01
Open sky
The dish wants the sky over it clear in a big circle. Trees, hills and buildings that rise into it cause dropouts.
Home site survey · US houses
Will Starlink work at your house?
Whether Starlink works at your house comes down to four things: open sky above your trees, a spot for the dish on the roof, a wall, a pole or the yard, a safe install, and permission from any HOA or landlord. Survey all four from your own yard, in plain steps, before you buy.
No address, ZIP or sign-upFacts checked Nov 3, 2026Independent US guide
The four survey points
What decides whether Starlink works at a house?
Four things, checked in this order. Starlink’s support pages, read Nov 3, 2026, say its home dishes do best with a wide view of open sky and can often get by with part of it. So a house passes when the dish has a spot that clears the trees and ridges, a mount you can fit safely, and permission from any HOA, landlord or condo board. Most US houses pass.
02
A spot for the dish
Roof peak, roof face, wall, pole or ground. Higher usually sees more sky. Each needs a different mount.
03
A safe install
An afternoon for most DIYers: mount, run one cable inside, plug in the router. Or have it installed.
04
Permission
An FCC rule limits what HOAs and landlords can block on space you own or rent for yourself. Shared roofs are different.
Verdict for most houses
For most US houses, yes, as long as the dish can see a wide, open patch of sky.
Starlink’s satellites move across the sky, so the dish needs a broad view of it, not a line to one point. The usual problem is trees, and the usual fix is going higher: a roof peak or a pole. Hills, canyon walls and tall buildings come next. Windows, attics and porches don’t work.
How do you survey your yard before ordering?
In five steps, standing where the dish would sit. Count fists of open sky above the treetops, take our two-minute fit check, then scan that exact spot in the Starlink app, which by Starlink’s own description (checked Nov 3, 2026) previews an install location before you own a dish. Finish by choosing a mount and getting any HOA or landlord answer in writing.
Step 1: Look up from the spot
Stand where the dish would go. Hold out a fist at arm’s length: each fist is about 10° of sky. Count fists from the horizon to the tallest treetop. Under about 2 fists all the way around is what Starlink’s business install guides aim for; part of the sky is often enough at home.
Step 2: Take the 2-minute fit check
Eight questions about your sky, spot, trees and home rules. You get a plain verdict and what to do next. Start the fit check.
Step 3: Scan with the Starlink app
The free Starlink app has a Check for Obstructions tool that maps your sky with your phone’s camera. You can use it before you buy. How to do it right.
Step 4: Pick the spot and the mount
The highest spot with the clearest view usually wins. Then choose a roof, wall, pole or ground mount. Compare mounts.
Step 5: Check the rules, then order
HOA, landlord or condo? Sort it out first, in writing. Then order on starlink.com, where you’ll see the price for your address. How ordering works.
Your house
Which problem does your address have?
Most asked
Tall trees around the house
What works, and when a pole beats a chainsaw.
Read the guideImage by Amanda Chapman (Unsplash License)
Appalachia · Mountain West
Valley, hollow or mountainside
Ridges block whole sections of sky. Here’s how to read yours.
Read the guideImage by Leslie Cross (Unsplash License)
Rules
I have an HOA
What they can and can’t require under the FCC rule.
Read the guideImage by Sophie N (Unsplash License)
How the signal gets in
Why does open sky matter more than anything else?
Because the satellites keep moving. There’s no phone line or cable company involved: the dish on your house talks to satellites crossing overhead and hands off from one to the next, so it needs a wide window of sky rather than one clear line. Starlink’s pages, read Nov 3, 2026, name a single branch, a pole or a roof as enough to interrupt that.
- 01Satellites cross your sky
Starlink’s satellites orbit low and keep moving, so the dish hands off from one to the next all day.
- 02The dish needs wide open sky
It looks up through a 110° field of view. Trees or roofs that rise into that cone cause dropouts.
- 03One cable runs inside
The kit’s cable (49.2 ft) connects the dish to the router indoors. Plan the route after you pick the spot.
- 04The router makes your Wi-Fi
Plug in the router and connect phones, laptops and the TV. Big or long houses may need a mesh node.
Mount height
Why does higher beat closer to the router?
A dish on the roof peak or a pole usually sees far more sky than one in the yard. One cable runs inside to the router, so pick the best sky first and plan the cable second.
Compare mount optionsSurvey passed
How do you order once the yard checks out?
A house that passes all four checks is ready for starlink.com. Starlink says the price for a house shows after you enter its address at starlink.com and hit “Order Now”. If this is your first Starlink, ordering through a referral link adds a $100 account credit once your service is two months old.
Don’t order yet if…
- the sky scan in the Starlink app shows big blocked areas you can’t get above (a higher mount or pole is the fix; see the calculator)
- your landlord, HOA or building hasn’t confirmed where the dish can go, and you have no private outdoor space you control
- the house needs a connection for a few months, one visit or one trip, not year-round
- fiber or cable is actually being built to your street in the next year and you’d switch to it
The pre-order checklist · What’s in the box · Installation cost
Yard-survey questions, answered
Will Starlink work with trees around my house?
Often, if the dish can sit where the treetops stay low in its view, usually by going higher: a roof peak or a pole. Trees that rise more than about 35° above the horizon from the dish cut into the sky it uses. Starlink with trees.
Can I check for obstructions before I buy?
Yes. The Starlink app is free, and its Check for Obstructions tool works without a dish. Scan from the exact spot and height where you’d mount it. Step by step.
Does Starlink have to face a certain direction?
Today’s home dishes have no motor: you set the angle by hand while the Starlink app’s alignment tool tells you how. Starlink doesn’t name one compass direction for every home; follow the app for yours. Which way it faces.
Will it work through a window or in the attic?
Not for a home install. Roofs, walls and window glass block or weaken the signal. The dish needs to be outside with open sky. Why.
Can my HOA or landlord stop me?
An FCC rule (OTARD) limits restrictions on dishes placed on property you own or rent for your exclusive use, like your roof, yard or private balcony. Shared areas such as an apartment roof are not covered. Which rule applies to you.
Do I need a professional to install it?
No. Many people mount it themselves in an afternoon. A pro makes sense for steep or high roofs, tall poles, or cables through brick. Professional installation.
Will my address show a new-customer offer?
Maybe, but only on the order page. Starlink’s national US order list carried no promotional service price when read without an address on Nov 4, 2026. Starlink says some areas give new customers a discounted monthly rate for a limited stretch (6 or 12 months, for example), visible at checkout on starlink.com, so type your service address on starlink.com to see what that house gets. A referral link is a separate thing: someone new to Starlink in the US who signs up through one gets a $100 account credit once your service is two months old. The pre-order checklist.
Will Starlink Work is an independent guide and doesn’t want your address. Your price, and whether service is open where you live, show up after you key the address into starlink.com.
What we checked this page against
- Standard 4 X spec sheet, PDF · seen Nov 3, 2026
- Business install: choosing a location (support article) · seen Nov 3, 2026
- Aligning the dish (support article) · seen Nov 3, 2026
- Measuring the sky with your hand (EarthSky) · seen Nov 3, 2026
- Beam switching around obstructions (Starlink update, Jul 30, 2025) · seen Nov 3, 2026
- Checking a spot before you install (support article) · seen Nov 3, 2026
- Cable length and indoor routing (support article) · seen Nov 3, 2026
- Starlink installers (support article) · seen Nov 3, 2026
- Referral program basics (support article) · seen Nov 3, 2026
- Starlink referral program terms for the US (legal doc DOC-1882-84808-83) · seen Nov 3, 2026
- Where Starlink shows your price (support article) · seen Nov 3, 2026
- Residential plan overview (support article) · seen Nov 3, 2026
- Residential order list data, no address, Nov 4 read · seen Nov 4, 2026
- Area promotional pricing terms (support article) · seen Nov 3, 2026
Each number on this page traces back to one of these entries; our fact rules explain how. If a reading has drifted, the corrections log shows how it gets fixed.