Starlink

[wmgeorge]

Does anyone have Starlink either at home or in your RV or both and is it Ok? My Fiber internet is close to $90 per month now, just wondering how others are doing with the Starlink?

 

[Bangorbob]

I'll be following this.

 

[dmb496]

We have the Gen 2 dish and use it in our motorhome. We enjoy it quite a lot, but it's not inexpensive. Only use it 2 or 3 times a year, and pause the service in between uses.

Download speeds are substantially better than when we first hooked up 3 years ago. I think the number of satellites in 2022 totaled 2,200, and we sometimes saw download speed as low as 25 mbps. I think there are 7,000+ satellites now. We're on our 1st trip of this year and are seeing speeds of 110 to 250 mbps. We are in Pigeon Forge, TN while I type this post. I just ran a Starlink speed test at 4 pm and it was 302 mbps. Upload speeds are typically much slower, at 15-25 mbps.

 

[wmgeorge]

Pigeon Forge, TN we have been there, traffic really bad. Thanks for the report on Starlink, how does it do when its rainy, overcast or snowing?

 

[dmb496]

We haven't used it during snow. An overcast situation doesn't affect performance. Last night there were some interruptions during a moderate rainstorm with a heavy weather cell above. Eventually there was just light rain and no interruptions.

 

[Don2007]

Does anyone have Starlink either at home or in your RV or both and is it Ok? My Fiber internet is close to $90 per month now, just wondering how others are doing with the Starlink?

I have mounted a Starlink antenna on the roof of my Winnebago Revel. It works great, and it's neat being able to make phone calls and use the internet anywhere I travel.

 

[wmgeorge]

I have mounted a Starlink antenna on the roof of my Winnebago Revel. It works great, and it's neat being able to make phone calls and use the internet anywhere I travel.

So you have the portable or travel version or take your home setup?

 

[Don2007]

I bought the AC home setup and mounted it flat on my roof. It works fine. There is a cabinet and AC outlet just below the antenna for the power supply and router - I was lucky.

 

[wmgeorge]

I bought the AC home setup and mounted it flat on my roof. It works fine. There is a cabinet and AC outlet just below the antenna for the power supply and router - I was lucky.

Thanks Don, I am pretty tecky I can handle that. I see Facebook market place has used Starlink stuff all the time. I can buy new for home and install a used antenna, PS and cable for the Roadtrek. The residential Lite is limited to 50 Gb download speed but for all we do that would work.

 

[Don2007]

here is a link for a similar Starlink RV antenna mount to what I used

Starlink V2 IMPROVED Flat Mount DIY Kit for Camper / Rv - (Incl. Hardware) | eBay

This Starlink V2 Dish Improved Flat Mount DIY Kit is the perfect addition for your camper or RV. Thekit includes everything you need to mount and connect the dish in a flat position, including mounting hardware and a waterproof ethernet connecter, ensuring an optimal weather resistant mount and...

www.ebay.com

 

[phantomjock]

Don2007:
Interesting. Is the "Flat-Mount" reception there now? No aiming required?
Certainly a bigger constellation would help and it is growing.

A few questions about your "real world" experience you are seeing.
I guess the 50 Gb is Gb per second? Streaming should be no problem!
I understand you mounted on the van - and are subscribed to the home "tier."
Have I got that right?
Reception under trees diminished I suspect?
No?

Thanks for the update.

Cheers - Jim

 

[dmb496]

Starlink download and upload speeds are MBPS.

If the dish's reception is blocked by tree/s, reception can be very interrupted.

 

[wmgeorge]

Starlink download and upload speeds are MBPS.

If the dish's reception is blocked by tree/s, reception can be very interrupted.

Another note used stuff may not transfer, depends on where the old owner was located, if he/she has paid the Starlink account in full and if they are willing to do the transfer which takes time. Yes its in Mbps not 50 Gb.

 

[Rusczyk56]

Facts from real use and a network engineer. Speed is not an issue for any traveler/home user unless you are a YouTuber uploading massive video file. We can operate on a 5 Meg speed connection with two tv and 2 tablets and Wi-Fi calling on our phones. This crap about needing 100 Meg, 500 Meg you name it is just marketing to get money. 50 gig of Starlink ROAM is enough for a month of basic email, texting, some video streaming…etc. The 50 gig is the amount of data passed, nothing to do with speed. We carry a T Mobile home Internet hot spot for 90% of our travel needs. That’s backed up be a Visible phone as a hot spot (unlimited talk text and data at 5 Meg speed…using it right now) and then the Starlink MINI as an absolute SHTF last resort….50gig roam plan with the ability to suspend at the end of a billing cycle if not needed….and pro rated from any start day in the billing cycle).

On the used stuff, if the unit was sold out of country and in some cases within the US, a $300 transfer fee will be charged to activate. Looking to save $$$$, buy a refurbished unit direct from Starlink. I did and I swear it was new, or an unused return…new packing, new cable and power supply, new mount…and warrantied as new. If you are a big user, get the Roam unlimited for $165 a month…..and don’t try to cheat and subscribe for a home plan at a lower cost as the moment you move out of your assigned service are, they will ding you and possible shut you off…..

Again, SPEED is one thing and not the issue, GIGs of usage is…. We typically use about 125 gigs per month when on the road…. YMMV…..

 

[wmgeorge]

Actually speed is an issue when we first had DSL we were promised the world... really if we could get 3 or 4 Mbps that was a good day, downloads for shows was a stop and go nightmare we kept getting promises and that was it.

Went to cable but they could never seem to care and when a modem went bad you are SOL they did not want to come out. Speeds of 20 or 30 when it worked.

Fiber wonderful speeds 100 -190+ Mbps, but a $10 increase every six months. Phone call this morning solved that, price roll back for seniors and reduced speed, now only 150 max instead of the promised 500 we never ever saw!

 

[BikerMonkey]

Does anyone have Starlink either at home or in your RV or both and is it Ok? My Fiber internet is close to $90 per month now, just wondering how others are doing with the Starlink?

If you’re not travelling I’d stick with fiber. It’s cheaper and more reliable and probably faster. If you/re traveling then you would need to get the SL Roam subscription which is $165/mo. However, it’s also the only subscription that you can pause.