service address. This is something that is often overlooked by a new customer because the shipping address could be correct and thus the Dishy arrives at your door (or nearest post office) and the assumption is, "if Starlink shows up to the correct location then they must have the correct service address". This is not always the case, sometimes the shipping address and service address can be completely different, especially in a rural setting. The customer will know this when signing up (as it is common with rural addresses) but sometimes the location services and mapping system can be glitchy, placing you in a different service area than you originally selected and still allowing your system to be shipped because the shipping address is correct. Your Service address is one of the first things to check when your system arrives. Make sure the beacon/icon on the map lands right on your location if dishy has been set up and you are not receiving internet service. To do this you will go straight to Starlink.com on any browser, log in to your account scroll part way down the page till you see the above image: From here you can make sure that your service address is correct If it is not then this is also where you can update to the proper service address. In some cases you have to drag the marker to your actual location on the map as inputting the physical address may take you somewhere near (but not your exact location). If you can't adjust the map to your location then submit a ticket to Starlink ASAP and they will help you figure it out The worst case scenario is the service address has jumped to the nearest open sector and you find out on further investigation that your specific location (not just the county or district) is not open for Starlink internet service. Obstructions, because of the nature of Starlink's system you have to be very aware of your Dishy location on the property. The signals that are being received come from 400-600 kilometers away and therefore need to be incredibly precise for a fast and stable internet. Although the signals do have some obstruction penetrating abilities they are not fool proof in that way. So our advice would be to open up your Starlink app (even better if this is done before receiving equipment) and utilize the built in obstruction viewer: (follow this link to our blog on using the app Where to install your Dishy.. For the most part it walks you through the process, all you have to do is push the Check For Obstructions button and follow the prompts on screen and it will give you a message and some stats on its findings when the process is complete. Make sure to factor in growth when scanning the horizon, the app is good but it is not foolproof. That tree that is just out of the line of sight might be in line of sight come spring or late summer. If you're just over the tops of trees then try to give yourself as much room as possible allowing for growth and wind movement. Resetting Starlinks Router. Sometimes a power cycle can be a simple fix, and other times you may need to do a factory reset on the router and restart the whole setup process. You may be able to see and connect to the Wi-Fi network but can still be without internet, this does not always mean you have a signal issue at the Dishy (especially if you can hardwire to the Starlink and internet is live). For one reason or another the router may not know what to do and can become ineffective in its roles, this is where a factory reset would come in. Believe it or not any electronics can become overwhelmed even if it is following its built-in programming (always some margin of error), a factory reset can give it a fresh start and help the device to perform as it was designed. To do the reset you will find a pin hole on the router (push and hold for approx. 10 seconds), give it some time to go through its sequences. For the rectangular Gen 2 system power cycle do the following (unplug from power and then plug back in 3 times in a row). Once completed you should be able to set up your network name and password again within the app, save your changes and give it some more time and reconnect one of your devices (for testing) to the newly named network. If you now have internet, awesome! If not.. keep reading for some more tips and tricks. Updates. Not waiting for the equipment to update is a common issue but not one that people always think of when they are setting up the new system. A lot of the existing customer stories have sounded like this; "so easy! I plugged the equipment in, waited 5-10 minutes, and shazam I now have internet!" On the flip side of that we are seeing a slightly increasing number of customers who get a whole lot of nothing when following the simple setup directions. Because of this problem we now see reports coming back where customers have had to leave the equipment plugged into power for a minimum of one hour before testing again. Allowing the system to completely update all its firmware. Software updates (new versions) are being released fairly often by Starlink, and the Dishy that you may be waiting for (over a year for some) could very well have missed an update sitting in a warehouse unplugged throughout that wait time. So our recommendation is a) Don't panic.. b) Give it some time. Many have had to wait a full 24 hours (and more) before everything updates, syncs up and starts doing its job. Once up to date it should continue to do that automatically as long as your system is plugged into power and has signal. The last thing any of us want to do is to send back the equipment thinking it's faulty and have to wait again for Starlink to make things right (could be a while). Sometimes patience is the name of the game. Use Starlink's Troubleshooting Page. You can find some very helpful information using Starlinks app by opening the support tab on the main page, and once in you will find a search bar as well as a plethora of topics geared towards customers frequently asked questions(FAQ). If you are unable to find what you are looking for in the app, another great option is doing a google search for YouTube content as well as forums and blogs (such as this) that may help save you some time and headache. There is a plethora of information lots good but some bad, so be selective on who you choose to follow and listen too but make sure to subscribe and support the good ones:) Submit a ticket to the Starlink support and they will get back to you as soon as possible, we believe that being a new activation gives you priority in the que, so a rep should hopefully be able to come up with a solution in under 24hrs. They will walk you through step by step the process, the agents we have have been really easy and good to deal with.(I do wish it was live and not digital. Follow the steps in the gallery below to submit a ticket. Once you have submitted a ticket you'll receive an automated email thanking you and assuring you they got your request. Make sure you get an email otherwise they haven't got yours either. You can expect 24-48Hrs before a response, they don't offer a call in option at this time. You will get a email from them as there response, you can check on your ticket and respond all from within the app. As you can hopefully now see there are options before throwing in the towel (even more than we have written in this post). Information regarding the new Starlink system is ever expanding, and the community support that is available has been great to see. If you have questions about anything Starlink please reach out to us and we would be happy to help. Take a look in or forums for pictures and answers on a variety of topics. Thank you for reading.

Network Dropping Splitting The Network Speed Testing Starlink 2.4Ghz Network Starlink 5Ghjz Network Testing The Network Starlinks System Doesn't Always Work As It Should Then again does anything work as it always should when it comes to technology, sometimes it connects fine and sometimes it just won't connect at all. Why is this? What is happening that I keep losing connection on some devices? If these questions sound familiar because you've had the same experience. Just know that you are not alone, this is a more common problem than you think There are definitely some things you can to help troubleshoot issues and possibly resolve them. Every ISP(Internet Service Provider) has to deal with the end users terminal site connectivity, this is easier said then done as the environment changes drastically from one user to the next. From the materials the home is made from to the end users understanding of the equipment and its limitations, you're not going to please everybody. So just like every other ISP out there Starlink is bound to let someone one down, maybe it is on there end, with faulty equipment. We're not going to say that this hasn't happened out of a 250'000 units in use. The vast majority are really pleased with their service. So what if you're one of the few that struggles with the so highly touted Starlink system, it just plain sucks for you...there is no difference from your previous provider. It kicks you off the network all the time and and you struggle to get connected back onto the network. Of the few known issues with Starlink one of them happens to be not necessarily of their own doing, but rather the connectivity of devices to the WIFI network, known as getting kicked off the network or dropping connection. Some devices seem to never have an issue while other devices struggle to stay on. Lets take a look into this little quandary and see if we can come up with some possible solutions or at least get you pointed in the right direction before you ship it back. Lets look at splitting the network by enabling 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz networks to be separated. This will by pass the automated mode and let you hook your devices directly to a locked network, this can prevent some forms of network dis-connection issues. However it does impact the overall network so there are some key things to note when doing this: 1st Enabling the Split. Go into your Starlink app and select the the settings tab on the bottom, in here you will see Split 2.4/5Ghz Networks. Toggle the switch to the right and you will see a little bit of blue just left of the toggle, you have enabled the split. This will create 2 networks. One for the 2.4Ghz band that will be left the same as your existing SSID(networks) name and the other with a 5Ghz beside it. You should now have 2 networks that will appear when you search for WIFI networks in your area. Some devices only have 2.4 Ghz connection capability, especially older or cheaper equipment. These are usually the devices that have a hard time connecting to the network. So now we can test each band within the Starlink app by running speed-test on each one. Run a speed test on the different(split) networks. Using Your Starlink app and your phone select the speed test on each network and notice the results. Your phone will identify the best connection. Go from room to room and run tests. Once you've figured out the best connection attach your devices in the room to the best network and remove(Forget) the other networks once you have confirmed the one that works best. Some devices will only show one network, that is normal, especially once you start to get some distance between you and the router you will probably only see the regular(2.4Ghz) network. As you work your way back closer the 5Ghz network band will show up. We suggest keeping the router (as much as you can) in the center of your home, that way most devices will be connecting to the 5Ghz network. Streaming Devices, Smart TV's and large bandwidth using devices should hopefully be on the 5Ghz. If the distance is to far or there is a lot of barriers between the router and device then 2.4Ghz will have to do. Mobile Phones On 2.4Ghz Network. Your mobile phone can also use a lot of bandwidth but being mobile it is used everywhere in the house and even outside the premises, making it an ideal candidate for the 2.4Ghz network. Remember that the 2.4Ghz network has a further reach than the 5Ghz, so devices that move around from room to room and even outside the home should be placed on the 2.4Ghz band. This will help with connectivity but make these devices a little slower then those on the 5Ghz band. The downside of splitting your network is that the smart AI system in the router that made the decision automatically for the best network is gone. The good side is that now that the auto feature is gone your devices will stop trying to change networks which can cause devices to be dropped from the network. Lets take a look at the devices on the networks and how to identify how strong the signal is and what network they are on. Lets head to your network connection tab found in the Starlink app home page, once selected you can see just how many devices our on the network, then by selecting the device you can see what the signal strength is and what band the device is on. Some devices might have went offline when you spit the network, and others will only be connected to the original 2.4Ghz network. So go through each device and place them on the best network for that particular device. Some devices will only have 2.4Ghz compatibility. I've compiled a short list of devices and which network they should be on ideally. Lets take a look at a real life example of how splitting the signal fixed an issue. I have smart devices all over my home, I was unable to hook up a set of smart plugs that I had purchased from Amazon called "Gosund", these devices run on the 2.4Ghz network but my Starlink WIFI wasn't even able to find the devices until I split the network. I scanned and rescanned, rebooted the router, updated all devices and got no where. It wasn't until Starlink brought out the option to network split that I was able to find the Gosund plugs and attach them on the 2.4Ghz network. They've been working fine ever since. There have been some others along the way, a few smart TV's that also needed the network to be split before being able to be discovered. So if your having problems connecting devices then try splitting your network. While your going through the devices on the network make sure to forget the old SSID (Network connection), so your device doesn't try to hook up on it again. Very important to do this otherwise you could be right back into the problems you were having before. We hope you've enjoyed this article, please join the community to stay up to date with everything Starlink. Check out our YouTube video on Starlink Speed Testing

Will Starlink be like Apple and hook customers into getting the latest versions if they want the better system? Starlink has been in business for a short time but they have made quite a splash around the world with their satellite internet system. They began with a round dish (Gen 1) that was engineered by the team at SpaceX (not without its quirks) it has been overall quite spectacular. Many thousands of people around the globe have the 1st Gen Dishy which in all respects has been a great first version. The new version 2nd Gen Dishy was brought out for many reasons, reduced cost and weight for easier installation and shipping, plus a claimed slightly stronger router (although we would've preferred a WIFI 6 AX system). If the new system holds out as well as the first, or maybe even better, then they are heading in the right direction. Because this industry is so new there is guaranteed to be lots of equipment updates over the years (what I-phone are we on now ?14-15... I can't even remember). With the 2nd Generation Dishy (Version 2) now on the scene, not everyone who orders Starlink is getting the new version (version 1 systems are still in stock) and from what we have heard so far that may not be a bad thing in a lot of respects. This is not to say that the designers and engineers have gone as cheap as possible with this new version but they have certainly tried to make it more profitable for the company while still providing a good product to the customer. From the beginning Starlink has been losing money on the initial sale of the equipment in comparison to the production costs, so it was only natural that they try and close that gap and grow the over all profitability (smart business move). Some of the changes they have made on this new Dishy in comparison to the 1st Gen have been: The biggest notable change they have made with the 2nd gen has been in the Dishy shape, and over all dimensions, this is where the cost cutting has come in to play. By reducing the amount of material and changing the shape, the production costs went from approximately $3000/dish down to a $1300/dish range, it seems that they are still losing some money on each Dishy sale but they will quickly recoup that overhead on the monthly customer charges. So what does this mean for the quality of the new Dishy? We have read some mixed reviews to date. Many who are still waiting on the Starlink system think that if they get the new square version it will be an upgrade from the 1st Gen. Depending on what you are looking for in a system this is a very debatable topic. So lets dig in to some more specs and reviews to try and make the picture a bit more clear. Weather rating. As we can see in the above chart both Gen 1 and Gen 2 have the exact same rating for the operating temperatures which for the most part has been sufficient for customers (aside from a few cases of over heating). Looking at the specs they are exactly the same as far as the numbers go, but we know and you guys know, that the practical application of any technology can often tell a different story. So what some have run in to with the Gen 2 is some difficulty with the onboard heater and its ability to melt snow and ice with the same gusto as the first generation Dishy (in automatic mode). It has also been said that the material on the new Dishy is different with more of a matte finish than a gloss (Gen 1) (this may be hearsay and has not been 100% confirmed), that may explain the melting issues some users have been seeing. On the pre heat setting there have been reports of the Dishy cutting out of service fairly often while the heating element is left on, and the internet stabilizes within minutes of the pre heat mode being turned off and this seems to consistently repeat for those that have tested it. Aside from the quirks so far we have also seen some great changes, read on and decide for yourself as we dive a little deeper. Router They have improved in a few ways with the New Starlink Router: We see two changes on the above table that are welcomed and could definitely come in handy depending on the situation. First one being the 3x3, MU-MIMO, essentially this means that the router can handle 3 simultaneous data streams at the same time. So if you had 3 people in your house using the internet at the same time you are not fighting each other for bandwidth. The previous router was a 2x2, MU-MIMO, same concept but instead of 3 users at the same time you could have up to 2 before the router starts to put users in a line up. If you are beyond 2 users at the same time in the house (lets say you are the 5th user) then you will be experiencing a degradation in your performance being at the end of the cue. It is a small change in router capability but an improvement none the less. Second change on the list is operating temperature. We see a significant change in operating temperature from the 1st Gen, the 2nd Gen can handle a whole 30 Celsius difference in the negative direction and a 20 Celsius jump in to the positives. We could see this coming in handy if your Starlink router has to be located in a shed for example, a building that has power but no heat. It even has an IP54 rating which means the router is water resistant to a degree. They do highlight even though the new router is weather resistant on paper, it is actually configured for indoor use. Our guess is that means you should have the router at the very least in a shelter with walls and a roof and not mounted somewhere outside where it is open and exposed to the elements. Another small but welcome change has been the overall shape, the previous version has a very hard time standing up with any resistance on either side of the base. It is a sleek and good looking router but not nearly as functional as the new version when standing it on a desk or shelf, etc. Some of the biggest changes seem to have taken place in the router (most of them good) but one change that makes us scratch our heads is the removal of an ethernet port, we understand they are trying to save some money on production but the few cents per router they save is not worth the headache that customers experience when they need to hardwire some of the technology in the home. They do sell an adapter that gives you a single ethernet port and in turn can be used for running a switch and/or hard wire network, maybe your own router or meshing system, or can be used for a single device like an old desktop computer that doesn't have wireless capabilities. This is certainly not the end of the world, but it does cost you some extra money and forces you to wait for the adapter if you didn't order it at the same time as your internet. Starlink is supposedly working on a meshing system that should rectify the need for hard lines ran throughout the home, but of course that means another added cost to the customer. As long as Starlink continues to deliver on internet performance though I'm sure most will put up with the odd changes. Even better if you happen to get one of the 1st Gen Routers we think the pros out way the cons so far (except for the falling over from a light breeze). Cabling This is one area where Starlink heard the customers cries and listened (kind of..). With the 2nd Gen we now have the ability to detach the cable from the dish without having to physically cut it, this is great because the previous version was an attached cable and a set length. This attached cable has worked in most cases as it is fairly long and also has a rather thick shielding on it to protect the innards from anything nature can throw at it. This is all well and good unless you have your Dishy mounted to a roof and the cabling ran through an attic or neatly tacked on the outside of the house and in to the basement, if something goes wrong and the Dishy or cabling needs to be replaced you now have to undo your whole install to send back the equipment (what a pain). So the engineers took it upon themselves make a detachable cable on the 2nd Gen Dishy that can also be replaced with a variety of different pre-made lengths for most customer applications. it sounds like they have fixed the problem right? Not quite.. from our perspective they have fixed one problem and potentially replaced it with another. The new problem comes in the form of a specialized proprietary connector that only Starlink can replace and can not be utilized in a standard surge suppressor system for grounding your Dishy. On top of the grounding issue it also leaves customers without the ability to run a cat cable extension off of the power supply (brick) because it no longer exists with the 2nd Gen. It seems Starlink has went the way of Apple in that regard and created an extra hurdle/expense that didn't need to be there (IE: Iphone charge cables and ports). Regardless of this change you can purchase up to a 150' cable with your new Dishy (sufficient for majority of locations) and as long as the proprietary connectors themselves are well made customers are sure to be satisfied overall with their Gen 2. Dishy Mount The new mount is now made up of 4 legs rather than the previous tripod style base, it is very similar in the way that it accepts the mast into it for a fairly solid hold on the Dishy. It is also meant to be used on the ground and not built for a roof mount (custom options are out there to utilize the existing base on a roof). We were hoping to see something a little more versatile with this new Dishy base, but we understand that Starlink is losing money on every sale and they can't appease everyone. So instead they have designed and built a slew of different mounts that can be purchased separately when you want the system mounted at a height. www.starlink.com The price for the Gen 2 remains the same on the equipment cost $599.00 American ($759 CAD with shipping before tax *Rural Canada Offer $199 Limited Time*) as well as the monthly charges $110.00 American ($140 CAD before tax), we may not have enough information available on the new system to make a fair judgement whether the Dishy is "worth" the same as the Gen 1 but we do hope if this article accomplishes any thing that it will increase your knowledge in the area of Starlink, and it is our pleasure to help in any way we can and hopefully make your overall experience a little bit easier. We thank you for reading please become a member if you are enjoying these articles.

What is Starlink Your Internet Usage Availability Budget Location Accessories Router Cabling PROS and CONS Elon Musk is known as a disruptor, a hero to many and a villain to some, but one thing that everyone can agree on is that he has definitely disrupted many of the accepted and almost previous norms of society. Just to mention a few of these would be Tesla, which has turned the car industry on its head now trying to catch up to its pace, SpaceX which made the imaginative a reality and shook the entire space industry with reusable rockets, and Starlink is delivering internet services to areas that other providers have been trying to do for 20 plus years. Now delivering services that are better than most rural ISP's (Internet Service Provider) Through satellite technology defying the human imagination or propelling it. I’m sure that if Elon got a nickel for every time he heard "That can't be done" he would've been a trillionaire years sooner. But this isn't even about Elon, this is about Starlink a rural internet provider, That delivers broadband internet services to some of the most difficult terrain with ease and at a fraction of the cost of it competitors, using satellite technology developed by SpaceX With speeds that can handle home and business networks rated at 50-500Mbs download, make working at home now possible for some and opening up options for rural businesses that would have only been available to places near cable, fiber-lines and towers. This being said, there are some very important things to consider before getting a Starlink system, and some you better consider deeply before packaging back up and sending it back, with crushed dreams of fast usable reliable enjoyable internet. Let's take a look at 7 factors that will help you make the best decision when it comes to purchasing Starlink. 1. Your need for internet, the most obvious thing to consider is what are you using your internet for? Do you stream TV, do homework or even work from home? Do you just need to check emails occasionally and maybe the odd glance at social media. If you understand and know your internet usage, you'll be able to make the best decision about what ISP would work best for you. You might think that Starlink is the best option, but considering that some people only use the internet for checking emails, they might be able to find a provider at a 1/8 the cost that would suit their needs just fine. Starlink requires a hefty upfront payment that bills out on the higher side of LTE providers. So if you're near an LTE tower, find out what they offer and definitely weigh out the options. Now for some and we've met many already, this is a no brainer as they don't have any other ISP services near them. The only option is Satellite, and if that is the case then Starlink is absolutely the best choice, other satellite internet providers just can't keep up with Starlink. In most categories, speed, price, availability with the exception of one category and that will be reliability which can only be truly measured over time. So weighing your options is always the best plan to help make the right decision, but if money isn’t any sort of factor then Starlink it is. 2. Availability, Starlink is not available everywhere yet, and even once it is there is no guarantee that you will get it. Unlike other ISP's that have an installation network, with contractors that come to your door. Starlink is sent to you via postage and it's up to you to get it installed. Once you sign up and make your initial deposit, you are put in a queue for the system, it might be weeks, months and in some cases I've heard of over a year before you receive your services. If you're needing services asap then another provider might have to fill in the gap before you get your Starlink. We’ve had some clients only wait for weeks and some that have waited months, and some still waiting. This can be painful but we believe it is for legitimate and good reasons in our point of view. While other ISP's have crammed in as many consumers as they could on their towers in order to generate profit, the cost is at the end users terminals when their internet speeds become slow due to the heavy drain placed on the system, due to the high volume of users. I personally would rather wait and get something good than get something quickly only to be disappointed with its performance. 3. Budget, being at the higher end of the pricing spectrum means that Starlink will be a heavy option to weigh out. Albeit there are ways one might be able to save money because you have Starlink, check out our other article, Saving Money With Starlink The upfront $500.00 American and $650.00 Canadian is extremely pricey considering that some of the competition will give it to you for $0 down if you sign a contract. Which to Starlink credit and this is huge for me, you're not in any sort of payment contract, if you don't like the services then you won't be stung with some large bill for getting out, It can be canceled at any time. And another great feature from Starlink is there are no data caps, you won't be penalized for excessive consumption of data! No overages on bills! Play on gamers and keep watching streamers, you'll never be overcharged on your bill. 4. Location, Starlinks satellite constellation is huge and the area it covers is vast but that doesn't mean you can get it from anywhere on the ground. Trees, buildings, towers, mountains can all cause interference with the Starlink system. Trees are by far going to be the most common challenge. If you have tall trees surrounding your acreage or house you might have problems getting the signals you need. Although there are always workarounds that can be done, be prepared for possibly trimming trees to help open up the line of sight (field of view) for your system. If you love your trees as some definitely do, majestic and hundreds of years old. Just be prepared for disappointment when you're unable to get internet, or you get intermittent speeds that work and then don't, you might still be able to get a somewhat usable connection but intermittent internet connectivity issues are painfully frustrating to deal with. We highly recommend you download the Starlink app and use the obstruction finder to test your area before even purchasing the system. This will help you to gauge just how much work you might be in for before you go ahead, or if it will even be possible. 5. Accessories, there are 3 Starlink systems available at this time Gen1, Gen,2 and Premium. We're dealing with home residential systems so will take premium out of the mix.(Premium is for commercial use). Both Gen1 and 2 are priced the same, and you're not able to pick which system you'll get so the options here will depend on which system you receive. Both systems come with a ground/flat roof mounting bracket. These can be used for roof mounting but it will take some extra pieces to be done right. You have options from Starlink to purchase varying mounts, make sure to consider which one applies best to your situation and purchase it once you receive confirmation for your systems delivery which takes about a week once you receive the notification. You’ll probably get the parts after your dishes delivery, but that is fine, you can run tests before doing the permanent installation, this way you’ll know your installation will work as needed before permanently installing. Depending on your roof type and installation you might have to look outside of Starlink to find one that works better for you. We've had a lot of success using a 3 foot tripod mount, as it gives a lot of versatility for peak mounting, no matter how steep the roof may be. The Starlink dish should not be mounted on any angle above 35 Degrees, so definitely keep this into consideration. Once you've figured out your mount, now you need the tools and equipment for install, we couldn't possibly go over every option as every install is unique and there is a plethora of tools and parts needed. Starlink does offer a few kits for wood and masonry installations, these are important. A good clean installation will help the life expectancy of the system, cables placed on the ground, run through windows and doorways are just waiting for damage to happen, and repairs will be difficult. I would recommend getting a professional to help with the install just to make sure it's done right and safely, they'll also have all the tools needed on hand and save you from having to source them out. But many can and will do it themselves, I recommend doing a little study on router WIFI signals to get an idea of where to try and situate the router for best performance, metal and stone eat WIFI signals so maybe placing the router beside the freezer or on the chimney mantle isn’t such a good idea. Router, both Starlink systems come with a router. So no need to purchase a new one, but one other accessory worth mentioning is for the Gen 2 system, the ethernet adapter. This adapter will give you the ability to hard wire your system and use non Starlink equipment with your system. This is a must have in my books, otherwise if something goes wrong you're at the mercy of Starlink to take care of it for you. Whereas with the adapter you can by-bass the router and have a direct connection and possibly keep using the system while they send out replacement parts. The Gen1 system router can be bypassed without an adapter from Starlink. Most home network routers usually have 4 ports for hardwiring a network. Unfortunately Starlink didn't want to give us any options other than a single port offering with their equipment. So if you're planning on doing any kind of networking in your home or already have one in place you're going to need a network switch to support the system. In some cases hardwire connection is the only way the device can connect, so definitely think about what equipment you'll be running and how it will connect into your Starlink network and order what's needed. You can also use existing compatible routers that you may have already owned, but once again the ethernet adapter will be needed for Gen2. Cabling, you have a 100 foot length cable from Starlink with the Gen1 system and a 75 foot cable with Gen2 system with the option of 150 foot cable from Starlink. Hopefully these lengths will be enough for you but I know it won't work for everybody out there. You can add cabling to the Gen1 system but it is not advised by Starlink. We have run 300ft cable lengths and used them over a period of time with no issues to our system, although I know the equipment was working harder. In some cases where you're installing the dish 300ft away to get into an opening for the satellite field of view this might be an option. With the Gen 2 system you're limited to 150 Foot until Space X or the aftermarket comes up with more solutions and options. PROS No contract Mobility! 1-1.5 Kilometer service radius (in our testing) Comes with a router and cabling Rated at 50-150Mbs speed Best Recorded Speed 307Mbs Router can power up to 100 devices Has been very reliable Unlimited Data CONS Little pricey to start Monthly bill is above average No options for packages Inconsistency in speeds Self Installation Limited cable length Some install accessories required We hope you have enjoyed this article, please become a member to stay up to date with everything Starlink.

Starlinks system has had some issues with intense heat temporarily shutting it down, they've updated there system to avoid the thermal shut down that was taking place above 40 Degrees Celsius, Yikes that's hot! But what about the opposite, the cold, snow, sleet, ice...the nasty of winter weather. The recent Starlink update gave a new feature for enabling, disabling, and smart "AI" connection for your Dishy system. Thus giving the ability to leave the heater turned fully on. But how do you know if you should set this function? And why did they give the option? Shouldn't it be smart enough to figure it out? What extreme temperatures is the Starlink system able to handle? Is there a cold rating for there system before it shuts the thermal switch for being to cold? All Media Services has been serving Central Alberta Canada for 9 years with a variety of technologies (security systems/satellite TV/cell boosters, etc.) So we know about snow, we've seen drifts that will bury vehicles and even in some cases entire homes. Alberta's winter weather can be a huge detriment to any outdoor technology. There are National Rating Systems for equipment functionality in the cold. As an example when looking at a security system the company selling the product will provide a rating on what the outdoor cameras are able to handle as far as temperature changes, water resistance, etc. Its called and IP rating (ingress protection), and the higher the number attached to the IP the more extremes the equipment will be able to handle while protecting the internals (IP65, IP66, IP67). Starlink has taken this in to account for their new internet system with the addition of an onboard heater for melting snow and ice build up off Dishy. This is important because Dishy has a small electric motor to allow for automatic adjustments when tracking and acquiring signals. Just like any motor when put under to much stress it has the potential to burn out. We have heard some stories already of customers having to much ice build up on and around the Dishy, restricting its movement and causing the motor to burn out prematurely. So an important thing to note with your existing, or just arrived Starlink system, is to make a decision if the automatic heating function needs to be activated or not? Possibly avoiding expensive replacement costs. Sources say the heater itself can use up to 50 watts to run but that would only be for a short amount of time on the automatic setting, making the least amount of increase in power consumption. So why give us the option if its automatic and suppose to detect snow and melt it automatically? Our thoughts are that they've anticipated many unique scenarios, and don't truly know the moisture and precipitation values but work off of temperature sensing only for activation of the internal heater. A person living in a cooler climate with extreme snow fall may have need to activate full time dish melting, helping dissipate the build up of snow around the dish as well. Icicles can also build around Dishy from previously melted snow, we have personally seen this, and I know for some that this might become an issue when you have a mass build-up of Ice around the service area. This is one of the reasons when you're installing Starlink's satellite dish it should be placed in an area that can be serviced or accessed easily (as much as possible), you don't want to be scaling a steep tin roof in the winter to clean off a few icicles if the need calls. Now you might live in a cold region with very little snowfall, in this case turning the Dishy heat system to auto would probably be best or just shutting it off altogether. The lack of snow accumulation will be the determining factor for selecting the option that best suits your needs. Starlink chart to see where the options might need to be enabled, How powerful is the heater? On top of ice building up and causing fail points many of us also experience an abundance of snow in the winter season (as we have seen in Alberta), if your Dishy has minimal angle due to its geographical location you may see it situated at a fairly slight tilt, which is the perfect landing zone for a pile of snow. We have personally put the 1st gen system and its heater to the test and found it to work very well, and rather quick in the above mentioned scenario. We even went so far as to shovel a pile of snow on to the dish about 2' high and watched as it dropped off within minutes. Its important to note that we were still able to run a speed test, and the internet (although slow) was still functional when nearly ever inch of the Dishy's surface was covered with snow (pretty impressive). We live in a fairly volatile climate here in Alberta (especially winters) but what we rarely experience is extreme heat. This is one area that the Starlink system has had some known issues, there is a Thermal Shutdown Switch when the Dishy over heats and no longer functions or provides internet to the residence. The systems temperature capacities are in a range from approx -22 degrees F to 104 degrees F (-30C to 40C) which can easily be exceeded in a lot of countries and regions. Starlink is aware of this problem and have created a software upgrade to rectify the issue. If your Dishy is still overheating then you'll want to re-evaluate your install and if possible get Dishy into some shade or a cooler area where a breeze can help dissipate the heat build-up. In the meantime a quick fix for many Starlink owners has been to spray the Dishy down with cold water until the internet service resumes (do what you gotta do). In our personal experience with temperatures reaching as low as -58 degrees F (-50C) here in central Alberta over the last year we have seen very little down time caused by severe cold temperatures in comparison to the stories of down time due to severe heat. Overall we believe Starlink has done a lot to cover the bases before releasing their product, but no matter how thorough a team is, complete perfection can never truly be achieved (but it can certainly be the goal) and from what we have seen and experienced so far the team at SpaceX has put a lot of thought, time and attention in to creating an excellent satellite internet system. Growing pains are inevitable in every aspect of life and that is why we believe it is important to rely on our world wide community to navigate these changes. That being said feel free to reach out to us any time at the Starlink Community Forums and we would be happy to help. We hope you have enjoyed this article and thank you for reading.

Table of Contents Starlink is Not The Cheapest Cut the Cord Cell Phone Bill The Old Landline Security Systems Working From Home The Side Hustle Simple Things In Closing Starlink is not the cheapest internet service provider, at $99.00 US a month and $135.00 CA a month plus a hefty down payment of $500 plus, add in some installation pieces and you're left with quite a bill to start. Starlink is one of the pricier internet providers, but with the internet being so important for homes these days people are willing to pay the extra in order to have reliable, good and usable internet. Working from home was impossible for some before the Starlink system came on the scene. Now that Starlink is here and delivering beyond most expectations, what are some options for us users to help save money. How can Starlink make up for the initial cost and recoup some of the monthly bill? Let's take a look at some examples. Satellite TV Cable Bill, ok not everyone has a cable bill, but for those of us that have satellite TV in rural areas you get used to getting a bill every month. Starlink internet speed delivers enough bandwidth to use multiple TV's at the same time with ease, I myself have been running 30 devices and 6 of them were TV's playing 1080P to 4K videos! ALL AT THE SAME TIME! There is no way my previous provider could have done this. So how can this save you money, BECOME A CORD CUTTER! I ran satellite TV for years and loved it, well most of it, my ever increasing bill was at $140.00 dollars before I decided to cut it off, more than my Starlink bill is! Since I have gotten Starlink my streaming uptake has increased 10 fold, I can access almost every show needed through apps that exist, and if the app does cost money it is usually under the $10 a month unless it's sports, the Sports apps are around $20.00 a month. So even if I add a few apps like Netflix or Prime and maybe a ESPN you would still be under $50.00 a month to get all that TV, at a fraction of the cost, thank you Starlink!!! If I'm really trying to save money then I could just stream free content only, there is literally thousands of shows that are safe and reliable to stream for free, you just end up watching there ad's which I always did on my satellite system anyways. So this to me is one of the biggest savings to be had right from the start. Cell Phone Bill - for some, cellular technology was maybe the only internet they had, cell data is expensive! My family could rack up a $1000.00 bill in just one month! Having Starlink broadband service hooked directly into your cell's WIFI and turning on your WIFI calling on your phone will save you a ton of data that otherwise would have cost you money. In some cases you might even be able to contact your provider and tell them to reduce your data package and lower your bill. Although I do recommend leaving some data on your phone plan as you're not always connected to your home network when you're in need of searching the web. Once you have set this up correctly your phone should instantly connect to the Starlink system once you're in range and from then on you're only using Starlink data with no cap on it, IT IS UNLIMITED! No overage charges, use as much as you want, as often as you need. The old landline connection, well this is a bit of a no brainer here. If you're still paying for a landline to your home you can cut that cord for sure. Most rural property owners that we run into are not even running the line to their houses anymore, saving thousands of dollars worth of trenching lines under the ground. Now in some cases you might be using that line for a security system alarm, so you want to make sure to set this up correctly so that nothing gets shut off in the process. Most land lines run from $5-35 a month, which is not that much but every little bit helps. The reliability of the Starlink system is extremely good, and if it does go down then you have your cellular services that you can use, basically making a landline a redundant third option. If you're still interested in keeping a phone line at the house there are a lot of VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) options available that run purely off internet bandwidth and cost very little comparatively. These applications are often used when you talk outside of your country and region as there is usually no long distance charges, but make sure to read the fine print and ask around who has had success with their VOIP provider. Security Systems, if you have a monitored security system then you're paying a monthly bill. These bills can be from $20.00 a month to as much as $100.00. This cost might have been needed in the past for peace of mind, but now with the Starlink system you can go to a self monitoring system, skip the bill and watch your place for yourself. Starlink is more than capable of powering up the hungriest of bandwidth eating security systems. Get one of the newer smart security systems that are on the market and you will be able to keep your eyes on your property with ease! No more false alarms, because you're watching your property and you know the difference between a deer and a burglar. In this day and age with the tech out there, this has become a huge addition to rural living. With automated surveillance systems sending notifications to your phone while you're away, why would you pay someone else to watch for you? Working From Home, well here is a big ticket item! The cost of gas these days is going through the roof, I watch dollar bills fly out of my tailpipe every time I start my vehicle. Well what if I don't have to drive in? What if I can get done what I need to from my house? After all, I have fast internet now. This might not be an option for all but it is for some, many people have chosen to WFH.(work from home) Maybe you still go a few days a week, but everyday you don't start the car is a day in which you save money. Now not all jobs will be able to offer this but it is worth the conversation with your employer, you never know what you might get from them. Now a little more on the extreme side would be completely changing careers, this is certainly a good and valid option as the amount of jobs out there for WFH has exploded over the past couple years. So don't rule it out, maybe the Starlink system will help your take on your next career. The Side Hustle, this next idea ties directly into the previous one, maybe you like your job and where you're at but you're looking for a little supplemental income. Starlink internet speeds open up a vast array of online marketing tools, from affiliate marketing, drop shipping, reviewing, blogging or start your very own Youtube channel. There is a huge market out there where many people have found success. Now I don't want to make this sound too easy as it does require patience, time and effort, but the success stories are real and you now have enough bandwidth to dip into the waters. You might not be able to quit your job next year but perhaps you're able to put enough money away from your side hustle to pay for your families holiday or maybe get a new car, maybe it just covers the gas for the month, whatever the case may be it is because you have fast enough internet speed to do so. Not to toot our own horn but if you're looking at building an online store or website www.allmediaservices.net is a great place to start. Simple Things, I used to have an old boss that told me if you count the pennies the dollars will take care of themselves. Sometimes it's the little things that make up the difference. Smart home features like a smart thermostat can now be utilized to save monthly on heating. Also monitor your plumbing with flood and temperature sensors to avoid a catastrophe. These smart home options can now be used in a rural setting with Starlink. Maybe on a even more basic level you can use it to help make sure you don't miss deals at the grocery store, or you get in on the great sale of the month because you signed up, maybe you save a dollar off of your bill because you went paperless. There are a plethora of ways in which you can maximize your time and energy. Having Starlink has allowed me to capitalize on all of these options. I can do almost everything online from banking, paying the bills to making online appointments, all done from my kitchen table. So when I do go to town it is more because I want to then need to. Every penny saved will eventually turn into a dollar, so experiment a little, try some new technologies that are supposed to help with these kinds of things, talk to Google, Alexa or Siri and ask for their help, you might be very surprised at what floats to the surface. These are just a few of the main ideas that I can think of but I know there are other great ideas even better than these out there. Starlink may be a bit on the pricey side but there are oodles of ways that it can help you recoup some money. But really more important to me is that I don’t care if it does or doesn’t do all these things, these are just perks. I just want a good, reliable, fast internet connection, and that is exactly what Starlink has delivered for me. Please comment below and share with us your experience with Starlink and how it's changing your world. make sure to subscribe for free if you're enjoying these articles!