There is escalating global demand to provide internet access for remote and rural communities, driven by growing recognition of its transformative benefits. Satellite internet services like Starlink are pioneering this effort, offering high-speed connectivity to underserved regions. Guest Internet WiFi controllers enable efficient and responsible sharing of any ISP connection, ensuring reliable access for communities.

The conventional approach to deliver the Internet service from a Starlink antenna to community members uses the technology developed for Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISP) however this technology is too complicated for community members to install.

Guest Internet has been providing communities with Internet connectivity solutions since 2010, first with the HughesNet satellite service and now with the Starlink service. Guest Internet understands the technical limitations that communities have and has simplified the process of installing connectivity with the easy-to-use Guest Internet controllers and a range of pre-configured STAR kits.

This article explains the solutions that are available from Guest Internet to implement community WiFi Internet that connects to any ISP, including Starlink.

Introduction

Key points:

• Many remote and rural communities have no Internet access.
• Using Guest Internet WiFi controllers a satellite Internet service like Starlink can be financially supported by community residents.
• With an Internet service residents can access training and education, make calls to others, and buy and sell products through Internet commerce.

Millions of rural and remote communities around the world have no access to the Internet. One estimate puts the number of communities without Internet that can afford the cost of an Internet service between 4.5 million and 6 million. There are many more people who have no Internet access due to the cost of the service.

The rural and remote communities have no data communications infrastructure or cables that connect a community to a central hub. The introduction of geo-stationary satellite services (e.g. HughesNet) has enabled some communities to share the satellite Internet service. Geo-stationary satellites have limited geographic coverage as antennas point only towards countries that have approved the service.

Low earth orbit (LEO) satellite services (e.g. Starlink) have almost complete geographic coverage and the service is available even in countries that have not approved the service. Starlink provides a roaming service that permits the antenna to be moved to any location. 

Community WiFi Internet project planning

Key points:

• Select the ISP suitable for your service.
• How will the investment and operations be paid? Charge customers?
• If charging customer how can they pay? Purchase vouchers? Mobile money?
• Connecting users over longer distances requires more infrastructures.

If a community has a 4G wireless or fiber connection then the community members will already have Internet. Communities with no other ISP available will need a satellite connection. The LEO satellite service is desired for a community because of the higher data capacity compared with geo-stationary satellite services (if available). As of this writing (Q2 of 2025) the only LEO service commercially available is Starlink. Several other services are due to be launched, including the Amazon Kuiper service.

The network service must have a WiFi controller that sets the speed of the service for each individual, and allows more users to be connected. For a community network this product is a Guest Internet WiFi controller, where the choice of a specific controller is determined by the size of the community.

Providing Internet for a community has an initial investment cost and an on-going operational cost. The community may decide on a collective approach where all residents pay a percentage of the total cost. The more common scenario is that one enterprising person or business pays for the installation cost then charges residents to access the Internet service via the WiFi controller. The charge will help pay for the operation cost, amortization of the investment cost and profit for the individual or business providing the service. The profit cannot be too high otherwise competitors will have an incentive to set up a second cheaper service. The Guest Internet WiFi controller also offers several methods of payment that a business can use to charge users for the Internet service.
The initial investment cost is determined by the method chosen to provide the WiFi Internet service. Providing the Internet service at one central location has a low investment cost, however residents will be required to go to that location to access the Internet. A more costly installation can provide Internet to each home using WiFi technology. There is a cost to install the central equipment plus a cost to install equipment in each home. 
The installation project is determined by the decision of investment cost vs. services for the users.

Considerations before starting a WiFi Internet service

Key points:

• Prepare a design showing the equipment and installation work that is required.
• Prepare an estimate of initial investments and operating costs.
• Calculate what users must pay to amortize investment, pay operating costs and make a profit.
• Is the project economically viable?

An economic assessment is the first step when considering the deployment of a community WiFi Internet service to evaluate if the service is viable. There are three costs for a community WiFi Internet service.

• What is the initial investment? This is determined by the decision for a central WiFi location, or wireless to homes, or a combination of both.
• On-going operational cost, this is the charge of the ISP provider and might include the charge of rent for a tower where the central antenna is installed.
• Cost for the operation and maintenance of the service. A person is responsible to pay bills and verify that the payments are collected. A cash reserve is necessary for the case that some device breaks and has to be replaced.

Now calculate to total cost, including the monthly costs to amortize the initial investment. Calculate how much people will have to pay to use the service. Can people pay that value? If so then the project can proceed, if not then the project has to be revised by reducing the coverage size of the WiFi Internet service.

Readers who wish to prepare a business plan can find this procedure explained in one of the chapters of this free e-book.

How to start a WISP business

https://guest-internet.com/pdfs/How_to_start_and_build_a_WISP_(ENGLISH)_J_Barker_2022.pdf

Designing and building the network infrastructure

Key points:

• Data speed of Internet access determines the number of people who can connect to the Internet WiFi service.
• Consider designing a small area WiFi Internet for mobile devices.
• Consider designing a wireless connection to each home, this will cost more.
• Guest Internet controllers manage user access to the Internet service.
• Guest Internet controllers monitor Internet use, and check for network congestion.
• We have free books that help with the design and installation plan, contact us.
  

The first step of the design process is to identify limitations of the service, such as data speed, the number of users, data limits and websites that can be accessed.

What is the data speed of the ISP connection?

• How many people will be connecting to the service at one time? The Internet speed will limit the number of users.
• How will people use the WiFi Internet service? The WiFi Internet use depends on what users access; email uses a small Internet speed while Netflix uses a high Internet speed.
• Determine the maximum data speed permitted for each user (e.g. 1Mb/s, 2Mb/s, 5Mb/s, etc) so that the ISP Internet service can be shared; without this restriction network congestion of the ISP connection will result.

As an example, a Starlink antenna will have an approximate maximum data speed of 150Mb/s, therefore with a maximum data speed per user set to 2Mb/s then the network can have 100 community members connected at one time.

The lowest cost installation is one where a combined WiFi controller and WiFi wireless access point antenna is installed at a central location. The diagram shows the STAR-1 kit, which is an affordable solution that includes the GIS-K7 product plus Ethernet cables and installation instructions. The GIS-K7 can provide data speeds up to 100Mb/s.

There are other kits such as the STAR-8 kit that manage the whole available Internet speed of the Starlink antenna. Each Guest Internet controller is designed to work with a specific Internet speed. The STAR-8 kit is shown in the diagram.

Communications distances do not depend only on the wireless access point. The equipment that is connecting to the wireless access point antenna determines the communications distance. This is shown in the diagram for three different devices.

The STAR-8 kit can provide a point-to-multi-point connection for community of homes, however the rules for a point-to-point wireless connection must be followed. The rules include clear line of sight with clearance for the Freznel Zone, as shown in the next diagram.

To provide Internet access to each home, the home requires the installation of two products. The first product is the CPE wireless receiver that is installed on the roof of the building. The second product is a wireless router installed in the home to provide WiFi Internet for the residents. The STAR-4 kit has the two products pre-configured and ready to install in the home.

By combining the central wireless access point (STAR-1, -2, -6, -7, -8) and point-to-point wireless bridge links, such as the STAR-3 kit, the community WiFi Internet network can be extended over longer distances.

The point-to-point wireless bridge link, such as the STAR-3 kit, must follow the rules of installation. There must be a clear line of sight between the two antennas and the antennas must be installed on towers to provide the Freznel Zone clearance above any obstacle in the path. This is shown in the diagram.

The reader can find more information about the network design and installation in the following free e-book.

How to start a WISP business

https://guest-internet.com/pdfs/How_to_start_and_build_a_WISP_(ENGLISH)_J_Barker_2022.pdf

Paying for the Internet service

• Is the community funding the service?
• Are the users paying for the service?
• Decide on methods to charge users.
• Mobile money payments?
• Sale of vouchers with access codes?
• Guest Internet WiFi controllers have seven charging methods.

The community or the installer must decide how the community residents will pay for the Internet service. There are three popular methods of charging for the Internet service, which are listed below.

• Printing and selling vouchers with access codes.
• Payment for the service on-line using credit cards or mobile money.
• Monthly subscriber payments.

In order for the community user to access the Internet, first connect a mobile device to the community WiFi network then open a browser to display the login page. The login page, shown below, will show the payment method that has been chosen for the Internet service. 

Vouchers are printed using the Guest Internet WiFi controller software or using the Guest Internet free cloud management account.

The configuration of the voucher payment system for the STAR-kits is explained in the installation guide that accompanies each STAR-kit.

We provide help to start your Internet WiFi sales business

Key points:

• Guest Internet WiFi controllers have the best and easiest to use features for a flexible community WiFi Internet service.
• WISPzone has a full range of networking products.
• WISPzone has pre-configured kits to make installation easy.
• WISPzone has free books that explain the business planning.
  

Guest Internet products are easy to install and use, and they do not require any special technical training. Guest Internet products have no additional charges, and the support, update and cloud service is free.

Please consult Guest Internet for help with your project: support@guest-internet.com

Advanced features

Key points:

• Integration with any billing system using the Guest Internet API’s.
• Comprehensive reporting about users and Internet use.
• Guest Internet products can be used to build a large network with roaming.
• Guest Internet WiFi controllers can be used for any type of community Internet service. 

The Guest Internet cloud has all the features that an Internet service provider business needs to install and operate multiple locations. Guest Internet can be integrated with any billing system and features such as roaming facilitate users moving between locations while staying connected to the Internet.

Contact us today to start your Internet WiFi sales business

WISPzone has everything you need to start and grow, please contact: info@wispzone.com

Guest Internet makes the best products for community WiFi, please contact: support@guest-internet.com