Is Starlink Worth It for Australians?

Remote Australians have long struggled with slow, unreliable internet. Starlink promises high-speed satellite connectivity across the outback—but at $139/month plus $549 upfront, is it worth the investment? This guide covers real-world speeds, pricing comparisons, and how to keep your connection running off-grid with backup power

How Starlink Brings Internet to Australia

Starlink's satellites orbit Earth at 550 km, compared to conventional geostationary satellites at around 35,786 km. As a result, this makes the Starlink network much closer to the Earth. This proximity greatly reduces latency, unlike higher-orbiting conventional satellites, which cause significant delays.

Today, the system reaches all of Australia. Ground stations operate in New South Wales, with over 20 across Australia. These ground stations aid in quickly processing data from satellites. Your dish communicates directly with the satellite network overhead, while a router distributes WiFi throughout your home.

Setup is straightforward for most users, as the dishes self-align automatically. There is also an available mobile app for assistance. For instance, this application shows individuals where to set up. This also indicates whether trees or buildings obstruct the satellites. For most individuals, it takes about 30 minutes to set up.

Starlink Roam is excellent for people who find themselves moving from place to place. For instance, RV owners get to connect in those locations. Likewise, farm workers maintain adequate internet connectivity in this location. Moreover, shutdown and resumption of connectivity are possible at this time.

What Other Internet Options Are There?

A few other alternatives also suit rural residents:

Currently, older satellite tech like NBN Sky Muster offers slow speeds and high latency (600-700 ms). Thus, this is quite harmful to gamers using this provider in Australia for playing games. In addition to this, data limits restrict usage with this provider in Australia. Sky Muster currently serves approximately 100,000 Australian households, though many customers complain about slow speeds (25-50 Mbps) and high latency (600-700ms) that make gaming and video calls frustrating. Currently, Starlink provides faster speeds.

NBN Co plans to replace Sky Muster with Amazon's Project Kuiper low-Earth orbit satellites starting mid-2026, though current Sky Muster satellites will remain operational until approximately 2032. This means rural Australians will soon have multiple LEO satellite internet options.

These networks work perfectly inside urban areas for both 4G and 5G technologies. Nonetheless, they do not work well in rural areas. Actually, signal reception decreases rapidly away from urban areas. Moreover, data rates from cellular networks tend to be expensive in this location. For example, unlimited data plans may amount to as much as $100 per month. However, they do not provide speeds equal to those of Starlink.

Fixed wireless NBN is quite cheap for those who get to enjoy it. However, this kind of connectivity is only available in certain locations at present. Unfortunately, fixed wireless, as well as fibre, does disappoint. They're commonly less available to far-off houses. Let's take an example of fixed wireless connectivity. It's normally available for homes up to 14 kilometres away.

Currently, Optus has a partnership deal with Starlink to provide coverage. Through this, gaps in this sector get filled to a certain extent. Therefore, people in rural areas have more choices at present.

For most remote-based locations, Starlink is most effective. As far as speed, it is better than several other options.

The Good and Bad of Starlink

What Works Well

• Reaches the remotest outback locations.
• Unlimited data ends the slow speeds, as well as the fees.
• Low lag time, averaging 20 to 50 milliseconds, in several places, with ACCC tests indicating an average of 29.8 ms.
• Moving hardware is quite easy.
• New satellites mean better over time.
• Suitable for online video meetings/calls and games.

What Doesn't Work as Well

• Set up costs of $549 to $599 first, as well as shipping charges of $30.
• Costly standard residential plans with monthly fees of about $139. This is a bit expensive compared to the NBN alternatives.
• Heavy rain can prevent the reception of signals.
• You require a clear view up.
• Support is primarily via an online help resource.
• Setup may require roof mounting for results.
• Heavy network utilization in hugely populated locations can interfere with the overall speed. This is mainly during peak moments, running from 6 pm to 11 pm.
• Some urban places now ask for one-time congestion costs of at least $145.

Should You Buy Starlink in Australia?

Starlink is useful for rural dwellers in this location. High-speed internet is a help to business and learning. Furthermore, it enhances entertainment in your home as well. Even homes that lack NBN connectivity benefit a lot. According to the ACCC's Measuring Broadband Australia 2024-2025 report, over 80% of users reported significantly improved reliability and speeds compared to their previous satellite internet service. This is compared to the previous satellite internet service.

However, this is different for residents of cities. They should, for now, look for an alternative to Starlink to connect to the Internet. Besides, there are even cheaper alternatives available via fibre cables.

For instance, for residents of cities, NBN Internet connectivity works well. It starts at an approximate cost of $60 per month. That's about half the cost of Starlink.

The rural people have freedom from unreliable old things. Therefore, is Starlink worth it to you? Obviously, you should also consider where you live. Notice, however, that living off the grid benefits most from this.

The speeds are worth the money in rural spots. This is mainly in areas with non-existent/limited alternatives. Generally, high-speed connections in remote areas have transformed people's lifestyles. For example, students are able to participate in online classes. Currently, remote-working employees participate in video conferences with zero hassle. Furthermore, people are able to enjoy movies together without waiting. Also, most small businesses in rural areas now operate online, as they did not in the past due to Starlink.

For off-grid properties or areas with unreliable power, keeping Starlink running during outages requires backup power. Standard Starlink dishes consume 50-75 watts during active use—manageable for quality portable power stations, especially when paired with solar panels.

Keeping Starlink Running Without Grid Power

Remote areas require backup energy for internet connectivity. This is the case with Starlink satellite internet connectivity. It requires power to function at any time.

The issue is now well addressed by power stations. They ensure that your plate and router remain in operation. Furthermore, solar charging ensures that the operation time never ends. Starlink (standard models) consumes only between 50 and 100 W of power during active use. As a result, a good power station is able to run it.

BLUETTI Elite 200 V2

The BLUETTI Elite 200V2 has an output of 2,600W. Its 2,073.6 Wh capacity supports Starlink devices for a long time. It runs standard Starlink dishes ( consuming around 75 watts) for around 20 hours.

The solar panels recharge this unit off-grid in this case. As a result, this unit supports internet connectivity. Moreover, this unit performs very well even in harsh environments outdoors. Furthermore, the design allows it to function in temperatures ranging from -20 degrees.

Farm workers also depend on this unit every day. This unit ensures that the Internet is available. This is even during prolonged cases of power failure. As such, this money ensures that your Internet is safe in the long run. Furthermore, this unit also comes with a warranty of up to 5 years, which is impressive.

BLUETTI Elite 100 V2

The BLUETTI Elite 100 V2 has an output of 1,800W. Likewise, it provides a battery capacity of 1,024 Wh as a source of backup. Moreover, it is more portable. This is due to the fact that it only weighs 11.5 kilograms.

Those who camp during weekends also benefit most from this unit. The unit is suitable for small/tight areas. It also resolves issues of poor internet connectivity due to weather conditions. For example, it provides power for Starlink standard models for about 10 hours.

Final Thoughts

Starlink Australia fills the gap for rural areas. High-speed satellite internet is what offers services lacking in those rural homes. Therefore, people who work from home, as well as students, get connected to the internet. This includes those families who just need good internet for home use.

Partnering this with power backups makes it more flexible. Furthermore, you get to keep the internet running during cuts. As if this is not enough, power stations from BLUETTI provide this needed energy. This is quite convenient in cases of an emergency. The stations are now mostly used by many people as a source for providing power.

Now is a great time to check out Starlink via their smartphone app. First, check coverage in your home or property. Next, prepare for continuous Internet by having adequate backups in place. Finally, before selecting your gear, assess whether it can function well under the available power backup.

Frequently Asked Questions

• In Australia, what is the speed of Starlink Internet?

Download speeds typically range from 20-100 Mbps, with some users achieving 150+ Mbps under optimal conditions. ACCC testing recorded average speeds of 183.9 Mbps during off-peak hours, dropping to 162.2 Mbps during busy weekday periods (6-11pm). Priority business plans can reach up to 220 Mbps. Priority business plans can shoot up to 220 Mbps in other cases. Lag time ranges from 20 to 40 milliseconds. Generally, this is an improvement over older satellite Internet. Peak time does not affect Internet speed in this case.

• What is the monthly pricing for Starlink?

The standard models run approximately $139 per month (unlimited data plan). The hardware requires a payment of $549, with shipping costs of $30. Of course, refurbished packs are available at a more reasonable price of $299. Monthly charges for Starlink Roam are $175-195 for the unlimited option and $80 for 50 GB.

• Can weather conditions influence Starlink connectivity?

Rainstorms may temporarily disconnect connectivity. Nonetheless, connectivity resumes quickly as the weather clears. Snow in southern locations may impede signals. A speed boost returns quickly after the clearing of weather conditions. A heating function is available in this dish to melt ice for connectivity purposes.

• Does Starlink work while travelling?

For roaming, Starlink Roam plans do work. Users in camped cars and boats remain connected always. Moreover, the hardware gets moved from place to place very easily. Even coverage is available in all Australian states currently. Hence, users always remain connected irrespective of the locations to which they travel.