Star Link

[justme]

Star Link is rolling out for Beta testing and is available in the Northern States and Southern Canada. I less than a year it will be mostly available anywhere in the world. Is anyone beta testing it? Looks like a real game-changer. Fast, available anywhere, and relatively inexpensive. I am able to beta test it where I live and seeking any input before I buy the setup.

[LouLawrence]

Right, that's why I compared it to DSL. You can't get DSL in a mobile platform either.

[Thermoguy]

LouLawrence wrote:
If you have SLOW DSL service, Starlink would be an improvement. If you think that the Starlink service is too slow then your DSL service is faster than many DSL users suffer through. As always, this is an RV forum and we are all most interested in what its mobile capabilities will be. There is NO DSL available in Yellowstone Park but having Starlink service available there would be a real game changer!

Yes, but for now, Starlink is not for mobile units, only stationary like a home.

[LouLawrence]

If you have SLOW DSL service, Starlink would be an improvement. If you think that the Starlink service is too slow then your DSL service is faster than many DSL users suffer through. As always, this is an RV forum and we are all most interested in what its mobile capabilities will be. There is NO DSL available in Yellowstone Park but having Starlink service available there would be a real game changer!

[Thermoguy]

I received a notice that I could sign up for the beta test. I looked at the program and promised speeds. Slower than my DSL, which is slow in my opinion, and the up front hardware costs were very high. Along with the satisfaction not guaranteed and expect outages, I opted not to sign up. If I had not other option, maybe I would go with it, but I have a slow DSL service.

[justme]

LouLawrence wrote:
Compared to having no service at all in those wonderful remote places, $99 will be cheap!

Compare to Verizon and other cell service, I would save a lot and is faster and not throttled down. To me it would be a fantastic service when it is fully deployed.

[LouLawrence]

Compared to having no service at all in those wonderful remote places, $99 will be cheap!

[Geeze]

justme wrote:
Star Link is rolling out for Beta testing and is available in the Northern States and Southern Canada. I less than a year it will be mostly available anywhere in the world. Is anyone beta testing it? Looks like a real game-changer. Fast, available anywhere, and relatively inexpensive. I am able to beta test it where I live and seeking any input before I buy the setup.

If I'm not mistaken I believe service will cost $99.00 per month. That's a little pricey for me.

[TechWriter]

Just received my Starlink beta test kit!

[Merrykalia]

This school referenced above is in the Appalachian Mountains in Wise County Virginia. If you look at a map, we are in the little triangle on the western end of Virginia.

We are actually classified as living in the "south", below the Mason Dixon line.

If you want to look up the school system, google Wise County Virginia schools.

[TechWriter]

Bill.Satellite wrote:
These must be folks in the very Northern US or Canada as that's about all the coverage that is currently available.

Currently, Starlink beta testers are located between longitudes 36.9 and 54.8 degrees. For example, I'm located near Merced, CA at 37 degrees.

[Bill_Satellite]

These must be folks in the very Northern US or Canada as that's about all the coverage that is currently available. More satellites were launched yesterday (or the day before) so there are about 10% of the necessary satellites for full coverage available and about 30% of the satellites necessary for full US coverage. Beta testers are getting pretty good pricing at $99/month plus the up front hardware costs. I am hopeful for the future but it's still the future for most of us.

[Merrykalia]

As I stated above, a local school system is testing for Starlink and this is from the tech director.

"We have installed the service in 45 homes to serve students in Wise County. I will say with confidence that if you have been relying on HughesNet then you will be blown away. SpaceX continues to launch satellites to make it even better and to support more connections, but our families have seen download speeds of 60mbps to 150 Mbps. The satellite receiver will face to the Northern sky, opposite of your current dish, and the installation app helps you place it to avoid obstructions that could interfere with service. While there are moments of disconnect (not ideal for gaming), more satellites are being launched monthly to reduce that. Hope this helps.

Note: it was not used to replace existing service providers as we targeted families without availability to broadband. "

[justme]

judging from the stepped-up advertising for Hughes Net and cellular services, they are worried about Star Link as worthy competition. It promises to be a real game-changer unless the Government screws it up. The special interest groups are active.

[8_1_Van]

thomasmnile wrote:
FromCNBC

Looks like Elon's on it RV'ers.