Sometimes, your house has a bad layout design or you live in an older building with impenetrable walls, thus leaving you with dropouts of poor connectivity. A Starlink mesh system is the answer to these problems. A Starlink mesh network can help you get coverage across your entire home.
Whether you want to address dead spot issues in your house, get a reliable signal into the bedroom, or have a strong Wi-Fi, the backyard, having a Starlink mesh system is the solution to these issues.
Instead of having a single router, a Starlink mesh system uses several miniature units you can put throughout your home to efficiently fix dead zones and expand wireless internet speeds.
This article discusses why a Starlink mesh system is a good choice for your internet connectivity needs. The article further highlights the features of a Starlink mesh unit, as well as the cost of each unit, and how to install and set up your mesh network.
What is a mesh network?
A mesh network is designed to cover the entire homes or business with Wi-Fi connection. It is a network established out of a numerous wireless access points popularly known as mesh nodes.
Each node acts like a Wi-Fi router. They function together to effectively route data to and from connected devices in your home. Instead of depending on a single router to supply Wi-Fi from a single location, mesh nodes establish several points of connectivity.
A Wi-Fi mesh network utilizes several mesh nodes. The main mesh Wi-Fi router and other nodes strategically installed across your house near a source of power. The nodes are additional Wi-Fi access points.
The mesh router wirelessly shares its connection with all nodes within its range. The nodes also wirelessly share their internet connection with other nodes within their range. Together as a unit, they create a huge Wi-Fi coverage that boosts reliability and reduces dead spots in your home or business premise.
The Starlink Mesh WiFi Router
A mesh network is a group of connectivity devices, like a Wi-Fi router (that acts as a single network) and several nodes connected throughout your house to boost connectivity in dead spots in the household.
Having one Starlink Wi-Fi router posed challenges to people living in big houses. In June 2022, Starlink mesh router networks were produced for public users to address this problem.
Mesh node is a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) device with multiple radio systems that receives and sends signal to other nodes.
The infrastructure of a Starlink mesh router network helps users to get efficient and consistent Wi-Fi connection between nodes in the network.
The Starlink mesh network comes with a user-friendly app that helps you in the installation process and enables you to monitor the system. You can test speed, monitor connections between points, create guest networks, create parental control, and others.
Features of the Starlink Mesh Wi-Fi Router
The Starlink mesh Wi-Fi routers are multi-band and commonly use frequency bands 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. The difference between the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz wireless frequencies is bandwidth, speed, and range. The 2.4 GHz band can travel far with slower speeds. The 5GHz band offers higher speeds but doesn’t travel as far or doesn’t penetrate obstacles.
The Starlink mesh Wi-Fi routers run on a Wi-Fi 5 technology. The Wi-Fi 5 technology allows devices to transmit data over the 5 GHz wireless frequency. The WiFi 5 technology depends on a number of new and improved technologies to provide its more reliable and faster speeds.
The Starlink mesh Wi-Fi routers are rated to cover homes with size over 3,000 square feet. That is a luxury home that can suit almost any family. If you have a 3000 square feet home with three floors, it can be challenging to get a consistent internet connection. A Starlink mesh network can help you fix that problem. You can also add up to 12 mesh nodes connected to the main router to cover a home with size 9,000 square feet.
Each node comes with a power adapter. Also, in each node, there is a port to connect the Starlink Ethernet Adapter if you want to connect other third-party devices directly. However, the Starlink mesh nodes connect to each other wirelessly. You don’t need to connect them via Ethernet Adapter.
Lastly, a Starlink Mesh Wi-Fi Router is the same as the traditional Starlink router. This means that you can use the conventional Starlink router as a mesh node if you want.
What is the cost of Starlink Mesh Wi-Fi Router?
The Starlink mesh Wi-Fi router costs $300 for each unit. The unit comes with 2 – 3 mesh nodes. So if you need additional nodes, you’ll need to buy extra nodes separately. Each node costs $130.
How you can install a Starlink mesh system
Step 1: the necessary devices at hand
To properly set up your Starlink mesh network, ensure that you have the necessary devices to be installed (main Starlink router, the mesh nodes, and the Starlink app).
Ensure that you have the appropriate number of mesh nodes to be installed in your home. That will depends on the number of Wi-Fi dead spots in your house. If you are living in a larger house where the Wi-Fi router can’t cover all of the rooms, ensure that you have 2 or 3 mesh nodes and a Starlink router to be installed.
Step 2: Choose a spot for the Starlink mesh unit
The second step is to choose appropriate places for the Starlink router and the mesh nodes. Install the Starlink router in a strategic, central position in your house.
A mesh node functions best when placed in a dead Wi-Fi zone. It’s pointless to place a mesh node right next to the main Starlink router as there is no need of extending the Wi-Fi connection just right next to the router.
To identify the dead spots in your house, simply walk around your home while holding your smartphone and determine which floor or room has the weakest Wi-Fi.
You avoid placing the nodes in particular places like enclosed spaces or closed compartments. Place your node in an open view of the room and place it in a high position, possibly hanging it on the wall. Many people install their mesh nodes on highly-elevated furniture like kitchen drawers. But avoid installing the nodes near your microwave.
Step 3: Set up and power up the Starlink mesh unit
Once you’ve selected suitable places for the mesh router and nodes, the next step is to ensure that the router and the nodes are functioning properly. Ensure that the nodes are detected by the Starlink mesh router. The router automatically detects the nodes without pressing any buttons or activating any features.
After that, connect your Starlink mesh unit to the power. Once you power the Starlink nodes, there will show a visual LED light indicator, meaning that the devices are set up successfully and ready to start working.
If you are using third-party mesh nodes, you’ll have to use an Ethernet cable to connect them to the Starlink mesh router. Third party mesh nodes can be connected to your main Starlink router. However, the only disadvantage is that you will need a wired connection. Starlink mesh network functions with all types of compatible third party mesh nodes.
Step 4: Set up and check the Starlink app
You need the Starlink app on your smartphone to help keep track of the Starlink mesh system’s condition. Once all the connections are properly set up, all nodes and router will appear on the Starlink app’s home page. This will allow you to manage the main Starlink router and the connected nodes.
To install the Starlink app, go to “App Store” or “Google Play” on your smartphone. Type “Starlink” in the search bar to find the app. Then download the app. Once installed, login with your Starlink user credentials. And follow the necessary setup instructions. Also, periodically ensure that your Starlink app is on its latest software version. This will help avoid mesh network functionality problems.
Step 5: Connect Starlink app with mesh router and nodes
The next step is to connect the Starlink app with the mesh nodes and the Starlink router. To do so, go to the Starlink app’s homepage. Go to the “Settings,” and press the “Pair” button in the Starlink app.
If you want to configure the Starlink mesh router and nodes, you can do so by accessing advanced configuration settings in the Starlink app. To do so, open the Starlink app. Go to the home page. Then, press on the mesh router and nodes respectively to configure their settings, names, and all of their connectivity details.
Step 6: Test your Starlink mesh network
To ensure that the setup process is done successfully, test if the mesh network is reliable and the connection is stable. To test the connection, connect your smartphone to the Starlink Wi-Fi and walk around the house. If there are outages or intermittent Wi-Fi connection, then know that setup is not working properly.
If the Wi-Fi connectivity in some part of your house appears not to have strong internet, consider repositioning the mesh nodes a little bit. Try elevating the mesh nodes to a higher position in the room.
Also, try placing the mesh router in a centralized position so that the unit’s signal can cover the space evenly as much as possible. Also, ensure that there are no other wireless devices near the mesh router and the nodes, as they could interfere with the wireless signal.
My Final Thoughts
If you feel that the connection and installation process is complicated for you, contact Starlink technicians or any other professional expert for help.
Starlink mesh networks are a great way to get rid of unreliable internet connection in hard-to-reach areas, such as the garage, basement, rooms, floors, and others. However, they are not designed to solve every situation.
If you live in a big home of size 3,000 square feet or larger, a multi-story home or a home constructed with building material obstructions (like brick walls, metal walls, etc.), a Starlink mesh network can help you boost Wi-Fi coverage across the premise.
However, if you live in a smaller home, which experiences poor internet speeds or dead zones occasionally, then Starlink mesh network may not be the best solution in such a situation. Instead, a range extender can function well in such a case and is a more cost effective method to help to fix such problem.