After getting Starlink's Gen 3 router, I'm liking it

I've had, and enjoyed, Starlink's satellite internet service since January 2021, when I was approved to be a beta tester and got to put the original round dish on our roof. Not for free, sadly, I had to pay for it.

Recently Starlink emailed me with an offer to purchase their new Gen 3 router that works both with the first generation round dish and the second generation square dish. This time I had to pay $200 for the privilege of being a beta tester.

I decided to get the router because the original router was still in use. It's worked fine, but I figured that the Gen 3 router had to be an improvement. This is part of what the Starlink email said about the router.

The new Gen 3 router introduces WiFi 6 and tri-band radios to Starlink. With improved range, performance, and device support, the Starlink Gen 3 router will extend your WiFi network throughout your home to provide a more consistent and reliable connection with faster speeds.

 

The Gen 3 router can replace your current router, and multiple Gen 3 routers can be meshed together to extend the range of your WiFi network.   

I'd agree with those claims by and large. The Gen 3 router has a minimalist design and fits nicely on the table where the vertically oriented original router looked like it could tip over at any moment.

Installation was easy. Or at least it would have been, if I hadn't inexplicably put the ends of the ethernet cable in the wrong places, even after reading the instructions several times. You can read all about that misadventure in my blog post, "My guide to happiness: act stupid, then undo your stupidity." 

The Gen 3 router seems to start up with a connection considerably faster than the original router. That's a plus, since at times the old one would take forever, more or less, after being plugged in.

I did experience much slower speeds at first with the Gen 3 router. However, after a few days the speeds returned to their normal range of 30-125 Mbps or so depending on the time of day and how the Starlink gods are feeling.

At one point the speed dropped to the dreadful DSL range that my wife and I were stuck with for many years out here in rural south Salem, Oregon, 6-7 Mbps.

I was about to submit a support ticket to Starlink, but after I read the tips to fix a slow connection I decided that I was capable of unplugging and plugging in the router again, which led to a marked speed increase right away.

At the moment, 9:50 pm on a weekday, I'm getting 58 Mbps download and 16 Mbps upload, which is fairly typical. 

The wi-fi signal in the most distant part of our house from the router seems less strong but also faster than the original router. In the early morning I've gotten speeds of over 100 Mbps in that area, which never happened with the first generation router. 

So I'm pleased with the Gen 3 router so far.