Starlink Can Map The Wi-Fi Coverage In Your Home - Here's How To Use It

With the Internet now such a prevalent element of daily life, finding the right provider to use its various tools has become a struggle for many. There are several major Internet providers in the United States alone to choose from, each delivering their services at different price points, speeds, and with varying amounts of equipment. One of the more recent additions to this roster is the SpaceX-owned Starlink, which formally launched in 2019 and has swiftly risen to prominence in the digital world.

Not long after Starlink's first set of satellites were sent into the atmosphere, the company's Internet became available for the first time. Fast forward a few years, and Starlink is now a well-known player in the Internet game with reportedly millions of active users across 100 countries. Starlink has launched its first satellites for cell phone service as well, further extending its reach. At this point, it can do a myriad of things aside from just delivering Internet access, such as aiding first responders during disasters, improving navigation systems, and even being used to map the Wi-Fi coverage within your own home. 

Not only is mapping your home's Wi-Fi coverage possible with Starlink, but it's not too difficult. Here's how you can use this feature yourself.

By using the Starlink Wi-Fi mapping feature or the Range feature, you can get an in-depth look at the wireless Internet strength of specific locations in your home. All you need is a device with the Starlink app downloaded, your router to be online, and a few minutes to complete the process.

1. Open the Starlink app — specifically the 2.0.28 version with camera permissions granted — and navigate to the Network tab.

2. Select Check Wi-Fi Range.

3. Once range scanning is active, walk around your home to complete an approximate map of its layout.

4. With your walkaround completed, select View Results.

You will then get a summary of your Wi-Fi strength throughout your home, highlighting where connectivity is the strongest and where weak points might be located. It's also worth noting that this feature only works with Starlink tech, so if you have Spectrum, Verizon, or another Wi-Fi carrier, mapping just isn't possible with this app. Once you gather the information from it, though, you can take the recommended steps to improve your Wi-Fi connectivity.

Say you give the Starlink range tool a try, only to find that your home is plagued with multiple glaring slow zones, perhaps even in places where strong connection is crucial. Thankfully, there are a few tips to employ to maximize your Wi-Fi signal. Of those that Starlink specifically recommends, arguably the biggest is to ensure your Starlink router is placed in an optimum location. It should sit on a flat, stable surface, upright, and in an open area. For specific rooms that are lacking in connectivity, you can try moving the router to a closer area, ideally with fewer or no walls in between that could put a damper on the connection.

Speaking of barriers to connection, you want to keep an eye out for devices that could cause interference between your router and Wi-Fi devices. Everything from walls to kitchen appliances like refrigerators and microwaves to fluorescent lights can have this effect, so putting around 20 feet between your router and these items is helpful. Moving over to the Starlink app, you can run an advanced speed test to see exactly how well or poorly your router is performing. You can also check the Network tab for detailed looks at your router's connection to various devices and the signal strength in relation to the router's output.

As a relative newcomer on the Internet scene, Starlink's tech isn't perfect yet, but it's getting there. For now, all users can do is take advantage of the range feature and others through the Starlink app to see how their router is working and what they might need to do to improve it.