SpaceX's Starlink launches $135-a-month internet service for RVs

[MoonShadow_1911]

Hey y'all! I was doing a little research for internet access when we go full time. So we bought Starlink to test out here where we are renting. I'll say that I'm impressed so far. It's held up for VoIP, streaming, video conferencing, and VPN access to my work, all at the same time.

Here is the link to the article about it: Business Insider: SpaceX's Starlink launches $135-a-month internet for RVs. https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-starlink-launches-rv-internet-service-2022-5

 

[Maximus216]

Hey y'all! I was doing a little research for internet access when we go full time. So we bought Starlink to test out here where we are renting. I'll say that I'm impressed so far. It's held up for VoIP, streaming, video conferencing, and VPN access to my work, all at the same time.

Here is the link to the article about it: Business Insider: SpaceX's Starlink launches $135-a-month internet for RVs. https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-starlink-launches-rv-internet-service-2022-5

I like the option to pause service during off season. The regular service doesn't allow you to do that. The starlink availability map is a little confusing due to the color scheme. I'm still using ATT data only plan with an outside antenna, its cheaper than Starlink and my speeds are very good everywhere i've been. Starlink is definitely an option for RVer's in the west. This will only get better over time.

 

[BobinICT]

Yes, this is a heck of an improvement as far as I'm concerned. The pause start is great for non full timers. We've been on the wait list for residential since Feb 2021. I received the email from them yesterday afternoon and by dinner I had it ordered. Had to use a different email address to order and that created a new account. I'm going to keep on the wait list and if and/or when that comes through, I may order that system and then flip it on Ebay for a nice profit. Apparently the internet blew up through the night. People were reporting their site was crashing.

 

[Husker]

The upside to the RV service is that there is no waitlist to get the system. The downside to the RV service is that it is second priority to permanently connected customers.
From the Starlink website, "Network resources are always de-prioritized for Starlink for RVs users compared to other Starlink services, resulting in degraded service and slower speeds in congested areas and during peak hours. Stated speeds and uninterrupted use of the service are not guaranteed. Service degradation will be most extreme in “Waitlist” areas on the Starlink Availability Map during peak hours."

 

[Corky2]

I'm surprised Musk calls 250mb high speed?

 

[Second Chance]

This is being discussed over on the Escapees forums, too - including by several folks who have Starlink already. The fine print on the Starlink web site lists all the restrictions and prioritizing for Starlink RV subscribers. One Hughes Net user said that the Starlink caveats and slow speeds during storms makes his Hughes Net setup look pretty good. With the already-saturated cells (wait listed) and weather interference, it doesn't sound like any better deal for us wanderers than my grandfathered unlimited VZW hotspot plan (for $50/month!). I'm sure things will change down the road (no pun intended).

Rob

 

[MoonShadow_1911]

This is being discussed over on the Escapees forums, too - including by several folks who have Starlink already. The fine print on the Starlink web site lists all the restrictions and prioritizing for Starlink RV subscribers. One Hughes Net user said that the Starlink caveats and slow speeds during storms makes his Hughes Net setup look pretty good. With the already-saturated cells (wait listed) and weather interference, it doesn't sound like any better deal for us wanderers than my grandfathered unlimited VZW hotspot plan (for $50/month!). I'm sure things will change down the road (no pun intended).

Rob

Unfortunately, I don't have an unlimited grandfathered cell data plan. [emoji3525]

 

[xxn5ac]

I had just ordered Starlink a couple of weeks ago and received it as they were announcing the RV service. I've not used Starlink extensively, but in my deprioritized backyard I'm getting 75-100Mb down and that seems pretty good. My backyard is not my registered address so it should be deprioritized.

 

[thegreenblade]

I get 82 Mbps with 1 bar on att 5g, with 4 lines of 50gb hot spot each. Doesn’t seem feasible to do anything else.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Jerryr]

My vacation cabin recently had Starlink available. About the same T-Mobile opened the area to 5G cellular internet. We got the at-Mobile service and for $40/mo after Autopay and Senior discount were getting 230Mbps down and 25 Mbps upload. No contract required.

We took the T-Mobile box with us when camping and got similar speeds. Not all areas get 5G.

 

[trailrydr]

We have the "grandfathered" Verizon Unlimited Plan and got 5 bars (boosted) of 5G (enhanced 4G basically) this past week with my cell hotspot RV system from a 2 bar 4G signal.

I use this same system at our lake house and which is surrounded by hills and is on the cusp of a 4G area, which it gets consistent 4 bar (boosted) on a 1 bar signal.

Both, using a directional Yagi, are good enough to get a VPN service for work and streaming at the same time. Neither are effected by rain fade, and only effected by capacity usage at the tower/network only.

Given all the new cell tower and market driven enhanced capacity improvements, wont be switching over to any orbital related service any time soon.

 

[jjbbrewer]

So, I got my Starlink RV the other day and I just planted the antenna in my backyard amidst a bunch of houses and trees.



I plugged it in and after 20 or so minutes, this is what I was seeing. I'm in a waitlisted cell, so I might be getting deprioritized.



My main purpose for this, though, will be boondocking in some pretty remote regions, so I'm looking forward to trying it there.

 

[xxn5ac]

If you're camping somewhere that cellular is available, especially 5G, you're likely to have good speeds. My issue is that I often camp in the middle of nowhere and there's not a cell tower that will get me a signal. For what I'm trying to do (work remotely at least part of the time while camping), I'll need regular service so Starlink gets me that. For most folks, anything over 100Mbps is just bragging rights and everything from 10-100Mbps is really just faster downloads when you need to download a big file / install software. Netflix, for example, says 5Mbps will get you 1080P content and 15Mbps will get you streaming 4K content.

 

[jjbbrewer]

Here are some preliminary power numbers that I'm seeing at home using a 110V in-line wattmeter

Idle (no traffic) - 45w
Speedtest on 1 phone - 50-60w
Streaming youtube 4k on 2 devices - 60w spiking to 85w

This is all with the snow melting feature turned off.

I'll see if I can force the antenna to re-aim and watch the power when that's happening.

 

[JM0397]

Unfortunately, I don't have an unlimited grandfathered cell data plan. [emoji3525]

Checkout https://www.visible.com/
I'm testing a phone now and will move cell to them shortly. They are a subsidiary of Verizon, so all Verizon towers & reliability, but without the data caps.
The one downside is, for now, you can only use the phone hotspot, no MiFi devices are available yet, so this limits speeds a bit.
You can only connect one device per phone, but no sweat to just get a small router or use the Winegard for this.
I spoke with customer service a few months ago and they swear no data caps until into the 200+ range.

 

[MoonShadow_1911]

Checkout https://www.visible.com/
I'm testing a phone now and will move cell to them shortly. They are a subsidiary of Verizon, so all Verizon towers & reliability, but without the data caps.
The one downside is, for now, you can only use the phone hotspot, no MiFi devices are available yet, so this limits speeds a bit.
You can only connect one device per phone, but no sweat to just get a small router or use the Winegard for this.
I spoke with customer service a few months ago and they swear no data caps until into the 200+ range.

I need the internet for work. Visible is great (I was piloting them to see if it would work), however, there were a few places that we went that Visible didn't have a solid signal, T-Mobile was poor as well, but AT&T was solid. I cannot afford to have 3 different hotspots and unlimited data on all three to cover every instance. We were looking at Nomad Internet since they now offer AT&T as an option, then I saw the article on Starlink RV; that settled it for me.

As a network engineer in a previous life, I understand and can live with deprioritization, as long as I have been 3 and 5 mbps down. I can at least access my servers via RDP through the VPN.

I do have a Verizon hotspot with a 200 Gb cap and a 10 Gb T-Mobile hotspot that we will keep active just in case. The Verizon one is from an MVNO and costs me $55.00, the T-Mobile one doesn't cost me anything.

 

[xxn5ac]

Here are some preliminary power numbers that I'm seeing at home using a 110V in-line wattmeter

Idle (no traffic) - 45w
Speedtest on 1 phone - 50-60w
Streaming youtube 4k on 2 devices - 60w spiking to 85w

This is all with the snow melting feature turned off.

I'll see if I can force the antenna to re-aim and watch the power when that's happening.

I actually powered mine up on solar and saw about 85W on power-up (as I recall) and then down to 45ish idle. After that I think I never saw more than about 60W. So similar numbers to what you’re reporting.

 

[kingbird]

This is being discussed over on the Escapees forums, too - including by several folks who have Starlink already. The fine print on the Starlink web site lists all the restrictions and prioritizing for Starlink RV subscribers. One Hughes Net user said that the Starlink caveats and slow speeds during storms makes his Hughes Net setup look pretty good. With the already-saturated cells (wait listed) and weather interference, it doesn't sound like any better deal for us wanderers than my grandfathered unlimited VZW hotspot plan (for $50/month!). I'm sure things will change down the road (no pun intended).

Rob

LOL....and I thought I was the only one that still had the VZN unlimited hotspot plan.

 

[jjbbrewer]

Latency comparison (wirelessly connected in my house)

Starlink RV


Xfinity cable

 

[jjbbrewer]

I actually powered mine up on solar and saw about 85W on power-up (as I recall) and then down to 45ish idle. After that I think I never saw more than about 60W. So similar numbers to what you’re reporting.

I kind of repeated your experiment today by taking my system over to where my 349M is stored. I saw almost exactly the same. When powering up, 88w, then down to 45-60w depending (I think) on traffic.

I'm pretty sure I moved to another "waitlist" cell (my home cell is waitlisted). Acquisition was stupid simple, just power it up and wait 7 minutes. I had the antenna sitting on my truck's tailgate. I have the Winegard Air 360+ with the GW-1000 gateway & it all hooked up to the Starlink modem just like any other WiFi.

I realize this solution isn't cheap, but after struggling with Verizon's pathetic 4G LTE throttling, I'm really looking forward to having full bandwidth anywhere I go.