If Starlink keeps cutting out for a few seconds at a time and the app reports obstructions, look up. Trees are the first thing to check at most rural and semi-rural homes, and they can be fixed more often than people expect.
One enquiry we had put it neatly: the dish had been working, then a nearby tree came into bloom, the obstruction warnings started, and the customer suspected it needed a higher pole. They were right. Another, from South Ascot, asked whether the trees around the house would be a problem before ordering, which is the best time to ask.
This guide covers how to check your sky properly, the mounts that get a dish above the trees, and the rules on poles and cutting trees back. If you would rather we look at it, our Starlink installation page explains how we survey and fit.
Why trees cause Starlink dropouts
Starlink satellites orbit low and move quickly across the sky. The dish hands over from one satellite to the next all the time, so it needs a wide view of the sky: the current dishes have a 110° field of view. Each time the satellite it is using passes behind branches, the connection drops. It may only last a few seconds, but that is enough to freeze a video call or throw you out of an online game.
Two things make trees awkward:
- They change with the seasons. A deciduous tree that looks harmless in February can block a large part of the sky by June. A spot that tested clear in winter can start dropping out in late spring.
- They keep growing. A position that just cleared the canopy when the dish went up may not clear it a few summers later.
Starlink will not work through glass either, so moving the dish behind a window or a skylight is not a way round a tree. If you live in a flat, our guide to Starlink in a flat covers the options.
Check the sky before you buy or move anything
Before you order
The Starlink app has a Check for Obstructions tool. Go outside to where the dish could go, hold your phone at the height the dish would sit and follow the prompts to scan the sky. Starlink recommends doing this before you order if your area has trees, tall buildings or other obstructions.
A few things to bear in mind:
- Scan from more than one spot. The best position is often not the obvious one.
- A scan at ground level tells you little about a roof or gable position. Please do not climb a ladder to do it; send us photos of the house and garden instead.
- In winter, picture the trees in full leaf. If the scan is borderline in February, it will be worse in July.
After the dish is up
Once the dish is running, the app builds an obstruction map from the dish’s real connections to satellites. Starlink says it can take up to 12 hours to fill in. Obstructions clustered in one direction point to the tree or roof causing the trouble. The thick clear band across the map is normal: it is the part of the sky Starlink avoids so it does not interfere with geostationary satellites.
Ways to get the dish above the trees
Most tree problems are solved by moving the dish higher or sideways rather than cutting anything down. Roughly in order of how much work is involved:
Try a different side of the house
The view from the gable end or the far corner of the roof can be much clearer than the spot nearest the router. The cable just has to run further to reach the router, and there is more on cable length below.
A taller wall, gable or chimney mount
A longer pole on a wall bracket, a gable mount or a chimney strap mount lifts the dish above the roofline, and often above nearby hedges and lower trees. The mount has to be rigid. The current Standard dish weighs 2.9 kg, has no motors and is aimed by hand using the app, so a pole that flexes in the wind costs signal. A chimney strap mount is also an option where drilling is not allowed, such as a rented house, with the landlord’s agreement.
A pole in the garden
Sometimes the clearest sky is nowhere near the house, for example in the middle of a lawn away from the tree line. A freestanding pole set in concrete at that spot can beat any position on the building. Two things to plan for:
- The cable has to go underground in a duct. Starlink says its cable is not rated to be buried or run under water, so it should be pulled through underground duct rather than laid straight in the trench.
- The cable length is fixed. The Standard kit comes with a 15 m cable, and Starlink sells a 45 m one separately. That length has to cover the pole, the trench, the way into the house and the route to the router, so we plan the pole and the router position together.
The cable carries power to the dish, so the pole itself does not need a mains supply.
An outbuilding with a better view
A garage, barn or garden office roof can sometimes see more sky than the house. The dish goes on the outbuilding, and the connection comes back to the house by cable or a wireless bridge. Our guide to internet in a garden office explains how those links work.
How high is high enough?
There is no single answer, because it depends on how tall the trees are and how far away they stand. A tall tree 30 metres away can block less sky than a smaller one right beside the house. We check the sky from the positions where a mount could actually go, then size the pole to clear the canopy with summer growth in mind, rather than picking a height and hoping.
Can you cut the trees back?
Sometimes trimming is the easiest fix, but check the rules first:
- Your neighbour’s trees. You can trim branches that cross into your property, but only up to the boundary, according to GOV.UK. A conversation with your neighbour first saves a lot of grief.
- Tree Preservation Orders. If a tree is protected by a TPO, you need consent from the council before cutting it down, topping or lopping it.
- Conservation areas. For trees in a conservation area without a TPO, you must give the council six weeks’ written notice before most work. Trees under 75 mm across at 1.5 m above the ground, and dead or dangerous branches, are among the exceptions.
Unauthorised work on protected trees can mean a fine of up to £20,000 in the magistrates’ court. The GOV.UK guidance on protected trees has the detail. A taller mount is often quicker than waiting for consent, and it does not grow back.
Do you need planning permission for a tall pole?
On most houses a dish is permitted development, but there are limits. Under the Planning Portal rules for houses outside designated areas, an antenna on the roof can only stick up above the roofline if there is a chimney, and then by no more than 60 cm above the highest part of the roof or the chimney, whichever is lower. There is also a limit of two antennas on the property, and an old satellite TV dish still on the wall counts towards it.
In conservation areas and on listed buildings the rules are tighter. Our guide to professional Starlink installation explains what that means in practice. A very tall mast on the house is the case most likely to need permission, which is one more reason a garden pole can be the better answer. We check before anything goes up.
Trees around Berkshire and Surrey
Tree cover is a big part of why Starlink installs vary so much across the area. Around Ascot, Sunningdale and Virginia Water, plenty of homes sit among mature trees. The wooded plots of north Surrey and the lanes around Maidenhead and Cookham are similar. In those places, choosing the mount is most of the job.
If no position on the property clears the trees, Starlink may not be the right answer. Our comparison of Starlink and 4G or 5G covers the main alternative, and is Starlink worth it in the UK covers the wider decision.
Get it checked before you order
Send us a few photos of the house, the garden and the trees, with your postcode, and tell us where you need internet indoors. If you have run the app’s obstruction check, include a screenshot. We will tell you whether a mount can clear the trees and give you a fixed quote from the photos. Use the contact form or our Starlink installation page.
Ready to order? Use our referral link; Starlink shows the current referral reward at checkout.