SpaceX appears to be preparing a new Wi-Fi 7 router for Starlink customers. The previously unseen router was approved by US regulators on 13 August, which suggests the hardware is getting closer to release. Starlink has not yet announced when it will go on sale, what it will cost or whether it is coming to the UK.
The Wi-Fi does not, of course, literally come from space. Starlink’s dish receives the broadband connection from satellites, then passes it to the router inside your home. That router creates the Wi-Fi network used by your phones, televisions and computers, just as it would with an ordinary fixed-line broadband service.
Wi-Fi 7 is the newest version of the technology, designed to cope better with busy homes and large numbers of connected devices. However, you will need compatible phones, laptops or other equipment to get all of its benefits. Older devices will still connect, but they will continue using the older Wi-Fi standards they already support.
Image Credit: MIT
One of Starlink’s many communications satellites
Will it actually make Starlink faster?
Not by itself. A faster router cannot increase the speed being delivered to the dish from Starlink’s satellites. It may help prevent the home Wi-Fi from becoming a bottleneck, particularly in a larger or busier property, but the broadband speed will still depend on the customer’s package, local demand and the dish’s view of the sky.
There is also some small print behind the Wi-Fi 7 badge. Regulatory testing shows the router using the familiar 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies, but not the newer 6GHz frequency associated with many high-end Wi-Fi 7 routers. In everyday terms, this appears to be a fairly sensible provider-supplied router rather than a spectacular multi-gigabit home networking monster.
The new model also has two wired network sockets and a USB-C connection. It may eventually be supplied with Starlink’s newer V5 home dish, although the current V5 package includes the older Router Mini. Existing customers should not assume they will receive a free replacement, as Starlink has said nothing yet about pricing, compatibility or upgrades.
