SpaceX Readies Second Wi-Fi 6 Router for Starlink

SpaceX has received regulatory approval for a second Wi-Fi 6 router for Starlink, four months after obtaining a license for the initial device.

Last week, the company quietly received an equipment authorization from the FCC for the router, which has been dubbed model “UTR-232.”

There’s not much information about the device; SpaceX filed to keep the product’s design and external photos confidential for the next six months. But the new model operates over the same wireless bands as SpaceX’s other Wi-Fi 6 router, model “UTR-231,” which the company received an equipment authorization for in July.

Both models also feature two built-in LAN ports. But one apparent difference is how the newer UTR-232 works with two kinds of power adapters: UTP-231L and UTP-232C. In contrast, the earlier Wi-Fi 6 router only mentioned being used with UTP-231L.

It’s possible UTR-232 could simply be a finalized version of UTR-231, which the company has already been beta-testing among select Starlink customers. In July, SpaceX began selling the Wi-Fi 6 router for $199, but only to select subscribers in the US.

Although the new router isn't cheap, SpaceX says the hardware can offer a boost in broadband coverage at a customer's home. "The Wi-Fi 6 chipset offers increased maximum Wi-Fi speeds and performs better in congested Wi-Fi environments, and the Tri-band radios offer improved mesh performance," the company says on its support page.

SpaceX will bundle the Wi-Fi 6 router with a new third-generation Starlink dish for residential customers. But for now, SpaceX only plans on offering the hardware to invited customers.

At the same time, the company is preparing to sell a separate, smaller Starlink dish that’s about the size of a MacBook. SpaceX already received FCC authorization to sell the more portable dish in the US. But so far, the company hasn’t revealed any official information about the device. We reached out to SpaceX for comment and will update the story if we hear back.