Starlink???? Please Help???

[16ACE27]

Yesterday, I saw where T Mobile is allowing T Mobile Customers in North Carolina area to access the Starlink Satellite with their mobile devices. They have been doing this is some rural areas like Montana as they validate the systems & capabilities. As I understand their is nothing for the consumer to do, but if no cell tower it will automatically switch to Satellite. Satellite pops up on the phone so you know.

It would be nice to know if your Daughter or someone she knows has T Mobile and get get 1st hand experience on how it works. I am banking on my T Mobile Home Mobile solution with this future Satellite service in ever in a pinch.

That "connectivity" is basic SMS texting, no calls, no Internet.

 

[dkoldman]

That "connectivity" is basic SMS texting, no calls, no Internet.

Yeah, there is always some fine print. But I was thinking the Direct to Cell Constellation would bring internet? I may be confused with "all services on best effort basis" Wish I was in the area to to see what it does.

If nothing else it may accelerate the eventual rollout, because other carriers have been blocking T Mobile via the FCC to launch this. I am still waiting on the catch from T Mobile once launched, because surely it will have to cost customers more?

 

[16ACE27]

Yeah, there is always some fine print. But I was thinking the Direct to Cell Constellation would bring internet? I may be confused with "all services on best effort basis" Wish I was in the area to to see what it does.

If nothing else it may accelerate the eventual rollout, because other carriers have been blocking T Mobile via the FCC to launch this. I am still waiting on the catch from T Mobile once launched, because surely it will have to cost customers more?

Verizon has the same thing:

https://www.verizon.com/about/news/verizon-skylo-launch-direct-device-messaging-customers

 

[dkoldman]

Verizon has the same thing:

https://www.verizon.com/about/news/verizon-skylo-launch-direct-device-messaging-customers

Yes!!! My hope is that very soon the discussions about data signals goes away for everyone. I missed the cable satellite revolution and I hope to be able to miss the satellite internet niche market. Just a matter of how many more months to wait it out and what if any the additional cost will be. They have to careful because the vast majority of Verizon or T Mobile customers will not actually need or use the Satellite backbone and to charge just in case may be bad business.

Anyway for Gritz, it is worthwhile to know what the people of North Carolina get on their Verizon or T Mobile plans? Some with Hotspots in urban areas can only do emails & text so if is limited it is still a good 1st step.

 

[pstandiford]

We have been using Starlink for over a year now and have yet to not be able to use it - even in some wooded areas. She might not be able to use it for streaming but for voice calls it doesn’t take much.
Ours came with everything we needed except power. And it is really not easy to use. After setup the mobile app does have a spot for dish orientation. I have found that adjusting the dish to match what the app shows does help.
Good luck and blessings to you and your family.

 

[Judge64]

FYI....

Starlink Mini only requires 12V DC power so it would be a better option when AC power is not available.


I have multiple ways to power my Starlink Gen 3 down here in southwest Florida so I didn't opt to add that to my Starlink arsenal for power outages down here.

 

[Chateau_Nomad]

FYI....

Starlink Mini only requires 12V DC power so it would be a better option when AC power is not available.


I have multiple ways to power my Starlink Gen 3 down here in southwest Florida so I didn't opt to add that to my Starlink arsenal for power outages down here.

Judge... I've heard reports that 12 volts isn't enough if using the 50' cable, which is due to voltage drop in such a long skinny cable.

The Starlink 120v adapter supplied with the Mini kit puts out 30 volts (see pic) which works great BUT...

For being touted as a portable setup, it seems silly to have a design which isn't an EASY 12v plug and play. Most people just want to plug in and go.

For DIYers there's two options: Either boost the voltage or use a shorter heavier gauge cable. I'm looking at installing a jack like the guy in the video, but power it from the Starlink adapter @30 volts, since I have an inverter.

https://youtu.be/iizaHJnMI2Y?si=YisTn9Dwfb7ZQo7M

 

[JeffThor325]

Starlink is about as trouble-free as you can get. Literally the hardest part of the setup for me is that the instructions have no words on them. Just 5-6 line drawings and I hard a hard time figuring out what one of them was supposed to represent. Once I figured out it was a phone screen and they were telling me to install the app, it was brain-dead easy.

You need a phone app to activate, and for some administrative functions. And you need power. That's it.

As for view of the sky, a clear view offers best reception and speeds but I've used mine in a vertical "tree tunnel" before. Seriously degraded reception, but not zero.