WiFi

Network name and password, guest networks, WPA2, outdoor mode, and why the event log is full of band switches.

Last updated Aug 18, 2026View as Markdown

Overview

The Starlink network ships with no password at all. Setting one is technically optional and is the first thing you should do.

Change the network name or password

  1. Connect to your Starlink WiFi network.
  2. Sign in to your Starlink account in the app.
  3. On the home page, tap Settings.
  4. Under Router Configuration, select the network you want to change.
  5. Enter the new network name and password.
  6. Tap Save.

Every connected device drops when you save, and has to rejoin with the new details.

The password is never shown again once set. If you forget it, the only way back is a factory reset. See Maintenance.

Reference

Field Rules
Network name (SSID) 4 to 32 characters. Letters, numbers and spaces
Password 8 to 32 characters. Letters, numbers, spaces and symbols
Security WPA2

The network name is also called the SSID. The password turns up as the network security key, the WPA key, or the WPA/WPA2 passphrase depending on which device is asking.

Brazil. Local regulation requires the password to be 8 to 32 characters with at least one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one special character. For example 1StrongPa$sword.

Guest network

A guest network gives visitors internet without access to your Starlink settings. While connected to it, the Starlink app is unreachable, which is the point.

  1. Open the app and go to Settings.
  2. Tap Add Network.
  3. Enter a unique SSID and password.
  4. Toggle Guest Network on.
  5. Tap Save.

Outdoor mode

Some jurisdictions restrict certain wireless channels to indoor use. Outdoor mode reconfigures the router to comply.

This is only available on accounts created in Japan.

Standard 4 and Standard 4 X

  1. Connect to your Starlink WiFi.
  2. Sign in to the app.
  3. Go to Settings → Advanced.
  4. Toggle Outdoor Mode on.

It stays on until you toggle it off or factory reset the router.

Starlink Mini. In Japan the Mini defaults to outdoor mode, enabling dynamic frequency selection and restricting channels to satisfy the Radio Law. Nothing for you to do.

Troubleshooting

The event log is full of “Device switching WiFi band” and “Device roaming between nodes.” This is normal and nothing is wrong.

Devices move between the 2.4 GHz band, which is slower but travels further and through walls, and the 5 GHz band, which is faster over shorter distances. In a mesh they also move between nodes. Both happen constantly in every modern mesh system, usually fast enough that you never notice.

Software version 2026.05.21.mr77829 changed the logging, not the behaviour. Previously these events were only recorded for devices considered active, such as one streaming or on a call. Now they are recorded for every connected device, including idle ones, so a phone in your pocket moving from the kitchen to the living room shows up in the log.

The events are shown for transparency: if a switch does interrupt a video call, the log is what lets support explain what happened.