When Starlink stops working, the router usually gets the blame, but it’s only one of four links in the chain: the dish, the cable, the power supply and the router itself. The fastest fix comes from working out which link has failed before you start unplugging things or factory-resetting. This guide starts with the light on your router, tells you which Starlink router you actually own (reset methods differ, and doing the wrong one wastes time), then walks through the specific situations people get stuck on: a red light, Wi-Fi that vanished, devices that connect but won’t load anything, a mesh node that won’t pair, a third-party router that gets no internet, and what to do when it really is broken and you need a replacement.
Nine Quick Answers
The questions behind most “Starlink router not working” searches, answered briefly. Each gets proper detail below.
On Gen 3 routers and the Router Mini, red means the router couldn’t reach the internet. It turns red after about 20 minutes of trying. That usually points to the dish, the cable, an outage or an obstruction, not a dead router.
Not necessarily. No light means no power, but on Gen 3 routers a solid white light also switches itself off after a while once connected. Check whether your devices are online before assuming the worst.
Bypass mode. The Starlink router’s Wi-Fi is switched off so a third-party router can take over. The only way back out of bypass mode is a factory reset.
It depends on the model. Gen 3 and Gen 1 have a reset button you press with a paper clip. Gen 2 has no button; widely published guides say to power cycle it six times in a row. The Mini’s built-in router resets with a 3-second press of its rear button.
No web admin page is offered for Starlink routers. Every setting, from the Wi-Fi name to custom DNS and bypass mode, is in the Starlink app.
Many smart-home gadgets only work on 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi. In the app, turn on the option to split the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks, then connect the device to the 2.4 GHz one.
Yes. Turn on bypass mode in the app and plug your router into the right port: one of the two Ethernet ports on a Gen 3, or a separately sold Ethernet adapter on a Gen 2.
No. Support is handled through tickets in the Starlink app or your account on starlink.com. Replies commonly take a day or more, so do the checks on this page first.
Usually, if it’s within warranty and support agrees it’s a hardware fault after troubleshooting. Damage you caused, or cables chewed by animals, generally isn’t covered.
Step One: Work Out Which Starlink Router You Have
Starlink has shipped five quite different routers. The lights, the reset method and the ports all change between them, and a surprising number of “it didn’t work” stories come from following steps meant for another model.
| Router | Came with | Ethernet | Reset method | Light tells you |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gen 1 | Original round dish | One port | Reset button underneath | Limited; use the app |
| Gen 2 | Rectangular dish on a mast (Standard Actuated) | None; needs Ethernet Adapter | No button; repeated power cycling | Limited; use the app |
| Gen 3 | Standard kickstand dish | Two ports under a cover | Reset button with a paper clip | White, flashing, red, violet |
| Router Mini | V5 and Mini X kits; sold separately as mesh | LAN and WAN ports | Factory reset (see its guide) | Same colors as Gen 3 |
| Starlink Mini (built-in) | Mini kit | One port, behind a plug | Rear button, hold 3 seconds | Blinking patterns; use the app |
The newest kit, the V5, became available in select US areas in July. It’s a smaller dish with a separate power supply and ships with the Router Mini rather than the larger Gen 3 router. Its Ethernet connection is at the power supply. If you bought Starlink recently and your router is small and square on a little stand, you almost certainly have a Router Mini, and the Gen 3 light guide below applies to you.
What the Router Light Is Telling You
These meanings come from Starlink’s own setup guides for the Gen 3 router. The Router Mini uses the same colors. Gen 1 and Gen 2 routers have far less informative lights, so on those, the app is your main diagnostic tool.
One detail confuses many Gen 3 owners: Starlink’s setup guide notes that the power supply’s own light may stay off, and that you should look at the router’s front light instead. A dark power supply on its own isn’t a fault.
The red light deserves careful reading. It doesn’t say “this router is broken.” It says “this router couldn’t get internet from the dish.” The cause can be a satellite outage in your area, snow on the dish, a tree that has grown into the dish’s view, a damaged or half-seated cable, or a power supply that isn’t feeding the dish properly. That’s why the fix order below starts with the app and the cables, not the router.
On Gen 2 routers, the single small light mainly shows that the unit has power. If a Gen 2 router seems to be working but nothing loads, open the app: its home screen shows whether the dish is online, and the alerts section flags obstructions and outages.
The Fix Order That Saves the Most Time
This follows the troubleshooting order in Starlink’s own setup guides, with a little extra detail at each step. Work down it and stop as soon as things come back.
- Open the Starlink app. Check the home screen and any alerts for an outage, an obstruction warning, thermal shutdown or “offline” status. If the app shows a network outage, nothing you do at home will fix it; wait it out.
- Read the router light using the decoder above. No light plus no internet means power. Red means no internet from the dish. Violet means bypass mode.
- Reseat every connector. Unplug and firmly re-push each one: the dish cable, the power supply cable and the Ethernet cable into Port 1. Starlink’s guide specifically says connectors should sit flush. Look along the dish cable for kinks, cuts or chew marks.
- Power cycle the router. Unplug it from the wall, wait about a minute, and plug it back in. On a Gen 3, give it time: it flashes white while connecting and can take several minutes to settle.
- Factory reset, using the method for your model in the next section. This wipes your Wi-Fi name and password, so you’ll need to set them up again.
- Contact support through the app or your starlink.com account. Mention what the light shows and everything you’ve already tried; it speeds things up.
Are your devices failing to see the Wi-Fi at all, or do they see it and connect but nothing loads? If they can’t see it, the router or its power is the likely culprit, and a reset can help. If they connect fine but nothing loads, the router is usually doing its job and the problem sits upstream at the dish or the satellite link. A factory reset in that second case just gives you a new problem: setting up Wi-Fi again on every device.
How to Factory Reset Each Starlink Router
A factory reset returns the router to its out-of-box state, with a Wi-Fi network named STARLINK and no password set by you. It also takes a router out of bypass mode.
Gen 3 router
- Leave the router plugged in and powered on.
- Find the small reset button near the Ethernet ports (it may sit under the same cover).
- Press and hold it with a straightened paper clip. Starlink’s guide just says to press it; most published guides suggest holding for about 10 seconds.
- Let go and wait several minutes. The light will flash white while the router restarts and reconnects.
- Join the network called STARLINK, then set your own name and password in the app.
Gen 2 router
- There’s no reset button. Unplug the router’s power, wait two or three seconds, and plug it back in.
- Repeat until you’ve done it six times in a row. Published guides, including those from authorised retailers, consistently give six cycles.
- After the last plug-in, leave it alone for several minutes while it restarts.
- Reconnect to STARLINK and set up your network in the app.
Gen 1 router
Press the reset button on the underside with a paper clip, then wait several minutes for the router to restart. Note that the Gen 1 router can’t be used as a mesh node with newer Starlink routers.
Starlink Mini (built-in router)
- With the Mini powered on, find the reset icon on the back.
- Press firmly until you feel a click, and hold for 3 seconds.
- The status light blinks quickly, then switches off when the reset is complete.
- Rejoin STARLINK and set things up in the app.
If you give the network the same name and password you used before, most phones, laptops and smart-home devices will reconnect by themselves. If you pick a new name, every device needs setting up again, which can be a long job with cameras, doorbells and plugs. Any custom settings, such as custom DNS or a split 2.4/5 GHz network, are wiped too, and mesh nodes may need re-pairing.
Fixes for the Situations People Actually Hit
Grouped by what you’re seeing, with the most likely cause first.
Open the app. If it shows an outage, wait. If it shows an obstruction or the dish as offline, check the dish itself: has it been knocked over, is snow sitting on it, or has a branch grown into its view? Then reseat the dish cable at both ends and look for damage along its length. A red light after a recent move often means the dish is pointing poorly or has a new obstruction. Only once the dish side checks out should you power cycle and reset the router.
The router is still trying. After a power cut, the dish may need a while to find satellites, especially if it has been off for some time. Leave it for up to 20 minutes. If it gives up, the light turns red and you’re in the red-light case above.
Treat it as a power problem. Try a different wall outlet, and if the router is on a power strip or surge protector, plug it straight into the wall to rule that out. Check the power cable where it enters the power supply. On a Gen 3, make sure the Ethernet cable from the power supply’s white port is firmly in Port 1, because the router won’t connect without it. If you lose power to the whole house often, a small battery backup (UPS) keeps the router and dish running through short cuts.
This is the most misread situation. The router is up; the internet behind it isn’t. Check the app for dish status, outages and obstructions. If only one device has the problem, “forget” the network on that device and rejoin, or restart the device. If you’ve set custom DNS in the app and pages time out, switch back to the default and test again.
First check the light. Violet means the router is in bypass mode, so its Wi-Fi is off by design; that can happen if someone toggled bypass in the app. A factory reset brings the Wi-Fi back. If the light is normal, you may simply be looking for the wrong name: after setup, the network carries whatever name you chose, not STARLINK. Some people also turn on the hidden-network option, which hides the name from Wi-Fi lists but doesn’t turn Wi-Fi off.
A Starlink router normally broadcasts 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz under one name and lets devices choose. Many smart-home gadgets can’t handle that and want a plain 2.4 GHz network. In the app’s router settings, turn on the option to split the bands into separate networks, connect the stubborn device to the 2.4 GHz one, and leave phones and laptops on 5 GHz. Very old devices may also struggle with modern security settings; in that case, a cheap separate access point in bypass setups is the usual fix.
Most of the time it’s just a slow restart. Give it the full 20 minutes. If the router stays dark after power returns while other devices are fine, the power supply may have been damaged by a surge, which is worth mentioning to support. Check outdoors too: wind can knock a kickstand dish over, and heavy snow can cover it. Plugging the power supply into a surge protector afterwards is cheap insurance.
The Gen 3 router is rated to operate from −30°C to 50°C (−22°F to 122°F), according to published specs, and is meant for indoor use. A router shut in a cabinet, sitting on another electronic device, or in direct sunlight by a window can run hot and behave erratically. Give it open air on all sides. The Gen 2 has no fan, and guides recommend several inches of clearance. If the app reports thermal shutdown, the dish rather than the router is usually overheating, and it will recover as it cools.
Starlink’s dish cables are proprietary, and Gen 2 and Gen 3 cables aren’t interchangeable. Don’t try to splice one. Photograph the damage and order a replacement through the Starlink shop or support. Animal damage is generally not covered by warranty, so expect to pay. Running the cable through conduit or along protected paths outside prevents a repeat.
With a Gen 3 setup, plug the new mesh router in while your phone is on the existing Starlink Wi-Fi and wait for the “pair new mesh node” prompt in the app; pairing takes a minute or two. Keep it within about two rooms of the main router and up off the floor. With a Mini X kit, set up the Mini first and the Router Mini second; doing it the other way round can cause errors. The Router Mini works with Mini, Gen 3 and Gen 2 systems but not with third-party mesh, and the Gen 1 router can’t mesh with newer routers at all. If a node refuses, factory reset the node, not the main router, and try again closer.
The app connects to your local hardware over your home network. If your phone is on mobile data or another Wi-Fi network, it can’t see the router. Join the Starlink Wi-Fi, close and reopen the app, and check again. If you’re using a third-party router in bypass mode, the Starlink router won’t appear as normal because it’s been switched off by design.
When It “Works” but the Wi-Fi Is Weak in Half the House
Often the satellite link is fine and the complaint is really about Wi-Fi range. That’s a placement and hardware question, not a fault.
Move the router to the middle of the house, up on a shelf rather than on the floor, and out of cupboards. Starlink’s own guidance for mesh nodes is to keep them within about two rooms of the main router with a clear line of sight, and off the ground. For devices that never move, like a desktop PC, games console or smart TV, a cable to one of the Gen 3’s Ethernet ports beats any Wi-Fi improvement.
The router generation matters too. The Gen 3 router is Wi-Fi 6 and tri-band; the Gen 2 is Wi-Fi 5 and dual-band. In DISHYtech’s published side-by-side test, the Gen 3 delivered about 864 Mbps at 3 feet versus 670 Mbps for the Gen 2, and about 203 Mbps at 50 feet versus 47 Mbps. Your results will differ, but the gap at distance is the important part.
| Option | Fixes | Works with | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Move the router | Most mild dead zones | Any router | Free |
| Ethernet to fixed devices | PCs, consoles, TVs | Gen 3, Router Mini, Mini (plug removed) | Cable runs |
| Starlink mesh node / Router Mini | Large or long houses | Gen 2, Gen 3, Mini systems | Extra cost; Gen 1 incompatible |
| Third-party mesh in bypass | Big houses, advanced features | Gen 3 directly; Gen 2 with adapter | Starlink Wi-Fi turned off |
Because the Mini’s Wi-Fi lives inside the dish, putting the dish on a roof or a pole outside puts the router outside too, behind walls. That’s the usual reason Mini owners get great speeds in the garden and poor ones in the living room. The fix is a cable from the Mini’s Ethernet port to an indoor router or Router Mini. Starlink’s Mini cable keeps the dish’s IP67 weather rating; plugging in a standard RJ45 cable removes it, so protect that connection from rain.
Using Your Own Router (and Why It Might Not Work)
Plenty of people swap in an Eero, Deco, Nest, ASUS or Ubiquiti system. When that goes wrong, it’s usually one of three things: bypass mode, the wrong port, or expectations about port forwarding.
- Gen 3: remove the cover over the router’s Ethernet ports and connect your router’s WAN or internet port to Port 1 or 2. Then turn on bypass mode in the app’s router settings. The light turns violet.
- Gen 2: the router has no ports, so you need Starlink’s Ethernet Adapter, sold separately. The dish cable goes into the adapter, and your router plugs into the adapter.
- Mini: remove the Starlink plug and connect your router using the Mini cable or a standard Ethernet cable.
- V5 kit: the Ethernet handoff is at the power supply.
- Restart your own router after Starlink is in bypass, so it requests a fresh address.
Why bypass matters. If you connect your own router without enabling bypass, you end up with two routers handing out addresses, called double NAT. Browsing usually still works, but gaming, video calls, smart-home hubs and some VPNs can misbehave. Bypass removes the Starlink router from that job. Remember the catch: to switch bypass off later, you have to factory reset the Starlink router.
Port forwarding. The Starlink app has no port-forwarding settings, and on most residential plans Starlink uses carrier-grade NAT (CGNAT), meaning your connection shares a public IPv4 address that isn’t reachable from outside. So even a powerful third-party router can’t open ports for a game server, home camera or remote desktop over IPv4. Starlink supports IPv6, and a third-party router with suitable firewall rules can make devices reachable that way. Otherwise, services such as Tailscale or Cloudflare Tunnel work around CGNAT without needing an open port. If you see “strict NAT” on a console, this is why, and it isn’t a router fault.
Things the Starlink router doesn’t do. It has no web login, no port forwarding, no guest network and no MAC filtering, and no DHCP or IP range settings. If you need any of those, a third-party router in bypass is the answer. What you can change in the app includes the network name and password, splitting the bands, hiding the network, custom DNS, content filtering, rebooting and bypass mode.
Getting Support, a Replacement or Your Money Back
Starlink doesn’t run a phone line for residential customers. Everything goes through written tickets, which works in your favour if you write them well.
How to open a ticket that gets resolved quickly
- In the Starlink app, open the Support section and choose to contact support or submit a ticket. You can also do it from your account on starlink.com.
- Say which router and dish you have, using the names in Figure 1.
- Describe the light color, how long it has been that way, and what the app shows.
- List everything you’ve already tried, in the order from this page: cables reseated, power cycled, factory reset.
- Attach photos of the router light, the cable ends and any visible damage, plus screenshots of app alerts or speed tests.
- Keep replying in the same ticket rather than opening new ones, so the history stays together.
Replies commonly take one to three days. If support agrees the router is faulty, they’ll arrange a replacement. Published accounts of the process describe waits ranging from about a week to several weeks, so if internet is essential, set up a phone hotspot as a stopgap while you wait.
| Situation | Typical route | Likely cost to you | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Within 30 days of receiving kit | Return for a refund | Usually none beyond any shipping terms | Bought directly from Starlink |
| Fault within warranty | Support ticket → replacement | Usually none | 12 months typical for US residential; 2 years for direct EU/UK buyers |
| Animal, weather or accidental damage | Buy replacement part | Full price | Generally excluded from warranty |
| Out of warranty | Buy from Starlink shop | Shop price | Gen 3 router launched at $199; check your account’s shop |
| Bought from a retailer | Support ticket; retailer for returns | Depends | Warranty may start at activation |
Warranty terms vary by country and plan, and Starlink’s legal pages are the final word. Don’t open the router or power supply; tampering generally voids coverage. If a replacement arrives, return the faulty unit as instructed, or you may be charged for it.
If you’re in the US and a billing or service dispute with Starlink isn’t getting resolved through tickets, the Federal Communications Commission accepts consumer complaints about internet providers, and your state attorney general’s consumer protection office handles billing disputes. Most router problems never get that far, but it’s useful to know the route exists.
Five Habits That Prevent Most Router Trouble
- Give the router air. An open shelf in the middle of the house, not a cabinet, not on top of a TV box, not in a sunny window.
- Protect the power. Plug the power supply into a decent surge protector, or a small UPS if your power flickers often.
- Protect the cable. Route it away from chewing animals, sharp edges and doors that pinch it. Don’t coil the excess tightly or staple through it.
- Write down your Wi-Fi name and password and keep it with the router, so a factory reset is a five-minute job, not an afternoon of re-pairing gadgets.
- Check the app’s obstruction map each spring. New leaves cause more “router” complaints than routers do.
Questions People Still Ask
Why is my Starlink router not working?
Most often the router is fine and the problem is elsewhere: an outage, an obstruction, a loose or damaged cable, or the power supply. Check the app and the router light first, reseat every cable, power cycle, and factory reset only if needed.
What does a red light on a Starlink router mean?
On Gen 3 routers and the Router Mini, red means the router isn’t connected to the internet. It appears after about 20 minutes of failed attempts.
How do I reset a Starlink Gen 2 router?
The Gen 2 has no reset button. Widely published guides say to unplug and replug its power six times in a row, a few seconds apart, then let it restart for several minutes.
How do I get out of Starlink bypass mode?
Factory reset the Starlink router. That’s the only way to turn bypass off, and it also wipes your Wi-Fi settings.
Can I log into my Starlink router from a browser?
No web admin page is offered. All router settings are managed in the Starlink app while your phone is connected to the Starlink network.
Does Starlink have a customer service phone number?
No. Residential support is handled through tickets in the Starlink app or your account on starlink.com.
How this page was checked. Light meanings, wiring, the Gen 3 and Mini reset methods and the troubleshooting order come from Starlink’s own setup guides for the Gen 3 router and Mini kit, checked on October 21. The Gen 2 reset cycle count, Gen 3 hold time, router specifications and Wi-Fi test figures come from widely published third-party guides and reviews, and are labelled as such. Warranty lengths are as summarised in published guides; Starlink’s legal pages for your country are definitive. Diagrams are our own simplified drawings.
This page is independent and is not affiliated with Starlink or SpaceX. Starlink changes hardware and app menus regularly; if a label differs on your screen, look under the app’s router or network settings.
Key sources: Starlink Gen 3 Router Setup Guides · Starlink Mini Setup Guide · Starlink Help Center · DISHYtech router review