Try a working day, not just a speed test
Join a call, share your screen and upload the kind of file you send for work. Repeat while other people are using the connection. Keep a note of any call dropouts or stalled uploads and the time they happened. That gives you something specific to investigate instead of one isolated speed result.
Test the connection at the desk
Starlink’s default app test measures the router’s internet connection, not the Wi-Fi to your laptop. Use the Advanced device tests to check that second part. If the router test is good but the laptop is slow, improving desk Wi-Fi or using Ethernet may help more than changing the service plan.
Check company access separately
Confirm the work VPN supports NAT traversal and ask whether your employer requires a fixed public IP. Log in to the systems you actually use, including remote desktop or shared drives. If the VPN fails while ordinary websites still load, give IT that detail. Starlink cannot guarantee every company configuration.
Arrange a fallback you have tried
If your backup is a phone hotspot, connect the work laptop to it and try the VPN and a call. Test where you would actually sit during an outage. A weak mobile signal outside the house may be unusable at the desk. Keep the old connection briefly while testing Starlink if the contract and cost allow.
Separate a power cut from a broadband fault
A second internet connection is no help if its router has also lost power. Decide which equipment needs backup power if continuing through a power cut matters. Test the whole route from laptop to internet, including any separate mesh units or building link, rather than powering only the dish.
- Starlink UK VPN requirements
- Starlink UK standard and advanced speed tests
- Starlink UK obstruction check
- Starlink UK power requirements
Send a correction if a source has changed or something needs updating.