For land-based requirements, Starlink offers both Residential and Business/Enterprise internet service. Not surprisingly, the Starlink Residential service comes at a lower cost for the equipment and connectivity compared to the Business service.

Are the savings worth it? How do the two services really stack up? Speedcast is a Starlink authorized reseller and integrator, and in this video, Engineering Director Sean Byrne lays out the facts.

Bigger is Better

Equipment size is one of the most obvious differences between the two antennas. The larger Starlink Business antenna, known as Starlink’s High Performance (HP) antenna, can concentrate significantly more power in an outgoing beam and absorb more power from an incoming one.

The larger panel size lets the antenna cover 140 degrees of the sky compared with 110 degrees for the Residential model. That translates into 35 percent better visibility of satellites. It is also more resilient when it comes to extreme weather, from rainstorms to heat waves and blizzards. The Flat Panel High Performance antenna also offers added mounting options that make it more resistant to harsh wind as well.

Bottom line: Starlink Business provides 4 times greater service availability overall, and twice the average download speeds of the Residential service, as we demonstrate in a series of speed tests in this week’s episode. That’s why Speedcast recommends this and the Starlink Maritime kit for customers across cruise, commercial maritime, offshore and onshore energy, mining, humanitarian and government, as part of a managed service.

It’s Not a Service Unless It’s Managed

The last two words in that sentence are important. By itself, even Starlink Business only provides “best effort” service, like a home internet connection. This means that the connectivity service does not include any service guarantees, or what engineers call a committed information rate (CIR), that enterprise networks demand. Since any stated speeds and uninterrupted use of services are not guaranteed, Starlink is not intended for some applications or safety services. A managed service that delivers complete, integrated connectivity enables a customer to benefit from the speed, bandwidth and low latency Starlink is famous for, while ensuring 100% uptime for critical applications and that can’t risk downtime.

To learn more about the High Performance Business Antenna, check out our Assessment Series. Covering Unboxing the Starlink Business High Performance Kit and Unboxing the Starlink Business Flat High Performance Kit for land and sea.  We also demonstrate the installation and commissioning process as part of Episode 3’s Starlink Business Antenna Commissioning and Speed Test.

Contact Speedcast today to see if Starlink’s Business connectivity options are  right for your remote operations.

Let’s discuss your connectivity needs.