Starlink satelite internet for WFN setup (1 Viewer)

[llewdis]

I have a job that allows me flexibility in where I work from and I have been considering outfitting w/starlink internet for backcountry internet access to do remote meetings. I know that sounds (probably) absolutely stupid to most people, but I figure if I can use it to get out on the trails a day or two earlier for longer weekends with the family and do my meetings with the most beautiful office in the world, then it makes sense. Has anyone else considered this option? I am in the process of setting up my dual battery system w/solar and starlink has a portable dish that can be setup wherever as long as you have line of sight to the sky. I am sorely tempted to try this out and see if I can make it a workable solution for getting out on the trails more often or even middle of the week.

Starlink Internet

Let the flaming begin....

 

[alia176]

Just bumping this thread to get some thoughts!

 

[sogafarm]

How much does the system cost? How much is the monthly?

 

[alia176]

How much does the system cost? How much is the monthly?

 

[Bisonthecruiser]

Currently planning on doing what you are. Put a deposit down six month ago. $600 in hardware and a $110/month internet will force me into the backcountry for a few weeks on end, so makes perfect sense to me.

 

[sogafarm]

Thanks for posting this. I'll have to wait till prices come down. I'm currently on Dish internet at $70/mo. It's not lightning but it gets the job done. It's all my Commodore 64 can handle!

View attachment 3000257

 

[alia176]

Thanks for posting this. I'll have to wait till prices come down. I'm currently on Dish internet at $70/mo. It's not lightning but it gets the job done. It's all my Commodore 64 can handle!

My post mentioned that the prices have gone up since the introductory days, not coming down! Hence my question if it's worth putting down a deposit for a possible 2023 install.

 

[87warrior]

I've been a Starlink user for just over 1 year. My home is in BFE with no cell coverage for LTE service. All I can say is I have no clue how I lived with HughesNet for 7 years prior to Starlink. Starlink has been phenomenal and worth every penny. Speeds have averaged around 130mpbs down with latency around 45ms. In contrast, Hughes average down was 1mbps with 900ms latency. The service works during weather, clouds and will only occasionally lose connection during the most severe Midwest thunderstorms. Since I am in a cellular dead zone, I now use Starlink to make WiFi calls with my cell phone. It works so well I might cancel the land line... yes, I still have a land line for emergencies.

I mounted the dish to the roof of my house so I am not using it for remote backcountry internet access <-- I go the the backcountry to get away from connectivity anyhow.

 

[NicksFJ40]

We are coming up on a year with Starlink, we love it, the monthly price went up $10 ($110 a month). Works great. For the first month or two it used to drop and then quickly come back up, but it hasn’t done that since our initial start up. Ours is also mounted to the house so I can’t chime in on back country mobile use. My buddy just installed his and is dish is rectangular, not sure if it’s just a design change or receives a better signal.

 

[TonyP]

I'm on Starlink here in Italy. I get 300mbps on clear sky days. Today is rainy and overcast and I'm still in the mid 100s. Uploading isn't very quick for obvious reasons. About a 100x difference from the garbage internet TIM provided.

Keep in mind you're supposedly region locked and aren't supposed to move your dish but Starlink just started a "portability" service where you can move around your region. That said, I've heard of people using them on RVs without issue. Just hearsay though.

 

[eTeam]

How much does the system cost? How much is the monthly?

I’ve had Starlink for about a year now. Best move we could have made. It’s quite reliable, even if the weather sucks it only slows a bit.

Monthly bill is $110 now (in USA) and equipment is close to $600 initially but for where I live, where it’s either satellite or 90’s era 5mbps DSL, it’s the best. I like old land cruisers but my internet has to be up to speed.

 

[alia176]

I’ve had Starlink for about a year now. Best move we could have made. It’s quite reliable, even if the weather sucks it only slows a bit.

Monthly bill is $110 now (in USA) and equipment is close to $600 initially but for where I live, where it’s either satellite or 90’s era 5mbps DSL, it’s the best. I like old land cruisers but my internet has to be up to speed.

You NAILED it man, 90's era 5mbps DSL and I drive a 90's era 80 series. I agree, my internet need not to suck. I think I'll put down the deposit and wait 'till 2023. In the meantime, something else might pop up, who knows.

Thank you gents for the feedback.

 

[alia176]

I'm on Starlink here in Italy. I get 300mbps on clear sky days. Today is rainy and overcast and I'm still in the mid 100s. Uploading isn't very quick for obvious reasons. About a 100x difference from the garbage internet TIM provided.

Keep in mind you're supposedly region locked and aren't supposed to move your dish but Starlink just started a "portability" service where you can move around your region. That said, I've heard of people using them on RVs without issue. Just hearsay though.

Tony,

What is your monthly fee and initial cost converted to US$? Just curious.

 

[TonyP]

Tony,

What is your monthly fee and initial cost converted to US$? Just curious.

Same as above.
A little less with the euro to USD conversion.

$105 (€99)/month
$589 (€559) for the dish/router kit.

Edit: Just ran this while streaming a 4K YouTube video. Again, it's overcast and raining which brings the numbers down a bit so this is worst case. There was a large storm here a while ago and it was about the same as this:

 

[alia176]

Jeebus, those are crazy #s on a cloudy day . How fast is fiber these days?

 

[TonyP]

Jeebus, those are crazy #s on a cloudy day . How fast is fiber these days?

The fastest I got with whatever halfass fiber TIM provided was 10mbps.

 

[tlaporte]

 

[African]

Iv been testing it out for a while now. It works great when it works but outages are constant! Price has changed as mentioned $99/month to $110/month and now an extra $25 on top of that to have it “portable” ie roaming.

If your sending emails and streaming buffering services it will work well. If your work requires voip or video conferencing (zoom meetings etc) then don’t expect to keep a job working remote. As outages are constantly dropping the connection and if what you do requires no packet loss or can’t handle constant latency spikes it’s rough!
I need to do some testing on power consumption for real numbers there.

Setup is plug and play, for the most part other then needing a giant hole in the wall if you go that route.
Need to buy another adapter from them if you need an Ethernet connection or want to put in your own router and just bridge the Starlink router.

Its a new option for overlanding and so far better then the other options other then the first choice which is to disconnect altogether.

 

[TonyP]

Iv been testing it out for a while now. It works great when it works but outages are constant! Price has changed as mentioned $99/month to $110/month and now an extra $25 on top of that to have it “portable” ie roaming.

If your sending emails and streaming buffering services it will work well. If your work requires voip or video conferencing (zoom meetings etc) then don’t expect to keep a job working remote. As outages are constantly dropping the connection and if what you do requires no packet loss or can’t handle constant latency spikes it’s rough!
I need to do some testing on power consumption for real numbers there.

Setup is plug and play, for the most part other then needing a giant hole in the wall if you go that route.
Need to buy another adapter from them if you need an Ethernet connection or want to put in your own router and just bridge the Starlink router.

Its a new option for overlanding and so far better then the other options other then the first choice which is to disconnect altogether.

Must be your location. Over the 9 months I've had Starlink running 24/7, I've only had two or three outages. They only lasted 15-20 minutes. I stream 4k daily without issue and play the occasional competitive video game and have no problems with packet loss or high ping.

SpaceX is launching new satellites constantly so it'll only get better. Something like 650 satellites in 2022 alone.

List of Starlink launches - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[87warrior]

Iv been testing it out for a while now. It works great when it works but outages are constant! Price has changed as mentioned $99/month to $110/month and now an extra $25 on top of that to have it “portable” ie roaming.

If your sending emails and streaming buffering services it will work well. If your work requires voip or video conferencing (zoom meetings etc) then don’t expect to keep a job working remote. As outages are constantly dropping the connection and if what you do requires no packet loss or can’t handle constant latency spikes it’s rough!
I need to do some testing on power consumption for real numbers there.

Setup is plug and play, for the most part other then needing a giant hole in the wall if you go that route.
Need to buy another adapter from them if you need an Ethernet connection or want to put in your own router and just bridge the Starlink router.

Its a new option for overlanding and so far better then the other options other then the first choice which is to disconnect altogether.

Wow your experience with Starlink has NOT been my experience over the past year. I am able to carry on 1+ hour voip conversations (cell phone using wifi calling since I have no cellular service at home) and have had many 2 hour zoom meetings/telehealth visits with hardly a glitch.

Where is your dish situated? It sounds like you might have an obstruction since you have consistent outages. I assume our latitudes are very similar since you are in Colorado, so we should have a similar experience with Starlink.

The only outages I have are when a severe Midwest thunderstorm decides to sit over the house. Luckily the Starlink quickly recovers if it does go down.

I did drill one 3/4" hole in the soffit of my house to feed the dish cable inside, not quite like drilling a 4" hole in your cruisers fender for a snorkel.