One Starlink subscriber impacted by Hurricane Fiona in Canada has reported that the service’s second-generation “Dishy” terminal successfully weathered the storm and came out unscathed (via Reddit).
Starlink is a high-speed satellite broadband service from SpaceX. Customers set up their Starlink terminals in clear view of the sky, and these terminals then communicate with satellites in low Earth orbit to deliver a fast, reliable internet connection. The service has already achieved full Earth coverage.
With the second-gen Starlink terminal, Starlink subscribers have a few different mounting options. Reddit user phant0mh0nkie69420 had theirs set up on a Volcano Mount, which is designed to securely attach terminals to rooftops.
SpaceX explicitly warns in its installation manual for the Volcano Mount that it is “not designed for high winds or hurricane/tornado wind loads.” The company tells customers that “tethering should be used in all cases to prevent failure in an unexpected wind event.”
Even so, phant0mh0nkie69420‘s terminal was able to withstand Hurricane Fiona, which made landfall in Canada on Saturday. “Dishy is alive!!” the Redditor exclaimed in a comment.
According to them, Dishy is “still secure” in the Volcano Mount. While Hurricane Fiona took out their power, they were able to turn their Starlink connection on using a battery and inverter setup. They confirmed that Dishy was still working, and they reported download speeds of around 200 Mbps with upload speeds of 35 Mbps.
Another Redditor from outside St. Peters in Cape Breton, one of the areas hit by Hurricane Fiona, responded to phant0mh0nkie69420‘s post and reported that their Starlink terminal and Volcano Mount combo also made it through the storm.
SpaceX sells Starlink dish mounts separately. You can add mounts and other accessories to your order once SpaceX is ready to ship your Starlink kit, and a Volcano Mount costs $24 USD.
As of this week, Starlink has started connecting schools in the Amazon Rainforest to the internet.
