Starlink Satellite Internet Is Fast, but Needs Seamless Failover to Improve Reliability
A couple of months ago we got our own Starlink for RV. We all became obsessed with Starlink here at Speedify – putting it to the toughest real world tests for connectivity and live streaming. We’re still doing that – in fact, you can check out our live stream of the Philadelphia skyline on Twitch and play around with some interactive commands there.
The conclusion so far: Starlink is a great Internet option for those who live in areas with poor Internet coverage for the average user. However, if you are working remotely, doing video / voice calls or live streaming, you will need more than just your Starlink Internet connection. And that’s because the satellite connection is unreliable and can lead to disconnects. Read more below.
Speedify Starlink Index — real-world performance from 6,228 Starlink users: 2.3% downtime, about 33 minutes a day for always-on connections
Your Starlink loses connection every day.
Speedify’s Starlink Index reports Starlink performance data from a sample of thousands of real-world Starlink dishes.
Daily Starlink downtime
~33 min
2.3% of connected time unreachable
Avg packet loss
0.17%
vs 0.08% on T-Mobile
71% of Starlink users ran at least one other internet connection — 4,400 of 6,228 users. Cellular is the most common backup.
How We Test Starlink Internet
We want to be transparent about our testing process here. We have our Starlink on the roof of our building in Philadelphia, near the Delaware Riverfront. Our engineers are gathering data on different usage scenarios, including downloads, uploads, streaming and gaming. We primarily look at the MOS score – a standard rating based on latency, jitter and loss of how well an internet connection will perform for voice calls – and KPIs derived from these metrics.
In the case of the live stream mentioned above, we combine the Starlink Internet (as the primary connection) with Comcast cable together with Speedify and look at the usage of each. We also record when Speedify steps in to compensate for the Starlink unreliability by pushing more traffic through Comcast.
Starlink Internet Reliability Test Results
As mentioned in the first section, if you’re doing any kind of Internet-sensitive activity such as voice / video calls or streaming, you’ll need a secondary connection to combine together with Starlink for uninterrupted performance.
Check out this video of one of the Starlink gurus on YouTube speaking about making Starlink faster and more reliable.
How to Best Setup Your Starlink for Uninterrupted Internet
Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more videos on Starlink, from unboxing to setting it up with another connection and Speedify.
Alex and the Speedify team are always exploring the latest in networking and security technology—like 5G, 6G, WiFi 7, laser and satellite internet—and sharing it in new discussion content across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and LinkedIn every week.
Got a tech question? Let's go deeper! Pop into Speedify Office Hours live every Wednesday at 10 AM Eastern. Speedify CEO Alex Gizis and our network engineers are standing by to break down your questions about networks, tech updates, and Speedify features.
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