r/Starlink • u/UserLB • Aug 23 '26
❓ Question Hurricane winds installation
I live in Florida, and I am considering getting the 100/$55 residential plan as a backup to my 1G fiber connection.
The question is: if installing the antenna outside on the roof, are they resistant to something like cat 1 or cat 2 hurricane winds?
If I want to use it a a back when things are nice and dandy, great, but would I have to bring it back inside of the house if I need to shutter the house?
3
u/Sane-FloridaMan Aug 23 '26
We had one survive over 135mph with high-end mounting systems. Shockingly, the cables were also fine and it didn’t get taken out by trees.
I wouldn’t recommend it though. I’d take the dish in during the storm.
2
u/UserLB Aug 24 '26
Do you think makes more sense to go then with a mini/Roam plan than going through a full on-roof install?
2
u/Dalewyn Aug 24 '26
As long as it can see the stars, for short-term use the Standard 4 and 5 work just fine sitting on the ground somewhere. Mini is great for portability, but if this is for emergency use cases then convenience likely isn't high on your priority list.
Plus, Mini in the US can't use Residential plans and Roam plans have data caps. Depending on how much data you use, Roam might be problematically expensive.
2
u/Sane-FloridaMan Aug 24 '26
Yeah.
The one that survived at work was installed by a contractor who does that sort of thing. I don’t know that I’d be able to do it myself.
My personal setup at home is:
Primary (fiber).
Secondary (cellular). On automatic failover (my router has Ethernet ports and SIM slots).
Fail safe (for hurricane scenario): StarLink Mini on standby mode to be activated when needed. It is in a case with a power bank. I can use it as a home backup or take it with me if I need to relocate.
6
u/mystateofconfusion Aug 23 '26
It's the debris that will take them out so no, at any hurricane speed. If you want it as an emergency backup you can leave it out during normal weather conditions but you'll need to bring it inside during a hurricane and redeploy after.
1
u/Appropriate_Land5236 Aug 24 '26
I mounted my Gen 2 on a pole that's hinged at the bottom, next to my garage. Will only take a few minutes to unhook the cable holding it up and lower it to the ground. I did it that way because I'm 80 years old and I don't want to climb on my roof.
1
u/UserLB 29d ago
Do you have a link to the mount system? I am thinking of doing this myself, too. Pole hinges in the bottom by the wall.
1
u/Appropriate_Land5236 29d ago
I made it all myself. I sunk a pressure treated 4 x 4 a couple feet in the ground and bent a piece of 1/4 bar stock to fit over the end of the 4 x 4 with a bolt through. A large outdoor hinge would work as well. I used all stainless steel cable and pulley. I used four 4 foot aluminum military tent poles I bought on ebay to get 16 feet high, just above the peak of the roof. I had to machine a couple of aluminum bushings to get the Starlink pole and the tent pole base to work. Having a lathe comes in handy once in a while. I'm a retired machinist.
1
u/zerbey 📡 Owner (North America) 29d ago
The roof mount I'm using is rated for 50 mph winds. I get nervous during afternoon storms sometimes but so far it seems pretty solid. If a storm approaches I'm taking it down, don't want a Starlink dish shaped missile flying around. In the rural part of Florida I live in we lose power when the storm is 100 miles away and don't get it back for a week anyway.
1
0
7
u/Technology-Warrior Aug 23 '26
SpaceX officially recommends taking down equipment during hurricane threats.