Using a 4g/5g router is much easier and probably cheaper/power efficient.
Depending on your area you don't even need an external one. A simple 4g dongle would do.
Depending on your area you don't even need an external one. A simple 4g dongle would do.
The Unifi 5G modem for the UK [1] is £378 (~USD500) and that's just the hardware, you still have to pay for a suitable SIM.
I can see why some people are drawn to the Starlink option at 1/3 of that price.
1. https://uk.store.ui.com/uk/en/category/internet-solutions/co...
Starlink only makes sense as a last resort if LTE coverage is not available in your area.
Most people who buy into the Ubiquiti/UniFi world want to keep within that ecosystem wherever possible, the integration between components is very good, it's just that some bits are vastly more expensive than they should really be.
A generic $20 4G dongle won't be as easy to integrate nor report as many shiny metrics as a UniFi component.
Right now I've got better things to spend the $480 difference on but if I had a lot more disposable income I wouldn't need to think twice about ordering the UniFi specific bit that's mostly fit and forget.
> Starlink only makes sense as a last resort if LTE coverage is not available in your area.
Again, the point is that LTE coverage can also disappear for exactly the same reasons why the primary FTTP/DOCSIS connection disappears. It's still reliant on local power and backhaul. Starlink has no local dependencies as long as you've got your own UPSes.
Many people who really want to be sure they have Internet will probably go FTTP/DOCSIS -> 4G/5G dongle -> Starlink.
My on-call plan is: FTTP Broadband -> 5G hotspot on mobile -> wifi in local cafe -> co-working space (24h access)
My off-call plan is: FTTP Broadband -> pick up a book
Neither will Starlink.
The Verizon home router is included when you sign up (you have to return it if you cancel). I bought it out of desperation when my home fiber internet was down all weekend due to a local tech screwing up and unplugging my house from the breakout box on the curb, but given the cost and the normal reliability of my home internet it’s really barely worth it.
Starlink is a solid backup for mitigating the risk of such disruption by having no local dependencies other than ability to power the CPE.
So starlink backup is still interesting if your region occasionally has outages that last more than 24 hours.