Starlink obstructions are the bane of every person who relies on their Starlink satellite for their internet browsing needs.
This is why it helps to mount your dish in a suitable spot to get the best internet reception possible.
This usually means mounting your dish in a place where it can enjoy an unobstructed view of the sky.
Any obstructions in your Starlink dish’s line of sight can reduce your Starlink internet speed. It can also make you experience lagging or buffering issues.
This is why you must do all the necessary groundwork needed to pick the best spot for mounting your dish.
Here, we discuss the measures you can take to solve any Starlink obstruction problems you might have.
Starlink Obstructed: What does it mean?
Your internet service will experience an interruption if an object obstructs your Starlink satellite dish. This mostly happens when something prevents your dish from having a clear view of the sky.
This obstruction serves to effectively prevent communication between your dish and any overhead low-earth-orbiting satellites.
You will get a “Starlink obstructed” message on your Starlink mobile app when this happens.
This message shows that an object prevents your dish from communicating adequately with the overhead LEO satellites.
After receiving the message, click the statistics bar to determine how frequently you lose your connection.
(An illustration of a speed test)
This obstruction could come from a tree, roof extension, or any other object that projects above or around your dish.
If this is the case, these obstructions will affect the quality of internet service you get from your Starlink.
You’ll experience network interruptions and outages that will make browsing -problematic.
These interruptions will affect your streaming, video-calling, multiplayer gaming, and other real-time internet browsing experiences.
The frequent lags, buffering, outright outages, and other network delay issues these obstructions will make these activities a chore.
(Satellite dish mounted on the roof)
How To Check For Obstructions
Your Starlink dish acts similarly to a regular antenna, so positioning and obstructions affect the quality of reception you get.
You can check for obstructions in the line of sight of your Starlink dish in a few easy steps.
Also, you can even check for obstructions if you haven’t gotten your Starlink, and the process is pretty straightforward.
To check for potential obstruction even before mounting your dish, launch your Starlink app.
Next, locate the obstruction tool on the app. This tool will engage your phone’s camera to identify any possible issues with your reception.
With the tool properly launched, follow the on-screen prompts and scan the sky above you while moving your phone camera.
(3d rendering of Global satellite internet service)
The Starlink mobile app will estimate the most likely percentage of obstructions possible from mounting your dish anywhere in specifics
With this information, you can determine if installing your dish in that lospecific is ideal.
If it is not ideal, you can choose to scan elsewhere.
The Starlink app also gathers obstruction-related data for the first 12 hours after you launch it.
You can see all this data by checking your app’s “Obstructions” menu after 10 hours of Starlink’s operation.
Once you tap this obstruction menu, a graphical display will immediately show on-screen. This display will show where the obstructions localize for where you site your dish.
You can also use the Statistics menu to check how many interruptions to expect with the current obstruction.
(Illustration of a train of internet broadcast satellite orbiting the earth)
Can Obstructions Stop Starlink From Working?
Obstructions will not outrightly stop your Starlink from working. These obstructions, however, can seriously affect the quality of broadband internet you enjoy.
Obstructions interfere with your satellite internet access, causing interruptions and outages, but that’s mostly as far as it can go.
Most times, obstructions reduce the speed with which your Starlink operates.
Obstructions will also have a different impact on your browsing experience, depending on what internet activities you mostly engage in.
(A man installing a satellite dish)
You may not suffer much If you mostly carry out light browsing as with tasks like emailing, data processing, and streaming.
If you rely on video calls, you might fare even worse. You will face serious problems with occasional stuttering caused by the interruptions.
The situation is worse with online gaming. This is because you may lose sufficient in-game ground during the few seconds your Starlink loses its connection.
(A woman browsing the internet with a laptop)
Conclusion
Starlink is the choice for an increasingly growing number of people who need reliable off-grid internet, for the most part.
If you tick this box, obstruction to your Starlink dish can affect the quality of your internet browsing experience.
Thankfully, Starlinks has made it easy for every potential or active user to identify and resolve any issues with obstruction.
The Starlink app is handy for anyone who needs to check where the obstructions and the ensuing interruptions come from.
You can also use the app to find out the seriousness of these interruptions. This is how you can resolve all the issues with ease.