Starlink debuts Wi-Fi 7 Router 4 ahead of gigabit network launch
Starlink has officially launched its next router generation, and it marks a download speed leap for SpaceX's satellite internet hardware. The new device, called the Starlink Router 4, replaces the Router 3 that currently ships with the Standard Kit as the company's flagship home networking hardware and brings the biggest overhaul the lineup has seen in years.
The main upgrade is Wi-Fi 7 support, a first for Starlink, which had relied on Wi-Fi 6 hardware across its entire router lineup until now. Router 4 runs on the 802.11be standard, the technical foundation of Wi-Fi 7, in its EHT20 and EHT40 modes. Rather than adding a full triband setup, SpaceX kept things practical, sticking to the familiar 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands instead of pushing into the newer 6 GHz spectrum. The goal is evidently maximum backward compatibility on Wi-Fi 7 rather than a showcase of every feature the standard offers.
Connectivity sees a solid bump as the Router 4 ships with two Ethernet ports and a USB-C port, along with support for Power-over-Ethernet (PoE). Anyone running a home network with wired devices, a NAS box, or mesh extenders now has a lot more flexibility to work with.
Starlink Router 4 Wi-Fi 7 speed and features
- First Wi-Fi 7 chipset in a Starlink router
- Tri-band radios boost mesh performance
- 4x4 (2.4 GHz) and 4x5 (5 GHz) antenna setup, with MU-MIMO and OFDMA
- Higher peak throughput than before
- Quicker connections for client devices
- Handles crowded, high-interference networks better
- Supports up to 510 connected devices
- Covers areas as large as 3,500 sq ft
- Dual Ethernet ports
- Secured with WPA2 and WPA3
- Built-in LED status indicator
- Physical factory reset button
- Port covers designed to resist water
- IP56 water resistance rating, meant for indoor placement
- Weighs 0.9 lbs (0.4 kg)
- Measures 1.8" × 8" × 4.5" (46 × 203 × 115 mm)
- Rated for use between -22°F and 122°F (-30°C to 50°C)
In addition, third-party hardware can be wired in by popping off the port cover and connecting an Ethernet cable to a LAN port. One thing worth tempering expectations on is throughput, though, as Wi-Fi 7 won't magically speed up a Starlink connection.
The satellite dishes themselves are still capped around 400Mbps, well under what Wi-Fi 7 hardware can actually handle. So the real benefit here is lower latency and better handling of multiple connected devices, not a jump in raw throughput. SpaceX continues to talk about pushing toward gigabit speeds eventually, but that will depend on the V3 satellites it will start to launch soon with the first Starship 3 rocket flights.
The Router 4 is built strictly for indoor use, and with this release Starlink finally brings its home hardware in line with the Wi-Fi standard most premium routers have offered for a while now, even if the satellite link itself will still lag until the gigabit constellation has been put in orbit by 2028.
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