A couple of months ago I wrote a post on our cellular internet options, where I mentioned that we recently got Starlink satellite as an additional option.
Starlink is a satellite-based service from SpaceX, that uses thousands of small satellites in a low Earth orbit to blanket most of the globe. Older satellite systems use geostationary satellites, that orbit at the same rate as the planet rotation to stay in the same relative position in the sky all the time, which requires that they are further out, resulting in higher latency, i.e. slower response times. By using lots of satellites orbiting much lower down, Starlink can be much more responsive.
We don’t use Starlink all the time, but in some situations it is the best option, e.g. when we are in an area with no or limited cell coverage. For example, at a recent park we had no T-Mobile or AT&T coverage, only Verizon — but we have limited data available via that network. So we set up the Starlink dish for unlimited data.
The speed can vary widely, anything from 1 to 120 Mbps down, and 1 to 20 Mbps up, with ping times of about 30 to 120 ms, which is comparable to cellular connections. Not bad for a sky connection.
We got residential Starlink, with portability to let us access the network while roaming around. Starlink now offers a RV-specific plan, though it isn’t any better a plan; actually it’s worse, as the data rate can be more limited.
Here’s our unboxing:
The dish and stand:
Below that, the router and cable:
The dish set up in our coach; the marks on it suggest that it was refurbished, something that I gather was fairly common:
I put the Starlink router on the edge of a basement compartment, below a power outlet; the cord goes out the bottom of the door:
The rectangular Starlink dish; in typical SpaceX and Elon Musk fashion, it is named “Dishy McFlatface”:
When setting it up in a breezy environment, I secure it to the ground using long screws and washer-like discs (that came from stakes; screws are easier to deal with than hammering in stakes):
I also got the Starlink Ethernet adapter, though don’t currently use it, since routing an Ethernet cable is extra hassle; I just connect to the Starlink router’s Wi-Fi via the Pepwave modem; perhaps not quite as fast, but convenient:
(One day I want to figure out a way to permanently route an Ethernet cable from the basement to the internet cupboard, but I haven’t thought of anything satisfactory yet.)
When positioning the Starlink dish, its app has a handy tool to check the visibility; you can point the phone camera at the sky to get a visualization and report of obstructions, to help find the best spot:
I initially stored the dish in the original box, but a better solution was suggested in the Starlink for RVers and other mobile users group on Facebook: a Husky 12-gallon container is a perfect size to fit the dish along with the packaging material, simply by cutting off the bottom part of the packaging, like so:
The dish and stand then fits in nicely:
And the cable on top (and some people put the router there too, but I keep it in my basement compartment):
The closed container:
I keep the Starlink container in a basement compartment, safely stored until next needed:
Starlink is a great option when there isn’t cellular service.
