Starlink RV installation and use

[dmctlc]

Originally Posted by mike625

you can use the link below to verify what is available for an address. Starlink cover the lower 48 - the speed will depend on the number of customers in a cell.


https://www.starlink.com/

Here is a good place to review all about starlink
https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/gui...rlink-rv-boat/

So I'm still pondering purchasing Starlink and using it the 3-4 months we travel during the summer months up and down the east coast when we head back to New England. There's several other times on long trips I might use it during the year but on short trips like a week, to me it isn't worth it. I had come close last summer buying it when we were in Wells Maine for several months camping. Others around us had it and verizon hotspot wasn't the best but in the end we made due. I had looked at the Starlink coverage map again and still see a large area in the US with low coverage including the Southwestern part of the US out to Texas and upward. Odd that this area isn't covered by now. What does that mean to me if I was to use it on a midwest trip? Is this mean limited service availability or low speed? These questions might be more directed at those that have the service and use it in these areas. We live in SWFL ourselves in a stick and brick but do camp around Florida, also
Thxs

[docj]

Originally Posted by dmctlc

I had looked at the Starlink coverage map again and still see a large area in the US with low coverage including the Southwestern part of the US out to Texas and upward. Odd that this area isn't covered by now. What does that mean to me if I was to use it on a midwest trip? Is this mean limited service availability or low speed? These questions might be more directed at those that have the service and use it in these areas.

You're misinterpreting those Starlink maps. They aren't showing "coverage" areas they are showing areas where there are more unfilled user "slots." We live in coastal TX and have superb coverage.

[gsgriffin]

The Starlink monthly service for residential customers is changing as follows:

$10 increase in areas with limited capacity. New price will be $120/month.
$20 decrease in areas with excess capacity. New price will be $90/month.

As a current customer in an area with limited capacity, your monthly service price will increase to $120/month beginning April 24, 2023. For new customers in your area, the price increase is effective immediately.

If you do not wish to continue service, you can cancel at any time on your account page. Your Starlink hardware can be returned for a full refund within 30 days of purchase, or a partial refund of $250 within 12 months of purchase.

As the SpaceX team launches more satellites to increase capacity, the Starlink team is making continuous network updates to improve performance over time. Thanks for being a customer and for your continued support of Starlink!

[n2zon]

Originally Posted by gsgriffin

The Starlink monthly service for residential customers is changing as follows:

$10 increase in areas with limited capacity. New price will be $120/month.
$20 decrease in areas with excess capacity. New price will be $90/month.

As a current customer in an area with limited capacity, your monthly service price will increase to $120/month beginning April 24, 2023. For new customers in your area, the price increase is effective immediately.

If you do not wish to continue service, you can cancel at any time on your account page. Your Starlink hardware can be returned for a full refund within 30 days of purchase, or a partial refund of $250 within 12 months of purchase.

As the SpaceX team launches more satellites to increase capacity, the Starlink team is making continuous network updates to improve performance over time. Thanks for being a customer and for your continued support of Starlink!

We got the other version; ours is going down to $90/month.

[ekim]

RV is now $150 per month, $15 increase, because an RV might travel to a location with limited capacity. I disagree with this and intend to pause my service much more than I otherwise would have before they jacked up the price. The funny thing is for that $150 RV users are still prioritized BELOW residential users. Pay more get less. Wonderfull business strategy.

My hardware had a problem starting Jan 28 and it took until Feb 20 for them to resolve it. Having prices jacked up like this after receiving such poor service feels like a slap in the face.

I wonder if the real reason for jacking up the price for RV users is to discourage use so they don't have to ship as many replacement dishes to RV users?

I can't want for competition to come in.

[chuckbear]

One thing all Starlink users can count on is that Elon will continue increasing his pricing. We considered Starlink but decided that in the near future it will just be too expensive for us. Chuck

[docj]

Originally Posted by ekim

RV is now $150 per month, $15 increase, because an RV might travel to a location with limited capacity. I disagree with this and intend to pause my service much more than I otherwise would have before they jacked up the price. The funny thing is for that $150 RV users are still prioritized BELOW residential users. Pay more get less. Wonderfull business strategy.

I understand your frustration with this change in Starlink's business practice but the prior business model was seriously flawed IMO. Starlink had been limiting residential signups in many areas due to a limited number of available "slots." Yet, at the same time it was permitting a potentially unlimited number of RVers to travel into those same locations. The net result was reduced system speed for all customers and lots of consumer complaints.

Essentially, the new pricing schema is an effort to move to "demand pricing" where the price charged reflects, to some degree, the load on the system created by that user. Whether or not this is a sustainable pricing model depends on how far it eventually extends. For example, it would be theoretically possibly to extend this to a "time of day" system in which data costs more during peak service periods. I'm not saying that's where Starlink is headed, but it could be.

[gsgriffin]

Originally Posted by n2zon

We got the other version; ours is going down to $90/month.

I'm currently in New Mexico, but they just opened up this area less than 1 year ago. It will be interesting to see if when I head back to Montana in a few months and change my address if that will have a reduction (greater capacity, from their side). I know that we were the first area available in BETA (Northwestern Montana) and have a lot of subscribers, but the density of sats up there is crazy. There are several sats almost directly overhead at all times. I would hope that the capacity up there is better and the population is certainly less. We'll see soon.

[gsgriffin]

I don't know if this is accurate or not, but I did notice that there is an update to the live satellite map (not affiliated with Starlink).

https://satellitemap.space/index.html

Showing in red lines which satellites it believes we should be able to connect to at this time. I believe it gets the location for you from your browser settings (which might get it from your phone). Feel free to correct if you find it getting the pinpoint location from other. Of course, this cannot take into account obstructions....just potentially.

[ekim]

Originally Posted by docj

Essentially, the new pricing schema is an effort to move to "demand pricing" where the price charged reflects, to some degree, the load on the system created by that user.

Right, except, RV users already have the lowest priority. We basically have the same priority as a residential user who use using over 1TB per month. So the notion that an RV user who moves into an area with high demand makes the problem worse is very weak - UNLESS - the RV users get the same priority as residential users.

Also, many RV users have the service so that we can use it in remote places that have no/limited cell service, not in the large cities on the east and west coast. So we will often be in areas where the price has been decreased for residential users - places where high bandwidth cell services don't exist....

I understand demand pricing, but this seems to be implemented in a very poor way for RV users. Most RV users are not "power users" running multiple TVs and an entire household of 4 or more people. Our dishes are stowed when traveling and if we're using high demand items like TV's we're most likely using just one and not streaming video on two TV's, a computer and few phones like might be found in a residential offering.

If Starlink is going to raise my monthly fee because I **might** travel to a high demand area then why can't California start charging me income tax because I might move there some day?

[docj]

Originally Posted by ekim

I understand demand pricing, but this seems to be implemented in a very poor way for RV users. Most RV users are not "power users" running multiple TVs and an entire household of 4 or more people. Our dishes are stowed when traveling and if we're using high demand items like TV's we're most likely using just one and not streaming video on two TV's, a computer and few phones like might be found in a residential offering.

Neither one of us knows the number of "RV power users" but I would guess that it's not a small number. I spend many hours prowling social media and my impression is that there are a significant number of RVers using Starlink for business purposes.

Furthermore, IMO it's simplistic to assume that most RVers have no more than a single TV streaming video. That may be true for senior couples but I doubt it is true of families with children, each of whom may have one or more web-enabled devices.

I'm no apologist for Mr. Musk, but I think Starlink may have substantially underestimated the demand for RV service and the level of use that RVers would necessitate. This repricing is an effort to correct that imbalance. I doubt it will be the last change we will see.

[mike625]

Originally Posted by docj

Essentially, the new pricing schema is an effort to move to "demand pricing" where the price charged reflects, to some degree, the load on the system created by that user.

The only issue I have with this statement is - RV now 150 per billing cycle. It is the same price if I'm using it in the middle of North Dakota or Phoenix. I'm thinking they will keep increasing their prices until it start hitting the bottom line. The people that stay will only be the ones with no other options and this pricing is only in the US because of the demand.

They will likely be forcing me to a RV plan instead of Residential with Portability, so instead of me using it as primary and paying monthly / using the leftover bandwidth. It will be paused and only used when we have no cell service.

[ekim]

Originally Posted by mike625

so instead of me using it as primary and paying monthly. It will be paused and only used when we have no cell service.

Ha - I just sent support a ticket saying exactly this.

I wanted to know if I can still deploy the dish to get software updates every so often even if service is paused for many months at a time.

[RVStitchy]

Originally Posted by docj

Neither one of us knows the number of "RV power users" but I would guess that it's not a small number.

I went to Starlink because when we travel my wife needs about 800mg to do her video consulting work. Try getting that out of cellular.

We are some-timers and travel for a few weeks every other month but not September-November. So if I can pause the service for 4 out of 12 months that is $100 per month annualized.