How internet from space reaches your house or RV, how high the satellites are, and why the Wi-Fi inside matters as much as the sky above.
Keith Parsons · CWNE #3
Current as of September 2026
Start here
The short answer
Starlink is internet from satellites that fly low, about 480 km (300 miles) up. A flat dish on your roof or RV talks to whichever satellite is overhead.
Low, so it's quick
The old kind of satellite internet uses satellites far higher up. Starlink's are close enough that a video call feels normal.
Shared, so it varies
Everyone nearby shares the same satellites. Busy evenings are slower than quiet mornings.
Two links, not one
Dish to satellite is one link. Router to your phone is another: your Wi-Fi. A slow back bedroom is usually the Wi-Fi.
The one idea behind all of itYour speed depends on three things in a row: the sky the dish can see, how many neighbors share the satellites, and your Wi-Fi. When something feels slow, check them backward. Start with the Wi-Fi.
What's inside
How high the satellites fly3
The path your data takes5
Why it feels quick6
The dish7
Why speeds change8
Plans for homes and RVs9
Trees, snow and rain10
The Wi-Fi inside11
Six things people get wrong12
Step by step in the app13
Before you blame Starlink14
Where these facts come from15
Starlink, Explained2
How it works
How high the satellites fly
Starlink's satellites fly about 480 km (300 miles) up. That's close, by space standards. There are thousands of them, and more go up every month.
Figure 1. Earth and its satellites, to scale. Starlink hugs the planet like a thin line. The old kind of satellite internet, and GPS, sit far out.
A word on the wordsLow Earth orbit means close to Earth, by space standards. Latency is the delay for a message to get there and back. A gateway is a Starlink station on the ground that connects the satellites to the internet.
Starlink, Explained3
How it works
Zooming in on the thin line
Figure 2. The thin line in Figure 1, stretched out. Now you can see where Starlink flies, next to the Space Station and the Hubble telescope.
A fun factSome Starlink satellites are allowed to fly lower than the International Space Station.
Starlink, Explained4
How it works
The path your data takes
Your data makes one trip up and one trip down. Dish to satellite, then satellite to a gateway on the ground. From there, it rides ordinary fiber like everyone else's.
Figure 3. The usual path from a house. Dish to satellite to gateway, then on to the rest of the internet. Downloads take the same path in reverse.
Your dish talks to whichever satellite is best placed overhead.
The satellite keeps moving, so your dish hands off to the next one.
The gateway is a ground station that connects the satellites to fiber.
At sea or in remote places, the satellites can pass your data to each other before sending it down.
Starlink, Explained5
How it works
Why it feels quick
What makes a video call feel natural is the delay, not the speed. Starlink's delay is short because its satellites are close.
Figure 4. The delay, Starlink against the old kind of satellite internet. Starlink's bar is a sliver. The old kind is many times longer, because its satellites are so far away.
A radio signal is fast, but the trip still takes time. The old satellites are so far up that a message can never get there and back in under half a second.
What you noticeWith Starlink, video calls and games feel normal. At 600 ms round trip, people talk over each other on calls, because each person hears the other about a third of a second late.
Starlink, Explained6
The equipment
A flat dish that aims without moving
The dish is many small antennas under a flat cover. By timing each one a little differently, it points its beam at a satellite without moving.
Figure 5. The beam moves, the dish doesn't. The beam follows satellites across the sky. Older rectangular dishes had a motor; the current ones don't.
Figure 6. The current dishes, side by side. The small one is made for travel. The app tells you which one you have.
Starlink, Explained7
Speed
Why speeds change
The satellites over your area can carry only so much. Everyone nearby shares it. So the same dish can be fast in the morning and slower in the evening.
Figure 7. Neighbors share the capacity overhead. A drawing, not real speeds. The more people online at once, the smaller each share.
Your plan affects who goes first when it's busy. The top home plan goes first. Travel plans go last.
What moves your speed
How many neighbors are online
The time of day, with evenings busiest
Your plan
Trees or buildings in the dish's view (page 10)
Heavy rain or snow (page 10)
Your own Wi-Fi (page 11)
Starlink, Explained8
Plans
Plans for homes and RVs
Home plans are for one address. Travel plans, called Roam, go with you. Plan names and prices change often, so check starlink.com before you buy.
Figure 8. Which plan works where. A home plan works only at its home address. Roam works wherever Starlink has service when you park, and while driving on a dish made for it.
Home plans are for use at the home address, with the dish parked.
Roam plans work wherever you travel. Some have a monthly data allowance. After that, speed drops, but email and texts still work.
Traveling abroad takes a plan that allows it. Register your trip in your Starlink account first.
Caution
Home plans don't work while you driveUsing Starlink while moving is not allowed on any home plan. You need a Roam plan and a dish Starlink supports for use in motion, mounted securely.
Starlink, Explained9
Placement
Trees, snow and rain
The dish needs a clear view of the sky. One tree branch doesn't cut you off all the time. It cuts you off for a moment, every time a satellite passes behind it.
Figure 9. One tree, repeated short drops. The gray wedge is sky the tree hides. Each satellite that crosses it causes a short drop, then the next one takes over.
Check before you mount
The Starlink app has an obstruction check. Point your phone at the sky from where the dish will go. The app shows what's clear and what's blocked. Pick a clear spot, usually higher or away from trees. If that means a ladder or a roof, use an installer.
Weather
Figure 10. Weather and your dish. Heavy rain can cause short drops, and the dish heats itself to melt snow. Starlink says a cover makes things worse.
Starlink, Explained10
Inside the house or RV
The Wi-Fi inside
A speed test on your phone measures two links at once: the satellite and your Wi-Fi. When the back bedroom is slow, the satellite is often fine. The Wi-Fi is the problem.
Figure 11. Two networks in one house. Your phone's speed is the slower of the two links. Test next to the router to see the Starlink link alone.
Figure 12. Three ways to set up the Wi-Fi. Starlink's router works on its own, but it won't join another brand's mesh. To use your own router, bypass mode turns Starlink's Wi-Fi off.
Starlink's routers are fine for most homes. They don't use the newest Wi-Fi band, and they don't join other brands' mesh systems.
Caution
Using your own routerBypass mode turns Starlink's Wi-Fi off and hands everything to your own router. Turning it back on takes a factory reset of the Starlink router.
Wi-Fi Calling: some carriers don't support it over satellite internet. Check your carrier's page.
Starlink, Explained11
Straight facts
Six things people get wrong
Each myth is followed by what's true.
MythSatellite internet is too slow for video calls.
FactThat's true of the old satellites, far out in space. Starlink's are close, so calls feel normal.
MythThe dish turns to follow the satellites.
FactCurrent dishes steer their beam electronically and never move.
MythMy home plan works in the RV while I drive.
FactNot on any home plan. Use Roam, on a dish made for it.
MythIt's slow in the back bedroom, so the satellites must be busy.
FactOften it's the Wi-Fi. Test next to the router first.
MythI'll put a cover on the dish for the snow.
FactStarlink says covers make it worse. The dish melts snow by itself.
MythI can add my own mesh and keep Starlink's Wi-Fi too.
Button names can differ a little between app versions. The steps stay in the same order.
1. Check for obstructions before you mount
Finds trees and roof edges in the dish's view before you drill any holes.
Open the Starlink app and tap Check for Obstructions.
Choose your Starlink kit when the app asks.
Hold your phone where the dish will go, at the same height, and follow the sky scan.
If the map shows blocked areas, move and scan again.
2. Split the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks
Helps older gadgets, like some smart plugs and cameras, connect.
Open the Starlink app and tap Settings.
Tap your network name.
Turn on Split 2.4/5 GHz networks, name each one, and tap Save.
Join the older gadget to the 2.4 GHz network.
3. See each device's Wi-Fi signal
Shows whether a slow device has a weak signal.
Open the Starlink app and tap the Network tab.
Find the slow device and look at its signal.
4. Use your own router (bypass mode)
For a mesh system you already own. Read the caution on page 11 first.
Plug your router's internet port into the Starlink router.
In the Starlink app, open Settings and choose bypass mode.
Confirm. Starlink's Wi-Fi turns off. Only a factory reset turns it back on.
Starlink, Explained13
Appendix B
Before you blame Starlink
Work down this list when something feels slow. It starts with the part you control, your Wi-Fi.
Figure 13. Before you blame Starlink. Test next to the router first. Fast there means the problem is inside, in your Wi-Fi. Slow there means checking the sky, the time, the weather and your plan.
For RVs especiallyAn RV's metal body blocks Wi-Fi. A device at the far end, or outside at the picnic table, may have weak Wi-Fi while the dish is fine. Also check the dish cable where it passes a window or door for kinks and damage.
Starlink, Explained14
Sources
Where these facts come from
Checked on 27 September 2026. Starlink's plans, names and rules change often; the dates below are part of each fact. Figures Starlink does not publish, such as how far away your gateway is, are left out on purpose.
FCC DA 26-36 (2026-01-09): Starlink Gen2 grant, orbital shells 340 to 485 km (210 to 300 miles), continued operation at 525 to 535 km (326 to 332 miles)
Reuters, SpaceNews, Space.com (2026-01-01): about 4,400 satellites lowered from about 550 km (340 miles) to about 480 km (300 miles) during 2026
SpaceNews (January 2026): satellite count
SpaceX, "Improving Starlink's Latency" (March 2024): the path through gateways and Points of Presence, laser links, 1.8 to 3.6 ms per leg, queue management in the router
Starlink Specifications, DOC-1470-99699-90: latency 25 to 60 ms on land, upload typically 10 to 30 Mbps
Starlink Network Update: 25.7 ms median peak-hour latency in the US (June 2025); fewer than 1% over 55 ms
Starlink spec sheets: Standard 4 X, Standard 4, Starlink V5, Mini (size, weight, power, snow melt, field of view, routers, WPA2, mesh compatibility)
Starlink help: kit types, obstructions, weather, snow and ice, power options, bypass mode, Wi-Fi troubleshooting
Starlink Service Plans and Service Plan Descriptions, DOC-1728-44881-79; Fair Use Policy; Roam and in-motion help articles
NASA: International Space Station (370 to 460 km, 230 to 290 miles); Hubble FAQs (about 483 km, 300 miles, updated 2026-06-15)
GPS.gov, Space Segment (20,200 km, 12,550 miles); ESA, Types of orbits (35,786 km, 22,236 miles)
FCC 20-102 (Amazon Leo, 590 to 630 km, 370 to 390 miles); Thales Alenia Space (Iridium, 780 km, 480 miles); Eutelsat (OneWeb, 1,200 km, 750 miles)
Ookla, via IEEE ComSoc (July 2025): measured geostationary latency, about 680 ms median
T-Mobile, Wi-Fi Calling from T-Mobile (t-mobile.com/support/coverage/wi-fi-calling-from-t-mobile): satellite internet not supported
About this guideWritten for people who aren't technical and want to know how Starlink works before they buy, install or troubleshoot it. Starlink is a trademark of SpaceX. This guide is independent and is not endorsed by SpaceX.
