Anyone signing up for Starlink?

[Overland]

Their public beta has begun, with pricing announced at $99/month plus $500 up front to buy the antenna. Pricey, but not insane if the speeds are good and you spend a lot of time away from cell coverage.  Any takers?

[Ray and Susan Huff]

40 minutes ago, Overland said:

Their public beta has begun, with pricing announced at $99/month plus $500 up front to buy the antenna. Pricey, but not insane if the speeds are good and you spend a lot of time away from cell coverage.  Any takers?

Sounds like a "Better than nothing" solution . . . . . I expect there to be better options in the future.  That being said, it scares me how dependent people have become on Internet connectivity.  I have always embraced technology, but there's a part of me that will always be "Old School".

[Overland]

Depends on the speed, bandwidth, and reliability, I think. We pay as much if not more for unlimited cellular internet, so if Starlink turns out to be a viable alternative it may be a better choice for us. 

I wouldn’t count on a competitor showing up anytime soon. I think a few have been announced but they’ll be three or four years behind, and possibly more expensive since companies like Amazon don’t own their own rockets. 

Edited October 28, 2020 by Overland

[Ray and Susan Huff]

9 minutes ago, Overland said:

Depends on the speed, bandwidth, and reliability, I think. We pay as much if not more for unlimited cellular internet, so if Starlink turns out to be a viable alternative it may be a better choice for us. 

I wouldn’t count on a competitor showing up anytime soon. I think a few have been announced but they’ll be three or four years behind, and possibly more expensive since companies like Amazon don’t own their own rockets. 

Our rural electric coop is partnering with a fiber network to provide high speed internet to all its customers, many of whom have little or no connectivity.  The plan is just in development; they expect it to be 3 or 4 years before everyone has service.  Price is a little less than what we pay now for DSL through our landline phone; $100/month seems to be the sweet spot most are willing to pay.  DSL is not the best, especially when users are streaming entertainment, but ok.  We also have cellular service, but not unlimited data.  4GB is $50/month.  Use it mostly when on the road, but it's dependent on cell reception.

Edited October 28, 2020 by Susan Huff

[Mainiac]

We do like to stop someplace, every once in a while, and download some e-mail., maybe.  The view is better out the window, than down at the phone?

[John E Davies]

I have a couple of personal reasons to really dislike this new technology, though it is a game changer for rural folks and especially for emergency response teams moving into devastated regions. The possibility of space junk from collisions - they weigh nearly 600 pounds each, with over 4000 satellites planned, and there has been a very near miss already - and night-sky light pollution. This is what happens when a ground telescope takes a long exposure picture while a string of these satellites is passing overhead:

These can probably be reduced, but not eliminated, by tech improvement. Starlink is planning to do this at other locations too, specifically our moon and Mars: ...https://www.tesmanian.com/blogs/tesmanian-blog/starlink-on-mars

As a long time sci-fi fan, the idea of surfing the Web from Olympus Mons or Valles Marineris simply boggles my mind... And FYI Season 5 of "The Expanse" starts in a six weeks 

John Davies

Spokane WA

 

Edited October 28, 2020 by John E Davies

[Overland]

1 hour ago, Mainiac said:

We do like to stop someplace, every once in a while, and download some e-mail., maybe.  The view is better out the window, than down at the phone?

The benefit to us would be for emergency use and trip planning.  We usually just plan a few days at a time, sometimes hour by hour, and it's nice to be able to bring up a map, look something up, etc.  Plus we both still work, so the ability to take care of something without having to drive out of the way to find service would be welcome.

Edited October 28, 2020 by Overland

[Jairon]

I've signed up to beta test but haven't been invited in the first round of emails that just went out. As someone who plans on working and traveling, it has the potential to be a game changer. For now, the dish probably doesn't lend itself for direct mounting on a trailer but I'm guessing that will change in the near future. The current dish could probably be used from any site if you simply sat it on a pedestal however. It is currently unknown if they will allow beta testers to travel with their units.

Leaked images of the current dish: https://imgur.com/a/ygxncIO

Edited October 28, 2020 by Jairon

[SeaDawg]

5 hours ago, John E Davies said:

I have a couple of personal reasons to really dislike this new technology, though it is a game changer for rural folks and especially for emergency response teams moving into devastated regions. The possibility of space junk from collisions - they weigh nearly 600 pounds each, with over 4000 satellites planned, and there has been a very near miss already - and night-sky light pollution. This is what happens when a ground telescope takes a long exposure picture while a string of these satellites is passing overhead:

These can probably be reduced, but not eliminated, by tech improvement. Starlink is planning to do this at other locations too, specifically our moon and Mars: ...https://www.tesmanian.com/blogs/tesmanian-blog/starlink-on-mars

As a long time sci-fi fan, the idea of surfing the Web from Olympus Mons or Valles Marineris simply boggles my mind... And FYI Season 5 of "The Expanse" starts in a six weeks 

John Davies

Spokane WA

 

Starlink is , of course, committed to reducing their space junk footprint. https://www.starlink.com/

At the moment,  stuck at home, or the NC woods, where unlimited voice and data cellphones cost far less, but when we get back to the Yukon.... it could be a gamechanger.

[Ray and Susan Huff]

Have you all seen the Starlink satellite trains?  Recent satellites had to be equipped with "visors" to prevent light pollution; only those launched before June 13, 2020 can be seen with the naked eye.

There are several online tracking sites to tell you when they can be seen from your location.

https://observer.com/2020/08/spacex-starlink-satellite-launch-tracker-how-to-see-in-sky/

[Overland]

I almost signed up for Starlink a few weeks ago when they finally opened up their beta to anyone, but it was quickly made clear that it wouldn't work at all for mobile use.  That is, they specifically prevent you from doing so by tying your dish to a specific region.  I wondered if that was a limit of the technology, but apparently it's just a temporary restriction due to the limited number of satellites in orbit right now.  And it looks like that's changing already, with the announcement yesterday of a dedicated mobile product in the works - https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2021/03/spacex-plans-starlink-broadband-for-cars-boats-and-planes/

Very cool.  Also, the download speeds are looking pretty darned good.  About 150mbs now, and they'll up that limit to 300 later this year.  I'm lucky enough to get fiber where we live, so it's usually above 900, but I could get by with a third of that even at home, and certainly for the trailer.  

Pretty neat how quickly this is moving.  Just a couple of years ago, this was a 'someday in the future...' thing that got mentioned every now and then here, then in just October it became a real product, and now it's looking like within a year it will be a true option for us - cost aside, probably the best one.  

Edited March 9, 2021 by Overland

[John E Davies]

1 hour ago, Overland said:

And it looks like that's changing already, with the announcement yesterday of a dedicated mobile product in the works - https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2021/03/spacex-plans-starlink-broadband-for-cars-boats-and-planes/

That is very cool, my wife depends on reliable data access for her work, unfortunately they still don't have any sats in polar orbit, so if you want to go the Alaska (the big part) you will still be out of range: "SpaceX Service's ESIMs will communicate only with those SpaceX satellites that are visible on the horizon above a minimum elevation angle of 25 degrees."

The RV antenna will have to be prorfessionally installed, and will it be as big as the home ones? That might be a problem on the limited and curved roof space of an Ollie. Maybe use a telescoping mast coming off the rear frame extension.? I'm guessing it won't be usable when driving....

John Davies

Spokane WA

Edited March 9, 2021 by John E Davies

[Overland]

I'm guessing that they say professional installation because they don't want to be responsible for someone taping their dish to the roof of their car and taking off.  The home dish is roughly the size of the wine guard antenna that Oliver installs - maybe a bit smaller - so it shouldn't be too hard to find a spot that works.  Or maybe they'll just let you use the home version, which can be set on the ground.  

[SeaDawg]

I saw this recent review today. Campbell River, so probably  Surrey, BC. 

https://www.loveyourrv.com/starlink-satellite-dish-internet-first-look-setup-test-on-the-rv/

[Time2Go!]

We have signed up and paid the deposit. It is supposed to be available in our area mid-to-late year and only to a limited number of households. You are tied to a "cell" and it will only work in that area. We cannot get a decent provider for where we live. We have to have satellite internet and Hughes net and others constantly buffer. We finally gave up after trying 3-4 different provides and have just used our cell phone data for the last year but after a certain amount they throttle it.

Hoping that Starlink will blow away everything available to us now. I believe in the future they plan to have a mobile option available but it will probably require different equipment and more money 🙂

Cindy

[SeaDawg]

240 more satellites this month.

I've read that an app is in the works to move your service address. Baby steps towards mobile service?

https://www.cnet.com/google-amp/news/spacex-completes-four-starlink-launches-in-a-single-month/

[JRK]

There are problems with microwave dish/satellite systems, such as physical interference from trees or even snow, and sometimes a heavy rain. But it is better than nothing, usually. Satellite use will be common in a few years, almost doing away with cable and fiber, or land based microwave communications. When Dish first came out, they did not allow mobile use. You had to have a landline phone connection. Well, that changed as people did away with their landline phones, and now dish and other satellite television systems are relatively easy to use and are definitely mobile. As technology changes, internet, and however we access it in a few years, or what the internet becomes, will soon have internet available anywhere in the world in a few years, probably from satellites. Cell/mobile phones use satellites. Television uses satellites, including wired systems. 

[SeaDawg]

So, the app has arrived. Also in beta. Definitely not good for boats. Another group of caveats for rvs. Capacity, and location availability,  is still limited, but Starlink is growing.

Full disclosure: I signed up awhile ago, so we're watching closely. No availability for us, yet.

This is a great update from our friends at Technomadia. Chris and Cheri are always on the leading edge, and honestly evaluating products and services.

 

[SeaDawg]

Elon predicting mobile starlink by end of the year.

Hope that's true, but usually delays with Tesla launches. We'll see.

Good news, anyway.

[Time2Go!]

That would be awesome! We've paid our deposit and are looking forward to mid-year to 3rd quarter having it available. We need it at home as we cannot get service where we live and use our unlimited data on our phones now.

[SeaDawg]

2 hours ago, Time2Go! said:

We need it at home as we cannot get service where we live and use our unlimited data on our phones now.

That's the gap starlink was designed to fill. I hope service is available in your area soon.

[webby]

I signed up after Elon was quoted saying mobile is coming...expecting our unit will arrive roughly when mobility is allowed. ;)

[SeaDawg]

The California HP officer was unimpressed with this diy mobile install, on a Prius (hood!)

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/california-highway-patrol-tickets-driver-with-apparent-spacex-starlink-dish-bolted-to-car-hood/ar-AALI9V2

[Overland]

In related news, AT&T has a interesting option for remote internet that I’d never read about before - flying cows.

Might be a bit noisy for camping though. 

[John E Davies]

My wife has been REALLY struggling with her work on this trip into north BC and southern Yukon Territories. Wifi, if it even is accessible at all, is crawlingly slow every where and even the simplest tasks bog down. RV parks rarely have it there, and those that do charge a fortune for a few GB. Verizon limits us to 500 MB of cell data daily and both our iPads and her hotspot get throttled quickly, leaving just our iPhones functioning, barely. We can buy a 5Gb upgrade for 24 hours, but the challenge is still to find an actual signal. Actual LTE access is super super limited, especially above the center of BC. She would be able to do her work, which involves providing financial and operational planning for small rural hospitals and most importantly, grant research and applications to get them critical funding. She has been so very frustrated on this trip. Usually she can function at a low but acceptable level even in remote parts of Western states. She would embrace a reliable mobile Starlink system with both arms. She has no need for steaming movies, just reliable phone calls to speak with clients, and moderate Internet speeds for research and file transfers.

This article is interesting, but does not address RV users at all. My wife would be in heaven if we could just pull off into an open area and connect with the world.

https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/09/06/1034373/starlink-rural-fcc-satellite-internet/

John Davies

Spokane WA