Starlink internet

A quick post to review Starlink satellite internet service.

For people in rural areas like mine, Starlink is fantastic!  I can't get any internet access except through a satellite company or AT&T MiFi.  Satellite internet through HughesNet or it's competitors is pretty terrible.  It's expensive, low speed, and unreliable.  AT&T MiFi was the first thing we tried, while waiting for Starlink to become available.  AT&T is truly horrible.  The MiFi speeds I could have lived with, but the MiFi unit itself broke after two weeks, we sent it back it, and AT&T never returned it.  They continued to charge us $120 a month for many months in spite of the fact that we had working service for two weeks, and they had our device in their warranty department for repair.  We still haven't gotten through arbitration to get any of our money back.  In short, f%^k AT&T.  They will never get another penny of my money, EVER, for any reason.  

Back to Starlink.  Setup time for installation of the dish will vary by your situation of course.  For a roof mount and running the cable into the house is a 30 minute job for me.  Install after that takes approximately 30 seconds.  The wireless access point is plugged into a power outlet, the cable from the satellite is plugged into the access point, and you're done.  It found the satellite and connected in less than 3 minutes.

At my last place, I had DSL from my phone company.  My average speeds were 3.5 MBPS.  With Starlink, my average is 101 MBPS.  I could stream video to every device we own with those speeds.  It stayed up, rock solid, through blizzard conditions the first night we had it installed.   We were under weather advisories for high winds and zero visibility conditions.  Heavy blowing snow and 60 mph winds.  Starlink never missed a beat.  I simply couldn't be happier with it.  I would recommend it highly for anyone in rural areas.

How much do they charge and how much data are you allowed?

Do they have different levels?  Such as x amount of data is x a month?

I wouldn't. It's funny this post is here considering all the research we did last week on Starlink. Basically one of my bosses represents rural telephone companies and legislature was trying to say that StarLink would be a good replacement for broadband investment.

Basically Musk doesn't have enough satellites in the air for this and he's not going to get them. NASA actually filed an objection to his plan to launch 30k satellites.



Also, as far as Permie goes this internet couldn't be farther from it. The satellites have a life of 5-7 years. The waste, oh the waste.

Anne Miller wrote:How much do they charge and how much data are you allowed?

Do they have different levels?  Such as x amount of data is x a month?

The equipment is $499 and $99 a month unlimited access.  You own the equipment, so there are no rental fees.

elle sagenev wrote:I wouldn't. It's funny this post is here considering all the research we did last week on Starlink. Basically one of my bosses represents rural telephone companies and legislature was trying to say that StarLink would be a good replacement for broadband investment.

Basically Musk doesn't have enough satellites in the air for this and he's not going to get them. NASA actually filed an objection to his plan to launch 30k satellites.



Also, as far as Permie goes this internet couldn't be farther from it. The satellites have a life of 5-7 years. The waste, oh the waste.

I don't know that I consider any internet "permie".   As far as the NASA issue, that isn't really accurate.  Here is a quote from CNET dated Feb 10th of this year.  CNET Starlink article"NASA did not request SpaceX rescind its application to the FCC to launch the Gen2 constellation, but rather, that it conduct the proper testing (and share the results) to quell any major concerns. SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but we'll keep you updated on the company's response -- and what it could mean for the future of its satellite internet service, Starlink."  NASA didn't file any objection to the plan to launch the satellites, they wrote a letter to the FCC asking Starlink to ensure that they are continuing the proper testing to keep collisions from occurring.

We have no other option for internet, as I said.  So, you would just do without internet?  

Trace Oswald wrote:

elle sagenev wrote:I wouldn't. It's funny this post is here considering all the research we did last week on Starlink. Basically one of my bosses represents rural telephone companies and legislature was trying to say that StarLink would be a good replacement for broadband investment.

Basically Musk doesn't have enough satellites in the air for this and he's not going to get them. NASA actually filed an objection to his plan to launch 30k satellites.



Also, as far as Permie goes this internet couldn't be farther from it. The satellites have a life of 5-7 years. The waste, oh the waste.

I don't know that I consider any internet "permie".  

We have no other option for internet, as I said.  So, you would just do without internet?  

I understand what you are saying and if it was the only choice, I'd get it. However, it's not something people should seek out if they do have another choice as the ability to actually get service is severely limited by the lack of satellites currently in the air. So if you can get it, great, but if you have another option, go there first.

elle sagenev wrote:

Trace Oswald wrote:

elle sagenev wrote:I wouldn't. It's funny this post is here considering all the research we did last week on Starlink. Basically one of my bosses represents rural telephone companies and legislature was trying to say that StarLink would be a good replacement for broadband investment.

Basically Musk doesn't have enough satellites in the air for this and he's not going to get them. NASA actually filed an objection to his plan to launch 30k satellites.



Also, as far as Permie goes this internet couldn't be farther from it. The satellites have a life of 5-7 years. The waste, oh the waste.

I don't know that I consider any internet "permie".  

We have no other option for internet, as I said.  So, you would just do without internet?  

I understand what you are saying and if it was the only choice, I'd get it. However, it's not something people should seek out if they do have another choice as the ability to actually get service is severely limited by the lack of satellites currently in the air. So if you can get it, great, but if you have another option, go there first.

We cross-posted, but I added information about NASA, and the number of satellites.  I don't have any reason to doubt the satellites will be launched, and the current number is more than enough for the number of customers.  New customers are being added as capabilities allow.

Oh Trace! I feel your past pain.  My parents live in a place where the only available internet forever has been satellite, Hughesnet I think. Ugh. Our real estate office was set up on that. and wow was it a slow pain. I lived in the much more rural countryside and had DSL! I'd have to load some things at home just for expedience.

I live in a community now that thankfully has DSL in some areas, but people also use a cellular hotspots. It's not perfect, but the best priced plan I've heard of is one a friend here has through an ATT MVO - Wing. Wing plans  They have a $65 a month 100GB plan that is better than standard satellite, I think.  I saw you didn't like the ATT MiFi, but at least it's an option in many rural areas.  It's amazing the options now.

Kim Goodwin wrote:Oh Trace! I feel your past pain.  My parents live in a place where the only available internet forever has been satellite, Hughesnet I think. Ugh. Our real estate office was set up on that. and wow was it a slow pain. I lived in the much more rural countryside and had DSL! I'd have to load some things at home just for expedience.

I live in a community now that thankfully has DSL in some areas, but people also use a cellular hotspots. It's not perfect, but the best priced plan I've heard of is one a friend here has through an ATT MVO - Wing. Wing plans  They have a $65 a month 100GB plan that is better than standard satellite, I think.  I saw you didn't like the ATT MiFi, but at least it's an option in many rural areas.  It's amazing the options now.

It can be a struggle.  We moved to a very rural area so we can have land and freedom.  Not having internet isn't really an option for me at this point in my life.  I telework occasionally and hope to full-time, so $99 a month for fast, reliable access is a must.

Trace Oswald wrote:

elle sagenev wrote:

Trace Oswald wrote:

elle sagenev wrote:I wouldn't. It's funny this post is here considering all the research we did last week on Starlink. Basically one of my bosses represents rural telephone companies and legislature was trying to say that StarLink would be a good replacement for broadband investment.

Basically Musk doesn't have enough satellites in the air for this and he's not going to get them. NASA actually filed an objection to his plan to launch 30k satellites.



Also, as far as Permie goes this internet couldn't be farther from it. The satellites have a life of 5-7 years. The waste, oh the waste.

I don't know that I consider any internet "permie".  

We have no other option for internet, as I said.  So, you would just do without internet?  

I understand what you are saying and if it was the only choice, I'd get it. However, it's not something people should seek out if they do have another choice as the ability to actually get service is severely limited by the lack of satellites currently in the air. So if you can get it, great, but if you have another option, go there first.

We cross-posted, but I added information about NASA, and the number of satellites.  I don't have any reason to doubt the satellites will be launched, and the current number is more than enough for the number of customers.  New customers are being added as capabilities allow.

Right but basically they can't move their satellites out of the way. They just don't function as well as they were designed. Musk originally said 30k satellites just to reserve the bandwidth. He wasn't really going to put that many satellites up. Then he realized he had to put that many up to even function as he's said it would. Just look at his leaked email, this thing may work out but most likely StarLink is a disaster. We are watching a slow burning dumpster fire. Very likely to go bankrupt and leave ya stranded again.

As a current customer of HughesNet, I can vouch for the fact that it is an absolute joke. I swear, when I get done with it I am going to throw this dish through the window of their corporate offices...

I tried to get in on Starlink when it first came to my area (of space) but it was full up in an hour or two. Now they will take my money but can't tell me when I can actually get service. I was really just waiting for some customer reviews before dropping that amount of money.

Thanks Trace!

elle sagenev wrote:
Right but basically they can't move their satellites out of the way. They just don't function as well as they were designed. Musk originally said 30k satellites just to reserve the bandwidth. He wasn't really going to put that many satellites up. Then he realized he had to put that many up to even function as he's said it would. Just look at his leaked email, this thing may work out but most likely StarLink is a disaster. We are watching a slow burning dumpster fire. Very likely to go bankrupt and leave ya stranded again.

I guess I'm more optimistic than you are.  I can only share my own experience, and the experience of my friend that installed it for his church.  Currently, it's up and running perfectly for the two of us.  I work in a tech field, and some of the people I work with day to day use it and are happy with it as well.  

I'm not sure what you mean by "can't move their satellites out of the way", but I'm very happy with the service to this point.  I'm not trying to talk anyone into getting it, just relaying my experience.  

Dan Fish wrote:As a current customer of HughesNet, I can vouch for the fact that it is an absolute joke. I swear, when I get done with it I am going to throw this dish through the window of their corporate offices...

I tried to get in on Starlink when it first came to my area (of space) but it was full up in an hour or two. Now they will take my money but can't tell me when I can actually get service. I was really just waiting for some customer reviews before dropping that amount of money.

Thanks Trace!

I was on a waiting list for about 8 months, so I know how that goes.  I'm not sure people with ready access to good internet fully understand how hard it is to come up with a solution in very rural areas.  

Sorry. Didn't mean to come off so negatively. Just seeing my whole state go crazy about it and knowing that it's just not feasible for all these people and we're putting all the eggs in this basket and yeah. Sorry. I'm very happy it works for you!

I am in the same boat here at my new place. We currently are using AT&T mifi and barely getting by with it.

The local High Speed internet company said they would run out wires to our area for $10k. So we gave them the $$$ and waited. Then the timeline they gave us was up without any progress. They gave us our money back and said they would be bringing it shortly to the are anyways. Said it would just be a few months. Here we are a year later and still no internet.

So... I have been staring at starlink for a long while now. THANK YOU for the great review!!!

~ Marty

Yeah we had a local company that was going to do it if we got x amount of people that promised to buy it when it was available. Which sounds dumb now that I am typing it. Would you like affordable high speed internet? Hahahahaha.... They I think had a google grant that fell through or something, anyways bottom line is is they have been a year away for like 10 years now...

And yeah Starlink is the only chance I have for getting internet I believe. Tough terrain, not enough people.

Marty Mitchell wrote:I am in the same boat here at my new place. We currently are using AT&T mifi and barely getting by with it.

The local High Speed internet company said they would run out wires to our area for $10k. So we gave them the $$$ and waited. Then the timeline they gave us was up without any progress. They gave us our money back and said they would be bringing it shortly to the are anyways. Said it would just be a few months. Here we are a year later and still no internet.

So... I have been staring at starlink for a long while now. THANK YOU for the great review!!!

~ Marty

We are considering the ATT Rural Internet setup at our place.  What specifically is your "barely getting by with it"  Just curious if it's something we could live with.  We have near line of site to a cell tower and get true 5g on our ATT phones at our place, and believe that we could make the "data cap (base plus overages)" work.  We are signed up for starlink but are concerned as there are reports of slowdowns with more users online,  the cost of the hardware, and the inability to sell it/transfer service to someone else if we don't like it.

It took us 7 months and we had to go to arbitration to get our money back from AT&T.  It still isn't removed from our credit ratings.  

Starlink has been rock-solid and we average 105 Mbps.

Trace Oswald wrote:It took us 7 months and we had to go to arbitration to get our money back from AT&T.  It still isn't removed from our credit ratings.  

Starlink has been rock-solid and we average 105 Mbps.

We just got notified that, after about a year of waiting, we are a go for getting our equipment! Is it terribly difficult to set up? How are their directions for set up? Could it be done by one person because there is no way in hot Hades I'm getting up on the roof with my husband to install it. Too high for me.

Misty May wrote:

Trace Oswald wrote:It took us 7 months and we had to go to arbitration to get our money back from AT&T.  It still isn't removed from our credit ratings.  

Starlink has been rock-solid and we average 105 Mbps.

We just got notified that, after about a year of waiting, we are a go for getting our equipment! Is it terribly difficult to set up? How are their directions for set up? Could it be done by one person because there is no way in hot Hades I'm getting up on the roof with my husband to install it. Too high for me.

There are lots of ways to mount it.  My mount goes on the edge of the garage at it lowest point, so I can reach it from the ground.  The only thing that takes any time is running the cable from where you put the dish, to wherever you want the router inside.  The install couldn't be easier.  You set the dish where you want it, plug one end of the cable into the dish, the other into the router, and you're done.  I did it myself in about 20 minutes.  If I didn't have to drill a new hole from outside my house to the inside, it would have taken about 3 minutes.

Trace Oswald wrote:

Misty May wrote:

Trace Oswald wrote:It took us 7 months and we had to go to arbitration to get our money back from AT&T.  It still isn't removed from our credit ratings.  

Starlink has been rock-solid and we average 105 Mbps.

We just got notified that, after about a year of waiting, we are a go for getting our equipment! Is it terribly difficult to set up? How are their directions for set up? Could it be done by one person because there is no way in hot Hades I'm getting up on the roof with my husband to install it. Too high for me.

There are lots of ways to mount it.  My mount goes on the edge of the garage at it lowest point, so I can reach it from the ground.  The only thing that takes any time is running the cable from where you put the dish, to wherever you want the router inside.  The install couldn't be easier.  You set the dish where you want it, plug one end of the cable into the dish, the other into the router, and you're done.  I did it myself in about 20 minutes.  If I didn't have to drill a new hole from outside my house to the inside, it would have taken about 3 minutes.

Thanks for the info. Hubby ordered our equipment this morning so we should have real internet instead of these hot spots soon.