How to Prepare Your Home for a Starlink Installation Day
Starlink Installers
Installation day goes more smoothly when the dish position, cable route, indoor network and account responsibilities have been discussed before anyone drills a hole. Use this checklist to prepare the property and agree what a completed installation should achieve.
Before the appointment: identify the equipment and scope
Send the installer the kit model and a photograph of the unopened kit or its accessible labels, keeping identifiers private. Confirm who supplies the mount, cable, fixings and any Ethernet adapter. An installation quote should distinguish the satellite connection from extra work to improve Wi-Fi around the home.
Write down the rooms and devices that matter: the office laptop, television, camera system and any separate building. A connection that works beside the router may not yet meet those requirements. Agree whether the installer will simply get the kit online or also test those locations.
Keep the written quote, appointment details and permission from the owner or building manager where needed. Ask how unexpected work will be priced and approved.
Assess possible dish positions without unsafe access
Use the Starlink app's obstruction tool from safely accessible candidate locations. The dish needs an appropriate sky view; a position chosen only because it makes the cable route short may not provide that.
Take wide photographs showing surrounding buildings and trees, plus a picture of the proposed entry point. A phone scan from the ground is useful preparation, but it does not certify a high mounting position. Let the installer assess locations requiring ladders, roof work or specialist access.
Have an alternative location in mind. Agree the trade-off between access, sky view, route length and future maintenance before the installer commits to a permanent mount.
Decide where the indoor network should begin
Choose a practical router position with suitable power, ventilation and access. Avoid hiding it in a cupboard simply because that is closest to the dish. Ask how the signal will reach the main living and working areas.
For a separate office or long property, discuss whether additional access points or a wired connection belong in the quotation. Identify where existing network cables terminate. Do not assume that moving the dish will solve an indoor coverage problem.
If retaining your own router, tell the installer its model and how you intend to use it. Record the current setup so a temporary installation problem can be reversed without guesswork.
Walk the cable route from both ends
Show the installer the proposed indoor and outdoor routes. Mention fragile finishes, concealed services, recently decorated areas, fire-resisting construction and places where water collects.
Ask how the cable will be supported and protected, how the entry will be sealed, and whether the connector fits the proposed route. Do not cut the supplied cable to fit an existing hole or assume an old television cable can replace it.
Clear movable furniture and stored items from agreed work areas. Keep children and pets away from the workspace. Provide access to gates and ground-level spaces, but leave hazardous preparation to the installer.
Prepare account access without handing over control
Download the current Starlink app and confirm that you can sign into the correct account. Make sure you can receive any verification messages. Keep order information and the kit details available privately.
For a normal domestic installation, complete account actions yourself while the installer explains the step. Do not include passwords or verification codes in an advance email. Agree who will activate the service and who is responsible for any activation issue.
Have a working phone connection or other means of accessing support during the appointment where practical. Keep important meetings off the installation-day schedule.
Use a written handover test
Before signing off, check the agreed work with the installer:
- Confirm that the intended kit appears in your account and the app shows its current status.
- Connect an everyday device and load a new page.
- Test the office, television area and other locations included in the quotation.
- Try an ordinary call or another application important to you.
- Inspect safely accessible cable support and the agreed finish.
- Ask how to restart the equipment and who to contact for a mounting or service problem.
An initial speed test is useful, but it is not a guarantee of every future speed. Obstruction information may also develop after the first connection. Agree how a later, repeatable problem will be followed up.
Keep a simple handover record
Record the equipment supplied, mount and entry-point photographs, completed tests and unresolved items. Store account details securely and keep Wi-Fi credentials separate from the account password.
For example, if the internet works by the router but not at the agreed office desk, record that specific result. Ask whether the missing coverage is included in the original scope or needs a separate solution. A precise record is more useful than a general statement that the installation is slow.
Official setup reference
Use the Starlink installation instructions for the appropriate kit and the current app. The linked PDF covers a Standard kit; hardware-specific methods can differ.
Reviewed 26 September 2026. This preparation and handover checklist is Starlink Tips editorial guidance.