How does Starlink really work?

How does Starlink really work?

When Elon Musk announced on Twitter that Starlink satellites were covering the sky over Ukraine, it became interesting how useful this Internet was. After all, only a few can ride a Tesla, but anyone can connect to the satellite Internet and actually try the creation of the real incarnation of Tony Stark. Or not?

Let's figure out what starlink is, is it so good and why many people consider it an uncontested source of the Internet.
 

Why did Starlink become popular in Ukraine?

The War. We need an Internet that is not tied to cables and power plants. For example, it will not work to repair the line in the front-line territory. And satellite Internet can be placed anywhere: if you need it in a field - it will be in a field, if you need it in a city without electricity - it will be in a city without electricity (but with a generator).

Power cuts. If the repair and delivery of equipment "at zero" made Starlink uncontested, then in peaceful territories they buy it in order to stay in touch during rolling blackouts.

The main feature of Starlink is that you can use the Internet without electricity and cables. But in practice, everything is not so rosy, and moreover, there are many other options for uninterrupted Internet that many Ukrainians do not know about.

But about everything in order.
 

What does it take to make Starlink work in your home?

The first thing to understand is that Starlink is an expensive satellite internet to work where any other internet can't. To understand how starlink works, let's analyze the necessary equipment and Internet devices.

Here is the equipment for starlink:

• access point (for example, a smartphone) that will distribute Wi-Fi
• an antenna that receives the Internet from a satellite (such as a cable from a provider to a user)
• power cable for router
• and paid rate

Of all the above, you need to pay for the antenna and the tariff.

You can buy it on the official website with delivery to Ukraine. Or if you have friends abroad, they can buy equipment and bring it to you.

The price of Starlink is high compared to other Internet offers. You need to pay for the package itself at a price of about $100 and an antenna worth $300-500, depending on delivery.

After that, wait about a week until all the equipment is delivered. But the delivery date may change several times. Sometimes it takes 1-2 months.

When everything is in place, the tariff is connected and there is an access point - you can use the Internet.
 

What are the Starlink specs?

On average, if there is no interference, everything works stably - the Internet Mask in Ukraine gives out about 130-150 megabits per second.

That is, the speed is quite normal, which providers in Ukraine can do. Satellite Internet alone costs tens of dollars every month (not including a one-time payment for equipment).

Also, inexperienced users may have connection problems: you need to deal with the equipment, setup, connection and network management on your own. For most, this will not cause problems, but you still need to be on "you" with modern technologies.

But you can get the Internet with a more or less stable speed anywhere in Ukraine.
 

What's wrong with Elon Musk's hype internet?

Despite the manufacturability and all the advantages of Elon Musk's satellite Internet, Starlink has a lot of disadvantages. Now let's take a look at the sharpest ones. But first, about the pros.

You can deploy an Internet station anywhere in Ukraine.

Satellite Internet does not depend on power plants, cable systems in the city or beyond.
All settings, tests, network management in one phone. It's practical and convenient.

The network is maintained by the user himself: if something is wrong, you can independently make changes to the work, reconfigure something or change the tariff. No need to wait for the master, call the call center, wait on the line, and so on.

Now about the disadvantages.
 

Smartphone Compatibility: Not all models can serve as a hotspot. For example, outdated Android phones. The iPhone has fewer problems. In the US, they usually use "apple" with the iOS operating system. Therefore, developers primarily adapt services and programs for iOS, and not for Android.
 

Expensive and long delivery (up to several months). The payment of the tariff starts 2 weeks after ordering the package, but the antenna may not have time to arrive before this moment, and the monthly tariff period will begin to expire. But this is solved through technical support: you can write and they will help.

And another nuance: delivery by "Nova Poshta" does not track Starlink equipment by tracker until it is in Ukraine. If you order to a European address, delivery is tracked immediately.
 

The equipment is tied to the name and address of use. Therefore, if you buy an expensive starlink from your hands, on OLX, you will no longer be able to call technical support and figure something out. After all, the equipment is registered to another person
 

The price of Starlink Internet remains high for the average static Ukrainian: about $100 per tariff, this does not include the cost of equipment and its delivery.
 

Sensitivity in setting. The antenna should be located in an open space, not covered by a roof, ceiling, dense tree branches, and so on. This greatly degrades the speed. For example, you can see this in the Starlink app: it shows you if there is any big blockage in your signal.

Another interesting nuance. Starlink needs 12 hours of some kind of automatic calibration: after installation for 12 hours, the equipment will "learn" obstacles and how to work with them. Therefore, the speed after 12 hours of debugging will be better, and the Internet will be more stable.

Starlink satellites are still developing: for example, in 2022, due to a system failure, the entire Starlink network went offline for 90 minutes. And then there was a batch of 40 satellites that all went out of orbit.

Yes, there are now about 2,000 Musk satellites in space, and by 2027 SpaceX plans to launch over 42,000 235-kilogram satellites into orbit. Plans, as always, grandiose. And this is indeed a very progressive Internet, but still, it is still developing.
 

What to do if Starkink is not affordable, but you need a stable Internet?

You can get the Internet without problems, overpayments and dubious coverage. Get all the benefits of the Internet, not dependent on the grid and electricity, but at the same time avoid most of the disadvantages of Starlink.

For example, GPON is a way to connect the Internet to the user directly from the internet provider.

Obsolete copper cables are being replaced with fiber optic cables with increased bandwidth. And here the future begins: this cable transmits a light signal, not an electrical signal. This helps to save on energy costs, and also makes the line independent of electricity. That is, if the power is turned off in your house, the Internet will still reach the terminal. It remains only to heal, which we wrote about in this article.

It will cost several times cheaper than buying equipment for Starlink, and you can use your tariff at any speed convenient for you. You can quickly connect using this technology by contacting the support manager.