Upcoming satellite service for broadband, mobile, low-latency communications (1 Viewer)

[BloggerL]

For those who don't know, low Earth orbit satellite systems offer the possibility for low-latency broadband communications anywhere off the grid. Elon Musks's SpaceX, which gets a lot of press, is one such system that's in the works, but the company doesn't seem to have released information about any plans for mobile service. However, Kymeta has a service that is currently available (at very high cost).

But Kymeta is now promising a new system for Q4 of this year. They've got a new flat panel, lightweight, fixed-position dish, the U8, that can easily mount horizontally to roof racks (among many other things). And they're going to be offering a service similar to that of other communications providers: ie, you pay a monthly bill for equipment and bandwidth. They're talking about a $999 starting rate (Kymeta Connect - Redefining Broadband Connectivity), which is obviously much higher than cell service but extremely low based on what's previously been available for broadband, low-latetency satellite service in vehicles. My guess is we'll see prices drop over the new few years considerably as well.

Not everyone will be interested in this, of course. But for anyone going off the grid who needs to maintain broadband-speed communications with low enough latency to do things like video conferencing, this could be revolutionary!

Just wanted to share, since not many people have heard of this system yet. Hopefully the company will deliver what they promise...

 

[NDizzle]

I recently fled California and landed in rural Arkansas. I'm using a 4g LTE connection from unlimitedville which runs $200/mo. So far it's been pretty good. It's not gigabit, but it's 40-60 mbit down, 10-40 mbit up. I'm able to work exactly as I was before, but instead of downloading at 35 MB/s I download at 4.5 MB/s. This only works if you're near a (good) rural cell tower, of course. Another option for those who go out, but not super far out.

 

[Sandroad]

Might want to ask the mods to put this thread in the Communications and Navigation section of Mud since it applies to all vehicles and not just 200s?

 

[SharpeCat]

I recently fled California and landed in rural Arkansas. I'm using a 4g LTE connection from unlimitedville which runs $200/mo. So far it's been pretty good. It's not gigabit, but it's 40-60 mbit down, 10-40 mbit up. I'm able to work exactly as I was before, but instead of downloading at 35 MB/s I download at 4.5 MB/s. This only works if you're near a (good) rural cell tower, of course. Another option for those who go out, but not super far out.

View attachment 2386366

Sorry for getting off topic.

I spent a lot of time looking into this, and I think they essentially take normal cell plans with limited hotspot, then set them up in the Mofi Router to bypass the throttling limits via the TTL method. They ship it preconfigured to bypass throttle and market it as “unlimited hotspot plan”. When you choose a plan it lets you choose the device, and every site that sells “truly unlimited” seems to use the Mofi 4500 Sim4 for the TTL throttle bypass.

I am doing the same but paying 40 per month instead using a Visible SIM card (Verizon towers) and bought my own Mofi Router. ($300), rather than rent it from UnlimitedIRL/UnlimitedVille as a combo package; much cheaper long term this way. Also, with visible you get unlimited hotspot so no need to even use the TTL feature, just plug it into your Mofi and good to go.

If you want it exactly like how you have it now, just find out what plan is on your SIM card that’s currently in your router, what settings router is set to, and buy that plan directly and then get your own Mofi and plug in same settings (if red call Verizon, blue call att and pink is t mobile); it will be just the monthly cost of the plan and one time cost of 300 for the router, rather than 200 every month to rent and have them preconfigure the router for you; that service is what’s costing ya and with a little reverse engineering you can see exactly what they did in Mofi Settings.

Hope that helps and if you need help lemme know!

 

[NDizzle]

@Dangcat thank you so much. I think you just saved me thousands of dollars.

 

[SharpeCat]

@Dangcat thank you so much. I think you just saved me thousands of dollars.

It’s my pleasure brother, and please reach out if you need help with setting anything up. There are ways to increase your speed as well for cheap, by using speedify (10 per month or less) to either bond several connections of same signal (ie you connect to same hotspot with Ethernet and WiFi, then merge signal of 2), or to bond different signals together (ie Verizon plus ATT).

Sorry for being off topic again @OP, but @NDizzle if you ever need faster speeds with your current setup then I’d suggest getting cheap USB WiFi adapters for 5-10 bucks each on amazon, then connect to your WiFi Hotspot multiple times, then use speedify to bond the multiple connections back into 1 stronger connection. This is how I am able to sustain a live stream at 720/1080p for hours at a time, with just 1 visible plan for 40 bucks.

 

[wapitimud]

Captain obvious here, checking in.

why would one NEED megabits of connectivity while offroading, when you might only need voice and a little bit of text?

It seems to me that over the last few years, people have needed more and more services in order to enjoy Youtube cat videos more and more remotely.

people are getting weak technically.

It's like taking your TV tent camping. Other then watching a moon landing, why would you do that?

Isn't there more value in using remote communications that are simpler, and that perhaps you had a role in building or repairing?

my 2c.

 

[BloggerL]

Captain obvious here, checking in.

why would one NEED megabits of connectivity while offroading, when you might only need voice and a little bit of text?

It seems to me that over the last few years, people have needed more and more services in order to enjoy Youtube cat videos more and more remotely.

people are getting weak technically.

It's like taking your TV tent camping. Other then watching a moon landing, why would you do that?

Isn't there more value in using remote communications that are simpler, and that perhaps you had a role in building or repairing?

my 2c.

In my case for work. Video calls with other team members and uploading/downloading 6K video files.

 

[wapitimud]

Used to be a time when guys took time off without work... long ago it seems.

 

[1911]

Not everyone will be interested in this, of course. But for anyone going off the grid who needs to maintain broadband-speed communications with low enough latency to do things like video conferencing, this could be revolutionary!

Just wanted to share, since not many people have heard of this system yet. Hopefully the company will deliver what they promise...

Can't come soon enough for me. I live out in the country, 10 miles from any town and my only current internet option is HughesNet satellite which sucks donkey dicks.

 

[wapitimud]

Call me old school, but mechanics and radio electronics are best performed by yourself. Rather than calling a garage during a breakdown, you can get some tools out.

Rather than operating an internet terminal, one can gain their license and deploy amateur transciever and mobile antennas, both of which can be self-built, installed and maintained. This is for non-business communication.

It does take some skill and effort though. This seems like a bit of a shortcut here for most mobile or field users

To me, the principles of self reliance in mechanicing and electronics are quite the same. Kind of like the US spacepen. Millions of dollars spent to develop a pen to write in space. The Russians decided that a pencil would do the job just as well.

 

[shnitz]

Call me old school, but mechanics and radio electronics are best performed by yourself. Rather than calling a garage during a breakdown, you can get some tools out.

Rather than operating an internet terminal, one can gain their license and deploy amateur transciever and mobile antennas, both of which can be self-built, installed and maintained. This is for non-business communication.

It does take some skill and effort though. This seems like a bit of a shortcut here for most mobile or field users

To me, the principles of self reliance in mechanicing and electronics are quite the same. Kind of like the US spacepen. Millions of dollars spent to develop a pen to write in space. The Russians decided that a pencil would do the job just as well.

There is no comparison between static-y voice communication and internet. You might as well throw out the engine and transmission in your rig for a trusty pair of donkeys to pull your Land Cruiser down the trail.

As far as the space pen, the Russians did NOT decide that a pencil would do the job just as well. Fisher randomly decided that there was a problem that needed solving, so he went and developed the pen independently of any government. He did this because while a pencil works in space, sending out graphite and wood shavings into your enclosed environment is dangerous. Russia, just like the US, ended up buying up a bunch of pens.

 

[wapitimud]

Like anything else, there's two types of people. Those that hold wrenches, and those that visit a mechanic to have them do the work. By plugging in a box because you couldn't possibly do noisy communications, you're doing yourself a disservice in quite the same way.

There's makers, and takers in this world, everyone decides for themselves where they fit. Lotsa folks wait outside in line in the rain for the next iPhone. I don't think most of them could put a worm on a hook.

 

[Elbert]

you don't need a lear jet to fly from here to there, but you might get there faster. You may or may not need the various internet bandwidth services, but if you do or if you want...then thats fine. Some peoples jobs are aligned with internet connectivity and that just the way it is, to function in that environment you require a certain level of bandwidth. Hard to be a mechanic without tools, hard to function in a job that requires internet connectivity with a crap connection, hard to build a spreadsheet without a computer... whats the down side of better internet? You cannot function in modern work environment (if internet is required) on a dial up connection or some other crappy bandwidth package. Be great if starlink actually is a viable alternative, notably for rural customers, who have been undeserved with broadband access. Its great if internet is not on your radar, but for many its part of life like having a phone or having a computer...its part of the modern house hold and serves many purposes. For many like myself my job revolves around having dependable internet 24/7, do I carry this off-road or want to have this offroad (no)...I have no plans to work from my FJ60, but if for some reason I had to or could, it might be very nice to have a connection that worked no matter where I was physically in North America, so when or if I chose to work really remote I could without consideration as to my physical location and of course the key would be that it had sufficient bandwidth to be functional and usable in the real world.

This very board / forum would not be functional without a reasonable bandwidth connection.

Yes there are some people who can't turn off work when they should, they are some people who seem to think they can't live without their cell phone, Of course of the older people recall when there were no cell phones, there was no internet , there was no voice mail, either someone answered the rotary phone in person or it did not get answered. Some may recall the days before common hand held calculators...

What if I wanted to live in remote Canada for a few months, but I had to work....maybe the starlink system would allow such a novel approach. I get my work done and then I also enjoy my location too.

 

[Elbert]

I get faster internet tethered to my cell phone using it as a hotspot vs my uverse connection at home. Uverse where I live is about 31 down and 5 up (no ability to upgrade from ATT), only other option is the local cable tv provider whom I despise and of which has a real problem with dependable service on internet. With the cell phone as the hotspot I get around 40 down and 15 or something up. FYI

Depending on starlink's access and fielding/deployment / capacity, it may be a deal breaker for some of these other service providers whom are sitting stagnate, of course pending bandwidth and operational access...etc.

 

[WTRT321]

In my case for work. Video calls with other team members and uploading/downloading 6K video files.

I am in the same boat. I feel like as soon as I identify a good, fast, reliable source. I’ll be hitting the trails constantly, without ever worrying about taking time off. Just pull over and work for a bit.

 

[Elbert]

I went off on a tangent somewhat in my previous comments, who knows if starlink will offer any type of voice service to go along with their internet service they plan to offer soon. Unless prices came down to be competitive with cell service I don't really see much demand for that (voice), for the average person. I generally turn my cell phone off when I leave on a trip (off-roading), when I hit the gravel or dirt... I do think that if better forms of voice/data services become avaliable it may offer many people more freedom/flexibility to do things remote, pending bandwidth and price.

 

[rick312]

Used to be a time when guys took time off without work... long ago it seems.

I work from home, I can take meetings anywhere and I don't need to be in front of my computer from 9-5. Why not go out in the wilderness on a Wed and take a meeting or two and then enjoy mother nature in between.

 

[nodor]

Like anything else, there's two types of people. Those that hold wrenches, and those that visit a mechanic to have them do the work. By plugging in a box because you couldn't possibly do noisy communications, you're doing yourself a disservice in quite the same way.

There's makers, and takers in this world, everyone decides for themselves where they fit. Lotsa folks wait outside in line in the rain for the next iPhone. I don't think most of them could put a worm on a hook.

Theres also the type of people that do both and are 100% capable of wrenching and absolutely enjoy doing so, but their work keeps them busy enough and their time is too valuable that it makes more sense to have someone else do it sometimes. Don't get me wrong, I get the reasoning behind doing something yourself to understand it more completely, but for some people those things would never get done because they simply do not have time. Not because they aren't capable.

And who cares if someone wants to wait in line for an iPhone and if they can put a worm on a hook. That and what you are insinuating has absolutely nothing to do with this thread.

Anyways, for those that care, recent news suggest SpaceX has plans for mobile starlink connectivity. Link below.

SpaceX moves to beam Starlink internet into trucks, boats, and aircraft

Pending FCC approval, SpaceX’s Starlink internet is expanding beyond homes for the road, sea, and air.

www.theverge.com

 

[BloggerL]

@nodor Thank you for sharing this news! A bit of a surprise from SpaceX. Lots of people expected it but not this soon. I would expect the costs to be much lower than those of Kymeta. Maybe we'll see a product next year.