Starlink

[CID]

As many of you know, I'm retired and travel in my small class C towing the Talon, the southwestern desert being my passion. There can be a lot of down time on a trip, how many hours can you ride in a day, continuously, day after day? So I needed a filler and the internet is my choice but 'out there' signal is weak at best and, frequently, there's no signal at all. I'm also 'frugal' so my cell plan is limited, even if there's signal, movies and utoob are off the table.

So, I put on my big boy pants and ordered a Starlink to fill in the down time. It got here yesterday, I got it set up with remarkably little mental anguish (an anomaly in itself) and tested the connection, it worked. The only possible way that could have happened is if someone broke the space time continuum.

While researching the thing, I learned that you can power it with a 20v DeWalt battery, so I bought the necessary stuff so I wouldn't have to run the power cable if I just wanted a quick set up, which I used to set it up. Note that tool batteries don't have low voltage cut off protection, that's handled by the tool itself - if you run a battery down, you could kill it, so don't do that.

This is all there is ... for internet, anywhere on Earth. I'll use the provided 50' power cord plugged into the RV at camp.

This plug is called a 5521 (5.5mm OD, 2.1mm ID) and is readily available. It's the same plug Starlink uses on both ends of their 50' cable. The quick, lever flip butt connector comes with the battery adapter (google DeWalt Battery Accessories).

This guy shows a simple add-on low voltage cut off -

 

[Admin]

 

[906UP]

Cool set up! We have had Starlink for a couple years now and it works awesome! Our only other choice UP here is Hughesnet or dsl thru the phone co.

 

[TxDoc]

Thank you for sharing this.

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[Remington]

Nice. Weve had StarLink for 3 yrs. We have no other internet but a crappy DSL and satellite thats a rape.
Wife needed something for work, the other stuff was dropping zooms with her cancer patients. Sisne we got the StarLink I have t got the middle of the day call from the wife😁
Its just the cost that sucks

 

[CID]

Nice. Weve had StarLink for 3 yrs. We have no other internet but a crappy DSL and satellite thats a rape.
Wife needed something for work, the other stuff was dropping zooms with her cancer patients. Sisne we got the StarLink I have t got the middle of the day call from the wife😁
Its just the cost that sucks

Being a tech dinosaur, I was surprised (dumbfounded) that I could use the Starlink for voice over internet - IOW, I can use my cell phone anywhere on the planet to make calls. That's some kewl sh!t for this #oleguy -

I'll give it a try as soon as I'm out of signal. The SPOT brings my Sister a lot of comfort, she knows that if my pings are moving, I ain't dead. The Starlink will be even better.

 

[CID]

Cool set up! We have had Starlink for a couple years now and it works awesome! Our only other choice UP here is Hughesnet or dsl thru the phone co.

Did you opt for unlimited at $120 (residential) or the 50 gig ($50) like I did (because I'm only using it for my trips)?

 

[Remington]

Did you opt for unlimited at $120 (residential) or the 50 gig ($50) like I did (because I'm only using it for my trips)?

I know the question wasnt for me, for the record we have the $120 for her job we cant do the $50

 

[906UP]

Did you opt for unlimited at $120 (residential) or the 50 gig ($50) like I did (because I'm only using it for my trips)?

We're on the unlimited plan, it was $90/mo for the 1st year....year & half, we got a notice that we were in an "under served area" so Elon was dropping the price. It just went up to the $120 a few months ago.

I don't think it's a bad price, Hughnet is more expensive and doesn't work for schit, heck even the dsl from the local phone co is more than that because they require you to have a phone line, long distance, etc.....it would be around $200/mo.

 

[CID]

I know the question wasnt for me, for the record we have the $120 for her job we cant do the $50

Thanks, Remi - It's curious that residential can get unlimited service for $120 but it's $165 for the Mini + Roam plan (recently raised from $150).

I don't have any idea how much data I'll use but Starlink has an opt-in option where I can be on the 50 gig for $50 plan and then pay $1 a gig for going over. That means I can use 150 gig for $150 as my break-even point to the unlimited plan. I'll be curious to see how that plays out. My spring and fall trips are unlikely to be more than 6 months, total, for a year. I'll keep my land line DSL because it's much less expensive and I use a lot of data at home for streaming movies and utoob.

 

[someguy1313]

interesting stuff

 

[DRZRon1]

Thanks, Remi - It's curious that residential can get unlimited service for $120 but it's $165 for the Mini + Roam plan (recently raised from $150).

I don't have any idea how much data I'll use but Starlink has an opt-in option where I can be on the 50 gig for $50 plan and then pay $1 a gig for going over. That means I can use 150 gig for $150 as my break-even point to the unlimited plan. I'll be curious to see how that plays out. My spring and fall trips are unlikely to be more than 6 months, total, for a year. I'll keep my land line DSL because it's much less expensive and I use a lot of data at home for streaming movies and utoob.

good stuff - I have a cabin out in centra PA we run dishtv\generator - but no internet and go up the mountain for a phone call out - lol - and thats $100/month.....but I can suspend the account for the 6 months in summer we don't use it (rattlesnakes\small dogs don't mix)........

interesting.......

 

[CID]

good stuff - I have a cabin out in centra PA we run dishtv\generator - but no internet and go up the mountain for a phone call out - lol - and thats $100/month.....but I can suspend the account for the 6 months in summer we don't use it (rattlesnakes\small dogs don't mix)........

interesting.......

Starlink lets you suspend the account any time you want. When you suspend it, you will be billed for the entire billing cycle, but when you restart it, your bill will be prorated, you'll only pay for the remainder of that cycle.

 

[DRZRon1]

Starlink lets you suspend the account any time you want. When you suspend it, you will be billed for the entire billing cycle, but when you restart it, your bill will be prorated, you'll only pay for the remainder of that cycle.

even better - good info - I am pretty sure I will pull trigger, and get the receiver up on the roof - lots of trees to clear

dumb dumb question - since there is zero internet signal where my cabin is at, I am smart enough to preload the app, at that point, since the system is not yet set up - did the wifi on your phone work immediately when you got a signal and linked up?

 

[CID]

even better - good info - I am pretty sure I will pull trigger, and get the receiver up on the roof - lots of trees to clear

dumb dumb question - since there is zero internet signal where my cabin is at, I am smart enough to preload the app, at that point, since the system is not yet set up - did the wifi on your phone work immediately when you got a signal and linked up?View attachment 444869

There are no dumb questions, if there were, I'd have a lock on the market. I've had bad luck with anything even remotely technical for forever.

I just watched a video on that very question at 6:30 (video below), he was in Alaska, even more remote than yourself. The Starlink software is self-aware enough to know that it's in the set-up process and connects itself to enough of the internet to finish completing the set-up even before you've given it any information.

It talked me through setting up my iPad (didn't use my phone) without too much drama. Once you name the dish + password, your phone will see it in the wifi/bluetooth settings. You do the normal Join Network with your new password.

I'm thinking that you'll want the dish on the south end of the ridge because it wants to face north, that will give it the best shot of seeing over the trees. The foot on the base tips it up about 20*, so I guess that's what you'll shoot for.

The app is fairly user friendly, I rarely miss a chance to miss something important but if I slowed down and read every word on the screen, I'd find something that gave me direction. Sometimes, that something would be above where I am on the page, IOW I had to look back up on the page (not hitting the Back button).

One confusion that I'm still having - I can log in to my account through the app, including making changes but I can't log in from my desktop, using the same information. I'm not even sure those two 'accounts' are the same one or not.

 

[DRZRon1]

There are no dumb questions, if there were, I'd have a lock on the market. I've had bad luck with anything even remotely technical for forever.

I just watched a video on that very question at 6:30 (video below), he was in Alaska, even more remote than yourself. The Starlink software is self-aware enough to know that it's in the set-up process and connects itself to enough of the internet to finish completing the set-up even before you've given it any information.

It talked me through setting up my iPad (didn't use my phone) without too much drama. Once you name the dish + password, your phone will see it in the wifi/bluetooth settings. You do the normal Join Network with your new password.

I'm thinking that you'll want the dish on the south end of the ridge because it wants to face north, that will give it the best shot of seeing over the trees. The foot on the base tips it up about 20*, so I guess that's what you'll shoot for.

The app is fairly user friendly, I rarely miss a chance to miss something important but if I slowed down and read every word on the screen, I'd find something that gave me direction. Sometimes, that something would be above where I am on the page, IOW I had to look back up on the page (not hitting the Back button).

One confusion that I'm still having - I can log in to my account through the app, including making changes but I can't log in from my desktop, using the same information. I'm not even sure those two 'accounts' are the same one or not.

thanks a bunch - that helps - good to know it wants to point north - I am thinking of screwing 3 - 10' sections of IMC conduit together - I see they make a base adapter - stand the contraption up against the cabin wall, get it plumb and use some 1 hole straps to secure it and then if I need to rotate it - should be pretty easy - as long as I clear the trees...

ill head up there in a couple of weeks and get my rangefinder out and get a tree top height to roof height and not make an engineering project out of it, just need a "it'll work/not work in my brain"

 

[DRZRon1]

could be a win win, boo-boo likes to hang on the dish satellite every now and then 😂. Dish tv loves to bring a new one out 😛.

 

[thatguy2]

We love starlink. I just need to do a bridge or something to get better service in my shop. It's unfortunate I can't make my mesh nodes talk to each other.

 

[TxDoc]

could be a win win, boo-boo likes to hang on the dish satellite every now and then . Dish tv loves to bring a new one out .

View attachment 444883

I'd love to see the Dish guy telling him No No

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[someguy1313]

so ... i'm simple and low tech...
looks like you can turn the SL on and off as needed? and, what tech is needed to allow text capability.
Don't need much call cabability, but some internet and text is great.

 

[trigger]

We love starlink. I just need to do a bridge or something to get better service in my shop. It's unfortunate I can't make my mesh nodes talk to each other.

IDK how any of this sh!t works honestly but I needed wifi in the garage. My garage power is fed from the house so I was advised to get one of these. Plug one into an outlet nearest the house panel and the other nearest to the garage panel. I've had it for a few yrs now and it works great.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/netgear-powerline-ac1000-wi-fi-access-point-and-adapter-white/4760605.p?skuId=4760605&utm_source=feed&ref=212&loc=19621921639&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwo8S3BhDeARIsAFRmkOMMbYAho_8gq1cjP8wATsb-qIx71YK6foPIbPUn8Fbol8dRY9UsTjsaAqYAEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds