Is Starlink worth it?

Discussion in 'Tech Talk' started by Life With Beth And Court, Aug 14, 2022.

?

Is Starlink worth it?

  1. Totally - it's a gamechanger!

    33.3%
  2. Jury's still out

    55.6%
  3. No, it's more hype than it's worth

    11.1%
  1. Life With Beth And Court

    Life With Beth And Court
    Expand Collapse
    Member

    Joined:
    Aug 15, 2020
    Messages:
    4
    Likes Received:
    9
    Calling all internet nerds ✋

    Wondering who has Starlink and what the experience has been like so far? We've seen lots of other RV accounts online say it's great, but then at campgrounds, we've also seen some wild Starlink satellite positioning we've seen a lot of them 50 feet+ from the rig itself or up on a ladder on top of a crate with a cinderblock holding it all down?

    We both work full-time and need STRONG internet. I'm on Zoom 5-6 hours a day (blecgh), and we also upload and download lots of content every day as content creators. Aside from work, we stream our workouts, meditations, entertainment, download books, etc.

    Bottom line - strong, reliable internet is a must for us.

    Right now, we use RV IT Guy on the T-Mobile SIM card. It worked great out East, but the Western half has not proven to be great. Our AT&T phones save us more often than not, tethering with unlimited data. We also have Verizon internet through our truck.

    Strongly considering Starlink though and just wanted to hear what ya'll think. Thanks!
     
  2. NYDutch

    NYDutch
    Expand Collapse
    Member

    Joined:
    Jul 31, 2009
    Messages:
    1,166
    Likes Received:
    725
    The Starlink user terminal needs a fairy large clear patch of sky to give you reliable service, but unlike the stationary (geosynchronous orbit) satellite Internet services, Starlink is relatively direction insensitive and doesn't require precise aiming. Whether Starlink's reliability, speeds, and ease of setup are worth the initial and monthly costs is something that each of us would have to determine for our own situations. I don't recall what the maximum cable limit is for Starlink, but I've laid out as much as 300 feet of coax for our portable satellite TV dish to get clear signals.
     
  3. weighit

    weighit
    Expand Collapse
    Member

    Joined:
    Aug 31, 2006
    Messages:
    203
    Likes Received:
    169
    I bought it for when we travel so we could stop using the phones as the internet, and for sure to stop trying to use the poorly set up rv park wifi. So far we only set it up at the house to give it a month trial. it is extremely fast, much faster than the internet cable we have at the house. It does seem expensive as compared to the cable, but we wanted it for one reason, that is good internet on the road. We travel for 4 -5 months at a time then go home. Have not yet set up in a rv park but expect i will find the open sky i need by moving the dish, as i bought a few various means of mounting to the motorhome if need be.. I used to own a Hughes Interent dish we set up years ago when we fulltimed and that worked very well as long as i could get a site that gave me the view i needed.
     
  4. Life With Beth And Court

    Life With Beth And Court
    Expand Collapse
    Member

    Joined:
    Aug 15, 2020
    Messages:
    4
    Likes Received:
    9
    Update here: we ended up purchasing Starlink and have been using it for the past 3 days. So far, the upload speeds are much better than the T-Mobile and AT&T signals where we are right now (which seems to be pretty far from civilization).

    The 3 speed tests below with stars are Starlink (creative, I know). So definitely a stronger signal than we were getting. As far as using it - we can use all of our apps (social media, workouts, music, podcasts, entertainment, etc.) without any buffering or pauses. It's been wonderful

    The monthly cost ($135/mo) isn't much different than what we're paying now ($99/mo for hotspot, $27/mo for truck internet).

    The initial cost is steep, yes - but for us, my employer reimburses $500/year in tech costs so I'll get most of it back come January. I know that's not typical, but with so many working from home these days, might be worth asking an employer to pay for part of it ‍♀️

    Anyway, just wanted to give an update for anybody else who finds this thread looking for the same answer of whether it's worth it or not I'll try to remember to update in a month as well so we know it's not just a honeymoon phase.
     

    Attached Files:

    netdtek, MKMD, Jenn9596 and 3 others like this.
  5. samrothstein

    samrothstein
    Expand Collapse
    Member

    Joined:
    Dec 7, 2021
    Messages:
    3
    Likes Received:
    2
    Has anyone ever used Starlink business for their RV park? We have had a nightmare trying to get our wifi right at our park
     
  6. MKMD

    MKMD
    Expand Collapse
    Member

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2023
    Messages:
    1
    Likes Received:
    1
    Thanks for the update! Agree Starlink is working better than our cable internet ever did at home. Hitting the road full time in June and hoping for the same as we travel.
     
    mdcamping likes this.
  7. weighit

    weighit
    Expand Collapse
    Member

    Joined:
    Aug 31, 2006
    Messages:
    203
    Likes Received:
    169
    Since we have been here in a rv park in Apache Junction, Az we have talked with at least 6 different couples that are working from home, I mean RV and are having a terrible time getting strong wifi strength with the phones. They are asking us about how easy to get on line, ease of use, costs and is it worth it? We are very pleased to say it has been wonderful, well worth the expense for us and would strongly recommend this system for those needing their own system. Life with Beth & Cort thanks for giving your report.
     
    mdcamping likes this.

Share This Page