Starlink RV installation and use

[kershman68]

Originally Posted by mto502

Starlink has these limitations for both portability and for RV's. Whether they enforce this or not is another question. I will be traveling in the states for more than 2 months at a time. I hope they don't cut off my service after 2 months.

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

I'm also not sure how you'd change your service address if you're in another country. Pretty sure they won't allow you to change your address to another country. I'll keep my fingers crossed

I think you can fairly freely update your service address…just use the campground you are staying at and see what happens.

[mto502]

Originally Posted by kershman68

I think you can fairly freely update your service address…just use the campground you are staying at and see what happens.

You can't change your address to another country. I'm just hoping this is a word salad they won't enforce, or they mean a foreign country like Europe. First they say as long as you're on the same continent, and then they mention foreign country. It's a little ambiguous, and contradictory.

[mto502]

Looks like I found the answer to my question. Hope this helps those that are wondering the same thing.
Hmm can’t post the screen shot on this forum. Anyway Starlink replied to a Canadian asking the same question and they said you should be able to use it anywhere on the continent without a problem or 2 month limit.

[mike625]

Saw this this morning - looks like the option to change from Residential to RV service is now available.

Going the other way would still require your address to be in an open cell.

[gsgriffin]

Originally Posted by mike625

Saw this this morning - looks like the option to change from Residential to RV service is now available.

Going the other way would still require your address to be in an open cell.

But they won't let you go back to Residential and get full priority. Same cost as residential with portability, which makes sense, but lower priority and you can turn it off.

I might still suggest for those who are out for a long time in their RV to use portability and just connect your house to the RV/Starlink when you return. We have no idea how bad the lower priority will get for some in different areas.

It will be interesting to see if they do launch soon using the Gen 2 satellites (which are almost an order of magnitude more powerful) using Starship heavy-lift rocket. Some are guessing they could launch a whole orbital plane in a single launch!! If all of this begins to happen soon, perhaps we won't have to worry about congestion for a while.

[RedneckExpress]

Originally Posted by gsgriffin

But they won't let you go back to Residential and get full priority. Same cost as residential with portability, which makes sense, but lower priority and you can turn it off.

I might still suggest for those who are out for a long time in their RV to use portability and just connect your house to the RV/Starlink when you return. We have no idea how bad the lower priority will get for some in different areas.

It will be interesting to see if they do launch soon using the Gen 2 satellites (which are almost an order of magnitude more powerful) using Starship heavy-lift rocket. Some are guessing they could launch a whole orbital plane in a single launch!! If all of this begins to happen soon, perhaps we won't have to worry about congestion for a while.

As one utilizing the RV Option in a closed cell, my speeds usually fluctuate between 5mbps and 30mbps, and not much faster.

[Nwcid]

Originally Posted by RedneckExpress

As one utilizing the RV Option in a closed cell, my speeds usually fluctuate between 5mbps and 30mbps, and not much faster.

Interesting. The rumor is that RV has less priority than portability.

I got a "residential" on an open cell and use portability at my house on a full cell. My speeds fluctuate, but where I have my dish temporary sitting there are a couple of tree tops in the way. I drop for about 3-5 seconds every 2-5 mins.

I have seen plenty of speeds above 100 mbps and lows in the teens.

Next week we will be in the RV and I will be setting up at our other property. Right now a family member has residential Starlink in use up there. I will be setting up my dish on the RV and I will compare speeds since I will be on "Portability" on a full cell. This site has no obstructions.

[Billett Bee]

It's not a rumor, sl states that residential with portability will have a higher priority over rv use in high traffic areas.

[kershman68]

I have been using the RV service at my house the past couple of weeks since I had been on the waiting list since 2020 in beta and paid the deposit in 2/21 as soon as preorders opened. My cell still doesn’t have any openings. I think we have only had 2-3 of our neighbors total get a residential setup.

My speed varies widely. Fastest is 242 Mbps. Slowest just around 3 Mbps. Average when it is busy is 20-50 Mbps, which is still faster and more reliable than both my Verizon and AT&T hotspots.

We have been streaming quite a bit over the last few weeks with very few issues. We had stopped and gone back to satellite for TV because our hotspots just stopped providing reliable streaming in the evenings and then we started having problems during the day as well.

Overall, I am very happy with the setup. Hopefully when my cell opens I can convert my account. I know they say no right now, but considering you can turn the RV subscription off anytime you want I think they will make it easier to switch back to a residential plan in the future. If not, I may just buy a second dish and sell this one.

Unless of course the RV service continues to perform well for us.

[gsgriffin]

Originally Posted by RedneckExpress

As one utilizing the RV Option in a closed cell, my speeds usually fluctuate between 5mbps and 30mbps, and not much faster.

Thanks for providing a real-world experience here so we can all benefit from more knowledge as opposed to speculation. THANKS!!! Very good to know how much is can slow down and how much that still costs to have that slow speed, but if boondocking far out in the boondocks, that is the best option still....and perhaps speeds will be better if not in a closed cell or congested area.

[gsgriffin]

Originally Posted by Nwcid

Next week we will be in the RV and I will be setting up at our other property. Right now a family member has residential Starlink in use up there. I will be setting up my dish on the RV and I will compare speeds since I will be on "Portability" on a full cell. This site has no obstructions.

Thanks for thinking about the comparison test and posting the results here so we all grow in our knowledge of the options. This is the kind of help we can all provide each other as opposed to reading random articles or watching YouTubers make claims. I look forward to seeing your results and do hope that it is as Starlink promised. Do consider running the tests at the same time directly from the Apps on the phones.

[tnedator]

Originally Posted by RedneckExpress

As one utilizing the RV Option in a closed cell, my speeds usually fluctuate between 5mbps and 30mbps, and not much faster.

I'm in a waitlisted area, and I tested this weekend, and saw the same speed fluctuations as you.

[Aquaadverse]

Originally Posted by Billett Bee

It's not a rumor, sl states that residential with portability will have a higher priority over rv use in high traffic areas.

They say on the website that both roaming services are best effort. The only difference is you can possibly change service addresses as you roam with residential and keep priority. I haven't seen anything that says portability is given higher priority away from the service address. Of course i could have missed it, do you have a link ?

[Billett Bee]

In higher traffic areas with lots of congestion residential will be prioritized over rv. I'll look for it