At $2,500, the super-performance Starlink dish is more expensive than the basic $599 dish, yet the cost for internet service remains the same at $110 per month.
SpaceX’s strongest dish in its Starlink satellite internet service has expanded beyond the business market to reach homeowners.
The company has updated Starlink.com(Opens in New window) to allow residential customers to choose between the $599 standard Starlink dish as well as a “high efficiency” dish that costs an astounding $2500.
The high-performance dish first launched in February. However, at the time it was available through the new Premium tier, which was later changed to Starlink Business, which also required those who were interested paying $500 each month to access the internet service.
SpaceX is selling its high-performance dish to customers, but it is not charging the monthly fee of $500 for internet. Instead, consumers can purchase the dish for $2,500 and pay the regular $110 monthly fee for residential internet through the dish.
The company appears to be advertising the dish for $2,500 to those who reside in harsh or rough conditions. According to the Starlink Support page(Opens in an entirely new window) The company mentions that it performs better in cold, hot and wet conditions than the traditional dish.
“High Performance is best for high-end users and for enterprise applications,” the support page states. It adds that “The High Performance can view 35 percent more of the sky, which allows that it connects to more satellites, and better serve users with typical installations that are obstructed by unavoidable obstacles or in the polar (>59 ° longitude) and equatorial regions , where there are less visible satellites.”
The dish is physically larger(Opens in New screen) than the typical residential Starlink dish and comes with two times the antenna capacity that allows it to enjoy faster download speeds. The Starlink Business level currently has the potential for speeds of 150 and 300Mbps, which is a significant increase from the 50 to 200Mbps speeds offered by the standard residential tier.
If you choose to purchase the high-performance dish speeds aren’t assured. The Starlink website doesn’t mention the speed gains when purchasing the hardware for $2,500. This is likely due to the fact that the Starlink network is already overloaded in numerous areas of the US. This means that congestion issues can slow the speed of broadband in areas already crowded with Starlink customers.
Some users with access to an ultra-fast Starlink dish have said(Opens with a fresh tab) on Reddit they haven’t experienced significant speed gains over more expensive equipment. “I have an residential Starlink installed at my home. I purchased Premium and installed it, and then tried it. It was exactly the same,” wrote(Opens in a new window) one user.
