Anyone actually tried/used Starlink

Markverhyden

Markverhyden

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After I read a piece in the WSJ today about it - https://www.wsj.com/business/teleco...1opu7nys6yg&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink - my interest became piqued.

I've never looked at it as a solution in the past because historically satellite solutions were slow, expensive, and unwieldy. But things have certainly changed with the growth of SpaceX. Currently there's well over 5000 satellites in orbit.

The basic retail sub, while not cheap, is sort of reasonable in price. Monthly fee is $120/month and the hardware is $600. But they claim that downloads are in the range of 20-120mbs. Of course uploads are a lot less, some 5 to 20 mbs. And the pipe will shrink the more you use it. Might be a good option if there's no gaming or much streaming.
 
It's pretty good. It's not cable or Fiber - but it's the next best thing from those, for sure. One of my customers uses it due to their inability to get Verizon or cable service due to a Railroad track nearby (1/2 mile away) - and the need to spend over $20k to get Verizon to his property and a line "under" the railroad tracks. Starlink has been a godsend for them.
 
Markverhyden said:
After I read a piece in the WSJ today about it - https://www.wsj.com/business/teleco...1opu7nys6yg&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink - my interest became piqued.

I've never looked at it as a solution in the past because historically satellite solutions were slow, expensive, and unwieldy. But things have certainly changed with the growth of SpaceX. Currently there's well over 5000 satellites in orbit.

The basic retail sub, while not cheap, is sort of reasonable in price. Monthly fee is $120/month and the hardware is $600. But they claim that downloads are in the range of 20-120mbs. Of course uploads are a lot less, some 5 to 20 mbs. And the pipe will shrink the more you use it. Might be a good option if there's no gaming or much streaming.
Click to expand...

My son-in-law uses Star Link and loves it. He's a full-time RVer and also works 100% online.

Before I shut my business down, I used to use a Verizon hotspot to do my internet when on the road and it worked OK assuming there was a cell tower around (not always the case out in the "boonies").
 
Absolutely incredible option for people in areas where ISP's will not run a dedicated line. I have had multiple clients that have had a 12/1 DSL line or something comparable for years and starlink has been an absolute breath of fresh air for them.

I also have one client who opted for the residential starlink over the business starlink for cost reasons with the understanding that they may need to change to business and they have had almost zero issues. I do occasionally get notified via Unifi that their internet dropped but it usually comes back pretty quickly and the outage usually occurs overnight.

The only problem with the residential version I've seen is that keeping an IP address for even a single day is very unlikely, hence business starlink.
 
My Daughter and Son-In-Law have a 26 thousand acre property in a remote area of NSW and the internet was but a dream.
They signed up for StarLink just recently (AU$160 p/m which includes hardware or AU$120 p/m + AU$600 to purchase the hardware outright.)
So far they are loving it.
 
I have several farmer clients who use it and will not be changing back anytime soon. There choice was between stalink or some other satelitte connection. Dialup years ago was great until it rained. Cellular connection is marginal at best. We have tried all the others and this is differnitely the best
 
Mark, it behaves nothing like the old Hughes or whatever satellite Internet you've experienced. I've been involved in installing it for some clients, four separate installs. Worked with another who already had it. It's a god-send for anyone who can't get anything better than 6 Mbps DSL or 10 Mbps 4G LTE.
 
I have a business customer here in the UK who has it. Cost was around £400 to set up and around £90 per month to run but he gets about 800 / 200. Only issue is the single Ethernet feed. You need an adapter to be able to split it out and then send it as Wifi through the property. The local ISP could only offer him 10/1.
 
I've installed about a half dozen of them on that island 6 miles offshore that I do a lot of work at Some of them in some fairly large "mansions/summer homes"....others in businesses. Have 2x more installs scheduled within the next 2 months.

You can "bridge" the wifi router it comes with, thus disabling its own NAT and internal wifi...so you can use your own router/wifi.
It's not a true public IP you get...but they do have some business packages that do have a true public IP option. So if you'll be doing a few, put the Starlink app on your phone, you log into their wifi router with that app...and work its settings from the app (to bridge it for example)

Yup make sure you have customer order the ethernet dongle so you can connect the WAN port of your own router. Also know there is a longer cable from the wifi router to the "dish" you can order (because the default unit in the box isn't often long enough....you can also purchase them elsewhere....I stocked up on a few to have).

Speeds average around 250-275 down, and around 20 up.
Latency averaging in the high 30's to mid 40's.
 
This is the basic "residential" Starlink dish....on a picnic table...and then our wiring contractor putting it up on the roof...
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Depending on your region...they have a chart that tells you "roughly" what direction to mount the dish...like....north north east, or west south west. You do not "adjust" the dish on its mount. It will "self align" for about a 30 - 45 minute period. Nylon gears and a little motor. So trying to "move" the dish in its mount...will strip 'em. Notice how its angle is different in this pic...than when our guy mounted it.

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The pass through ethernet dongle option.....so you can use your own router behind the Starlink wireless gateway. Basically the unit allows you to plug in single ethernet...and then next to that you plug in the "cable to the dish".
The "stock" cable that comes with the install kit...(2nd pic)...it's a 75' one. Most of the..."summer homes...err....mansions"...we do on this island are...freaking huge sprawling old complexes..compounds. So...to be able to run the cable neatly, hidden, up to the roof, may require quite a bit of runs up from the basement, through walls on first and second floor, into attic, across attic, and out some vent to the roof...out across the roof, so we order up a 150 optional one. The cable plugs into the Starlink wifi gateway....and the dish itself. It provides both power..as well as data. The ends are...about the size of USB-C...yet...still a little bit "D" shaped like the older generation Android phone charging cables..just larger.


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Last edited:
YeOldeStonecat said:
You can "bridge" the wifi router it comes with, thus disabling its own NAT and internal wifi...so you can use your own router/wifi.
It's not a true public IP you get...but they do have some business packages that do have a true public IP option.
Click to expand...
I figured the residential level to be similar to consumer grade/basic cellular connections. You won't get a public IP since they are doing their own traffic management to minimize exit nodes so users will be assigned a IP from the private subnets. Personally I've seen 172's and 10's over the years.

I do know one can get a public IP, even fixed, with a business cellular plan but it costs.
 
Markverhyden said:
I figured the residential level to be similar to consumer grade/basic cellular connections. You won't get a public IP since they are doing their own traffic management to minimize exit nodes so users will be assigned a IP from the private subnets. Personally I've seen 172's and 10's over the years.

I do know one can get a public IP, even fixed, with a business cellular plan but it costs.
Click to expand...
100.113.1xx.1xx address currently....on this install.
 
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