Packet loss on Starlink means some of your data gets lost on the way between your Starlink dish and the satellites, and has to be sent again. When your packet loss is elevated, meaning higher than normal, video calls freeze, online games lag and videos buffer.
The usual causes are something blocking your Starlink dish’s view of the sky, a weak or crowded Wi-Fi signal, an old Starlink dish, and the short drops every Starlink dish has when it switches satellites. You can fix most of them yourself. The drops from satellite switches you can only cover with a second internet connection.
Speedify adds a second internet connection to Starlink for faster uploads and downloads, and failover
Starlink Internet Connection Drops Happen to Everyone
Speedify measures thousands of Starlink users in more than 140 countries. In September 2026, fixed Starlink dishes went offline for about 38 minutes a day on average, and Starlink dishes on RVs and boats for about 46 minutes a day.
All Starlink dishes also see short dropouts roughly every 15 seconds as the Starlink internet connection switches from one moving satellite to the next. Even a perfectly installed Starlink dish goes offline, and about 7 in 10 Starlink users on Speedify use Starlink together with a second internet connection, like 4G/5G cellular.
Where Packet Loss Happens on Starlink
Data can get lost in two places, and the fix depends on which one it is:
- Between your Starlink dish and the satellites. A tree or a roof edge that blocks part of the view for a moment as the satellites move overhead, an old or faulty Starlink dish, and the satellite switch about every 15 seconds all lose data here. Every Starlink dish loses a little during each switch.
- Between the Starlink router and your device. A weak Wi-Fi signal far from the Starlink router, or neighbors’ Wi-Fi crowding the same channels, loses data inside your home, even when the Starlink dish is fine.
How to Fix Packet Loss on Starlink
Step 1: Check the Obstruction Map in the Starlink App. The obstruction map shows whether anything blocks your Starlink dish’s view of the sky. Clear it, or move the Starlink dish until the view is clear.
Step 2: Test with an Ethernet Cable to Find Out Whether Your Wi-Fi Is Losing the Data. Connect a computer to the Starlink router with a cable and make a video call or play a game on it. If the freezing stops on the cable, your Wi-Fi is the problem: go to Step 3. If it keeps happening on the cable, the data is lost between your Starlink dish and the satellites: go back to Step 1, then Step 4.
Step 3: Fix Your Wi-Fi Signal from the Starlink Router. Keep the cable for the devices that matter most. For the rest, move closer to the Starlink router, use its 5 GHz Wi-Fi network if your Wi-Fi list shows one, since it is usually less crowded by neighbors’ Wi-Fi, or add Starlink Mesh, Starlink’s own Wi-Fi extender, for rooms far from the Starlink router.
Step 4: Contact Starlink Support If Packet Loss Started Suddenly. An old or faulty Starlink dish can cause it, and Starlink support can check it.
The short drops from satellite switches stay, whatever you change. For those, you need a second internet connection.
Cover Starlink Packet Loss with a Second Internet Connection
Use a second internet connection together with Starlink: another Starlink dish, 4G/5G cellular, or an old DSL line, whatever you have.
Speedify is the only app that combines all of your internet connections to keep you online when it matters most. Speedify sends your internet traffic over all of your internet connections at the same time, even a single video call or stream, so when Starlink loses data, the other internet connections fill the gap. Speedify needs that second internet connection: it can’t stop the data Starlink itself loses.
For video calls and live streams, Speedify’s Streaming mode can also send the same data over two internet connections at once and use whichever copy arrives first (“Redundant Mode” in the Speedify app). Data that Starlink loses usually arrives on the other internet connection, so the call is much less likely to freeze. If one internet connection drops completely, Speedify switches your traffic to the others on its own.
Get Speedify on your computer or phone, or on a router that works with Speedify to cover your whole home.
Speedify
Get started with Speedify today.
Combine Wi-Fi, 4G/5G cellular, Ethernet, Starlink, and more into one faster, steadier connection. Free to try — no credit card required.
🚀 Speed
Faster uploads and downloads by bonding all your connections at once.
📶 Stability
Automatic failover in under a second when any connection drops.
🔒 Security
AES-256 encryption on every connection, on every network you join.
15M+ downloads worldwide. 75K+ five-star reviews on iOS and Android.