The Idea by Henry Dooley
Recently, a Phisk user named Gabriel Henry Dooley shared a fascinating business idea that caught a lot of attention. According to him, with the right setup, you could turn a Starlink device into a profitable public Wi-Fi business in Nigeria.
Here’s a breakdown of the setup he suggested:
- Starlink Device – ₦800,000
- Wicrypt Gigabit Router – ₦900,000
- Ubiquiti Nanostation M2 – ₦150,000 × 3
- LAN Cables, clips, stands, and accessories – ₦300,000
- Solar System for power – ₦1,000,000
- Printer and Computer – ₦200,000
- Setup Labour – ₦500,000
This brings the total investment to about ₦4,150,000.
Gabriel explained that with this setup, you could offer smooth internet access to over 100 people at once. The Wicrypt router would allow you to sell vouchers to users, much like how people buy MTN recharge cards.
You could structure the vouchers to be daily, weekly, or based on data volume (e.g., ₦1,000 for 10GB).
Using his rough estimates:
- ₦300 per person per day
- 100 people per day = ₦30,000 daily income
- ₦900,000 monthly
After paying the Starlink monthly subscription fee of ₦38,000, Gabriel argued that you could still make about ₦850,000 profit every month.
He even projected a whopping ₦10.2 million annual income — enough to recover your initial capital in less than a year!
Additionally, with the Nanostations extending coverage between 200 to 700 meters, users within a wide area could connect effortlessly.
The system would be solar-powered, meaning no electricity bills.
However, Gabriel also noted that the setup seemed expensive, mainly because of the Wicrypt router. He hinted that cheaper alternatives might exist, although the Wicrypt system also offers a bonus: the ability to mine crypto rewards.
Sounds like a dream business, right?
But how realistic is this?
Let’s fact-check it.
Fact-Check and Verdict
We took a closer look at Gabriel’s proposal to see whether it holds up under real-world conditions. Here’s what we found:
1. Starlink Device – ₦800,000
- Fact: Correct.
- Starlink hardware costs around ₦770,000 to ₦850,000 in Nigeria depending on the seller.
2. Wicrypt Gigabit Router – ₦900,000
- Fact: Possible but expensive.
- Wicrypt routers are indeed pricey, ranging from ₦600,000 to ₦900,000. However, cheaper alternatives exist if you don’t want the crypto-mining feature.
(Example: Mikrotik routers with Hotspot software.)
3. Ubiquiti Nanostation M2 – ₦150,000 × 3
- Fact: Accurate.
- Market prices for Ubiquiti devices fall within ₦130,000 to ₦170,000.
4. Accessories – ₦300,000
- Fact: Reasonable.
- LAN cables, mounting stands, clips, and network accessories can easily cost ₦200,000–₦350,000 for an outdoor setup.
5. Solar System – ₦1,000,000
- Fact: Realistic.
- A 2kVA–3kVA solar setup with batteries and inverter could easily hit ₦800,000–₦1,200,000.
6. Printer and Computer – ₦200,000
- Fact: Correct.
- Basic laptops and thermal printers for voucher printing fall within this range.
7. Setup Labour – ₦500,000
- Fact: Acceptable.
- Technical installation for internet networks and solar systems could cost ₦300,000–₦500,000.
8. Revenue Estimation – ₦900,000 Monthly
- Fact: Possible but very optimistic.
- If you truly get 100 paying users daily at ₦300 each, you could hit ₦900,000 monthly.
- However, it depends heavily on location.
A busy market, a student area, or a transport hub could generate this traffic.
Otherwise, expect some fluctuation in user numbers.
9. Starlink Subscription – ₦38,000 Monthly
- Fact: Correct.
- Starlink Nigeria charges around ₦38,000 monthly as of early 2025.
10. Coverage Area
- Fact: Correct.
- Ubiquiti Nanostations can cover 400–700 meters radius depending on obstacles.
Verdict
- Gabriel’s idea is technically possible and the cost estimation is mostly accurate.
- However, the ₦900,000 monthly income depends entirely on achieving high daily traffic.
- The Wicrypt router, while a good option, makes the setup more expensive.
Cheaper routers could reduce startup costs by ₦500,000–₦600,000. - You could build a similar system for about ₦2.8 million–₦3 million if you’re willing to skip Wicrypt’s crypto mining feature.
In conclusion, Gabriel’s Wi-Fi business idea is realistic if set up in the right environment with steady demand.
It’s a bold move — but with the internet demand in Nigeria growing daily, it could be a game-changer for smart entrepreneurs!
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