Starlink Install

[hbn7hj]

This about says it all. Starlink is here, roaming enabled.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PDVURcvWeg

[RTRanger]

I can understand why you might wants this if you camp in the west, but that’s a small number of people. Most of the places I travel have cellular service that more than meets my need when traveling. Cell service is getting faster and cheaper. Then the big market is residential. At my house up north a new company came to town and started installing fiber. Comcast cut their prices almost in half. Here in Florida, our community is talking about allowing an additional provider supply internet - so I think that Comcast will be cutting their price here too. I’m really not interested in paying $100 a month when I can get it for $35 a month. But what about interruptions in service when you have a wire providing your service? I guess we’ll soon see how starlink does with heavy cloud cover and electrical storms.

Third world countries? They’re going to pay $100 a month? Maybe they’ll do a drug company pricing scheme where people in other country pay much less for the same product.

I remember when they were trying to build the Three Mile Island nuclear plant - people were saying that electricity would be so cheap that it would cost too much to put a meter on your house. Well, we know that was far from the panacea we were told it would be.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by RTRanger

I can understand why you might wants this if you camp in the west, but that’s a small number of people. Most of the places I travel have cellular service that more than meets my need when traveling.

We almost always camp in State Parks while traveling. When in the East, I would estimate that we have adequate cell service maybe 50% of the time. This is true even when the park is just a few miles from an Interstate. They have become very sophisticated at focussing the signal to exactly where the greatest profit lies. This evidently does not include State Park campgrounds. Things are even worse in mountainous areas such as Pennsylvania.

I do not see this getting better any time soon. Towers are expensive and they need to pay or they won't be built.

As for the third world: Yes, of course they will charge whatever the market will bear. Nothing wrong with that.

[Rlum]

Originally Posted by hbn7hj

This about says it all. Starlink is here, roaming enabled.

Thanks for the video! How long is the wait for the dish?

[Bud]

"This about says it all. Starlink is here, roaming enabled."

Almost, the airliner market is where home/rv's were.........

[Rlum]

Originally Posted by hbn7hj

This about says it all. Starlink is here, roaming enabled.

I presume you use to watch TV or surf the net, check email? Use the streaming function with your Netflix and Amazon Prime accounts? Do you connect the provided router to dish? How is the router connected to our devices? Via wireless like home routers?


Thanks a bunch!

[hbn7hj]

Originally Posted by Rlum

Thanks for the video! How long is the wait for the dish?

Within a month if you get creative and pick the correct service address. If you think you can use it, now is the time to get in line, I guess.

I have it but won’t begin to use it till next month so will relate my experience then.

You can connect to another router by wire or wireless.

[Rlum]

Originally Posted by hbn7hj

Within a month if you get creative and pick the correct service address. If you think you can use it, now is the time to get in line, I guess.

I have it but won’t begin to use it till next month so will relate my experience then.

You can connect to another router by wire or wireless.

Ordered mine yesterday. Using home address. Website states I may receive unit by 2023? To get sooner. You tube hack said. Find an address where the cell is open. Order from open site. Locate UPS store for delivery of antenna. When pick up unit, connect to Starlink in that cell. Once activated, you can go anywhere?

I will just wait till 2023.

[hbn7hj]

You can pick any address as a service address and use use your home address as a shipping address. No need for the UPS address. Worked for me.

Waiting is a good solution. I bet you get it before 2023.

[hbn7hj]

I chose to purchase before roaming was implemented. The Starlink unit came sooner than expected but I accepted it knowing that I would be paying for months without being able to use it. The other downside is I received the larger second generation round antenna. The upside is it has the aux ethernet connector.

Recently shipped Starlink antennas appear to have roaming enabled so the recipients do not have to change their service address or travel to it. Mine will not get the upgrade till it arrives at it’s service address as I do not want to try to change it.

Just a little insight for those of you interested in Starlink.

The major risk is that if it does not become profitable it will go dark and I’m not smart enough to pencil whip it to see if it is possible. I think, one way or the other, it will survive but if it does not, no regrets.

My use should begin the first week in April and I will report. The plus for me is that I have a working antenna. I am pleasantly surprised that roaming is enabled.

[hbn7hj]

You snooze, you lose. Starlink price increase: Terminal $599, monthly $110

Second hand info but expect it to be correct.

[Rlum]

Originally Posted by hbn7hj

You snooze, you lose. Starlink price increase: Terminal $599, monthly $110

Second hand info but expect it to be correct.

Just got info update via email. It is true, price increases in effect now.

[Davydd]

Too costly in my mind. There are few places without internet. Most recently for me, Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Texas. That would be over 7,000 miles and 15 states on our last outing this year. Lack of cellular service was more of a concern. Going offline on the internet was a blessing not a curse. I could have driven out of the canyon a few miles and satisfy my needs. For a Class B that would be easy.

Is Starlink satellite WiFi reliable? Can you get cellular service of you choice of provider with satellite? I have cable supplied WiFi at home. 5G may be more promising in the future at home and especially in campgrounds with ancient, sucky WiFi service like I found at a KOA campground in South Padre Island where I relied on my faster, current 4G cellular more including live streaming video and TV. We watched our grandson's Wisconsin HS basketball games on live YouTube streaming in Texas with 4G cellular. The KOA probably hasn't upgraded their WiFi service in light of 5G.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by Davydd

Too costly in my mind. There are few places without internet.

As I said above. Not my experience--at all.

Is Starlink satellite WiFi reliable?

Assuming a clear view of most of the sky, the only issue MIGHT be weather. Back when I had DirecTV, I would lose service for maybe 5 minutes a few times a year due to violent thunderstorms, and that was with geosynchronous satellites. I haven't seen any reports of bad-weather performance of Starlink, but it should be at least as reliable as Sirius/XM, which also uses LEO sats.

Can you get cellular service of you choice of provider with satellite?

You don't get cellular service from Starlink, you get Internet. However, all major cellular providers support WiFi calling, so you can use your provider wherever you have WiFi -- cell-service or no. So, the effective answer to your question is "yes".

I have cable supplied WiFi at home. 5G may be more promising in the future at home and especially in campgrounds with ancient, sucky WiFi service like I found at a KOA campground in South Padre Island where I relied on my faster, current 4G cellular more including live streaming video and TV. We watched our grandson's Wisconsin HS basketball games on live YouTube streaming in Texas with 4G cellular. The KOA probably hasn't upgraded their WiFi service in light of 5G.

5G will likely never have any real effect on campgrounds (unless you are camping at Walmart). The marketing hype is hopelessly confusing--they are calling EVERYTHING "5G" these days. However, the important part of 5G is a strictly urban thing--it supports very dense, very fast links over very short distances. The plan is to have 5G cells on every block in large cities. The technology used in rural settings is only incrementally-better than 4G-LTE. You are not going to see millimeter-wave 5G at KOAs any time soon.

All that said, Starlink is economically-marginal for us right now as well. My main concern is the clear-view-of-the-sky issue. We tend to be woodland campers. That should improve dramatically as the size of the constellation increases.

[LostInWoods]

Originally Posted by avanti

We almost always camp in State Parks while traveling. When in the East, I would estimate that we have adequate cell service maybe 50% of the time. This is true even when the park is just a few miles from an Interstate.

This matches what I've seen - screaming cellular in some places, none in others. The problem for Starlink here is the clear sky requirement. State parks in the eastern US mean LOTS of trees - that's a big part of the point of the park. The scenic overlook with the great view is not where you set up camp. I can see mobile Starlink having value for folks in the west and for sailors, but not so much for us.

[dmb496]

Originally Posted by Rlum

Thanks for the video! How long is the wait for the dish?

Seems it depends on where you live. We reside in Maryland and I ordered the kit on 3/20/2022 and was immediately notified my kit will ship within 2 weeks.

[Punkinhead]

Originally Posted by Davydd

Too costly in my mind.

Agreed, at the moment.

There are few places without internet.

The places my wife and I like to go are pretty much devoid in internet and a cell signal. Much of West Virginia, the state forests in eastern Tennessee, etc. But it's not important enough to me that I'll pay current Starlink prices. But like all technologies, it will get cheaper and better with time. I'm thankful to the early adopters that keep things marching forward.

[Davydd]

Woodland camping which I didn’t bother to mention initially is a major problem with satellite service. We tend to camp mostly in the woods and I am not going to chose a campsite which you rarely have a choice anymore anyway to have a clear view of the sky. I can’t think of a state park, state forest, National park or national forest in the eastern United States we have stayed other than beach sides with a guaranteed clear view. The west coast with giant forest the same other than Joshua Tree NP in California. Then the boulders might block you.

Rarely on the roads is there no cellular service. So, for $110 per month it is not worth it for the rare inconvenience or which is mostly desired when seeking solitude and nature.

Besides the initial equipment cost and the need to store it someplace on or in a van, if you have a service can you pick and choose which months you want to pay for the service if say you want it sporadically four months out of the year?

[GallenH]

Starlink probably involves more continuous data flow but: I have a Garmin with satellite capability and they also recommend clear sky to communicate. I've been able to send texts while in the woods hiking as well as in wooded campsites inside the RV. So I've often wondered at exactly what clear sky means. Are the breaks in the trees enough? Must be in the above situations. However, it is a different situation. With texting you can send a text and it can sit poised to send when it has a clear moment.

[folivier]

GPS and Dish, etc all use stationary satellites to communicate. Starlink's satellites aren't stationary and sweep across the sky. That's why you need a much larger open area, otherwise as one satellite goes out of view there will be a delay until the next one passes overhead.