Starlink internet

[LRB255]

Hi all

Looking at going down the satellite route for internet for our caravan. Have tried dongles, own phone hotspot and none very good. BT, nightmare

Does anyone have positive, negative experiences or alternatives. I see you can rent/purchase the equipment, also noticed some can be bought 2nd hand (is this advisable)

Any advice, help, would be most appreciated

Tommy

[Meesterbond]

We live out in the sticks and have limited options for decent speed internet. We've been with BT for a few years getting about 12Mbps download speed which is barely workable.
Had Starlink installed last week and currently getting 100Mbps plus download speed with a ping around 40-80ms. Perfectly adequate to game on and much more acceptable to stream movies etc with.

We bought it new and the dish and router arrived in less than a week. The router has no ethernet port on it though, so if you need to hardwire anything into it (ours in plumbed into a separate router which feeds the WAPs and Control4 gubbins) you need the separate ethernet box.
It seems to take about 10/15 mins to boot up and find the satellites before you can use it and it gets more stable over the following 12 hours. It does also (obviously) need a good view of the sky - the app has a tool that tells you how obstructed it might be.

So far it's been faultless... not the cheapest but given full fibre is years away here there aren't a whole lot of alternatives. The Roam option also looks like allows you to pause the service and restart it when needed.

[LRB255]

Thanks Meesterbond, very helpful indeed. Similar situation to yourself, BT could offer 8Mbps (max & not guaranteed)

Looking at what I've spent to date and failed miserably so far, this could be the answer, albeit as you say guys not cheap

Also thanks kultschar for you PM and advice/experience (I've tried to reply but for some reason it won't let me send a message)


Thanks all
Tommy

[kultschar]

Thanks Meesterbond, very helpful indeed. Similar situation to yourself, BT could offer 8Mbps (max & not guaranteed)

Looking at what I've spent to date and failed miserably so far, this could be the answer, albeit as you say guys not cheap

Also thanks kultschar for you PM and advice/experience (I've tried to reply but for some reason it won't let me send a message)


Thanks all
Tommy

Sorry my mailbox was full and just emptied!!

[Maysie]

I am not sure if your caravan is static or if it moves around, but if you can get a decent 4G/5G signal where it is located, that may also be an option for you. There is a thread on here with lots of info.

It definitely helps to use an external aerial for your signal, so don't write it off if you have unsuccessfully tried your phone hotspot inside.
Our home has been running very successfully with 4G broadband only for years. We both work from home, all cloud storage, stream movies/TV etc.

[LRB255]

I am not sure if your caravan is static or if it moves around, but if you can get a decent 4G/5G signal where it is located, that may also be an option for you. There is a thread on here with lots of info.

It definitely helps to use an external aerial for your signal, so don't write it off if you have unsuccessfully tried your phone hotspot inside.
Our home has been running very successfully with 4G broadband only for years. We both work from home, all cloud storage, stream movies/TV etc.

Hi Maysie

Thanks for responding. Should have been a bit clearer, we have tried an aerial/sim setup which didn't live up to expectations, the speed ended up not much better than the phone signal. It was professionally fitted with supposedly the best network sim. BT have also been a mare, promising and not for-filling, sadly too many departments dealing with a service you are looking for and not speaking to each other. We have static caravan, sounds like Starlink is the way forward albeit at a premium rate

[gunner]

What are the approx. costs for Starlink?

[wileeeeeey]

What are the approx. costs for Starlink?

STARLINK FOR HOMES
Reliable high-speed internet, wherever you live.
£75/mo, with a hardware cost of £449.

ROAM WITH STARLINK
Work and play at remote locations.
Starting at £85/mo with a hardware cost of £449.

STARLINK FOR BOATS
High-speed internet on the water.
Starting at £206/mo with a hardware cost of £2,470.

[Meesterbond]

What are the approx. costs for Starlink?

For a domestic install it's £449 for the dish and router and £75 a month for unlimited data.

[MB2]

For a domestic install it's £449 for the dish and router and £75 a month for unlimited data.

I have also been considering starlink road was dug up for fibre last summer, but still no sign of when service might start.

[LRB255]

Thanks for all the comments guys, really helpful. I think you can also get a free months trial (according to their website) so possible option to consider

[jaytip]

How often do you use your caravan?
I would be loath to pay that money each month for something that may only be used a couple of days a month.


Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app

[jwillans]

Thanks for all the comments guys, really helpful. I think you can also get a free months trial (according to their website) so possible option to consider

You still need to buy the hardware in my understanding. With a £500 outlay you need to be reasonably confident that it will work for you.

- - - Updated - - -

Thanks for all the comments guys, really helpful. I think you can also get a free months trial (according to their website) so possible option to consider

You still need to buy the hardware in my understanding. With a £500 outlay you need to be reasonably confident that it will work for you.

[kultschar]

You can pause the subscription eg use a month and pause.

No contract lock ins etc.

[LRB255]

You can pause the subscription eg use a month and pause.

No contract lock ins etc.

That sounds very convenient. We are hoping to semi retire next year so hopefully lots of caravan time

The aerial/sim setup we tried wasn't cheap (£400 initial setup) and turned out to be a compete waste

[hilly10]

Celebrity Cruise Ships use Starlink Internet on all their ships.

[LRB255]

Just an update: purchased the residential package and got it up and running this week at the caravan and must say its a revelation. Super fast (anywhere between 100/200 mbps pending where in the caravan you are). So easy from installation to working, just need to get a bracket/pole and mount the dish out of the way then re-route cable under the caravan now we know its staying

Yes, it was expensive to initial purchase and £75 p/m but it ticks a lot of boxes and will now get us good 4k streaming and all the trimmings :) (it initially offers a month trial, so there was nothing to lose)

A question for the tech savvy, we have another caravan next door and want the kids to be able to utilise wifi. There is no signal, caravan is 15m away from Starlink router. Do I run a hard wired cable to caravan from router or will some sort of wireless router be enough to feed the caravan. I did also buy the ethernet extender which gives me 1 device to attach to Starlink (linked it to tv)

Thanks in advance

[PickleB]

Just an update: purchased the residential package and got it up and running this week at the caravan and must say its a revelation. Super fast (anywhere between 100/200 mbps pending where in the caravan you are). So easy from installation to working, just need to get a bracket/pole and mount the dish out of the way then re-route cable under the caravan now we know its staying

Yes, it was expensive to initial purchase and £75 p/m but it ticks a lot of boxes and will now get us good 4k streaming and all the trimmings :) (it initially offers a month trial, so there was nothing to lose)

...

Did you keep it...and are you affected by the latest price hike?

[LRB255]

Did you keep it...and are you affected by the latest price hike?

Hi there

Yes have kept it. It’s been faultless working wind rain and shine, so can’t knock it. We have 2 caravans side by side and it feeds both. Some times there’ll be 12/13 gadgets feeding of it and still getting good speeds

Price hike, haven’t heard that one, £75 is more than enough, off to check that one out 😞 am hoping when Amazon kicks in with their packages, competition might lower tariffs but not holding my breath

[PickleB]

Hi there

Yes have kept it. It’s been faultless working wind rain and shine, so can’t knock it. We have 2 caravans side by side and it feeds both. Some times there’ll be 12/13 gadgets feeding of it and still getting good speeds

Price hike, haven’t heard that one, £75 is more than enough, off to check that one out  am hoping when Amazon kicks in with their packages, competition might lower tariffs but not holding my breath

The main change affects their global roaming package, but I've seen reports from some countries complaining of an increase.

[LRB255]

The main change affects their global roaming package, but I've seen reports from some countries complaining of an increase.

Can’t see anything to suggest but for sure a rise will come sooner or later

[PickleB]

Starlink’s Shocking Price Hike Sparks Reddit Reaction:

...Starlink hasn’t yet stated the reason behind the increase, why it was so high, or if other price increases are to come. The provider attributes “limited capacity” to a recent $30 rate increase on its Standard plan in select areas, but I doubt that’s the case with the Mobile Global plan.

Pricing on other roaming plans seems to be stable for now, and network capacity can vary when moving from one location to another -- as one would with a roaming connection.

It’s possible Starlink is eliminating the Mobile Global plan. The same service, but with 50GB of priority data, is available for $250 a month, $150 less than the new Mobile Global rate...

As you can imagine Starlink is very much an option for blue water cruising. It was a thread on a sailing forum (and this post) that alerted me to the possible issue.

[paw3001]

That is US based I believe and nothing to do with UK residential prices. Starlink, do have different prices in different territories and is based on capacity and market share

There has been no announcement or communication from Starlink regarding any UK price rise to date.

[Kingstepper]

You can pause the subscription eg use a month and pause.

No contract lock ins etc.

Sounds convenient but the devil is in the detail, if like some mobile roaming add-ons. E.g. use for a week over end one month/start of next month and pay for 2 months use.

[LRB255]

That is US based I believe and nothing to do with UK residential prices. Starlink, do have different prices in different territories and is based on capacity and market share

There has been no announcement or communication from Starlink regarding any UK price rise to date.

That's a relief and encouraging to hear, thanks

[kultschar]

That is US based I believe and nothing to do with UK residential prices. Starlink, do have different prices in different territories and is based on capacity and market share

There has been no announcement or communication from Starlink regarding any UK price rise to date.

Its the Global Roamng Option that has increased (from £200 to £380). Believe as many people using it in countries that the system is not allowed by their Governments.

[IdiotAbroad]

I'm just about to order the standard kit from John Lewis, I think this is the roam? or is that the data package? We run events in remote areas and the lack of signal is a problem this seems to solve. I plan to power it from a (very) large Anker power bank

Question is: the new kit looks different on the Starlink site, compared to John Lewis (currently half price at £225).
Does anybody know if there's much difference?

[kultschar]

Gen II dishes come with the stand / pole and currently on sale to phase out : Gen III dishes you kind of just plonk flat and has a better router with Ethernet

The different subscription packages (eg Home / Roaming / Global Roaming) are selected when you sign up (all use same dish)

[LRB255]

Gen II dishes come with the stand / pole and currently on sale to phase out : Gen III dishes you kind of just plonk flat and has a better router with Ethernet

The different subscription packages (eg Home / Roaming / Global Roaming) are selected when you sign up (all use same dish)

A link which explains the 2 dishes and spot on what Paul says

https://mybroadband.co.za/news/broad...grade.html/amp

Ours is the gen 11, been faultless to date and it’s in a pretty hostile environment, fingers crossed it stays that way :)