SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said in a Saturday tweet that the company is changing the default Wi-Fi network name for its Starlink user terminals to “Stinky.”
Starlink is a high-speed broadband internet service from SpaceX that connects to a constellation of satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO). SpaceX intends for the service to provide affordable internet at viable speeds anywhere and everywhere across the globe.
Starlink hardware kits comprise two main components: the satellite dish and the user terminal. The dish connects to Starlink satellites and transmits the received broadband signal to the user terminal, which supports wired connections and also acts as a Wi-Fi router and hosts a local wireless network for devices to connect to.
“If you can’t smell your wifi, how do you know it’s real?” the SpaceX CEO joked in a follow-up tweet.
If you can’t smell your wifi, how do you know it’s real?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 19, 2022
Musk said in another follow-up tweet that he was “pretty sure” the new name he’s proposing is unique. He added that the new name “will encourage people to change it,” which may actually be a compelling reason to make the move. Even if it’s to a name as bizarre as “Stinky.” It remains unclear if Musk was joking or not.
As of last month, SpaceX said Starlink is serving over 400,000 subscribers worldwide. The company has launched more than 2,500 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO) to deliver global coverage, and it is currently asking the FCC to authorize plans for a constellation of up to 30,000.
SpaceX launched another 53 Starlink satellites into orbit aboard one of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets on Friday morning. This mission also set a new reusability record for SpaceX, marking the rocketry venture’s first 13th launch and landing of a Falcon 9.
How many of the Wi-Fi networks near your home or office are named “Stinky?” Let us know in the comments below.
