Starlink expands outage log to include all network events

After the second major "Starlink down" event in as many weeks, Elon Musk's satellite Internet provider has decided to expand on the Outage Log feature in its dedicated app.

The Starlink app now includes the so-called Event Log that not only warns about major service disruptions as before, but also collects all local network reports.

The goal of the new Starlink network event log is to provide a better understanding about the source of a problem for the subscriber, but also lessen the load on customer service reps. Previously, the outage section in the Starlink app only reported the time during which the whole terminal sat without connectivity.

Now, however, the Starlink event log tracks not just major satellite connectivity disruptions, but also service outages due to the router being disconnected or switched off.

In addition, if there is a major loss of packet data, or a Starlink Mini terminal reboot in the boondocks, the app will now record these events as well, providing a more useful diagnostic tool both for the end user, and for the customer service department when needed.

Starlink says that the user facing information in the new Event Log actually mirrors what its tech support sees when troubleshooting, and more connectivity problems will be added to the reporting list over time. It wants to keep subscribers informed about the potential source of a video call interruption or a sudden drop in frame rates during a gaming session, for instance. These are relatively minor hiccups from a support point of view, but affect the users' experience with the network negatively nonetheless.

While the Starlink download speeds are on the rise with major satellite capacity addition, the number of satellite Internet service subscribers also grows exponentially, and there have already been two major global outages. One was a man-made glitch after Starlink pushed a firmware upgrade to its ground network stations, and the other due to a geomagnetic storm. Anything that will help analyze Starlink service disruptions would thus be of help for troubleshooting connectivity issues on the run-up to Starlink's grand gigabit network upgrade.