Five years ago the question in Ruiru was simply "can I get internet here?". Today most homes and offices have two real options: a fibre connection where the cable already runs past your gate, or a Starlink satellite kit that works almost anywhere with a clear view of the sky. We install and support both, so this guide is not trying to sell you one over the other. It is what we tell customers who call us and ask.
The short answer
- Fibre reaches your building: take fibre. It is cheaper per month, has lower latency, and has no equipment to buy beyond a router.
- Fibre does not reach you, or the nearest cabinet is far: Starlink gets you online this week instead of waiting for a cable that may never come.
- Your business cannot afford downtime: run fibre as the main link and Starlink as automatic backup. This is what we set up for most offices, clinics and schools.
Where fibre wins
Fibre is a physical cable into your building, so the speed you pay for is the speed you get, day and night, rain or shine. Along the Eastern Bypass, in Membley, Kimbo, Kihunguro and most of the newer estates, coverage is now good and the monthly packages are the most affordable way to get fast internet.
Latency, the delay between you and the server, is typically under 20 milliseconds on fibre. That matters for video calls, online exams, CCTV remote viewing, VoIP phones and anything real-time. Starlink has improved a lot but still sits higher, and it can vary with the weather and how busy the satellites are.
Fibre also has no upfront kit cost beyond a router, and if something breaks the fault is on the provider's side of the wall, not on your roof.
Where Starlink wins
Starlink shines where a cable is not coming: farms and plots on the Ruiru outskirts, new developments where the estate has not been trenched yet, construction sites, and rural homes. The kit installs in an afternoon and does not depend on a cabinet, a pole or a neighbour's willingness to let a cable pass.
It is also independent of local infrastructure. When a fibre cable is cut by road works, which does happen along the bypass, Starlink customers do not notice.
The trade-offs are real, though:
- The dish and router are an upfront purchase, and the monthly plan costs more than a comparable fibre package.
- It needs a clear view of the sky. Trees, tall neighbouring buildings and a badly placed mount all cause dropouts, which is why we always do a site survey before we mount anything.
- Heavy storms can slow it briefly.
- Latency is higher than fibre, so it is fine for browsing, streaming and most video calls, but not ideal for competitive gaming or latency-sensitive systems.
Questions to ask before you decide
- Is there fibre on my street today? Not "coming soon". If the provider cannot give you an install date, plan as if it is not there.
- How many people and devices will use it? A household streaming on three TVs and working from home needs a different plan from a two-person office.
- What happens to the business if the internet drops for a day? If the honest answer is "we stop working", you need a backup link.
- Where would a Starlink dish go? Flat roofs with open sky are perfect. Ground-floor flats surrounded by taller buildings are not.
- Do I want one bill or two? A fibre-plus-Starlink setup means two providers and two invoices, but far fewer outages.
Running both: fibre as primary, Starlink as backup
For offices, schools, hospitals and anyone running CCTV or a point-of-sale system, we recommend a dual-link setup. A small failover router watches the fibre line and switches to Starlink within seconds if it drops, then switches back when fibre returns. Staff never notice. The Starlink plan can be a lower tier since it only carries traffic during outages.
What ModoTech does
We are a local team along the Eastern Bypass in Membley, and we handle the whole job: site survey, fibre or Starlink installation, router and Wi-Fi setup so the signal actually reaches every room, and support afterwards from the same technicians who installed it. If you are not sure which way to go, send us your location on WhatsApp and we will tell you honestly what is available at your address.
Need a hand with this?
Talk to a ModoTech technician in Membley, Ruiru. We reply fast on WhatsApp.
