Starlink Gen 3 WiFi Router and Mesh Network Test - How far can it reach?

We were some of the OG beta testers for Starlink, and it's been a great thing for us. Recently, Starlink sent an invite for us to try out their new "Gen 3" wifi router. ANYTHING would be an improvement over their original router, so we're gonna give it a try.
One of the benefits of the new router is the introduction of an additional ethernet port on the unit, WiFi6 and a seamless mesh system, allowing multiple routers to be "meshed" together, increasing coverage and continuity of your wifi system.
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[@HomesteadBandwagon]

Want Starlink? This link gets you a deal: www.starlink.com/residential?referral=RC-1108814-56927-67

[@chapo90]

Finally a video of a human being acting naturally, figuring out things by himself, recording all the process, and speaking freely, no script. Thanks for the video!!! I really appreciate it!

[@collinporterfield102]

As soon as he said, "I am going to install these without reading the directions,"... I subscribed!

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

There's no reward without risk, right?

[@EagleOne49]

DUDE! I think I've got a man-crush on you. What a great, no-nonsense, how-to video. You have a new subscriber! Well done!

[@OLDMANDOM42.Dominic]

Hello sir! Thanks for the content. You can boost the Wi-Fi further if you run a "CAT 6" (network) cable to the barn and plugin to one of the jacks that are behind the plate. You know where you see two together. This allows the mesh to use the cable as a back-haul. But this means getting a spool of "CAT 6" cable and then terminating it at both ends. It looks like you have a hub/switch in another part of your house. If that hub/switch is closer, you can feed the barn from it. Thus, extending the wired network. Just a thought, there is some work and more money involved so totally up to you. Again thanks, this is the first content I saw on the new router. Other than the content on @Jcristina.

[@EdBragg]

Yeah, best to get a CAT 6 cable and run it from the house to the Barn.

[@One-Eyed-Willly]

@@EdBragg or fiber, so you dont get any RFI

[@charleywells]

Yeeees! I jumped down the rabbit hole of different router options for the starlink. And then boom a familiar face I didn't expect to see. Love it

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

Sup dude! I didn't know you were on the Starlink. How's it working out for you?

[@charleywells]

@HomesteadBandwagon it's sure alot better than Hughes net was.

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

I feel like a couple cans and some string would be better than Huges

[@terryenyart5838]

Thank you for showing me how to set-it up. I think Ill be happy. I haven't ordered yet. But will order tomorrow. I'm in the sticks in Giles County TN and AT&T is discontinuing my Fixed-wirekess Uverse system come March 2025. They are not supporting it anymore, but it has worked well for me overall with only two times of downtime. $70 per month isn't bad, but I am hopeful Starlink is much faster & I can have strong wifi in my metal pole barn.

[@jfig786]

Thanks for that demo. I have a gen2 satellite dish that I want to put a starlink mesh router in my shop about 100' away. After watching this it gives me some confidence that I can do the same thing. Thankyou

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

It should work fine. Running some hard lines would be better, but sometimes ya gotta dance with who brung ya

[@TheMarcphipps]

I spent 3 hours trying to figure out the cable! This will help a lot of people! Thanks!

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

Only took me 4 hours to figure it out!

[@did4u2b69]

You have really good test review! Thanks so much! I have 80 acres land need to cover the wifi, I just tihinking about to upgrade my starlink router. this helps a lot!

[@denkdoink]

for simplicity, you can use a wifi bridge between the house/barn & add an AP in/on the barn.

[@smellproofpirate1859]

Love the video, came across it on a bit of a rabbit hole. Just a note when you're extending your network with a repeater, don't put it in a dead spot or area with reduced signal. Because it's repeating the signal it's basically repeating the reduced signal. Try and place it a bit closer so it repeats a better quality signal

[@kb4eli]

A good tip that worked very good for me. Place your main router the highest you can in that room where you have it and test your speed and connection again... Good Luck!

[@fairalbion]

The mesh node out in the barn can only be as good as the signal it's getting from the mothership, and that signal strength is very low; throughput decreases exponentially as distance increases. As intimated by others the solution is to rent a Ditch Witch, buy a spool of direct burial Cat6 Ethernet cable, bury & terminate it, then direct-connect the router to the mesh node. Less painful would be to buy some outdoor-grade directional mesh nodes. Good luck and thanks for the video.

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

Sounds good! This was just a test to see how far the sytem would go, so a lot was certainly learned

[@JoeAroner-SIWAYTV]

TP link makes an outdoor wifi mesh node, it would probably work with your existing TP Link system. You would need to find a spot to plug it in between the house and the barn. Another solution is to move one of the mesh (StarLink or TP) units as close to the barn inside your house on a wall with a window to allow more range. We put one in the window of our garage and we can get a decent connection to the barn. Going wired when I trench a water line out there in the spring.

[@JohnSmith-lw2bm]

Ease of installation is a huge plus

[@peterwest9447]

One of the benefits of using the Mesh mode with Starlink is that it is backwards compatible for most of the older equipment. Test it out by plugging in the power to your original router and see if your App offers to set it up as an additional mesh node. If so, after getting it added to your network, move it to an area of your home that has a poor connection, thus expanding your network coverage. If it works, then you will have the two new routers and the older router all providing wifi coverage.

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

Unfortunately, the gen 3 routers are not compatible with the gen 1 router.

[@charleshannah541]

You need to use a point-to-point wireless bridge with the transmitter on the outside of your house and the receiver on the outside of your barn, some can go up to 1.8 miles with a direct line of sight.

[@jaydendenhartog3184]

Do you have first hand experience? My shops about 120ft roughly to the router. Just got starlink so trying to figure out how I can get a connection the first time and do it right. TIA

[@charleshannah541]

Yes I do, It's about 150 feet to my shop and has an unobstructed view, the one I have been using only has a spot to connect an ethernet cable to my receiver so I'm using a separate router for WIFI in the shop@@jaydendenhartog3184

[@Eduardo.Servicios.Informaticos]

​​​@@jaydendenhartog3184you just cant rely on starlink router (even with a mesh one). You want to use same ssid everywhere right?. So.. you should install a mesh outdoor access point (i.e fixed to a pole). Now a days.. you can buy "Tplink Deco X50 Outdoor". So.. you should install one or more mesh tplink router indoor.. (i.e Deco X20) and other X50 Outdoor fixed to a Pole outside and obviousley.. they will hook each other by ethernet cable

[@hoosieriphone]

I am retired and it will be hard to come up with the $600 fee for the hardware. I wish they would offer a monthly payment plan spread over 6-12 months. I’ll just keep saving until I can get it. Love your videos man.

[@spiritusinfinitus]

I noticed Starlink advertising exactly this yesterday. I think it was no upfront cost and I think the monthly rental was $10 more per month than the standard package

[@kiselovo1]

i dont see anything other than a heavy 3 or 4 - 1 defeat today

[@3wheelsdowninTX]

So the way mesh works is you need to find an area in your place where the signal is ok 2/3 bars and place the repeater there. The reason for this is that all it is doing is picking up the signal it gets and then rebroadcasting it. So if you give it 1 bar of signal and you put the repeater there, then you will only be rebroadcasting the 1 bar of signal

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

Absolutely. In this case, we're definitely stretching the limits of the units and what they're designed for. That being said, having enough signal strength and speed to stream video in the barn is a great achievement

[@KolokoLOVE]

thanks for the review! greetings from Ukraine

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

Thanks for watching! Are you using Starlink over there? What kind of speeds are you getting?

[@KolokoLOVE]

@@HomesteadBandwagon in Kyiv like 250-300 Download, 10-20 Upload. On the battlefield it could be either 100-150/5-10 or 5-10/1-5, depends on how crowded

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

That's some pretty great download numbers. We top out aroun 125 on a good day, maybe 50 regularly. Upload is definitely the weak point, but it's better than nothing!

[@TruthInc]

I usually get 50mbps - 150-ish Mbps, depending on time of day and how far I am from the router, excited to see how much the new router changes things

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

We haven't noticed a huge difference in speed, but the wifi coverage is way better

[@sachinrao8980]

Hi @TruthInc & @Homestead Great learn more about Starlink. Do you have a contact of Starlink you can share to directly talk to them on install & other services? Thanks in advance.

[@spiritusinfinitus]

The KZbin gods seem to have gobbled up my comment. Basically, yet another unit in the halfway summerhouse looking building will help. (if you try moving the existing mesh router there to test this and see if you get better speeds there, it should be able to mesh this out as far as the barn with another unit)

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

Good idea. I'll see if Elon is feeling generous- these things are not cheap!

[@la7dfa]

I would get a fiber cable dug down between the house-barn or set up a wireless link. Ubiquiti has lots of great gear for wireless links that will go a long distance. Fiber and 1Gig fiber converters are pretty cheap too.

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

Can't dig up the cement or driveway, currently. When you say. "Wireless link," do you just mean a different wifi router?

[@donaldhiles_k9sgz428]

I agree. Run a cable or wireless link to the barn would be much better.

[@la7dfa]

@@HomesteadBandwagon I am struggling to post with https link here, but you can google wifi point-to-point links. You need two of them. They use 5GHz and a directional antenna built in. It basically replaces an ethernet cable, so you can just use a router or even better an access point at the barn. This is the way you get full Starlink speed at the other end.

[@robincole5739]

@homesteadbandwagon -Please provide name of your WiFi Analyzer app?

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

@@robincole5739 I kinda just picked a random one that was called WiFi Analyzer

[@racgrac28]

if you have power between the barn & house i would get a 3rd one and put it half between the house & barn that would increase your WiFi range a lot better.

[@weeg0880]

I think I will grab one of these when they are finally released to everyone, I have a Gen 2 and would get it just to get rid of the darn Ethernet Adapter since this new one has 2 ports built in.

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

We've been really happy with the setup. Ended up moving the second unit back into the house for now, and our coverage and speeds have never been better

[@JoeAroner-SIWAYTV]

Ah the joys of wifi to the barn… our barn is about 100’ from the house and extending wifi has been a fun adventure. Unfortunately my forever solution of using buried cat6 Ethernet line will not work for you. I really like the StarLink hardware, might not have all the bells and whistles of other brands, but overall they are solid pieces of equipment that don’t fail.

[@mueckenhoeffer]

Good review. Your result was sort of expected. The range of the factory wifi is very small due to the use of internal antennas. You would have been better served disabling the Starlink wifi and running the 3rd party WAPs you spoke of.

[@manewthecat8514]

Not really, Starlink runs poorly in bridge mode

[@EdBragg]

Your best speed tests will be between 1am and 6am, usually. I regularly get 250+ MB, but quickly drops back down to 20-75 MB during the afternoon/evening, and sometimes even as low as 3-6 MB during prime-time.

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

Interesting. We're on year 4 with Starlink, and rarely see speeds below 50 MPS. it'll get up towards 125-150 regularly, but never much below 50.

[@BrianBull]

Get an Orbi mesh system that has 3 satellites plus the router which has great range so 4 satellites. Expensive but worth it.

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

Good plan! Ya wanna Venmo me the cash or do you prefer Zelle? 😏

[@BrianBull]

@@HomesteadBandwagon Killing me Smalls 😅

[@aubreybailey1253]

What is the name of the WiFi signal analyzer you have on your phone?

[@scootincivic]

Raise your home router!... (as I see a window high up on your house, no? Put the router near there if so) Wifi has an umbrella ☔ effect with its wave length of signal. Higher the main router is the more yard coverage you'll have = better & more reliable connectivity... Downside is re-routing all your LAN cables. Yet it's worth it in the end.

[@Eduardo.Servicios.Informaticos]

Can't rely on starlink mesh router. You should install outdoor access point mesh.. like tplink deco x50 outdoor

[@sophiehilaire]

I saw on starlink's website that it is not compatible with 3rd party mesh systems--is that really the case?

[@CrisCheese_]

​@@sophiehilairethats a half lie. Yes, technically u cannot use other mesh systems to join the starlink mesh network, but nothing is stopping u from connecting a wan cable to a different mesh network

[@ericespino7361]

Should installing one replacing the old router. Test it to see a y improvement and the install the second one and test again

[@willarddevoe5893]

That was an excellent demonstration of QOS qualiy of service, but it left some questions open. 1. Can the new router run on 12 volts instead of 120? 2. Can you set up your name but leave out a password?. 3. Does the new router power the Dishy, or does a separate supply run everything?

[@zzbudzz]

I am now waiting for my starlink to arrive. I cant wait. I have been in internet disappointmrnt for well over a decade because i can only get Verizon mifi crap with 150 data caps. UGH! I wish DSL will hurry up with my starlink i cant wait ti install it.

[@dmo848]

I'm in awe. Got ours yesterday and it was up n running within 5 minutes of me pulling it out of the box. It's not super fast but it is too me at 40 to 50mbps but this is also outside in a shed at the moment😂 for testing. I do have huge pine trees all around my property. I'm running 3tvs streaming and 2 phones streaming. It's only when the 5th device starts streaming is when I get any kind of slow down. Simply amazing this tech is. Not sure how but everything seems faster to boot. Idk I might have been away from a good connection for a while n forgot. But I'm almost sure it's faster than my old 100mbps optimum service. Cheers to ya

[@johnbeyer791]

Thanks for the video, it has helped me make the decision to move ahead with the mesh option. Also, will you sell your truck?

[@itztractorjohn]

My speeds are not very impressive for the most part with the gen 2 setup. But like you we dont have any other options. I hope to try the gen3 router and see what happens but i think it might be a long shot.

[@rb8049]

Impressive you got 16. Need fiber or some wireless beam between buildings.

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

Maybe in the future, but this is great for now

[@any4003]

😂 LMAO this guy's dry comedy is great 😂

[@RogerDiotte]

Agree'd with ya on this one...nice guy!

[@theozeus]

A cable is always better and not that hard to implement. I would get a Unifi dream router and attach to it an additional Access Point if you need to extend the range.

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

I can't dig through the center of the property, for now. Does the Unifi have a longer than average range?

[@theozeus]

@@HomesteadBandwagon they do, they have a long range one that is pretty impressive so I’m told. Could you maybe have the cable going in the air between roofs in the mean time? I does make all the difference. Make sure that if you try them you have a PoE going to the access point, either via a router (like the dream router) or with an Injector which is not expensive at all. The good thing about having multiple unifi access points (they are not the only company) and a controlled router, like the dream router, is that you get a single wifi networks where your devices can roam from one to another, giving you an uninterrupted experience where ever you go, it jumps from one to the other with no interruptions. If you can pull some cables (although they also have mesh options, you can do that in the mean time, and it is better than most), it’s not that much more expensive than the 2 Starlink routers you bought.

[@danin8658]

How far can this be used wirelessly? How far is the barn from main router?

[@RogerDiotte]

Hey, I remember watching your original Round Dish install back when! How's it going....Nice seeing ya again old friend! Anyways I have the original Gen1 Round Dish and today I just might install the Gen2 dish as I just received it in mail...Yea I got the Rectangular version for no reason at all...just because I like to tinker!

[@wheretoretire3315]

The current router doesn’t have very good coverage either.

[@ErikOdinsvej]

Question: how to start with a mesh system ? I have a normal router (with wifi) and 4 output ports, that I currently use - If I replace my router with one of the mesh system then I have a limit of ethernet ports so do i first have a switch from my modem and then use one output to the mesh system or ???

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

I'm no expert, but I think you basically need a wifi router and some sort of mesh "node" that supports a mesh system with that exact brand of router. I'd suppose that you'd use one of the ethernet ports to connect an ethernet switch and then connect all your ethernet stuff to that

[@SeanyMac39]

Did you try splitting the 2.4 and 5ghz frequencies separately?

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

Yessir. It's a looooooong stretch to the barn

[@jimstorment4910]

Hi... What was thee signal meter you were using?

[@RogerDiotte]

Google Play Store "Wifi Analyzer"

[@Reta1908]

Looking to install tplink 220 AC750mesh WiFi extender need help to install or to remove totally

[@soulja617]

What WiFi scanner app do you use ?

[@sobaannaseer7155]

mesh works inside the building, you either need an access point with the directional wifi antenna on it. or the best thing would be to run a cat6 wire to your barn and put a second access point there preferably on the different wifi channel so that it wont interfere with the wifi inside your home. but frankly what you have done, its a very stupid design, just get a gigabit ethernet switch with 5 ports and run one cable to barn access point and how ever many you need inside the house.

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

Can't run wires to the barn, unfortunately.

[@jcb1989]

Is it dc power coming out of the wall outlet brick? Or is it still ac out to the router

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

I haven't the foggiest idea. If i were to guess, I'd guess AC?

[@NigelM18]

​@HomesteadBandwagon what does the wall wart say on the back of it? It should have input and outputs printed on it.

[@racgrac28]

@@NigelM18 i bet its 12vdc @ 1-2 amps

[@TheMamonti1]

I wish I knew how to keep my ip cameras locked to the mesh!! it's 10 feet away but they keep switching to the base a 100 feet away and become almost unusable!

[@RogerDiotte]

Has to be a way to rename the rebroadcasted signal? Like in the Mesh that's located out where you are I'm sure you can change the Wifi Name of the rebroadcasted signal to some other than the original signal that's in the house? If so you can look in the settings for that setting and call your signal out where cam is to something like Cam Wifi or whatever you want...then in the camera software rescan the network and connect to that one and boom you'll now never connect to the low signal anymore!

[@TheMamonti1]

Thanks for the info.... I got so frustrated with the wifi thing.... I ran cat5e to everything!!! No more issues and faster response times.. @@RogerDiotte

[@akazova]

ur one of the first to try the gen 3 we still have mesh 2 on starlink shop😅

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

Gotta let the Commoners test the new stuff before rolling it out to the Big Dogs

[@itroy3039]

Ethernet cable should solve your range solution and boost ya WiFi 🎉

[@PoteRomo]

"never mind, we are back to 40" hahaha

[@laynekittelson]

Is there a data cap or is this unlimited data?

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

Where we're at, it's unlimited data. They were going to run a data cap, but changed their minds. I'm sure they'll try it again in the future

[@dmo848]

​@@HomesteadBandwagonI think it was jus beta that did that to see how folks would react. Well it worked n we all bitched n moaned. It needs to stay unlimited and also the speed needs to stay around 100 with pings in the 30s.

[@anthonynye1747]

What I don't understand is that the circular dish only has 2 by 2 mimo and that router has 4 by 4 mimo. Prob why is not helping. Great video tho

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

The gen 1 round dish is certainly limited, but i think it would peak well over 500 mbps. I'd be elatated to get 250

[@Reta1908]

Looking for tplink220. AC750 mesh WiFi extender

[@mattsmillie2131]

I was researching Starlink for my home and during that google search it indicated Starlink is ending. This was apparently like 4 days ago. 11/11/23. Is this true, man i hope not.

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

I haven't heard about it ending. Pretty sure they just turned a profit and are propping-up Elon's other spacefaring ventures

[@tonykeltsflorida]

A couple cheap routers in repeater mode would probably work too.

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

But then i wouldn't get to pay to be a beta tester for Elon!

[@tonykeltsflorida]

@@HomesteadBandwagon LOL Always use what works best.

[@Ramone033]

You have two parabola s on your scanner cause it's emitting 2.4ghz and 5ghz wavelengths

[@Antonio.B2001]

why not connect the cable routers between the two houses, cable works 100m

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

Can't dig a trench or run wires in the sky.

[@yellowknife89]

it is waterproof

[@55azguy]

Maybe not the moon with Elon but ride on Earth in a new GM truck with your wife.😊

[@user-bz5gj4ff3l]

I have a gen 1

[@BalloonSchool]

the antennas should be hidden inside the router.

[@DrDeepspace]

If you can post youtube vids, you can rig a directional antenna.

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

Starlink doesn't make a directional antenna. Kinda defeats the purpose of beta testing the limits of their equipment if i cheat by using 3rd party equipment. 😜

[@DWA86]

Gen 3 doesn't auto rotate like Gen 2 and 1 🤣😂

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

For real? That's an...interesting move!

[@darrenholmes7630]

Haha your bad service is better than my hard wired in Australia. I get 37mbps.. yay!

[@n4bhpat]

Use Ubiquiti 60ghz gig air fiber and you will have whatever speed the house has in the barn

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

That's over $2000 in equipment, my friend. The chickens don't need to play Call of Duty that bad.

[@n4bhpat]

Gigabeam is 179 each a little Poe at each end and you are all set

[@dmo848]

​@@HomesteadBandwagonnow that's fukn funny 😂

[@Cashpots]

Really can’t stand people who are “professionally ignorant” and refuse to even glance at the instructions. If they plugged a lead in backwards it would not of course be their fault! Yes it’s nice for things to just work but if you admit you don’t understand the basics then it’s just silly.

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

Starlink claims to be VERY user friendly. Their instructions are a couple pictures with no words.

[@raventalks2776]

@@HomesteadBandwagonthat drove me crazy. I just got the gen 3 set up & there were 4 pictures and some lines. I didn’t mesh, so it was pretty plug and play

[@Salvatore_42069]

Lol yeah dishy was a weird name ay lmao😂😂😂😂 69 420 lol

[@CmAlex83]

i pay 55 every 2 months in greece for internet and i got 2 mbps loooooool

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

Ouch!

[@rudestan11]

You seem very disappointed!!

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

It's not all that bad. We're getting decent speed, and definitely better wifi coverage

[@harveywilliamson6841]

'Promo SM' 💔

[@MikeBCNU]

move it closer to the house.. dont put the mesh router at the outer most point.. it doesnt work that way.. you will obviously have full bars standing next to the unit but its not getting a decent signal from the first mesh unit

[@thaneoflions975]

L0LurMom69/420 here…you win this round Micah! But we will meet again🖕🏽