Do you live in a location outside the reach of Cable or Fiber Internet service? Tired of the slow speeds and restrictions of DSL, Fixed Wireless, LTE modems or traditional Satellite Internet service (such as Viasat or HughesNet)? Then Starlink Satellite Internet is just the solution for you!
What is Starlink?
Starlink Satellite Internet, a subsidiary of Elon Musk’s Space X company, is a completely new and revolutionary type of Satellite Internet service. Rather than relying on geosynchronous satellites some 22,300 miles from earth, as traditional Satellite Internet services do, Starlink utilizes a network of thousands of satellites in non-geosynchronous, low-earth orbit, some 400 miles above the earth.
Shorter distances=faster ping times
The closer distance of the satellites greatly reduces the lag (ping time) in the Internet connection. With traditional Satellite Internet service, ping times of ~620ms are common. Ping times on Starlink vary from 20-40ms, which nearly is comparable to what you’d see over a typical Cable Internet connection.
Better download/upload speeds
With standard service, download speed range from 50-250Mb/s, with upload speeds about 10-20Mb/s. On premium service, download speeds range from 150-500Mb/s, with uploads at 20-40Mb/s.
Lower prices…and NO DATA CAPS!!!
Standard service is $110/mo, RV service is $135/mo and Business service is $500/mo. There are no contracts to sign and, best of all, no data caps! Some of our customers switching to Starlink have reported paying in excess of $200/mo for traditional Satellite Internet service, where they were routinely running into speed throttling and data caps. In summary, Starlink’s speed speed and ping times are very comparable what you’d get with a Cable Internet connection – making it perfect for streaming video, gaming, video conferencing, voice calling and working from home.
Hardware costs
As there is no long-term contract, you must purchase the hardware up-front, directly from Starlink. The residential base hardware kit (dish w/removable 50’ cable, kick stand, WiFi router) is $599 + $50 shipping, with a $99 deposit, while the business hardware kit is $2,500. Starlink hardware is also available at some Best Buy locations.
Starlink official Accessories
-150′ Cable
-Pipe Adapter Mount
-Short Wall Mount
-Long Wall Mount
-Ground Pole Mount
-Pivot Mount
BEFORE PURCHASING: Survey for a suitable mounting location
Before ordering Starlink, we STRONGLY recommend performing a site survey to determine, firstly, whether it’s practical for your location and, if it is practical for your location, where it will be mounted and what hardware (in addition to the base hardware kit) is needed in order to complete the installation (such as the Ethernet adapter and 150′ cable).
Please note that only you, the purchaser, can order Starlink official accessories listed above (which can take months to deliver). As much as we’d like to, we (Northern Antenna) cannot order Starlink official accessories, nor do we always have spare parts on hand. You will absolutely need to order a pole adapter. Depending on the mounting situation, you might also need to order the longer 150′ cable As we can source all manner of mounting hardware, it is not strictly necessary to order official mounting hardware, besides the pole adapter.
To perform a site survey, simply download the Starlink App for your phone (available for both Android and iOS). Once you have the app installed, click “Visibility,” then “Check For Obstructions.” It’s helpful to take screenshots for later reference. Remember: tree leaves will block signal entirely, so consider that if you are doing a site survey at a time of year when the leaves aren’t out. We have also found that, sometimes, tree branches without leaves will not show up in the obstruction finder. As Starlink connects with a particular arc of satellites flying overhead, you need an unobstructed 100° field of view up the upper sky. The kit includes a self-adjusting rectangular panel antenna that will automatically orient itself to the correct position.
If you’d like assistance with the site survey, or would like us to come and out and take a look, please contact us. Be sure to include your address (so we can look at satellite imagery), pictures of the property and screenshots from the obstruction check.
At some locations, an unobstructed view may be acquired simply by placing the dish on the ground or installing a short roof mount. Other locations might require significant elevation to overcome tree cover, or other creative mounting solutions. Be sure to consider the example mounting solutions below:
A)Common mounting options for locations with an unobstructed view of the sky:
-Eave (Gable-end) mount or roof tripod with & 5′ or 10′ mast
-Re-use of existing building-attached Satellite TV/Satellite Internet mounts (J-poles)
-Starlink short or long wall mounts
-Re-use of free-standing satellite pole
B)Mounting options for locations with an obstructed view of the sky (hemmed in by trees):
-10′ Tripod w/10′ mast (18′ above the roof line).
-Guyed, telescoping mast (available in sizes up to 5 sections/44′ above the roof line).
-Antenna tower, tip-up pole, windmill tower, telephone pole, grain silo, etc.
-Remote building (with power) or other location with a clear view of the sky (up to 150′ from a power source), signal relayed via point-to-point WiFi links, Ethernet or Fiber.
WiFi for the whole property
In addition to installation of the Starlink system itself, we can design and install a WiFi mesh-network WiFi system to cover every square inch of your property – including multi access point systems inside the house, omnidirectional access points outdoors and point-to-point links beaming Internet to outbuildings, etc.
For more information, contact us today or call (952) 491-0643, (715) 802-6275.
See our Facebook Page for installation pictures and speed test results.
(Please be aware that Northern Antenna is based out of the Twin Cities, MN. We normally service MN, along with parts of WI and IA. We’ve found that this page in particular has been picked up by search engines and shown to people far outside our service rage/targeted advertising area. Hence, we have been contacted by folks all around the US looking for an installer. Please see our directory of installers.)
Starlink vs. Cable and Fiber
We occasionally get inquiries from folks looking into Starlink, when Cable or Fiber Internet service is available at their location. As much as Starlink is a great service (and vastly superior to DSL, LTE and traditional Satellite Internet), Cable and Fiber Internet are generally better options, when available. Those services are generally faster (offering speeds up to 1Gb/s in some cases), more reliable (completely unaffected by weather conditions) and cheaper (often $80/month or less, sometimes cheaper if you own your own modem/router hardware).
Links
Starlink
Starlink Review – Andy Slye (YouTube)
Elon Musk promises Starlink will double download speeds on SpaceX’s satellite broadband service – ZDNet
Live Starlink Satellite Map
Speedtest.net