Starlink

[atreis]

Mini looks very nice - fast and lower wattage than Gen 2. The end of the season is nigh for me for this year though. I only have two trips left before I winterize. I've done 8k miles in the RV this year though, where normally I only do 6K. Anyway, I'm going to keep an eye out for a discount offer on the hardware, hopefully before next Spring!

 

[Chateau_Nomad]

Starlink Mini installation with Harbor Freight flag pole

Here's my new Starlink Mini setup:

Some of the pics are out of order, but I'm sure the astute folks on this forum can figure out what's what...

Purchase 20’ Harbor Freight flag pole kit.

Remove two phillips head screws (opposing sides) holding top into flag pole
Remove all existing transparent plastic pieces and hardware.

Note: The ring and clip on the next pole section (below the chrome ring) may be left in place. It isn’t needed.

Using 1/4” bit, enlarge the two screw holes in aluminum pole.

Insert the Mini dish pole adapter into the top of the pole. Squeeze the sides until the pins slide into the pole opening. Rotate the adapter until both pins snap into the holes on the pole.

Mount the lower pole bracket to the ladder as shown, just above the lowest step.

Mount the upper pole bracket to the ladder as shown, between the highest step and beginning of curved section.

Note... the adapters are designed to fit a standard 1" ladder tube size.

Thread the power cord through the Starlink pole adapter (included in Starlink Mini kit) and plug securely into power port on Mini dish.

Position adapter as shown and snap into place. Be sure tabs fasten securely.

Extend top pole section and twist firmly to lock into place.

Insert pole into Dish adapter as shown. Fully tighten thumb screw.

Place the upper flag pole section into the upper bracket.

Place the bottom of the flag pole into the lower bracket base. Rotate the pole so the dish is oriented north. Snug the thumbscrew to prevent the pole from rotating.

The pole may be raised further as desired. Be certain each section is securely locked by firmly twisting the pole as each section is extended.

 

[Chateau_Nomad]

Continued from above...

 

[Scubawise]

Comes with Starlink!

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/JBoLmmdTGvs7CrvM/?mibextid=D5vuiz

 

[dkoldman]

I still do not follow all the need for the investments on hardware. They have been saying a partnership with T Mobile for two years now. Last I heard the T Mobile customers will have access in a few months. I may plan a trip to the mountains of West Virginia just so I can say I stream on T mobile anywhere and do it during the winter when the locals have all winterized their RVs. If my rate is still $25/mo it will be icing on the cake.

 

[Bob Nodine]

I still do not follow all the need for the investments on hardware. They have been saying a partnership with T Mobile for two years now. Last I heard the T Mobile customers will have access in a few months. I may plan a trip to the mountains of West Virginia just so I can say I stream on T mobile anywhere and do it during the winter when the locals have all winterized their RVs. If my rate is still $25/mo it will be icing on the cake.

You have obviously never taken an RV trip to Canada or Alaska. There are also many wide open spaces in the lower 48 that have absolutely no cell service. Also many of the national park campgrounds have zero cell service.

 

[Judge64]

You have obviously never taken an RV trip to Canada or Alaska. There are also many wide open spaces in the lower 48 that have absolutely no cell service. Also many of the national park campgrounds have zero cell service.

Exactly...... it all depends on where you camp.

If you tend to camp in urban areas, there were usually be some cellular coverage. If you camp in more rural or remote areas, then cellular is limited to not available.

When we did our caravan to Alaska last year, many areas in western Canada had no cellular coverage and coverage in Alaska was limited mostly to the areas with towns / cities.

About 2 weeks into our trip and people in the Caravan seeing that we could make phone calls, have interest access and stream TV channels, several people ordered Starlink and had it shipped to our next location.


As far as the T-Mobile / Starlink relationship goes..... it is only exclusive to T-Mobile for the first year and then expands to other carriers.

Based on the research I have done so far a regular phone may not work inside a house for Starlink access or the performance will be greatly reduced. The Starlink to T-Mobile satellite cellular will provide a standard 5G or LTE cellular connection from Starlink satellites to any active subscriber’s cellular device outside within the land borders of any supported country. It might work within vehicles or buildings if the device is near a window.

It is expected be a weak very low data speed connection so do not expect to be able to do much over it other than text messages inside building. The satellite connection will be set to lower priority than all the standard land based cell towers. It will be mostly useful in remote locations with no other coverage where your phone would previously display SOS only or no connection.

If you truly want the connectivity and performance Starlink provides in areas without cellular coverage, using the Starlink hardware is still the best option. A cell phone or Hotspot is not going to have the technology built into it to provide the performance the Starlink hardware offers.

But we will need to wait for some real-world reports once it is activated to be sure.

 

[dkoldman]

You have obviously never taken an RV trip to Canada or Alaska. There are also many wide open spaces in the lower 48 that have absolutely no cell service. Also many of the national park campgrounds have zero cell service.

True not in RV. To be even more truthful we don't have any plans or illusion to make those or similar trips any time soon. When we do retire; there is no telling what are passion to do might be then; and the technological landscape will most certainly not be what it is today. If you check some of my posts 5 years ago, we actually bought are RV as a SUV. In 2019, I wanted a new Lincoln Navigator and they were costing north of $120k and I jokingly said for that kind of money I could buy an RV. The rest was history although I would end up buying a new Navigator anyway. You could say it was bought to be a towed :coolsmiley: We have friends in other circles that tend to say similar things about what we don't do, or do do in the new Navigator in favor of the RV.

But with all that said, I believe you and know extremely well there is no cell service in some areas. Thus far in 5 years I have only been to one State Park where it was not, and they were working on getting service to that area, but we didn't need it while we were there. It would not prevent me from going to a National Park because they did NOT have cell service.

 

[dkoldman]

Exactly...... it all depends on where you camp.

If you tend to camp in urban areas, there were usually be some cellular coverage. If you camp in more rural or remote areas, then cellular is limited to not available.

When we did our caravan to Alaska last year, many areas in western Canada had no cellular coverage and coverage in Alaska was limited mostly to the areas with towns / cities.

About 2 weeks into our trip and people in the Caravan seeing that we could make phone calls, have interest access and stream TV channels, several people ordered Starlink and had it shipped to our next location.


As far as the T-Mobile / Starlink relationship goes..... it is only exclusive to T-Mobile for the first year and then expands to other carriers.

Based on the research I have done so far a regular phone may not work inside a house for Starlink access or the performance will be greatly reduced. The Starlink to T-Mobile satellite cellular will provide a standard 5G or LTE cellular connection from Starlink satellites to any active subscriber’s cellular device outside within the land borders of any supported country. It might work within vehicles or buildings if the device is near a window.

It is expected be a weak very low data speed connection so do not expect to be able to do much over it other than text messages inside building. The satellite connection will be set to lower priority than all the standard land based cell towers. It will be mostly useful in remote locations with no other coverage where your phone would previously display SOS only or no connection.

If you truly want the connectivity and performance Starlink provides in areas without cellular coverage, using the Starlink hardware is still the best option. A cell phone or Hotspot is not going to have the technology built into it to provide the performance the Starlink hardware offers.

But we will need to wait for some real-world reports once it is activated to be sure.

The way I understand it will only be offered where existing cell service is not available and it will not require any additional cost or hardware.

https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/09...-directly-on-their-mobiles-first-and-others-o

When I do get it, I may struggle to find some place to realistically go to actually use it

But I would assume whatever the quality is for mobile customers it would be welcomed. I would also think that Musk has a hook. It either has to be to collect some fees from hundreds of million AT&T, T Mobile & Verizon customers down the road, or hope that some large number of existing customers like me see the value to purchase which in either of the cases above the price for the Satellite Service might start to drop? I can wait is a luxury I have right now for those real world reports is my point.

 

[Judge64]

The way I understand it will only be offered where existing cell service is not available and it will not require any additional cost or hardware.

https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/09...-directly-on-their-mobiles-first-and-others-o

When I do get it, I may struggle to find some place to realistically go to actually use it

But I would assume whatever the quality is for mobile customers it would be welcomed. I would also think that Musk has a hook. It either has to be to collect some fees from hundreds of million AT&T, T Mobile & Verizon customers down the road, or hope that some large number of existing customers like me see the value to purchase which in either of the cases above the price for the Satellite Service might start to drop? I can wait is a luxury I have right now for those real world reports is my point.

I didn't say you needed new hardware. It is supposed to use the phone's cellular radio.... but there is question as to how well the signal can be received inside a structure.

Also... there are questions as to whether the bandwidth will support more than texts and phones calls.... at least in the early stages.


From what I have read it is not gong to be the be-all-end-all in terms of a highspeed Internet connection with the current phone hardware. I suspect as phone hardware evolves, there will be better connectivity and bandwidth.

 

[Judge64]

Starlink is being sold everywhere now.

I saw West Marine selling it back in May and today I was in Home Depot and they are now selling it too.

 

[Chateau_Nomad]

Starlink is being sold everywhere now.

I saw West Marine selling it back in May and today I was in Home Depot and they are now selling it too.

Best Buy and Home Depot both sell it in our area. They were both out of stock... so we just ordered straight from Starlink.

Very tempted to get a Gen 3 for home and dumping Spectrum. If the home price dropped to $100 it's a no-brainer. $120 still just a tad too steep.

 

[Bob Nodine]

As we were getting ready to leave for a camping trip to the Cherokee KOA in the Smokey Mountains the FEDX man delivered our Gen 3 Starlink hardware. I put it in the truck and brought it along. I was glad I did because when we got here we discovered our AT&T cellphones were almost useless and the prepaid sim card in the Wineguard did not work at all. So yesterday morning I got out the Starlink and began the setup. I just placed the dish on the roof of the motorhome pointing to an open area in the sky. Did not even check which direction it was. The phone app did not seem to be very helpful for which way to point it. I know there are many Starlink satellites up there now so did not get concerned.

Plugged in the RJ45 cable and ran it thru the cab door into the motorhome and plugged in the router and power supply. After a few trail and error sessions finally got it up and running. Was able to get WiFi calling working on the phone and my laptop and television working thru the Starlink. As I type this the connection is thru the Starlink. Life is good!

Just did a speed test and it is 225 Mbps. The dish is still in the same place I put it when I placed it on the roof. Up speed is 28 Mbps with a latency of 27ms.

My AT&T Prepaid 100 GB sim card is $55 a month and the basic roaming plan with the Starlink is $50 with 50 GB. Guess after I cancel the prepaid AT&T sim card the cost to move to Starlink will basically the cost of the hardware.

I ordered the 3D printed holder for the router and have it at home on the work bench. I also ordered the Trio Flat Mount for the roof. It should be delivered tomorrow so when we get home will start on the permanent installation.

 

[Judge64]

As we were getting ready to leave for a camping trip to the Cherokee KOA in the Smokey Mountains the FEDX man delivered our Gen 3 Starlink hardware. I put it in the truck and brought it along. I was glad I did because when we got here we discovered our AT&T cellphones were almost useless and the prepaid sim card in the Wineguard did not work at all. So yesterday morning I got out the Starlink and began the setup. I just placed the dish on the roof of the motorhome pointing to an open area in the sky. Did not even check which direction it was. The phone app did not seem to be very helpful for which way to point it. I know there are many Starlink satellites up there now so did not get concerned.

Plugged in the RJ45 cable and ran it thru the cab door into the motorhome and plugged in the router and power supply. After a few trail and error sessions finally got it up and running. Was able to get WiFi calling working on the phone and my laptop and television working thru the Starlink. As I type this the connection is thru the Starlink. Life is good!

Just did a speed test and it is 225 Mbps. The dish is still in the same place I put it when I placed it on the roof. Up speed is 28 Mbps with a latency of 27ms.

Yep...... easy peezy.........


It was like Christmas day in Alaska last year when people ordered and got their's during out trip. Lots of happy campers!


FYI..... when setting up the dish just point it towards the north.... then once connected you can go into the ap and rotate if needed for optimum alignment.

I do notice the wider field of view of the Gen 3 dish is more forgiving than my old Gen 2 dish in terms of alignment and obstructions.

 

[Chateau_Nomad]

We're in. Babcock State Park WV. Zero Verizon. Brother in law has T-Mobile... no service. No cell service at all here. Campground has okay WiFi, good enough to make phone calls/text.

Consider it's VERY heavily forested here but the campsite we're in has a decent sky view mostly directly overhead. I Got the Starlink Mini dish out to test yesterday evening. Here's how simple it was:
Sat the dish on the roof of the jeep.
Strung the cord back to the outside outlet on the motorhome and plugged in.
Opened the Starlink app on my phone and logged in.
Within about a minute the app was showing me a real-time graphic of how much to rotate the dish for optimum reception.
DONE! Connected with 124 down, 10 up... which isn't screaming speed, but for being in the middle of nowhere with fairly heavy tree cover - I call that a win!

 

[ducksface]

Spousal unit has internet on extended service while we're boondocking in the flaming gorge area.
I do not have service.
Her galaxy 22 and my 24+ are not working the same. Mine occasionally connects to extended but no internet.
I'm Bluetooth hot-spotting off of her and that's fine.

Perhaps we have slightly different plans within our joint verizon account.
I'll check when we get home.

We downloaded a dozen movies and books onto my phone that hdmi's
even to this sad sounding axxerra tv, the news channels aren't important to us, we don't know a football bat from a hockey ball...so we're doing fine on the 3meg we're getting on extended service.

 

[Judge64]

I just got this notice from Starlink overnight....




Effective immediately, you will have access to the following features with Starlink Roam:

In-Motion Use
International Travel
Coastal Coverage

An updated Terms of Service will go into effect starting 10/10/2024.

Thank you for being a Starlink Roam customer and supporting our efforts to deliver high-speed, low-latency internet across the globe!

The Starlink Team


But then after going to their site, I also noticed they SLIPPED in a price increase.

ROAM is now $165/mo up from $150/mo. However, they are also now allowing ROAM customers to purchase the 50GB for $50/mo MINI Plan that originally started off only for the Mini Dish, which is something I like as an option.


The 50GB plan will be good if we are only planning a couple short trips in a month's. Back in July we did two trips for a total of 6 days and we used 40GB so the 50GB plan will actually save some money in those cases.

We are doing to trip to Sugarloaf Key and Dry Tortugas for 4 days at the end of October so I will go with the 50GB plan if I need to there.

Then in January we are doing Everglades National Park for 4 days so the 50GB option will work great there. I already know there is almost no cell coverage down there.

We have a two week trip planned up the Gulf coast in February so I will probably use the Unlimited plan then.

I also took advantage of a Starlink Promotion this summer where I purchased 3-month of service in advance and got 3 months free back when it was $150/mo of Unlimited so I need to figure out how that is going to work with the pricing changing since I have a $450 credit on my account, which is actually a $900 credit.

Since I have the $900 credit is should be just a credit towards the use on any Plan, which means I could also use it against the 50GB Plan. If that Is the case, then I'm glad I jumped on the promotion back in July because I can get 3 months of 50GB for what I paid for a single month of Unlimited.

 

[Bob Nodine]

Yep...... easy peezy.........


It was like Christmas day in Alaska last year when people ordered and got their's during out trip. Lots of happy campers!


FYI..... when setting up the dish just point it towards the north.... then once connected you can go into the ap and rotate if needed for optimum alignment.

I do notice the wider field of view of the Gen 3 dish is more forgiving than my old Gen 2 dish in terms of alignment and obstructions.

Just checked with a compass and the dish is pointing due South. Next time I will do as you suggest and point it due North if the sky is clear in that direction.

Thanks

 

[Judge64]

Just checked with a compass and the dish is pointing due South. Next time I will do as you suggest and point it due North if the sky is clear in that direction.

Thanks

That will get you the best performance. But as I mentioned the wider field of view from the Gen 3 hardware is a little more forgiving. The High Performance Hardware is even better.... but not for $2500.

The only time you might point towards the south is up in Alaska or northern Canada.



On an somewhat related note...... It was funny watching people with DirectTV trying to use it in Alaska. There satellite dishes were pointing parallel with the ground trying to find a satellite. Of course DirectTV didn't work for them in Alaska as well as SiriusXM didn't work.

But Starlink worked like a champ!


Although at some point I wonder how they are going launch men back to the moon or Mars with the traffic jam that is now in the orbit around the Earth.

 

[dkoldman]

I just got this notice from Starlink overnight....




Effective immediately, you will have access to the following features with Starlink Roam:

In-Motion Use
International Travel
Coastal Coverage

An updated Terms of Service will go into effect starting 10/10/2024.

Thank you for being a Starlink Roam customer and supporting our efforts to deliver high-speed, low-latency internet across the globe!

The Starlink Team


But then after going to their site, I also noticed they SLIPPED in a price increase.

ROAM is now $165/mo up from $150/mo. However, they are also now allowing ROAM customers to purchase the 50GB for $50/mo Plan that originally started off only for the Mini Dish, which is something I like as an option.


The 50GB plan will be good if we are only planning a couple short trips in a month's. Back in July we did two trips for a total of 7 days and I used 40GB so the 50GB plan will actually save some money on those cases.

This could be my T Mobile Mini Me

$50/mo is well within my radar and I might actually read some Starlink literature, but Amazon offer is on the horizon.

But just for fun... given that I have no real need for Satellite Internet based on how I used today. Here is my current path to a Starlink $50/mo plan as of 9/11/24

1. Amazon service not available or net cost cost more than Starlink
2. My real Home Internet (Fiber) with Spectrum that is $40/mo unlimited would have to have substantial increase i.e. $65 or more / month
3. I would setup the Mini Starlink to use at Home
4. I would have T Mobile at Home like it is today
5. I would have the option based on where traveling of carrying the T Mobile Home Internet, or Starlink Mini Service, or both
6. In the next few months, I learn that the T Mobile Home internet does work well with Starlink service and has very poor bandwidth
7. Over time, if the Starlink Mini Services proves to be reliable in the 100% of the areas I have always traveled, and used T Mobile over last 4 years.

To which if all of the above were true I could see leaving T Mobile Home Internet at Home and traveling with Starlink Mini.

Note: I assume the Starlink Mini does not require a dish or pointing of Antenna? If it does, count me out. I don't want to do anything. My T Mobile black box sits on a shelf and never moves even when we use at real Home it is in the RV wherever parked.