The internet coverage where I live in Norfolk (UK) is classified as rural broadband and the fastest connection speed on offer is 0.2-0.5 Mbps which is really slow. I signed up for Starlink nearly a year ago and finally my order has been fulfilled. Inside the box there is a wireless router and of course the satellite dish. I now need to find a location that is free from obstructions:
5 Likes
I’m interested in how you get on. I tried geostationary satellite broadband (Eurolink), but although the supposed speed was much higher than my landline (25Mb or thereabouts), the latency was appalling (supposedly about 600 milliseconds, but actually more usually about 0.9 to 1.3 seconds). In actual use, it was slower than my landline (1 or 2 Mbs), and often dropped out (for some reason, it kept dropping the ethernet connection for about 30 or 40 seconds at a time several times a day). Gave up on it, and have been looking at Starlink - but it is (at the moment) very expensive…
1 Like
The installation is a little trickier than I anticipated. First one needs to download the Starlink app and use it to scan the sky which involves pointing one’s phone up at the sky and rotating around 360° to allow it to check for any obstructions. Even a large tree can cause problems which is troublesome because my perimeter is dotted with semi-mature trees. I’ve tried every location around the house and the app considers them to be not suitable. From the photo below, you should be able to see that on the lefthand side there is an obstruction from the house itself and on the righthand side there is a slight obstruction from a nearby tree:
The best location would be to mount it to the top of the chimney stack but the problem is I have an active fireplace. I could mount it to the side of the chimney stack but I would possibly have to apply for planning permission because I live in a Grade II Listed Cottage.
An alternative would be to position it in the vegetable patch but it’s 50 metres away from the house. I have also considered digging a hole and mounting it on top of a 4.5 metre post away from any trees 
1 Like
I have been using a Starlink dish for about 6 months (Sussex, UK). Speeds rose from a very consistent FTTC 28 down / 8.2 up, to anything between ~75-240 down and ~8-10 up. I am lucky in that I have a clear sky & no obstructions. Ping is between 30 - 40.
If I was being brutally honest I am not convinced that I really notice the extra speed - 28 / 8 was more than sufficient for streaming movies etc etc, but I am enjoying the technology. #geek
I have a Unifi USG which fails over to my Plusnet FTTC should I lose Starlink connection; it does happen, but only very rarely. The Plusnet ADSL only costs ~£4 / month, so worth keeping.
2 Likes
I seem to recall that Elon Musk has sent a load of Starlink tech to Ukraine.
There was an article somewhere saying the dishes can be hindered by cats perching on them!
The Starlink dishes apparently emit some warmth and it has been known for cats to lie on them and keep warm during the winter:
With regards to Ukraine, I recall Elon also warning users that use of Starlink offers the possibility of giving away their location. I believe a counter measure to the use of Starlink was a jamming signal of somesort
2 Likes
Ah…multiple Feline blocking loss. A parameter not usually considered in RF Link Budget calculations 
2 Likes
presumably it uses CAT5 cabling?
5 Likes
Kitty Kat5e
2 Likes
That’s it! I remember that image.
2 Likes
Is this what is meant by a Cat-Astrophy…? 
4 Likes
Only if they get smaller over time.Oh, wait, that’s a cat-atrophy.
4 Likes
This topic was automatically closed 60 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.