Starlink for Overlanding Build & Mods

[Jim SoG]

Dang big jump from the original $99.......

That is going to piss off a bunch of people who already Travel with it.....

But for at home cheaper than some net providers at the $110 rate.

Jim

 

[Firemom]

Looks like @Jim SoG may have been prescient.....this just showed up :

View attachment 229528

So, now it's $135/mo for the way I envision using it, at least most of the year.

Yep just got that email from Starlink. Will be interesting to see if this changes our service. I’m thinking the only thing this will change is not getting slower service out of your “service address area” but again as we don’t go to busy places that shouldn’t an issue. Time and real world testing will tell

 

[Firemom]

Found this on the Starlink web site. We will continue to use without adding “portability” and see what happens.

What is Starlink's Portability Feature and Policy?

For an additional monthly fee, the Portability feature enables users to temporarily move their Starlink to new locations in order to receive service anywhere within the same continent Starlink provides active coverage. To see active coverage areas, please view the Starlink Availability Map. Portable users are served best effort and can expect lower service levels than fixed users, particularly in areas marked as "Waitlist" on the Availability Map.

Add Portability on Your Account:

If you are an active customer, you can enable Portability from your account page and it will take effect immediately.

If you have multiple Starlinks, Portability must be selected and purchased for each location.

When you enable Portability, you are charged on your next monthly invoice. Portability is charged in full monthly increments and cannot be pro-rated. The Portability feature and billing charges will be ongoing until you decide to disable it. Once you disable Portability, the recurring charge will stop after your next monthly invoice and Portability will only remain active for the remainder of the current billing cycle. For example, if you enable Portability on March 12th and your next billing date is on April 1st, you will be charged $25 on April 1st for the full previous month.

Limitations:

Best Effort Service: Portability service is provided on a best effort basis. Stated speeds and uninterrupted use of services are not guaranteed. Starlink prioritizes network resources for users at their registered service address. When you bring your Starlink to a new location, this prioritization may result in degraded service, particularly at times of peak usage or network congestion.

International Travel: Starlink can only be used within the same continent as the registered Service Address. If you use Starlink in a foreign country for more than two months, you will be required to move your registered service address to your new location or purchase an additional Starlink to maintain service.

No In-Motion Use: We do not support Starlink use in motion at this time. Using the Starlink Kit in motion will void the limited warranty of your Kit. While our teams are actively working to make it possible to use Starlink on moving vehicles (e.g., automobiles, RVs, boats), Starlink is not yet configured to be safely used in this way.

 

[Alanymarce]

What is Starlink's Portability Feature and Policy?

...

International Travel: Starlink can only be used within the same continent as the registered Service Address. If you use Starlink in a foreign country for more than two months, you will be required to move your registered service address to your new location or purchase an additional Starlink to maintain service.

So, based on our trips around South America (17 border crossings in 11 months) and Africa (12 border crossings in 10 months) this is still a long way from helpful... : (

 

[ProtonDecay]

Quick update on build - networking bits to allow me to hack into the cable showing up today. Heading over to local hardware store to get some bailing wire and duct tape. Quick comparison below of "roaming = true" a few days ago vs. "roaming = false" now. Like others, I'll play around a bit to see what we can make work, with the "only $25 for the rest of this billing cycle" as a backup option. Condolences to the multi-continent travelers for now - hopefully this gets resolved to satisfaction shortly.

 

[ProtonDecay]

Well, I said I would post mistakes, so here's the first (hopefully save someone else the bother):



That right there is a shattered piece of safety glass. Yiikes! I thought everyone was using Gorilla Glass or some such on things like this (or heck, why glass at all?) It still works just fine:



So, new rule - don't fumble finger the router over a hard surface!

I have a ticket into support to see about a replacement. Until then I've taped over to keep the glass from wandering off. Should have more pics by EOD.

 

[ProtonDecay]

Here are some "rough cut assembly" pics of the build for my truck. Pieces are pretty much all HD, aluminum lengths, 5/16ths tee bolts.



Dishy wasn't happy about being tied down flat, but still produced decent performance.

Remaining steps:

1) Disassemble, sand/grind smooth, prime & paint, reassemble with weatherstripping to pad the dish a bit.
2) Rework the networking cable to route into truck cab and quick disconnect so can move off of truck as needed.
3) Round up some "security nuts" to keep honest people honest - I had no idea these things are going for more than double on Ebay - yiikes!

More pics once I get those things done.

 

[ProtonDecay]

Well, I said I would post mistakes, so here's the first (hopefully save someone else the bother):

View attachment 229701

That right there is a shattered piece of safety glass. Yiikes! I thought everyone was using Gorilla Glass or some such on things like this (or heck, why glass at all?) It still works just fine:

View attachment 229702

So, new rule - don't fumble finger the router over a hard surface!

I have a ticket into support to see about a replacement. Until then I've taped over to keep the glass from wandering off. Should have more pics by EOD.

Great service from Starlink!

COMMENT FROM Victoria Hello Derek, Thank you for reaching out! We';re sorry to hear your router arrived with some damage. We went ahead and created an order for a replacement router to be sent out to you as soon as possible. We've updated your order to the highest priority possible to get this out to you. You are free to keep or dispose of the router at your discretion! You will receive an email with all of your tracking information as soon as your order ships. We hope this helps! Should we be able to assist further, please reach out in a new support ticket!

 

[leeloo]

Some interesting thoughts on Starlink and its implications. Things will change very quickly.

Thread by @TrentTelenko on Thread Reader App

@TrentTelenko: This is going to be a long thread on Ukraine's unique 21st century fighting style based on Uber style C3I software, why Western intelligence is plug ignorant of it due to CROWDSTRIKE cybersecurity fi...…

threadreaderapp.com

 

[KonzaLander]

I have been a Starlink user from home since March 2021. I initially signed up to be a beta tester in late 2019. Starlink is great and not even in the same league as other Satellite ISP's. I was a HughesNet customer for 7 years prior and hated every minute of it! Every sub 1mbps download with 900ms ping minute of it!

My dish has been roof mounted since April 2021. Dishy (yes that is the name SpaceX gave to the round dish) has been subject to snow, ice, -22°F to 110°F temperature, 95mph wind, torrential downpours, smoke from pasture burning, dust and humidity. In the last year (including the beta period) I can count the number of outages on one hand. This has been a life changer since I live in a digital Bermuda Triangle with no cell coverage. My monthly bill just went up to $110/mo, but I would be willing to pay much more than that for the service!


You will never catch me trying to take my dish overlanding! I go on trips to unplug and get away from everything. If you work from the road or live on the road, do your thing.

If you are excited about the portability of Starlink, first check out Starlink's Availability Map to see if it will suit your travel plans. Starlink's portability is only available in areas that are not waitlisted and does cost another $25/mo. Starlink


In regards to cable attached to the dish, it is just a basic shielded network cable; around 26awg from my experience with a neighbor who cut their cable with a lawn mower.

Also, you don't have to use the Starlink router.

 

[ProtonDecay]

I have been a Starlink user from home since March 2021. I initially signed up to be a beta tester in late 2019. Starlink is great and not even in the same league as other Satellite ISP's. I was a HughesNet customer for 7 years prior and hated every minute of it! Every sub 1mbps download with 900ms ping minute of it!

My dish has been roof mounted since April 2021. Dishy (yes that is the name SpaceX gave to the round dish) has been subject to snow, ice, -22°F to 110°F temperature, 95mph wind, torrential downpours, smoke from pasture burning, dust and humidity. In the last year (including the beta period) I can count the number of outages on one hand. This has been a life changer since I live in a digital Bermuda Triangle with no cell coverage. My monthly bill just went up to $110/mo, but I would be willing to pay much more than that for the service!
View attachment 229909

You will never catch me trying to take my dish overlanding! I go on trips to unplug and get away from everything. If you work from the road or live on the road, do your thing.

If you are excited about the portability of Starlink, first check out Starlink's Availability Map to see if it will suit your travel plans. Starlink's portability is only available in areas that are not waitlisted and does cost another $25/mo. Starlink
View attachment 229910

In regards to cable attached to the dish, it is just a basic shielded network cable; around 26awg from my experience with a neighbor who cut their cable with a lawn mower.

Also, you don't have to use the Starlink router.

Yes, my Dishy is currently using CAT5E, which is fine, really, but in the process of setting it up for overlanding I am using CAT7 with cable wrap, and shortening the runs from the shipped 75ft. Others have reported improved data speeds and reduced current draw via shortened cables, so while there will certainly be loss from introducing connections, hopefully some of that loss will be mitigated by the new cable and length of run. CAT7 is also significantly more sturdy than CAT5 or CAT6. Still not lawnmower immune, but better for general outdoor use.

 

[ProtonDecay]

Some interesting thoughts on Starlink and its implications. Things will change very quickly.

Thread by @TrentTelenko on Thread Reader App

@TrentTelenko: This is going to be a long thread on Ukraine's unique 21st century fighting style based on Uber style C3I software, why Western intelligence is plug ignorant of it due to CROWDSTRIKE cybersecurity fi...…

threadreaderapp.com

Thanks for sharing that. Way over my head mostly. Also kind of makes my quest for finding the next night's campsite seem trivial, but glad others are making better use of this technology.

 

[ProtonDecay]

OK, goal in sight. Got the cables re-worked, the dish mounted with foam buffer and took it around the neighborhood for some spot tests.

Quick summary, Dishy stayed connected most of the time (apologies to Starlink, as I forgot to Stow and Disconnect between stops), but Dishy liked a north/south orientation versus east/west. There is about a 5 second delay in reporting a loss of signal or disconnect, and a couple of times Dishy went offline to try and adjust its orientation, eventually reporting a "motor stuck" error, but then came back online. Performance varied, but generally in between 40-200 down, 3-20 up, 25-75ms latency and 5-35ms jitter, all of which would be fine compared to what we have experienced traveling using distant cell towers.

The mount seems to be working just fine, but I have a few more minor mods (plasti-dip the retention hooks so as not to mar Dishy, replace the existing nuts with security nuts, install square tube caps, mount a hook to manage the cable better). Still, it is good to go in terms of taking with us on adventures going forward.

I may try traveling a bit without paid Portability to see if it works (rumor has it that it will until 3-June, but my roaming bit is set to false, so we'll see), but I'm OK paying the additional freight in exchange for the service, especially if it hastens the arrival of Mobility. As other posters have noted, this usage (overlanding) pales in comparison to the real good this service provides to currently unserved/underserved netizens and the brave defenders of liberty in Ukraine; game changing in both cases.

Anyway, here are some pics - they should be self explanatory, but let me know if any questions.

 

[North American Sojourner]

Just watched this and considering his problems I'll wait a bit to see if they can clean up the service.
They don't like trees?
Zim

 

[KonzaLander]

Just watched this and considering his problems I'll wait a bit to see if they can clean up the service.
They don't like trees?
Zim

Obstacles will degrade service and I am not sure much more can be done to clean up the service. I can say that in the year I've had my dish, it has tilted from a northern orientation to a more vertical orientation as more satellites have come online.

Luckily the Starlink app will show you what view of the sky you need by using your phone's camera, even before you deploy the dish. Since I like to camp around trees (who doesn't) I would devise a telescoping pole for the dish mount vs. hard mounting it to vehicle or camper. This way the dish could get above the tree canopy when necessary. This would obviously not be a problem for folks in the desert.

 

[K12]

Well, Starlink has released the Starlink for RV's. Goes on a monthly subscription, so if you are not out for a month you do not have to pay for it. You also do not need a service address, only a shipping and billing address. A friend of mine recently got it and has more than good luck with it. He has not dropped out of reception area in the few weeks he has had it, while in the mountains and wooded areas of Oregon, Washington and Idaho.

Starlink

High-speed internet. Available almost anywhere on Earth.

www.starlink.com

 

[SWLands]

Robin thinks it is a dud as you get bottom of the barrel service per the agreement, and plugs Nomad Internet.

 

[K12]

Robin thinks it is a dud as you get bottom of the barrel service per the agreement, and plugs Nomad Internet.

If you are in a congested or waitlisted area then yes the service will suffer. When I am using it I wont be around these areas, and even then it will be enough to do the things that I need to get done for school/work.

 

[ProtonDecay]

Heh, if I could get Hotspot where we go I would gladly do that, but, you know, overlanding......

Starlink service quality varies and will continue to vary as a result of numerous factors.

We typically get downloads in excess of 100Mbps with <60ms latency and minimal jitter, which is more than we need.

Our worst Starlink performance so far was in a dry lake bed north of Bodie where we experienced 25Mpbs down with 65ms latency and 15ms jitter, downlinked into Oakhurst. But hey, we had service, and my cell analyzer couldn't pick up anything.

More typical is our experience from Prewitt Ridge into Santa Cruz (112 down, 59ms latency, 10ms jitter)

Starlink is a game changer for us. YMMV.

Here is Bodie vs Prewitt Ridge within the last month or so:

 

[K12]

Heh, if I could get Hotspot where we go I would gladly do that, but, you know, overlanding......

Starlink service quality varies and will continue to vary as a result of numerous factors.

We typically get downloads in excess of 100Mbps with <60ms latency and minimal jitter, which is more than we need.

Our worst Starlink performance so far was in a dry lake bed north of Bodie where we experienced 25Mpbs down with 65ms latency and 15ms jitter, downlinked into Oakhurst. But hey, we had service, and my cell analyzer couldn't pick up anything.

More typical is our experience from Prewitt Ridge into Santa Cruz (112 down, 59ms latency, 10ms jitter)

Starlink is a game changer for us. YMMV.

Here is Bodie vs Prewitt Ridge within the last month or so:

Thats really good, esspecially being able to be out. Right now I am limited to my travels to time or cell service so Starlink will make my life easier/better. Now if only i had $700 burning a hole in my pocket to make the investment.