Starlink

What is Starlink, and who is it for?

Starlink, a brain child of Elon Musk and his company SpaceX, provides high-speed, low-latency broadband internet. Their satellites circumnavigate the globe at much lower altitudes than other satellites, allowing for download speeds between 100 Mb/s and 200Mb/s, and latency as low as 20ms. That's fast enough for video calls, streaming and online gaming. While we're not talking fibre speeds, Starlink is a great solution for rural customers who were previously stuck with adsl. For Starlink to work properly, the dish needs to be installed with a clear view of the sky.

Who is Dishy McFlatface?

It sounds like a very unflattering male nickname, but is in fact what Elon Musk named the hardware required to use the Starlink network. Dishy McFlatface, otherwise known as the Starlink kit, comes with the dish itself, wifi router, cables and base.

How much does Dishy McFlatface cost, and how can I get it?

The latest Starlink kit includes a rectangular version of Dishy McFlatface and costs around NZD 1,000, and then a monthly subscription fee of NZD 159. You'll need to buy the kit directly from Starlink. Once you receive your Starlink kit, let us know and we will take care of the installation, including running the proprietary cable to the modem, and the set up.

What Vision's customers say about Dishy

One of Vision's early Starlink installations was for Prof Lisa Smith, who says "it's fantastic and we haven't had to hotspot once." The dish had handled the recent high winds really well.

"We are getting speeds of 80-140Mb/s – working well for Zoom meetings of 20 people and watching Netflix. We've been telling our friends about Dishy McFlatface, and have also been recommending Vision for the installation and set up."