How Starlink helped solve our rural internet issue

Our OG round Starlink dish is mounted on a pole in our grasslands area outside our barn for uninterrupted signal

Starlink has been a game changer for our internet connectivity.

When we first bought our property there was almost no mobile signal, we had to go up the road to the top of the hill to be able to send messages and make calls. We couldn’t be HiTech Hippies without good internet access, so we knew internet connectivity was going to be an issue we needed to solve.

A few years later when we started living in our shed during covid we were incredibly lucky that the signal had improved enough so that we could use mobile data to work remotely. We burned through data at an unprecedented (sorry, I couldn’t resist) rate during the first few weeks of lockdown. Then when we were able to get our telecom cable installed, we were disappointed to see the glacial upload and download speeds it provided.

Our challenge was not unique, we regularly saw people post in our local Facebook group asking about internet services because they were so frustrated with the speed or unreliable connections of their current providers. Based on those local recommendations we signed up for Uber Group, a local Northland company who provides wireless broadband, which saw a huge improvement. But we were still experiencing a few issues, particularly in severe weather.

Since our jobs require regular video calls, Mark was on a mission to shore up our internet connection. He joined the waitlist for Starlink as soon as it was available in our area. Once the dish arrived, he installed it himself and configured our router so that we could use both Starlink and Uber Group – one providing a backup connection should the other drop out.

The running of our entire property relies on having a strong internet connection – from our robot lawnmower to the automated watering system in our greenhouse, as well as all the elements of our jobs.

If you’re considering Starlink and want to know more about how Mark installed and configured ours, let us know and we can share more details. Or if you already know you want to sign up, use this link and you’ll get one month free.