SpaceX appears to be prepping a new Starlink Wi-Fi router that'll support faster speeds.
The company this week secured FCC equipment authorization for a router with the test model name UTR-231. The documents show that the device has been equipped with 802.11ax networking, or Wi-Fi 6, when the existing router only supports Wi-Fi 5.
SpaceX filed the application to certify that the router operates under FCC radio rules. To do so, the company submitted two test reports of the equipment. One shows that the router can reach up to 1147.1Mbps over Wi-Fi 6 through the 2.4GHz frequency; the other says the top speed can hit 2401.9Mbps over the 5GHz bands.
The other interesting detail is how the router may come with built-in Ethernet ports, which was absent in the latest Starlink router unless you buy a $25 Ethernet adapter. An image in the submitted reports shows the test device can be connected to a laptop and network switch over LAN ports.
In the FCC application, SpaceX submitted photos of the route, plus a user manual. But none of the documentation is publicly available due to the company filing a short-term confidentiality request, which is designed to last for 180 days “until the actual marketing of the device.”
Although the new router features Wi-Fi 6, actual downloads speeds over Starlink have settled to around 66Mbps for subscribers in the US, according to Ookla. So customers won’t be able to fully reap the faster Wi-Fi until SpaceX upgrades the broadband capabilities on the satellite internet network. That said, Wi-Fi 6 has other benefits, including better power efficiency.
In the meantime, it’s possible the router could arrive alongside a new Starlink dish. In March, the company filed a separate FCC application to offer next-generation Starlink dishes, one of which "leverages a smaller form factor." The other will operate as a high-performance dish for both consumers and enterprise customers.