Fault finding · Riverland, South Australia
Starlink in the Riverland › Dropouts
Starlink keeps dropping out
We get called to these. Here is what it usually turns out to be, cheapest thing first, so you can rule a few out before anyone charges you for a visit.
Residential kit $0 upfront. Roam kits from $289. A boxed kit from a shop is $549.
Check your address first if you'd rather
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You buy the kit and the plan from Starlink at Starlink's price. Ordering through that link gets you the free month; it also gives us a referral credit. We are an independent installer, not a Starlink reseller or agent.
Check these first
Five minutes, no tools, no call-out fee.
- Unplug and replug the cable at both ends. The single most common fix we have been paid to perform is reseating a connector that had worked its way loose
- Open the Starlink app and look at Obstructions. A tree that was fine two summers ago is not fine now
- Check whether it is only overnight. Firmware updates restart the dish, often around 3 am. That is normal
- Count your routers. If there is another router plugged in behind the Starlink, two devices are arguing over the same job
- Walk toward the router. If it comes good as you get closer, the problem is Wi-Fi coverage, not the satellite
What we find when we get there
- Cable damage at the dish. Roof cable that was never clipped, chafed on a sheet edge, or a connector sitting in water. On a houseboat we found the lead pulled clean out and the mount broken
- Obstructions that grew. Gums and old peppercorns on Riverland blocks put on a lot in three years. The fix is usually moving the dish, not replacing it
- Sagging 12 V. Vans and boats run straight off a battery that drops under load and takes the dish with it. We step the supply up and fuse it properly, which ends that fault for good
- Double NAT. A modem or gateway left in place behind the Starlink. Bypass mode on the Starlink, one router in charge, done
- Wi-Fi mistaken for Starlink. 400 Mbps at the router and 30 in the cottage is not a satellite problem. See the speeds page
- Genuinely faulty hardware. It happens, and it is under warranty. We log the debug data with Starlink and get it replaced rather than sell you another kit
If you want us to look at it
Riverland and Mallee, including installs someone else did.
Service work is charged at our normal rate rather than as a new install, and most dropout jobs are done inside an hour. If the dish has to move to clear a tree, that is priced like an install because it is one.
Call 08 7501 6111 or email office@smartautomationsolutions.com.au and tell us which of the five checks above you have already done. It genuinely shortens the visit.
Fault questions
Why does my Starlink keep dropping out?
In order of how often we find it: something unplugged or chafed at the dish or the wall plate, a tree that has grown into the dish's view since it was installed, power that sags (mostly 12 V vehicle installs), or a router behind the Starlink fighting it over addresses. Genuine satellite outages are the rarest cause.
It reboots in the middle of the night. Is it faulty?
Usually not. Starlink pushes firmware updates and restarts itself, often around 3 am. If the only dropouts are overnight and everything is fine by morning, that is the update, not a fault.
The app says obstructed. What now?
Something has grown or been built into the dish's sky view. The app's obstruction map shows which direction. The fix is height or a different spot on the roof, not a new dish: we move it to a pole or the other end of the ridge and the obstruction count goes to zero.
It says online but nothing works.
That is a network problem, not a satellite one. Nine times out of ten it is a second router behind the Starlink handing out its own addresses. We put the Starlink in bypass mode and let one device do the routing.
My dish is dead. Do I buy a new one?
Not straight away. Starlink hardware is under warranty and we have had dishes replaced free, including one that arrived faulty out of the box. We pull the debug data, log it with Starlink support and lend you a dish while the replacement is in transit if we have one spare.
Do you fix installs someone else did?
Yes, and a fair share of our Starlink work is exactly that. We charge our normal service rate, not a new install price.
More
- Starlink vs nbn Fixed WirelessWhat each one delivers here, with the ACCC's own measurements.
- Speeds we have measuredReal download figures from our own Riverland installs, town by town.
- Starlink dropping outWhat it usually turns out to be, and what you can check yourself.
- Starlink vs Sky MusterSpeed, data, latency and what switching costs in the Riverland.
- Starlink for caravans and 4WDsRoam plans, the Mini, 12 V power and mounts that survive corrugations.
- The Starlink free monthHow the referral credit works in Australia, and what disqualifies it.
- Starlink in MilduraMounts, brackets, the Mini and installs across the river, by arrangement.
- Mounts and bracketsWhich mount suits a tin roof, a tile roof, a shed or a van.
- What an install costsEvery price, and what makes a job dearer than a standard one.
- Starlink on a houseboatRoam, 12 V, a protected mount and a link back to shore.
Who we are
CCTV, networking, automation and Starlink installs for farms, businesses, councils and homes across the Riverland.
- Business
- Smart Automation Solutions Pty Ltd
- ABN
- 81 676 961 345
- Workshop
- 2 Eighteenth Street, Renmark SA 5341
- Phone
- 08 7501 6111
- office@smartautomationsolutions.com.au
- Hours
- Mon–Fri 7:30 am – 4:30 pm
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