Starlink Checking For Dishy Obstructions

Using the Starlink field of view app can be a little bit tricky at first. Once you have a few things figured out within the app it does become another great tool to help diagnose potential service problems. The app has changed dramatically since its inception, offering a few more features now to help you locate the best possible place to install Dishy as well as check to see if there is anything blocking or encroaching into the signal area. Lets jump right in and go through some of the features found inside the Starlink app.

Note: This app does not work on all phones, some older models will not support the function. Although this app is high tech it isn't 100% accurate. Always border on the side of giving you more than you think you should is the best rule to follow. We used to be able to catch signals in between trees when setting up older Satellites, but those days are long gone, you need the whole area open for Starlink to perform its best.

The Visibility Tool is Found in the Visibility Tab on the Starlink app home page. Check occasionally the prompt will give you the latest report. If it shows any blockage you know you now have some follow up work to do. On the very bottom press the "CHECK FOR OBSTRUCTIONS" button. This activate your phone's camera to help you check the field of view.

Let's get outside and get started. Remember to be as safe as you can, climbing roofs and using ladders is dangerous. On top of that when you're using the app you have to be looking into your phone while moving, I always recommend to work in tandem and having someone spot you while you're looking into your phone. Even if it's on the ground you could trip and hurt yourself, it's the little falls that get us. Wear a hat and sunglasses to help block the sun if it's a bright day, sometimes you'll be looking right around the sun and possibly right into it! DON'T STARE AT THE SUN! Even through a lens it can damage your eyes.

Follow the arrow direction until you see the lighted section. This is where your satellite signals are coming from throughout the day. Unlike conventional satellite systems that are stationary, the Starlink satellites are constantly moving. This makes for a much larger field of view then your standard system. For those of us who have used satellites in the past we know that they can be deeply impacted by trees around them.

Once you have found the lighted area you want to follow along the separating light and dark shades, watching for anything to show in the lighted area. I know not everybody is going to get a clean shot every time. If you can't get it perfectly clear then be ready to put up with slow sluggish speeds and intermittent problems. Not really ideal if you're going to be using your Starlink a lot. The more open space the better.

The Starlink field of view looks like a giant oblong circle, it is too large to see the whole of it in a phone screen, therefore you have to move the phone around while trying to stay in one place and at the height/area that Dishy will be mounted in for your final testing. Make sure to consider future growth of bushes and trees as well as tall objects. These can all block signals and cause interruptions in your service.

Let's look at a few examples and see if you can tell what is good and what might be a problem.

Not only will trees grow over time but they will be moved by the wind, which can stretch out their branches. Even when it rains it causes the branches to lean out from all that extra weight. It is just good practice to stay away from trees if possible. However when choosing between a rock and a hard place, in picking which necessary evil will have the least impact on the signals, this will depend a lot on your region, but the same principles apply across the board. Trees that have less growth both in height and in fullness, pointed or pointy tree tops are better, thinner branches and leaves making the trees less dense.

Very important to factor in growth or future plans of development. The Starlink self aligning system is great, but even the best alignment won't get you around blatant obstacles. Check around the whole perimeter, don't just check one area and think that you will be fine. Look all around in both the light and dark areas for potential causes of lost signal. It is easier to do this once than twice, albeit you'll be really good at setting up Starlinks after a few years. Take your time and move slowly, it can be a bit awkward as you're holding the phone almost directly above your head while trying to turn, have a friend hold you from tripping or falling, or at least get them to record it.

There are many factors to consider in the placement of your Dishy, alignment is perhaps the most crucial, the weather with the winds and rain can easily cause a lot of issues too. Poor installation will lead to problems later down the road in which you might find yourself waiting in a long email queue to get a message back saying that they checked your system and it has some obstructions and they recommend you move the dish. Look, having some obstructions won't completely cut off your internet, we've had a few clients that had blockage and said that it performed better than what they have ever had before, although I don't know if that is saying very much. If problems do arise later down the road, lets say a router failure...but its intermittent so you replace the router only to have the same problems....I hope you see where I'm going with this, it ends up being a bit messy in the end, where as when the job is done to its full potential it is easier to diagnose and rule out problems to keep your internet services running at its ultimate performance level. We hope you have been enjoying these articles, if you do then join our community for free today and stay up to date with our latest's articles and talk with a community of other Starlink users. Sign Up.