Starlink is a satellite internet service provided by SpaceX. Their dish is unique in engineering and construction.
HughesNet and Viasat had a monopoly for decades in the satellite internet business. However, they failed to provide satisfactory high-speed service. It’s why Starlink is becoming popular.
This article discusses ten things about the Starlink dish and its router.
Table of Contents
Can Starlink Dish Be Indoors?
SpaceX’s Starlink uses many sophisticated technologies to provide high-speed satellite internet. In contrast, HughesNet and Viasat’s internet is almost unusable.
SpaceX is using thousands of satellites to provide this internet. The Starlink dish is a phased array antenna that communicates with those satellites.
The Starlink dish needs a clear view of the sky to provide fast and reliable internet. Any obstruction will deteriorate the satellite signal. Hence you will lose internet performance. Even trees will create obstacles, preventing the Starlink antenna from operating correctly.
Therefore, The Starlink dish can’t be placed indoors. If you do, due to a lack of clear view of the sky, your Starlink internet would not work. The Starlink dish has to be outside and can’t be inside. There’s no alternative.
Before ordering your Starlink, please make sure that the place where you intend to install Starlink has a clear view of the sky without any visible obstruction.
Some people place their Starlink dish on the roof to get the best satellite signals. Sometimes, people cut trees or place their dish far away from the house on a clear field.
If you live in an apartment and don’t have a place from where you can get a clear sky view, Starlink may not be your best choice.
Many HOA will ask you to paint the Starlink Dish. In some areas, you must bury the cable to protect it from animal bites or lawn mowers. This article discusses 6 important things about the Starlink dish, router, and cable.
Can Starlink be Mounted in Attic?
Most houses are built with wood. It also has insulation, paper, and shingles. Some homes have metallic roofs.
The Starlink dish needs a clear view of the sky to get internet access. Therefore, Starlink can’t be mounted in the attic. The wood and shingles will block the satellite signal. So, the Starlink wouldn’t work.
If you don’t have any place to install your dish, it’s better to hire a local dish installer and ask him to mount the Starlink dish on top of your house roof or side of the house.
Can the Starlink Router be Outside?
There are times when it’s not possible to put the Starlink router inside.
The cable could be short, or you could have a log house, and you don’t want to drill a hole that may damage your home. In these scenarios, putting the Starlink router on the outside may be necessary.
The Starlink router is IP54 rated. Therefore, it’s waterproof and dust resistant. Consequently, you can place the Starlink router outside without any problem.
However, we highly recommend not placing the router directly under the sun.
You can put your router outside under a roof to protect it from rain and snow. You can also use a box to protect your router from environmental elements.
Starlink routers can withstand extreme cold and heat. Therefore, if you place your router outside with proper protection from water, there will be no issue.
One drawback of placing the router outside is that you will get a poor WiFi signal inside your house because your house wall will absorb the WiFi signal.
Starlink is a substantial investment. Sometimes, you no longer need the Starlink equipment for personal reasons and want to recoup some of the money. This article discusses 5 things about Starlink sales, transfer, service cancellation, and related problems when you move to another address.
What’s the Range on a Starlink Router?
Starlink’s router supplies power to the dish and acts as a WiFi hub. It’s a very powerful router. It has an effective range of 200 feet. If you go further, WiFi signal quality will deteriorate, and internet speed will suffer.
Moreover, If you place the router in the basem*nt, signal quality on the second floor would be very poor due to environmental obstruction.
Starlink’s router range depends on many factors. It’s better to put the router in the middle of the house on the first floor to get maximum coverage.
Trees, walls, and metals all obstruct the WiFi range. Therefore, Starlink’s router range could be more than 200 feet if you have an open yard. However, the range will be substantially lower if your yard is full of trees and other obstructions.
Does Starlink Dish Have a Heater?
The Starlink dish has a built-in heater that melts the snow. It’s automatic; a user doesn’t have to do anything manually. If the antenna detects snow, it will heat the surface to remove it.
If you live in an area where you get a lot of snow, you must be careful about a few things.
Don’t mount the Starlink dish only a few feet off the ground. Because on snowy days, the dish will melt snow and drip water. Eventually, this water will create a freezing waterfall effect where the water refreezes from the ground to the top.
The following image illustrates the situation.
In the image, you can see that the Starlink dish has melted snow. But the water created icicles that were stuck on the dish. It’s a common occurrence.
Now, if the dish is mounted near a structure, the icicle will join the Starlink dish with another structure, preventing the antenna’s movement.
Starlink dishes move autonomously to get the best satellite signal. If your dish is stuck, the internal motor will overheat and get damaged.
Therefore, always put your dish high enough from the ground or any structure so that icicles can’t prevent Starlinks movement.
Does the Starlink work in adverse weather? Is the Starlink router waterproof, and will it work outside? This article talks about 13 essential questions that are important for Starlink ownership.
How to Clean the Starlink Dish?
The Starlink dish always faces upward. There are places where it’s dusty compared to other places. Thus, Over time dust accumulates on top of the surface. Sometimes birds also poop on the Starlink antenna.
If you don’t clean off the dust and bird poop on top of your dish, it will eventually affect your internet reception.
However, you have to be careful cleaning the antenna.
The Starlink dish uses a hydrophobic coating. Don’t use any harsh chemicals or pressured water, or don’t scrub Starlink’s dish surface. We also don’t recommend using dish soap.
Only use low-pressure water to clean the Starlink dish.
First, drip some water on top of the dish and wait a few minutes. Then use low-pressure water that simulates rain to clean the dish. You can use a soft cloth to remove any persistent dirt but don’t put too much pressure and don’t scrub.
Is Starlink Dish Waterproof?
The Starlink dish is IP54 rated. Therefore, it’s waterproof and safe from rain, snow, dust, and hail.
However, remember that it’s not IP67-rated. Therefore, if the dish goes underwater, it will get damaged.
Does Starlink Dish Need to be Level?
The Starlink dish doesn’t need to be level, and the pole doesn’t need to be vertical. The dish can be mounted at an off-angle up to 40 degrees.
The Starlink dish has built-in motors. The antenna will move itself to orient itself to get an optimal satellite signal. Moreover, it’s a phased array antenna that can steer its signal beam without physical movement.
Therefore, The Starlink dish doesn’t need to be placed on a level surface. It’s okay to put the antenna at an off-angle up to 40 degrees.
Does Starlink have to be on the roof?
For better satellite signals, many Starlink owners put their dishes on their house roofs.
However, the Starlink dish doesn’t need to be on the roof. You only need a place from where a clear sky view is possible, and your Starlink dish can be placed there. It could be your lawn or could be 100 feet away from your home. As long as the dish has a clear sky view, there will be no issue.
Putting the Starlink on top of the roof is unnecessary if you have a backyard or lawn from where you have a clear sky view. The rooftop mount will not give better internet.
Does the Starlink Router Go Outside?
You can place the Starlink router either inside or outside of the house. If you want to place the router inside your home, you have to drill a hole in the side wall to bring the Starlink cable inside your home.
If you need to place the router outside, put it under a roof to protect it from rain, snow, and sunlight. You can also use a weatherproof box to protect your router.
The Starlink router generates heat while operating. So, please use a bottom ventilated box.
This article discusses everything you need to know about Starlink dish and the router to become an expert.
