Starlink on a manufactured or mobile home

Where the dish goes on a manufactured home

Starlink’s advice is the same for every home: if there’s no clear view from the ground, Starlink says to use an elevated spot such as a roof, pole or wall. On a manufactured home, the pole and the wall are usually the better two of those three.

• A: Pole in your lot. Nothing rests on the roof, and a pole can lift the dish above trees. Starlink’s Standard Pipe Adapter fits poles 31–63.5 mm (1.25–2.5 in) across; metal pipes only, not PVC or plastic; pipe not included. The V5 kit includes its own adapter, which Starlink says fits poles 31–50 mm (1.2–2.0 in) across. Pole mounts.
• B: End-wall bracket. Starlink describes its Wall Mount as for an exterior wall near the top of the gable or fascia; fits a 4-inch overhang at most. For the V5, the Home Mount is double-pivot, for vertical, sloped or flat surfaces; typical spots are the fascia board near the roofline or directly on a sloped roof. Screw into framing, not just siding. Wall and eave mounts.
• C: The roof. Possible, but check first. See the next section.

Why not the roof?

Our rule of thumb, not a Starlink statement: many manufactured homes have lighter roof framing than a site-built house, and many have metal or membrane roofs that dent or leak when walked on or drilled. Three Starlink facts add to that:

• Metal: Starlink says metal mounts wrapping the base, or setting the dish on metal, may hurt GPS and aren’t supported (its “Determining location” alert).
• No-drill ridge mount: no drilling, sits on a gable ridge with ballast; metal or shingle roofs under 45°; not for clay tile; wind rating up to 50 mph. Its ballast alone weighs 25.3 kg (55.8 lb), which is a lot to set on a light roof.
• Your roof warranty: Starlink’s Terms say: “If you require a permanent roof or vehicle mount installation, you acknowledge the potential risks associated with this type of installation, including, without limitation, with respect to any warranty that applies to your roof, vehicle, vessel for penetration of the membrane.”

Step by step

1. 01

   Step 1: Scan from the ground, then higher

   Open the Starlink app and scan from the yard first. Starlink says the app has a built-in tool to preview the install location and guide you to the spot with the fewest obstructions. If trees or the home block the low sky, scan again from a ladder near the end wall or with the phone held up on a pole.

2. 02

   Step 2: Pick a pole or wall spot, not the roof

   A pole in your lot or a bracket on the end wall keeps weight and holes off a light roof. Choose the roof only if the home’s maker or a roofer says it can take it.

3. 03

   Step 3: Check your lot lines and park rules

   In a park, find your lot boundary and the park’s antenna rule. Tell the manager in writing where the dish will go, with your scan screenshots.

4. 04

   Step 4: Call 811 before you dig

   Before digging a pole footing, call 811 (the US call-before-you-dig line) so buried power, gas and water lines get marked. In a park, ask the manager too: many lines run between homes.

5. 05

   Step 5: Fix the mount into solid structure

   Set the pole in a footing, or screw the wall bracket into the wall framing. Starlink says to drill the wall mount’s holes into a structural beam, and to leave clearance around a wall mount: the dish may need to rotate to align.

6. 06

   Step 6: Run the cable behind the skirting

   Bring the cable down, in behind the skirting, along the underside off the ground, and up into the home through a sealed hole. Leave a drip loop outside below every entry.

7. 07

   Step 7: Plan for storms

   Starlink says the kit is not designed for hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes or other extreme forces of nature. When hurricane-force winds are forecast, its advice is: if it is safe, bring your Starlink and cables indoors.

Park rules and the FCC rule

The FCC’s OTARD rule (47 CFR 1.4000) limits HOA rules, lease clauses and similar restrictions on a small dish on property you own or lease and use alone. In 1998 the FCC spelled out what that means for manufactured homes:

• Covered (our reading): the home itself, and the yard, patio or deck inside your leased lot. A mast counts too: the rule covers “A mast supporting an antenna”.
• Not covered: park roads, the clubhouse, shared green space and anything outside your lot.
• Still allowed: clearly defined safety rules, such as how far a pole must stand from power lines or the road.

Renting the home itself from the park? See renting a house. That a Starlink dish is covered at all is our reading; the rule names no product. The full rule.

Wind: the dish, the mount and the home

Your home’s tie-downs hold the home, not the dish. Our rules of thumb: brace or guy a tall pole, add a safety tether, and check the bolts after big storms. Before hurricane-force winds, Starlink says to bring the dish and cables indoors if it is safe, and: “If you cannot bring your cable inside, protect the exposed ends from water. If the cable does get wet, ensure the cable fully dries out before reconnecting your Starlink.” Weather and storms.

The cable and the skirting

Every current kit comes with a 15 m (49.2 ft) cable. For a pole farther out, Starlink sells a longer one: Starlink Cable 45 m (147 ft), for V4 and V5 kits. Starlink advises against cutting, splicing or joining cables to add length.

Our rule of thumb for the run under the home:

1. Enter the skirting through a small, neat opening, not a ragged cut.
2. Clip the cable to the frame or floor framing, off the ground. Starlink says it isn’t rated to be buried or under water.
3. Keep it clear of plumbing, ducts and anything hot. A plastic sleeve helps where rodents roam.
4. Come up through a sealed hole near the router, or through the wall with a drip loop outside. Starlink’s routing kits pass the cable through most walls; the masonry kit is for masonry, concrete or hard-coat stucco. Cable routes.

Hiring it out

Starlink says all mounts are designed for self-install; ask a roofing or installation professional if unsure. Its professional installs mount the dish on a roof, wall, fascia, gutter or another elevated spot with standard mounts. Two catches: pole-mount installations are not included and installers can’t do them, and “Extended travel, certain home types, or specific customer requests such as longer cables, trenching, or specialized routing may incur additional fees.” Starlink doesn’t say whether its installers work on manufactured homes, so ask when you book. Professional installation. And from its Terms: “If you cannot safely install the Starlink Kit, do not install it and seek professional assistance.”