AboutHow to Find Out Free If Starlink Will Work at Your House
There’s an app for that.
Starlink low earth orbit satellite (LEOS) broadband service is for those of us in rural areas who don’t have cable or fiber providers at our address. It’s fast: now close to 200 megabits per second (Mbps) download; 20-40Mbps upload; and latency under 50ms. Can stream multiple hi-res videos simultaneously if you, your spouse, and kids can’t agree on what to watch; supports phone calling and video conferencing. It’s available for ordering with a wait across most but not all of the United States as well as many other parts of the world. It only works if its satellite dish has a clear view of the high northern sky.
Do I have a clear view of the sky?
Download the free Starlink app from the Apple Store or Google Play. Open it up. Choose the check for obstructions option. A few hints:
- It does need to know your location so give the app that permission on a one-time basis when it asks.
- It is using your camera to look at the sky. You should hold the camera knee high where you intend to put the dish. You must see what it sees. If you don’t want to have to lie on your back under the phone, put the camera in selfie mode. Any kid could’ve told me that, but I had no kids handy and there was snow on the ground.
- You won’t see anything if the sky is bright above you. Check for obstacles on a cloudy day.
- Get your head out of the way. I took this screen shot on a bright day so didn’t even see myself.
- To get the full field, rotate the phone so you’ve looked both when it is lengthwise away from you and has its side to you.
- No obstacles means no obstacles. Even one branch in the view can cause dropouts when using the service and satellites duck behind the branch. The best spot may be on your roof.
What is the experience of Starlink users in my area?
Some Starlink users share their near real-time performance data on a webpage at https://starlinkstatus.space. You can learn more about that page including how to share your data at https://blog.tomevslin.com/2021/09/now-available-worldwide-and-local-current-starlink-performance.html.
Can I order in my area?
You can order in Vermont and in Key West but not in San Diego. It all depends on where you are in relation to the satellites planned for this year. Simple way to find out is go to Starlink.com and put in your address. Bad news is when it says “Starlink is not yet available in your area…”. Good news is when it goes right to the order page and asks for your $99 deposit.
When will I get Starlink?
Most people who are ordering currently are told “mid to late 2021.” 2022. The dishes are being delivered constantly but Starlink is gating how many go to each area to keep the service quality high. I haven’t heard of anyone being given a date in 20223 but I do know that there are a large and growing number of orders. Before shipment, you get an email asking you to pay the balance of your $499 plus shipping plus local sales tax. Mine came within a week of paying that balance.
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