Straight Answers From East Texas Installers
What we get asked on the job: which dish you have, where it should go, what to do about the pines, how to get internet to the shop, and what Starlink changed lately.
Starlink Doesn't Have Its Own Installers
Starlink doesn't have its own installers. Its free installs are done by an outside contractor, and I recommend buying your own kit and choosing your own installer…
Is Starlink 30% Off Right Now?
As of November 2026, Starlink is offering 30% off Residential and Roam service for new customers who sign up before November 30. The discount applies only in select…
Will Starlink Work in a Metal Shop or Pole Barn?
Yes, Starlink works for a metal shop or pole barn, but the dish and the Wi-Fi inside are two separate jobs. The dish has to sit outside with a clear view of the sky…
What Starlink Speeds Actually Mean, From 10 Mbps to 400 Mbps
Most East Texas houses do not need a gigabit connection. In Ookla's May 2026 report, Starlink's measured median speed in the United States in the first quarter of…
What is Amazon Leo? Should East Texas wait for it instead of getting Starlink?
Amazon Leo is Amazon's satellite internet network, renamed from Project Kuiper in late 2025. As of mid-2026 it had about 394 satellites in orbit and expected to start…
Starlink Mini vs. Standard: Which One for a House, an RV or a Deer Camp?
For a house you live in, get the Standard. It's built for a fixed home and runs on Starlink's Residential plans, which come with unlimited data. For an RV, camper or…
Starlink Plans Explained: Residential vs. Roam vs. Business
Starlink sells three kinds of plans: Residential for a fixed address, Roam for travel and portable use, and Business Priority for commercial sites. As of October…
How Much Does Starlink Cost per Month Now? It Depends on Your Address
As of October 2026, Starlink Residential lists at $55 a month for 100 Mbps, $85 for 200 Mbps and $130 for Max, but Starlink is moving Residential to dynamic pricing…
What Is Starlink Beam Switching, and Does It Help With Trees?
Beam switching is Starlink's way of keeping your connection up when something blocks the satellite your dish is using. The dish switches to another satellite with a…
Starship Is Finally Hauling Starlink's Big New Satellites
On September 28, 2026, Starship reached orbit for the first time and deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites, each with about 10 times the download capacity of the…
Why Starlink Hit My Account With a Surprise Fee
Starlink adds a one-time demand surcharge at addresses where too many dishes already share the same satellite capacity. It can show up on a new order, a reactivation…
What are the current Starlink models?
For home internet, Starlink currently sells the V5 and the Standard 4 and 4X, and for travel it sells the Mini. The V5 is the newest and lightest home dish, but it's…
Hardwired vs. Wireless Cameras: Which Is Right for My Property?
Hardwired (PoE) cameras are the stronger choice when you want cameras that record around the clock with almost no upkeep. They get power and video over a single…
How do I find my Starlink kit number and serial number?
Your Starlink has three different identification numbers, and they are not interchangeable. The kit serial number is on the shipping label of the original box, the…
Where should I put my Starlink router, and when do I need mesh Wi-Fi?
Put your Starlink router in a central spot in the house, off the ground, and no more than two rooms from where you use Wi-Fi the most. The Gen 3 router that ships…
What is Starlink Mobile? Will my phone work where there's no signal?
Starlink Mobile is SpaceX's plan to let ordinary phones connect directly to satellites, no dish needed. Today it only works through T-Mobile as T-Satellite, for texts…
Can I sign in to Starlink with a passkey instead of a password?
Yes. As of October 2026, Starlink lets you sign in to your account with a passkey — the fingerprint, face unlock, or PIN you already use on your phone — instead of…
Can I move my Starlink to a new address or sell my used kit?
Yes. If you are moving, take the dish with you and update your service address in your Starlink account; it only works if the new address has open capacity. If you…
Starlink V5: the new smaller, lighter dish
Starlink has started offering a new V5 residential kit that is smaller and much lighter than the V4 dish most homes use now. It draws about half the power but tops…
Do I Need a Professional to Install Starlink? DIY vs. Pro Install
Not always. If you have a clear patch of sky and don't mind the dish sitting on its kickstand with a cable through a window, you can set Starlink up yourself in under…
How to Get Starlink Internet to a Shop, Barn, Pool House or Second Home
Use a point-to-point wireless bridge. One small radio mounts at the house where the Starlink connection is, a second mounts on the shop or barn, and the two beam the…
How to Remove an Old DirecTV or Dish Network Satellite Dish From Your Roof
Removing an old satellite TV dish means unbolting the dish and mount, pulling the coax cable, and properly sealing every hole left in the roof or wall. The sealing is…
Should I Rent or Buy the Starlink Kit?
Starlink rents its kit by the month in some areas, but my advice has been to buy it outright if you can, so it's yours to mount, move, sell or keep as a backup.
Will Starlink Work With Tall Pine Trees? What East Texas Homeowners Need to Know
Yes, in most cases, but placement is everything. The dish needs a clear view of a wide patch of sky, mostly to the north, and trees in that view cause short dropouts…
Starlink Mounting Options: Roof vs. Pole vs. Ground vs. Wall Mount
A roof or ridge mount is the most common choice because it gets the dish high and out of the way. A pole in the yard is best when the clearest sky is away from the…
What Happened When Starlink Started Offering Free Installs
When Starlink started offering free installs, the phone got quieter for a couple of weeks, then rang more than ever with people asking us to fix installs done by…
What Is Starlink?
Starlink is satellite internet from SpaceX, using thousands of small satellites flying close to Earth. It only needs a clear view of the sky, no phone line, cable or…
What Starlink Speeds Can I Get Out Here?
It depends on your exact spot and how many neighbors are on Starlink. After that, it comes down to where the dish goes, which plan you're on, and how well your Wi-Fi…
Which Starlink Dish Do I Have? How to Tell Every Generation Apart
Flip the dish over and look for a model number starting with UTA. UTA-232 is the current Gen 3 Standard with a kickstand, UTA-231 is the Mini, and UTA-212 is the…
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