Starlink

[Lou Schneider]

I just renewed my mail forwarding on the USPS website. They have lots of offers as you leave and one of them was a 3 month credit on Starlink home service at your new address. I don't know if it applies to a roaming plan.

 

[Old_Crow]

I was using a Dish Tailgater for TV and I have a Verizon hotspot with the 150 gig plan that I was using for internet. I found after my wife passed I was using the Dish less and less and streaming over the hotspot more and more. I was able to do away with the Dish, reduce my hotspot to 15 gig to use while traveling and add the Starlink unlimited Roam plan for less money overall. In fact, I added the Discovery plus streaming service to what I already had and I'm still $5 a month cheaper than I was before.

 

[UTTransplant]

Starlink is the only way you can get internet in areas without cell service. If you stay in populated areas, especially in the East, that won’t matter to you. If you, like me, prefer staying in remote areas in the West, Starlink is it. Death Valley? Deep canyons? Yes, please, but with Starlink.

 

[Bzerull]

OK, 50 or 165. Question, I guess with starlink I can get all the streaming services. Is there any way to get other TV channels? over the SL?

Cable news? Movie channels?

It will work with whatever streaming service you subscribe to.

 

[rtrainer]

OK, 50 or 165. Question, I guess with starlink I can get all the streaming services. Is there any way to get other TV channels? over the SL?

Cable news? Movie channels?

YouTubeTV, Hulu+TV, Fubu are where you can find "Live" TV channels. Otherwise, the networks all stream their shows.

 

[Route 66 Rambler]

Ok, obviously there are a lot of people who do not know how Starlink works. Everyone should do their research at the Mobile Internet Resource Center Click here
They have in depth articles and videos about Starlink and how to get the most out of your service.
You CAN have a residential plan and use it on the road. You just need to change your "location" in the Starlink app every time you move. If you are using Starlink for your home internet there is absolutely no reason to get a second account and dish for mobile use unless you just want to shell out money for twice the equipment. Residential plans have network priority over Roam plans so if you are in a congested area, those using Roam plans may experience slower speeds than those using the Residential plan.
About the "$5 pause" for the Roam plan, it's not necessary unless you live in a congested area or need low speed internet for cameras or a security system, etc. If you have the Roam plan and don't travel all the time just "cancel" your service and restart it when you travel again, no need to pay $5/month. Takes 2 minutes in the Starlink app or online. "Cancelling" just means you stop service-you are NOT cancelling your account! There is no reactivation fee.
As mentioned a few times above, Starlink only provides INTERNET service. It does NOT provide any streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, YouTube TV, Fubo, Disney+, etc. Those are all stand alone services paid for separately same as in your house. All streaming services will work with Starlink but some that have location specifics like local channels may not show the channels closest to your actual location.

 

[zulutron]

Ok, obviously there are a lot of people who do not know how Starlink works . . .
You CAN have a residential plan and use it on the road. You just need to change your "location" in the Starlink app every time you move.

And you appear to be one of them.

From Starlink Tech Support:

Can I use a Residential plan in an RV and just keep changing locations?

No, the Residential plan is designed for use at a fixed service address and may result in service interruptions or disablement if used while frequently changing locations, such as in an RV.

I suppose you can roll the dice and hope Starlink doesn't notice frequent location changes, but I want consistent, dependable service.

 

[Isaac-1]

As a person with both residential Starlink at home and a mini currently on the $5 per month standby plan, I have to disagree or partly disagree with just about everything Route 66 Rambler said above.

1st off, my 2 big main reasons for having a mini for the RV and residential plan for our sticks and bricks house is 1st off to maintain internet connection at the house while we travel, typically 2-5 weeks at a time. This allows things like security cameras, robot lawn mower, etc. to still function while we are away, secondly I don't want to climb and 18 ft ladder to pull down my Starlink dishy every time I wand to take it somewhere in the RV.

2nd the two BIG advantages of the $5 Standby plan is the unlimited circa 1 mbps data plan, which is plenty fast enough for basic web browsing, VOIP phone calls, and even low resolution streaming, we also have a cell hotspot that we use for internet access while traveling, in fact my wife is using it right now while she is out of town for a couple of days on a work trip, what the $5 per night standby service now gives us is a fast enough to get us through a night or two service if we find ourselves at some campground with no cell signal. In addition to this while it may only take a few minutes to reactivate a Starlink account, one MUST have some cell or data signal to do so, as they use 2 factor authentication and send an access code to your email in order to log into your Starlink account to reactivate the dishy. Again could be a problem when you find yourself somewhere without cell service, or in my case live on the gulf coast in a potential hurricane disaster zone. I much prefer paying $5 per month for standby, than worry about how I will reactivate when the power and cell service is out for 50 miles in all directions.

 

[BizCrate]

So I'm getting the impression here that not everyone is a Starlink user, nor do they have a desire to become one. I see that others are curious but may or may not have all the info needed to make a decision.
Let's keep in mind that the OP had questions for actual users. Also, I can really appreciate all of those who have tried to explain some of the nuances of SL billing and variety of plans - however, it is not a one size fits all uses sort of thing. I can explain why I have it, how I use it and how I'm billed for it but I cannot assume that will match everyone's need. I'm not a techy person so I'll just do my best and do what I can.

To the OP - I bought the Standard dish (some refer to it as Gen 3) and not the Mini. In the Mini the dish and router are built together. The Standard allows the dish to be deployed a distance while keeping the router close to the camper and thereby centralizing the internet signal. Given that I travel widely, I wanted to be able to get the dish out from under trees, if needed, but maximize my signal from the router.

The dish choice and plan choice are 2 different things. One is designed, but not limited, to be paired with another. I started out by choosing the Residential Plan: $165 per month of unlimited data. This was because there was a deal on the dish at the time requiring the Res Plan. I did not know how much data I'd be using anyway since I was accustomed to my unlimited home internet. Everyone's needs are different, of course. I changed my address every time I moved camp, doing the change before I packed up so it would be updated by the time I relocated. I never got any sort of violation notice from SL. I never used more than 100gb of data, even when binging on movies so those first few billing cycles were pricy. As others said, Res Plan is comparatively expensive to home internet plans. It is reliable internet all across the country, though. For those who travel in areas that have no cell signal, it may well be worth it. For others. it is not.

I changed plans to the Roam 50 plan as soon as I was able. This give you 50gb of data and you can get billed $1 per gig for overages. This means that you can use up to 164 gb of data before deciding if you want to switch the plan back to unlimited Residential for $165. The switch is pro-rated, thereby meaning that you do not owe any more to switch. This is what I do and it may or may not fit your purpose.

Lastly, I asked myself the same question about taking the dish with me from home to the road and back again. Yes, you can. Depending on the plan you've chosen, you may or may not need to update your billing address before you do so SL can "find you". I do not do this because my home is monitored over the internet (heating, alarm, door access, etc) so I have to have home internet. My local service is fairly inexpensive so I leave it alone. When I am home, leave my dish with the camper and powered by solar. I put the SL in "standby mode" and this gives me 5gb of data for $5 - good enough for my purpose. It is my understanding that you can have 2 dishes one 1 account but each needs their own plan; which might not be cost effective. I don't do this so I can't really speak to it.

There is a 'StarLink for RVers and other mobile users' group on FaceBook that I joined. Lots of other groups and forums you can follow, too. I would suggest joining one. The knowledge and experience provided is invaluable.
Good Luck in you decision making and hope to see you on the Road!

 

[Mikeylikesit-WO]

But are the third parties available via the starling internet

yes, it's how we get all of our TV services.

 

[DonTom]

100 GB sounds like more than enough, but how much do they charge when going over the 100GB? I will probably just keep mine on the fifty buck a month plan and never even bother with turning it off to save 45 bucks.

Seems this Starlink stuff is a better deal than my Verizon Hotspot, but it too has its advantages so I will keep both.

I have my Starlink Mini outside running portable, on top of the BBQ grill. Using my HFT power station.

I used my compass to set it for 0° magnetic north and then started using it. Very simple, no need for the app. I will just bring it back into the RV when I go hiking.

This is what I am using here to post this message:

-Don- Sacramento Pass, NV (where there is NO cell coverage!)

 

[rtrainer]

Your speed goes down to "low speed" which is not clearly defined but probably no more than 5MB down.

 

[DonTom]

Your speed goes down to "low speed" which is not clearly defined but probably no more than 5MB down.

I doubt if I will notice the difference. But after the 100GB is used, how much more to they charge?

-Don- Sacramento Pass, NV

 

[rtrainer]

Nothing. You will notice if you use it for streaming. More so if you stream and try to do other things at the same time.

 

[BizCrate]

I doubt if I will notice the difference. But after the 100GB is used, how much more to they charge?

-Don- Sacramento Pass, NV

Don - there is no extra charge for overage. Instead you are throttled down. Again, I'm not all that techy but its about the same as if you were in stand-by mode, I think. Low enough that you can't do much other than check emails, maybe make a call.
Most users would just update their plan to Roam or Residential Unlimited for the reminder of the billing cycle and in that case the cost is prorated. Important to remember that if you are stepping up in plan cost then you have the choice to start now or later in the next bill cycle. If you are stepping down in plan cost then your choice is only to start in the next cycle, not immediate.

 

[DonTom]

Don - there is no extra charge for overage. Instead you are throttled down. Again, I'm not all that techy but its about the same as if you were in stand-by mode, I think. Low enough that you can't do much other than check emails, maybe make a call.
Most users would just update their plan to Roam or Residential Unlimited for the reminder of the billing cycle and in that case the cost is prorated. Important to remember that if you are stepping up in plan cost then you have the choice to start now or later in the next bill cycle. If you are stepping down in plan cost then your choice is only to start in the next cycle, not immediate.

Yeah, I recall reading about can only change the plan for the next billing cycle when stepping down. I didn't know about the chouce in stepping up. That is good to know. But it sounds to me like the fifty buck plan is all I will need. I don't need a lot of speed for doing things like this. Anything I need more speed for I can wait until the beginning of the next billing cycle.

And I have my Verizon Hotspot for places where I do have cell service, which In will then always use.

If I were a full-timer, I would then probably want the unlimited plan.

A 50 bucks per month, I will not even bother with the standby mode to save the 45 bucks per month.

-Don- Sac Pass, NV

 

[DonTom]

After setting it up pointing it at 0° magnetic north, I decided to check the alignment on the Starlink app.

It says "Starlink is aligned, your Starlink is pointed in the correct direction" and it shows perfect in the box, with no other adjustments other than with the compass. The compass sure makes it fast and easy to get it perfect.

Now there is nobody else here and I see that the 'hidden network" SSID is part of my own system. What is that about?

-Don- Sac Pass, NV

 

[jymbee]

Now there is nobody else here and I see that the 'hidden network" SSID is part of my own system. What is that about?

-Don- Sac Pass, NV

 

[jymbee]

After setting it up pointing it at 0° magnetic north, I decided to check the alignment on the Starlink app.

It says "Starlink is aligned, your Starlink is pointed in the correct direction" and it shows perfect in the box, with no other adjustments other than with the compass. The compass sure makes it fast and easy to get it perfect.

-Don- Sac Pass, NV

In my searches re. SL alignment I wondered if one was setting up at a location where the direction the app wanted you to point your dish was obstructed by tall trees e.g. and the opposite direction had open sky, what was the best way to align the dish.

I concluded from what I found that one would be better off to ignore what the app wants and instead aim to the direction of the open sky.

Anyway, that's what I've been doing when confronting such a scenario and it's worked well.

 

[DonTom]

I concluded from what I found that one would be better off to ignore what the app wants and instead aim to the direction of the open sky.

Yes, it is always whatever works.

But here it is clear to the north. so I decided on perfect. Easy to do with a portable system at a site with a BBQ to hold it.

-Don- Sac. Pass, NV