One of the most common failure points of Starlink systems is the cable that connects the antenna to the router. The cable carries quite a bit of power for the dish. If any of the connector pins get corroded or damaged it can cause a bunch of issues with your connection.
The first signs of Starlink cable issues are frequent disconnects, slow or inconsistent speeds, and the Starlink app showing an error message and yellow line between the dish and router.
To troubleshoot any potential cable issues it helps to use the Debug page in the Starlink app. To get to it, open the app. Scroll down and tap Advanced. Then tap Debug data. There is a bunch of info here, but what we are focused on is the Starlink Router section.
Under the Starlink Router section, look for "Cable ping drop rate" and "Cable ping latency". These two data points provide a lot of info about the health of your Starlink cable.
Cable ping drop rate - Anything above 0% indicates a cable issue. If packets are being dropped between your router and dish, it means lots of interruptions, buffering, inconsistent speeds, etc.
Cable ping latency - This is the amount of time it takes for data to go between the router and dish on the Starlink cable. The normal value is 1ms. Any higher and it means something could be wrong with your cable.
If you do have cable issues according to the debug data, the first step is to inspect the Starlink cable and the connectors on both ends. Reseat the connectors at the router and at the dish. Sometimes just unplugging and plugging the connectors back in can solve the problem. Look for any corrosion or damage while you are inspecting the connectors.
Replacing the cable is the next step. I always recommend creating a support ticket and allowing Starlink to guide you past the basic troubleshooting. They will often send you parts for free, and they can also remote in to look at some advanced diagnostic data.
