Lightwire at a glance

30-day risk-free guarantee

Enjoy 30 days of Lightwire with no strings attached - cancel anytime if it’s not for you.

Local NZ support

Speak directly with locals in Hamilton who understand the challenges you face and know how to solve them.

Hiring and supporting local

140+ local schools, events, and not for profits supported by Lightwire.

Transparent pricing

No surprises on your bill - just clear pricing with no hidden fees.

Easy switching

Instant plan changes and we take care of the entire process for you, so you can relax and stay connected.

Sustainability commitment

We connect people while making sure our environment stays safe and sustainable.

Starlink

Lightwire

Connection Type

Low orbit satellite

Fixed wireless

Work from home

Yes

Whole Home WiFi Guarantee

Yes

24/7 Fault Monitoring & Response

Notification in app when there’s an issue with your service. Starlink has no NZ premise, so you won’t have a support number to call.

We have 99.99% tower uptime anyway, so this isn’t really an issue for us.

Data Equity

Starlink offers a “deprioritised” data plan. This means that your data is the first to be throttled/reduced. The plan provides deprioritised access to data against the “standard” plan. That standard plan is also deprioritised against the “priority” (and up) plans. If you are using excess data during peak hours, network management will mitigate your usage, as per the Fair Use Policy.

We aren’t like cell towers where you’re competing for capacity with hundreds of mobile and home broadband connections. The only people on our towers are Lightwire customers (no mobile), and we limit the number of customers on one tower to guarantee a good experience. You won’t be throttled during peak hours. In rare cases this could apply, but a customer would be phoned directly and consulted beforehand in case malware is chewing through your data. Read our Terms and Conditions if you’re keen to know more.

Why customers switched to Lightwire

"We are very happy that we picked Lightwire for our new rural property. The service and communication has been excellent, and the network performance and been more than capable in supporting my work from home and all our online streaming.

It was a decision between Lightwire and Starlink. I had heard about weather related issues with Starlink, but one of the key factors in choosing Lightwire was having that local support, which has been great in providing a quick and reliable set up."

I was a long time Lightwire customer, but switched to Starlink because it sounded like I’d be impressed by some next level internet speeds. It was a terribly lacklustre experience and I fast regretted my choice. I couldn’t get a strong signal even right next to the wifi router meaning I had to stay near it to get signal bars, and realised I’d need to install a mesh system to boost the signal around the house, or even to get my TV to stay connected as it kept dropping out of one bar to no bars of signal.

The Starlink help system was unhelpful when I questioned whether the lack of wifi signal was a fault, but the help from Lightwire was instant. We are all again enjoying unlimited internet with a strong signal through the whole house, and the speed is excellent. Very happy to be back with Lightwire ☺️

I signed up to Starlink and after having 3 days in a row with no net I lodged a ticket with their support system. After another week of no reply (except an automated one) and also after talking to a neighbour that was with Lightwire we decided to sign up. Talking with a sales support member (Josh) was so refreshing after zero contact from Starlink. To be heard and acknowledged instead of being held in limbo.

"The speed is incredibly fast and reaches all through the house with no issues. What I enjoy most is how fast it works and how multiple people can be using the internet at the same time without a hitch. We’re a family of six with four kids, and we use the internet mainly for watching TV and running our security cameras. Lightwire handles it all with ease. Our experience has been 10out of 10. I’d recommend Lightwire to everyone I know—super fast, affordable, and reliable."

See how customers rate us

Support

Starlink

Lightwire

What happens when you need help?

You lodge a ticket and wait

You can call, email, or chat with a local person from the Waikato

Service review

Can’t leave any Google Reviews, 2.6/5 Trustpilot

4.6/5 Google Reviews (300+ reviews)

Support team location

Offshore

Hamilton based helpdesk

Phone support

Yes

Ground support

No ground support. You’ll have to engage a third party for issues that can’t be fixed remotely

Our local installers and technicians come out to your property to install and resolve any issues if they do arise

Get more with Lightwire

Whole Home WiFi: Every room, every corner, covered with WiFi.
Staying connected shouldn’t be a hassle, regardless of where you live. Not only do we guarantee coverage throughout your home, but we will also guarantee that the connection is top-notch.

30-day risk free guarantee: Lightwire want to alleviate any uncertainties you have about a new internet connection. We let you decide whether you want to stay on as a customer or you cancel within 30 days without facing any termination fees.

Fast service: Getting you up and running as fast as possible is our priority.
We’ll get an installer to visit your place within 14 days to get you connected. With an average call wait time below 1 minute, when you need us, you’ll get hold of our local support team quickly.

Pick a plan