Starwire Technologies

Starwire Technologies: a buyer’s guide

Starwire Technologies is a locally owned Wisconsin/Minnesota border-country ISP that started as fixed wireless from Siren and has been adding fiber-to-the-home builds in Burnett County towns — not a cable MSO and not a satellite brand. On RSINC it appears in about 8 cities across 2 states, with Fixed Wireless as the only recorded technology label (all 8). Sample directory communities include Luck, WI, Rush City, MN, Frederic, WI, and Grantsburg, WI.

Those city counts are directory relationships, not a cabin-by-cabin coverage map. Woods and hills still block radios; fiber laterals only exist where construction finished. Compare Starwire with other options for your ZIP on RSINC, or call 1-877-697-2926.

History of Starwire — Siren WISP, water-tower radios, fiber grants

Joe Cremin and Sara McLain created Starwire Technologies in 2007 to bring honest high-speed internet to unserved and underserved northwoods addresses left behind by larger providers. Early service was fixed wireless from broadcast points — water towers, silos, tall buildings, and co-located tower sites — across Burnett and Polk counties and into neighboring areas. Local press around 2011 described roughly 14 broadcast points and coverage from Grantsburg toward Hertel and from Frederic north toward Danbury, with a downtown Siren office move in April 2010 into a Main Street building. Owners have emphasized they are not a satellite ISP and historically focused on internet rather than TV/phone bundles.

Competition and expansion requests followed. Starwire sought permission to place small antennas on Grantsburg’s south water tower to give residents an alternative to the incumbent telco — framing the ask as consumer choice, not a slam on Grantsburg Telcom. Over time the company also pursued Wisconsin Public Service Commission broadband expansion grants for fiber-to-the-home: applications described roughly 36 miles of mainline fiber in the Town of Roosevelt (on the order of 150 residents and 13 businesses, with Starwire pledging about $900,000 seeking a match) and extension of Meenon/Sand Lake Phase 1 fiber by about 11 additional miles (about $275,000 pledge). Company marketing today lists service across Burnett, Polk, and Washburn Counties in Wisconsin and Pine County in Minnesota, with simple plan messaging such as 100 Mbps and gigabit tiers, no data caps, and no teaser rates — verify current prices before ordering.

For shoppers, Starwire is a referral-driven local ISP — still confirm radio path or fiber lateral. RSINC’s slug remains starwire-technologies.

What Starwire offers — cabin wireless and growing FTTH

RSINC does not currently publish a plan-and-price table on this slug, and directory labels remain Fixed Wireless even as fiber towns come online. Expect a customer antenna aimed at a tower or water tank for many rural and lake properties, and fiber only after grant-funded or privately funded laterals are spliced. Seasonal cabins need clear install access and year-round power assumptions clarified. Marketing that promises the “same price every month” is still a company claim — confirm contract language yourself.

Who Starwire fits — and when to compare alternatives

Starwire fits Burnett/Polk/Washburn lake-country households, cabins, and small businesses that want a local phone-answered ISP instead of satellite latency or a single incumbent.

Compare alternatives when forest canopy blocks the link; when Siren Telephone, Grantsburg Telcom, or another fiber builder already passes the driveway; or when you need a nationwide business SLA. Rush City, MN, on RSINC is a directory pin, not proof of citywide Minnesota service.

Start with an address-level comparison on RSINC, or call 1-877-697-2926, before you treat any city-page label as an install date.

Starwire Technologies FAQs

Is Starwire a satellite provider?

No. It is a terrestrial fixed-wireless and fiber ISP founded in Siren, Wisconsin, in 2007.

Does a city listing mean my cabin can get Starwire?

No. Wireless needs line of sight; fiber needs a built lateral. RSINC city counts are directory relationships.

Does Starwire offer fiber?

Yes in selected town projects funded partly with state grant matches (for example Roosevelt and Meenon expansions described in local coverage). Confirm your address.

How do I check Starwire at my address?

Call RSINC at 1-877-697-2926, or start from the RSINC homepage.

Are published Starwire prices guaranteed current?

No. Verify current pricing, offers, fees, and terms before ordering. Call 1-877-697-2926.

Disclaimer

RSINC is an independent comparison site and is not Starwire Technologies. Directory city counts are relationships, not coverage percentages or subscriber counts. Speeds, prices, ownership details, and build maps change. All trademarks belong to their owners.