Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 

Go Back   Thor Forums > Thor Motorcoach & Motorhome > Thor Motorhome General Discussions
Click Here to Login
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 05-24-2022, 01:32 AM   #1
Senior Member
 
Judge's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 2020 Magnitude SV34
State: Florida
Posts: 4,147
THOR #12751
Starlink for RV’s Officially Available

I just got an email from Starlink tonight. Starlink is now officially available for RV’s and there is no waiting list.

It is $599 for the equipment and $135/mo for the service and you can pause and unpause service anytime.

I just placed my order.

Here is the email I received.

Click image for larger version

Name:	IMG_5312.jpg
Views:	213
Size:	143.5 KB
ID:	37647

__________________
Judge is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-24-2022, 03:33 AM   #2
Senior Member
 
macdaddy1111's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Hurricane 35m
State: North Carolina
Posts: 867
THOR #13505
It Rocks Mr. Judge!
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	20220518_150213 (1).jpg
Views:	119
Size:	87.1 KB
ID:	37648  
__________________
Retired Squid who has a Retired Squid that drives him around in a RV!
macdaddy1111 is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 05-24-2022, 11:04 AM   #3
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Axis 24.1
State: Connecticut
Posts: 1,773
THOR #20289
For those interested in following this fantastic technology, read this 800+ post and growing thread over on iRV2: https://www.irv2.com/forums/f53/star...se-512812.html

Daviid
__________________
DavidEM is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-24-2022, 11:59 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
dkoldman's Avatar
 
Brand: Still Looking
Model: Sunstar 29VE Winnebago
State: Texas
Posts: 5,584
THOR #13058
Quote:
Originally Posted by DavidEM View Post
For those interested in following this fantastic technology, read this 800+ post and growing thread over on iRV2: https://www.irv2.com/forums/f53/star...se-512812.html

Daviid
So what you saying is we got 797 more posts to go... we best get moving

Can someone summarize what is the benefit? I never had Satellite in my life and honestly never heard of Starlink. I do know a little bit about Satellite phones from watching Jurassic Park. Is it Internet and cable combined?

$600 for equipment? Any Installation costs?
$135/month
__________________
2019 Sunstar 29ve; Toad Lincoln Navigator; RVi Brake 3 & Command Center; Roadmaster Nighthawk Tow bar & Baseplate; Sumo Springs; Safe T Plus; Onan EC-30 AGS; Vmax 250ah AGM; T-Mobile Internet; H/W Heater / Chassis Disconnect Switches; Southwire Surge Guard 44270 & 34951 w/Monitor 40301; Jet Flo Macerator; Alpine SPE500 Speakers; Visio M21D-H8R
dkoldman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2022, 12:34 AM   #5
Senior Member
 
Judge's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 2020 Magnitude SV34
State: Florida
Posts: 4,147
THOR #12751
Starlink for RV’s Officially Available

Starlink’s goal is to provide high-speed wireless Internet access to the entire world and they are well on the way…. and why I thought the Government wasted a lot of money in the infrastructure bill to do the same thing the private sector was already on its way to do.

Elon Musk repositioned Starlink satellites and sent Ukraine the equipment to get them online and communicating at no cost after Russia knocked out their Internet and Communication infrastructure. And he did if in days and for free.

Satellites’s not 100% perfect but it is far better than any other wireless Internet in terms of breadth of coverage and speed with little to no latency…. But it does need a clear view of the sky for the best performance. So trying to use it in the rain forest wouldn’t be a good thing.

It really does not require any specialized installation services but the equipment is pricey and includes a small portable “dish” and gateway / router.

What sold me is the ability to start and stop service at anytime without any penalties or account cancellation. I only need it 3 or 4 months a year so it will cost me $540 - $675 for the year. I think this is perfect for an RV persok who wants reliable high-speed Internet access and the ability to have WiFi Calling anywhere. Like any new technology it is expensive in the early going but should drop over time….. not taking into account our inflation.

Starlink has a large chunk of the country enabled with the rest of the country coming soon. There is a also a sizeable chunk of lower Canada currently covered. Alaska is supposed to be online in 2023 so I’m hopeful we will have coverage for our trip next summer.

The other advantage is with WiFi Calling you don’t have to worry much about not being able to make or receive calls with Starlink coverage eventually surpassing any cellular network and the speed is more than enough for video chats, conferencing, etc. while someone else is streaming a movie.

In terms of streaming movies or TV channels…. the performance is good enough to allow peole to dump cable and go with services like YouTubeTV, Hulu or SlingBox (Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc) that tend to be cheaper and never have issues with latency or buffering when watching.

MacDaddy has had good things to say so far on this Forum so I’m looking forward to trying it myself. Click image for larger version

Name:	IMG_5327.jpg
Views:	86
Size:	48.5 KB
ID:	37658
__________________
Judge is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2022, 01:23 AM   #6
Senior Member
 
dkoldman's Avatar
 
Brand: Still Looking
Model: Sunstar 29VE Winnebago
State: Texas
Posts: 5,584
THOR #13058
This sounds good, when you mention Elon Musk it sound familiar I thought he was the Tesla and Space Guy. I Googled Starlink Stock, but I got it isn't currently possible to buy shares of Starlink stock on the stock market.

Oddly I do all of the things you say WiFi Calling, YouTubeTV, & Netflix. But my biggest advantage of the technology is not worrying where I have to stop to get WIFI or what may be at a RV Park. I actually sold my used Wifi Camp Pro v2 on ebay for more than I paid for it brand new.

I will keep watching...
__________________
2019 Sunstar 29ve; Toad Lincoln Navigator; RVi Brake 3 & Command Center; Roadmaster Nighthawk Tow bar & Baseplate; Sumo Springs; Safe T Plus; Onan EC-30 AGS; Vmax 250ah AGM; T-Mobile Internet; H/W Heater / Chassis Disconnect Switches; Southwire Surge Guard 44270 & 34951 w/Monitor 40301; Jet Flo Macerator; Alpine SPE500 Speakers; Visio M21D-H8R
dkoldman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2022, 01:25 AM   #7
Senior Member
 
HMCSW's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Aria 3401
State: Washington
Posts: 831
THOR #22245
Quote:
Originally Posted by macdaddy1111 View Post
It Rocks Mr. Judge!
Hey Sailor…. Thanks for the info. We are getting it for our west. Retired Navy chief signing out.
__________________
2021 Aria 3401
2021 Grand Cherokee Trailhawk - toad
2010 Porsche Boxster(trailered)
Retired US Navy Corpsman HMC(SW)(FMF)
HMCSW is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2022, 10:03 AM   #8
Senior Member
 
Judge's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 2020 Magnitude SV34
State: Florida
Posts: 4,147
THOR #12751
Starlink for RV’s Officially Available

Quote:
Originally Posted by dkoldman View Post
This sounds good, when you mention Elon Musk it sound familiar I thought he was the Tesla and Space Guy. I Googled Starlink Stock, but I got it isn't currently possible to buy shares of Starlink stock on the stock market.

Oddly I do all of the things you say WiFi Calling, YouTubeTV, & Netflix. But my biggest advantage of the technology is not worrying where I have to stop to get WIFI or what may be at a RV Park. I actually sold my used Wifi Camp Pro v2 on ebay for more than I paid for it brand new.

I will keep watching...

Elon Musk is the next Howard Hughes. He is the guy who started Tesla, SpaceX and StarLink. Tesla also is involved with solar power.

What he has done with Tesla and SpaceX are amazing and gives me confidence in StarLink.

I’ve watch the SpaceX launches and to me it is absolutely incredible that they can return a rocket booster to a small paltform on the ocean after a launch and reuse it….. versus the old Apollo days when the rockets fell into the ocean after launch and sank to the bottom.

You’d have to buy Tesla stock if you want to own a piece of what Musk is building… at least for now.
__________________
Judge is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2022, 11:37 AM   #9
Axis/Vegas Enthusiast
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Axis 24.4
State: Michigan
Posts: 9,837
THOR #1150
Keep in mind that the RV version is always the lowest priority which means in a congested cell your service will be the first to slow down (see this article about it).

Not trying to be a negative nancy here but if you're going to get it you should go in with eyes wide open.

Thus if you're in a really congested cell your speeds could be very slow (say you're camping at Liberty Harbor RV park just outside NYC, or your boondocking with 200 of your friends all running Starlink).

This also likely means that as more and more RV'ers pick up Starlink the cells around campgrounds will be more and more crowded (kind of like an RV park's WiFi ! LOL). Of course SpaceX is launching more and more satellites so this condition isn't likely to happen in the short term.
__________________
2022 Thor Axis 24.4
2021 Mach-E
blog - https://spareelectrons.wordpress.com/
JamieGeek is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2022, 12:41 PM   #10
Senior Member
 
Judge's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 2020 Magnitude SV34
State: Florida
Posts: 4,147
THOR #12751
Starlink for RV’s Officially Available

At this stage of the game, cellular congestion and associated slow downs is going to be worse than any StarLink congestion and slow downs by a mile.

StarLink is in the early adopter phase and I don’t plan to be anywhere near cities like NYC, LA, Chicago, etc. And the chances of 200 StarLink users being in the same CG or the immediate area is slim over the next couple years.

On top of that… slowdowned StarLink speeds will probably still top 5G speeds or slowed down 5G speeds based on the data I’ve seen. Plus any StarLink connectivity is better than no cellular connectivity in a particular area.

My plan is to sell the coach in about 5 years or so and then buy another boat for our home in Florida so this should suit my needs just fine.

And in top of all of that…. I had to use my inlaws address to get on the StarLink waitlist for 2023 but my RV kit will shop next week….. so a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush as well.
__________________
Judge is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2022, 01:59 PM   #11
Axis/Vegas Enthusiast
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Axis 24.4
State: Michigan
Posts: 9,837
THOR #1150
Quote:
Originally Posted by Judge View Post
At this stage of the game, cellular congestion and associated slow downs is going to be worse than any StarLink congestion and slow downs by a mile.

StarLink is in the early adopter phase and I don’t plan to be anywhere near cities like NYC, LA, Chicago, etc. And the chances of 200 StarLink users being in the same CG or the immediate area is slim over the next couple years.

On top of that… slowdowned StarLink speeds will probably still top 5G speeds or slowed down 5G speeds based on the data I’ve seen. Plus any StarLink connectivity is better than no cellular connectivity in a particular area.

My plan is to sell the coach in about 5 years or so and then buy another boat for our home in Florida so this should suit my needs just fine.

And in top of all of that…. I had to use my inlaws address to get on the StarLink waitlist for 2023 but my RV kit will shop next week….. so a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush as well.
LOL Don't get me wrong, I just wanted anyone reading this and considering (if they didn't want to read all of the IRV thread LOL) that they know.

I've been seriously considering Starlink for quite some time now. The new "RV" service just upped the ante

I posted a Starlink thread back in 2020
https://www.thorforums.com/forums/f1...ink-24054.html
__________________
2022 Thor Axis 24.4
2021 Mach-E
blog - https://spareelectrons.wordpress.com/
JamieGeek is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2022, 02:25 PM   #12
Senior Member
 
happy's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 2022 Axis 24.1
State: Kansas
Posts: 817
THOR #24565
For us this would be great! But our home is on the 2023 list as is much of Colorado.
Maybe be an early bird?

Why does a satellite system have small gaps in it's coverage. Say for instance Casper Wyoming? The map show the town of Casper as a gap but everywhere around it is covered.
How does a beamed signal from a satellite have such a hole in it?
__________________
happy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2022, 02:57 PM   #13
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Fourwinds 24F
State: North Carolina
Posts: 766
THOR #9511
I’m on the waitlist as well and will pull the trigger ASAP. Three reasons: 1. Cost, 2. Happy spousal unit.

Cost - we have “older” iPhones 4G/LTE with personal hotspot capability that is throttled. We mostly use them for voice and text, some data. iPad/MacBook/Chromebook via hot spot (when mobile) are our data consumers. Some locations work better than others. Legacy plan keeps hot spot alive. If we upgrade to 5G I need to change to a more expensive plan to keep hot spot, peanuts, but the cost of 2 new phones exceeds the entry cost to get into Starlink. As far as monthly cost, I too only need it 3 months a year and I can suspend my home cable/internet service and activate Starlink - cost neutral.

So keep the older phone with all the capability I need when on cell service and using home infrastructure. Switch to satcom “on the move” (with a slight degradation since I have FTTH at home) with no additional service cost. If I could park my RV next to the house I would wire Starlink into my structured wiring and cut the cord.

Happy spousal unit - lives and dies by social media. Me, this forum is the sum total of my social media. If the campground has piss poor Wi-Fi, or we have marginal cell service, or the worst case of not being in a cell, my life is severely impacted.
__________________
JimOIB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2022, 03:19 PM   #14
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Fourwinds 24F
State: North Carolina
Posts: 766
THOR #9511
Quote:
Originally Posted by happy View Post
For us this would be great! But our home is on the 2023 list as is much of Colorado.
Maybe be an early bird?

Why does a satellite system have small gaps in it's coverage. Say for instance Casper Wyoming? The map show the town of Casper as a gap but everywhere around it is covered.
How does a beamed signal from a satellite have such a hole in it?

A few reasons greatly simplified. Satellite geometry/orbits are determined to provide the best coverage for the geography they provide service for. Multiple satellites are used together to get global coverage. The satellite’s antenna is designed with a beam pattern to optimize RF energy hitting the earth. If your earth location is in the center of the beam then you receive a strong signal, if at the edge of the beam weaker. So if your location is in an area where the coverage pattern is marginal you may or may not get service. It’s a trade off the system operator makes. In the case of Casper, it is probably in the coverage of a beam but the beam isn’t providing enough energy for good communications.

In the systems I worked with this limitation was mitigated using an additional set antennas that were steerable, high energy, very narrow beams focused on very specific spot on the earth as needed.
__________________
JimOIB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2022, 03:28 PM   #15
Senior Member
 
happy's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 2022 Axis 24.1
State: Kansas
Posts: 817
THOR #24565
Thank you Jimbo12, That helps a little.
I am not very bright when it comes to knowledge.

We are rural and hilly. Our 1 land based source of internet at home requires landline phone also be purchased. Only other source available requires a satellite system. So far most of them are slow and costly.

To get a portable source of internet that is about the same cost we are now paying but much faster seems a smart move.
__________________
happy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2022, 04:31 PM   #16
Senior Member
 
macdaddy1111's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Hurricane 35m
State: North Carolina
Posts: 867
THOR #13505
It freaking Rocks!!! So simple to setup and use! I am currently using a lowes 5 gallon bucket to keep rain off modem that I plug in the side of the rig.
When traveling, I put the dish and modem in the bed!

I remember when I got my first modem in mid 80's, had the same feeling I do with starlink! Cost a boat load and my friends thought I was crazy spend thousand dollars for a modem! Look at us now!
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	20220525_122340_resized.jpg
Views:	53
Size:	83.7 KB
ID:	37664   Click image for larger version

Name:	20220512_162746_resized.jpg
Views:	57
Size:	99.2 KB
ID:	37665  

__________________
Retired Squid who has a Retired Squid that drives him around in a RV!
macdaddy1111 is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2022, 05:17 PM   #17
Senior Member
 
Scubawise's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Vegas 25.6
State: New Mexico
Posts: 5,100
THOR #20220
Quote:
Originally Posted by Judge View Post
I just got an email from Starlink tonight. Starlink is now officially available for RV’s and there is no waiting list.

It is $599 for the equipment and $135/mo for the service and you can pause and unpause service anytime.

I just placed my order.

Here is the email I received.

Attachment 37647
You can get $110 month if shipped to home and not rv link
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	Screenshot_20220525-111646_Chrome.jpg
Views:	65
Size:	61.4 KB
ID:	37666  
__________________
Scubawise is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2022, 05:25 PM   #18
Senior Member
 
Scubawise's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Vegas 25.6
State: New Mexico
Posts: 5,100
THOR #20220
Quote:
Originally Posted by jimbo12 View Post
I’m on the waitlist as well and will pull the trigger ASAP. Three reasons: 1. Cost, 2. Happy spousal unit.

Cost - we have “older” iPhones 4G/LTE with personal hotspot capability that is throttled. We mostly use them for voice and text, some data. iPad/MacBook/Chromebook via hot spot (when mobile) are our data consumers. Some locations work better than others. Legacy plan keeps hot spot alive. If we upgrade to 5G I need to change to a more expensive plan to keep hot spot, peanuts, but the cost of 2 new phones exceeds the entry cost to get into Starlink. As far as monthly cost, I too only need it 3 months a year and I can suspend my home cable/internet service and activate Starlink - cost neutral.

So keep the older phone with all the capability I need when on cell service and using home infrastructure. Switch to satcom “on the move” (with a slight degradation since I have FTTH at home) with no additional service cost. If I could park my RV next to the house I would wire Starlink into my structured wiring and cut the cord.

Happy spousal unit - lives and dies by social media. Me, this forum is the sum total of my social media. If the campground has piss poor Wi-Fi, or we have marginal cell service, or the worst case of not being in a cell, my life is severely impacted.
Same here:
Happy spousal unit - lives and dies by social media. Me, this forum is the sum total of my social media. If the campground has piss poor Wi-Fi, or we have marginal cell service, or the worst case of not being in a cell, my life is severely impacted

*** great starlink information. So far traveling in 23 states t mobile home $50 has worked
__________________
Scubawise is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2022, 08:20 PM   #19
Senior Member
 
Judge's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 2020 Magnitude SV34
State: Florida
Posts: 4,147
THOR #12751
Starlink for RV’s Officially Available

Quote:
Originally Posted by Scubawise View Post
You can get $110 month if shipped to home and not rv link

I could not get it now with home service…. My home in Florida is on a waitlist with an undetermined wait time. My inlaws in PA were 2023 wait time. I originally used my inlaws address to get on the waitlist several months ago.

I can get the RV service now and pause and unpause service, which you can’t currently do with the home service. I cancelled the waitlist for the home service and gor my $99 deposit back abd ordered the RV Service, which will ship next week.
__________________
Judge is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2022, 08:53 PM   #20
Senior Member
 
Scubawise's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Vegas 25.6
State: New Mexico
Posts: 5,100
THOR #20220
Quote:
Originally Posted by Judge View Post
I could not get it now with home service…. My home in Florida is on a waitlist with an undetermined wait time. My inlaws in PA were 2023 wait time. I originally used my inlaws address to get on the waitlist several months ago.

I can get the RV service now and pause and unpause service, which you can’t currently do with the home service. I cancelled the waitlist for the home service and gor my $99 deposit back abd ordered the RV Service, which will ship next week.
I like t mobile home because we use at home and take any and everywhere on the road.

If any future issues will use starlink

Also get new small black t mobile modem
__________________
Scubawise is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Thor Industries or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.




All times are GMT. The time now is 03:42 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO 3.6.0 PL2