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Starlink users explain how you can set up the internet service in your own home in 5 straightforward steps

Mar 20, 2021, 15:16 IST
Business Insider
Elon Musk's Starlink terminal.Hannibal Hanschke-Pool/Getty Images
  • Starlink users shared with Insider the five steps to setting up Elon Musk's Starlink internet.
  • The kit comes connected in the box. All you need to do is plug it in and download the Starlink app.
  • "I am now a real participant, of the 21st century!" one Starlink user told Insider.
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With more than 10,000 users worldwide and $99 preorders in more than six countries, demand for SpaceX's Starlink internet network is rapidly growing.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket carried another 60 satellites up into orbit on Sunday, taking the number of Starlink satellites to 1,241 and expanding the internet network even more.

CEO Elon Musk's goal is to build a high-speed broadband system run by satellites that wrap around the Earth and provide internet to people, especially those in rural areas. There could be up to 42,000 satellites in orbit by mid-2027.

The question is, how do you set up the $499 satellite service from your own home?

Starlink users revealed to Insider the five steps to assemble the speedy satellite internet from their own home.

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1. Find an open space

For Starlink to provide the best speeds, the terminal needs to have about 100 degrees of clear sky above it to easily connect to the satellites. Prepare to set up the kit here.

Starlink box.Philip Hall

2. Open the box and look at the instructions

When you open the grey Starlink box, there's a sheet of paper with three drawings - no words. These are the instructions. Take the instructions out and you'll find the Starlink kit neatly stacked with the tripod on top of the terminal next to the router and 100 feet-worth of thick black cable.

Users told Insider the terminal -nicknamed "dishy" - weighs around 10 pounds.

3. Build the kit

Put the tripod on the ground and click the rod of the terminal into the tripod. The router is already connected to the terminal and the cable.

Alternatively, if you want to attach the Starlink securely to a roof or pole, you can buy a "Volcano Roof Mount" or a "Pipe Adapter" from the Starlink website.

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"It was literally so easy to set up as everything is already plugged in and ready to go," said Dan Ventrudo, who is based in northern Ontario in Canada.

4. Power up Starlink

Plug the end of the cable into a power source to get Starlink up and running. Two white lights will appear on the power brick. The terminal will then tilt upwards.

"The ordering and set up process was truly, simple and easy," said Gary Konkol, from Wisconsin. "I am now a real participant, of the 21st century!"

5. Download the Starlink app

Go onto the app store on your smartphone to download the Starlink app.

Satellite-tracking app showing one of SpaceX's Starlink internet-beaming spacecraft on a map of Earth.Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Click the "Start Setup" button, it'll then ask you if all the kit is plugged in. Click "Open Wifi Settings" and join the Starlink network. Then set up your WiFi with a name and password on the app, and connect to it on your phone's WiFi settings.

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Go back to the app to check when the terminal connects to the satellites. It will then tilt to align with any of the 1,241 Starlink satellites in orbit. This may take a few minutes.

"That whole process from unboxing to having speedy internet was about 20 minutes," said Tom Gooch, a Starlink customer in rural Montana, who positioned his terminal on top of his roof.

Check out contributor Alex Lockie's experience with Starlink after moving to rural Vermont and the comparison with Hughes Net.

Are you a Starlink user with an interesting story about the service? How have you found Starlink customer support? Get in touch with this reporter at kduffy@insider.com.

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