With $42 billion up for grabs, Starlink might miss out on federal broadband funds, again

Last year the Biden administration announced a new program aimed at connecting more Americans with high-speed broadband internet. The Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program will provide $42 billion to help connect an estimated 8.5 million households. Each US state is developing its own plan and selecting its preferred vendors. Starlink, with its virtually global coverage, might seem like an obvious choice as a preferred vendor. Their low Earth orbit satellite constellation has been providing high-speed, low latency internet for years. But SpaceX, Starlink’s parent company, might miss out on yet another round of federal funding thanks to rising …

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Worst Starlink Accessory – Gen 3 Pipe Adapter Review

Starlink Gen 3 Pipe Adapter

Starlink’s Gen 3 Pipe Adapter accessory should have be pretty straightforward. After all, they produced the successful Gen 2 Pipe Adapter for years. Don’t fix something that isn’t broken, right? Unfortunately, the latest version of the Pipe Adapter may be the worst Starlink accessory ever. In this post, I will show you how I installed the Gen 3 Standard Pipe Adapter, and give you my thoughts and impressions along the way. I may have spoiled the ending with the title and opening paragraph, but I’ll make up for it by recommending a third party alternative pipe adapter. Overview I bought …

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Role Based Access Control Is Now Available

Starlink user management system

Starlink has finally added role-based access control (RBAC) to the user management system on Residential and Business accounts. Back in February, I first covered how Starlink added the ability to configure multiple users on the same Starlink account. At the time, all users on the account had the same admin permissions. With this latest update, you’ll be able to assign permissions to users on your account, giving you more control over the information and functions that each user has access to. What is role-based access control? Role-based access control, or RBAC, gives you the ability to customize the permissions for …

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Starlink Pivot Mount – Installation and Review

Starlink Gen 3 Standard Pivot Mount

I recently bought the “Standard Pivot Mount” from Starlink to try out. In this post, I’m going to share my installation experience, and give you my thoughts and impressions along the way. The Pivot Mount is designed to attach directly to a shingled roof. It’s called the Pivot Mount because the mounting tube is adjustable to virtually any roof angle. I bought the Gen 3 version, but Starlink also makes a Pivot Mount for the older Gen 2 Standard Actuated dish. I purchased this mount for $74. It’s available directly from Starlink, here is the product page. That price includes …

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Why You Shouldn’t Buy a Brand New Starlink Kit

Contents of the Gen 3 Standard Starlink kit

Starlink has offered several types of incentives over the years to attract new customers. In Europe, for example, they often run discounts on monthly subscription fees and hardware. One offer that occasionally pops up is the option to buy a refurbished dish instead of a brand new one. The refurbished kit is usually 30% off new, helping to soften the steep up-front cost of purchasing Starlink. The United States, Starlink’s largest market, has never gotten the chance to experience any of these incentives in the past. But now, all that changes. Starlink is offering a refurbished hardware option in the …

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Starlink To Users In Africa: Service Will Be Terminated In Unauthorized Locations

Starlink availability map for Africa

An interesting situation is unfolding in Africa right now. Since launching in late 2020, Starlink’s mission has been to provide high speed, low latency internet to areas where internet connectivity has not been available, is unreliable, or is too expensive. This is especially true for rural and underdeveloped areas of the world. At this point, Starlink operates a global service. They serve millions of customers around the world, on virtually every continent. Although coverage is technically global, Starlink only sells hardware and services to locations where they have local government authorization. On their website, Starlink allows you to easily check …

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Starlink Gen 3 Ridgeline Mount Review

Gen 3 Ridgeline Mount Completed

Starlink has been offering the Ridgeline Mount since the early days of the service, starting with the version for the original Gen 1 circular dish. Shortly after Gen 2 came out, they released an updated version for the new hardware. Now that Gen 3 is here, Starlink has updated the popular Ridgeline Mount again. In this post, I will be going over all the details of the Gen 3 Ridgeline Mount. I’ll let you know what this mount is for, what comes in the kit, and how to install it. I will also give you my thoughts and impressions along …

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Starlink Is Now Offering Professional Installation Services

The setup process for Starlink is pretty straightforward. All you need to do is get everything out of the box, plug it in, find a clear view of the sky, and then connect to the Wifi. Now, Starlink is making it even easier. Starting initially in Ohio, Starlink will offer expert installation service for the Standard hardware on residential homes. I first saw the news while browsing a Starlink forum, and had to check it out for myself. If you browse the support section of the Starlink website, you will find an article about their expert installation service. From what …

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Starlink Dish Web Portal Is No Longer Working

If you’re one of the few people managing your Starlink system with the dish web portal, I have some bad news… Starlink has apparently turned off access to the built-in management portal hosted by all Starlink dishes. Despite the unfortunate date I am publishing this article, this is no April Fool’s day prank. Most Starlink customers use the iOS or Android app to install and manage their system. But since the beginning of Starlink, the dish had its own web management portal, accessible from any web browser connected to the Starlink network. The web portal could be accessed by browsing …

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A Firmware Update Is Causing Issues For Gen 1 Users

Starlink Gen 1 dish

Starlink released several dish firmware updates last week, with some Gen 1 users now saying their system isn’t working properly. I started noticing social media reports last week, and they continued to flood in through the weekend. As of Monday morning, the issues has not been resolved. Here are a few social media posts about the issue: “I have the gen 1 starlink. I haven’t had a single issue using my Nighhawk router with it well over a year with it now. The other day it said connect without internet? It was a pretty cold day but nothing out of …

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