Starlink upgrades their network and terms of service

[Mikendebbie]

Based on my limited research - if small size for storage is your top priority - it is best for you. They say the Gen 3 dish provides better quality signal than the mini as it has many more sensors in the dish than the mini. It only has to be pointed north and it picks up the satellites with little to no adjustment. It can also be used while driving…folks have mounted the dish on the roof of their motorhome to use in motion. Not sure the mini can do that.

 

[scottz]

In my experience, the gen 3 does not have to be pointed North (or whatever the correct direction is for your location). Mine is mounted permanently on the roof using a Starlink Mobility Mount; no more pole mounts or setup/takedown every move. I spent the last two months traveling from Colorado to Alaska and back. As long as I had a clear view of the sky (no trees) I always had service; regardless the direction the RV was pointed. It seems that the speed will be slower if the antenna is not aligned "properly", but we were always able to stream. Ignore the alignment page in the Starlink app and try not to run too many speed tests; if it works, it works. I never tried it "in motion"; that service just started.

https://shop.starlink.com/products/us-consumer-mobility-mount-gen3

 

[scottz]

Starlink antennas:

Gen 1 is the round antenna (no longer available from Starlink).

Gen 2 is the rectangular antenna with a pipe mount (no longer available from Starlink).

Standard Gen 3 is the large rectangular antenna with a kick stand.

Mini is like a Gen 3, but smaller and has router built into antenna. Service might be slower, but no experience here.

Flat High Performance is the high dollar antenna for boats. Some use it on RV's but the performance difference from the Standard Gen 3 is not huge. People traveling with us had this antenna; there was only one case they had service and we did not; because of trees.

 

[Byron B]

We use our Starlink at home and on the road. Ours is the generation 3 as, after replacing all the parts at least once except the dish itself, customer service agreed to replace the whole kit. We kept our pole stand and it works awesomely. At home and at our place in the mountains and in several instances we have/had as much as 50% obstruction. It takes maybe 5 extra minutes to align itself but our speed is great. Regardless. Someone at a campground said the beam on the newer models is very wide hence less problems with obstruction.

 

[RMcNeal]

We use our Starlink at home and on the road. Ours is the generation 3 as, after replacing all the parts at least once except the dish itself, customer service agreed to replace the whole kit. We kept our pole stand and it works awesomely. At home and at our place in the mountains and in several instances we have/had as much as 50% obstruction. It takes maybe 5 extra minutes to align itself but our speed is great. Regardless. Someone at a campground said the beam on the newer models is very wide hence less problems with obstruction.

Gen 2 model is 100 degree field of view. The Gen 3 is 110 degrees but lacks the motors to rotate and align itself. The extra field of view allows for a little more wiggle room when aligning manually.

 

[Byron B]

We have never had the motor but sure appreciate the extra width of view.

 

[Creeker]

I ordered the Starlink Gen 3 with pole mount last week to take advantage of the sale.
We decided to go with the 50 GB per month for now.

We have unlimited data on our phones. One ATT and the other Verizon. 50 GB hotspot on the ATT. 60 GB hotspot on Verizon with an additional 100 GB hotspot add on. That gives us 210 GB cellular per month and 50 GB starlink when we are in places with out cell service. We'll see how it works out this winter.

 

[foldbak]

Time to make a decision. I bought my Winegard 1000 gateway in 2022. It failed within a year. I got a warranty replacement and it failed earlier this month. I can replace it for $350 or go Starlink for $350. The data plan is the same as my T mobile plan. $50 a month for 50 gb.
My understanding is I can get a standard kit and permanently mount it to the roof. My concern is obstructions. At the coast trees are not a problem but inland campgrounds they can be. A limb can obstruct my Dish. How forgiving is the standard antennae?

 

[Mikendebbie]

Tony - Gen 3 kit comes with kick stand + 50’ cable. I would not permanently mount on the roof. Just set it out on the ground with clear north view. Run the cable up thru the hole in the wet bay and into basement. There is about 1/2” between baggage door face and the white wet bay wall…cable goes thru there into basement. have not worked out a mount for mine yet - so i just proped it up on top of basement wall and plugged in the power pack over by the built in vacuum bag. Signal covered the whole RV and more no problem. Try it out like this until you decide how you want to handle it.

Later you can get harbor freight flag pole for mount to your ladder. But for starters you dont need to spend a dime more to get it up and operating. By the way - i think the HF flagpole $89 is sold out nationwide…waiting on a slow boat from china to resupply stores in the US.

 

[Derby6]

100% concur with mikendebbie.

 

[foldbak]

Thanks for the reply Mike. I assume I need to purchase the standard kit from someone other then Starlink as they don't offer the standard with the roam package. Unless I'm missing something.

 

[brycesteiner]

My understanding is you buy the hardware and then you choose your plan. I think they can all roam now.

 

[Creeker]

Thanks for the reply Mike. I assume I need to purchase the standard kit from someone other then Starlink as they don't offer the standard with the roam package. Unless I'm missing something.

You can buy everything you need straight from the Starlink website. We just did last month. Even added the new improved pole mount from Starlink. It was all delivered in less than two weeks from placing order.

As others have stated, I would not mount it on my roof. The ability to move the dish around is what makes it work for us here in the east. We almost always camp near/under trees.

 

[Byron B]

Time to make a decision. I bought my Winegard 1000 gateway in 2022. It failed within a year. I got a warranty replacement and it failed earlier this month. I can replace it for $350 or go Starlink for $350. The data plan is the same as my T mobile plan. $50 a month for 50 gb.
My understanding is I can get a standard kit and permanently mount it to the roof. My concern is obstructions. At the coast trees are not a problem but inland campgrounds they can be. A limb can obstruct my Dish. How forgiving is the standard antennae?

We purchased the “standard kit” earlier this year; dumped our home internet and with the roaming take the whole deal on the road with us 6-7 months a year courtesy of the older pole mount, 6’ schedule 30 pvc pipe and an umbrella stand from Amazon. I am always amazed at the coverage we get through the trees. I ignore the setup part to check for obstructions. At home, it appears the antenna is looking directly into a 60 year old pecan tree. At a couple campsites I have had to move the setup as much as 20’ from the rig to get our coverage but we have not ever been kept from our internet.

 

[Mikendebbie]

I bought mine at Home Depot in late August. I then downloaded Starlink app and set it up, creating my account, but not activating service until Sep 13. My billing cycle runs 13th to the 13th.

I needed to buy a roof eave mount from Starlink (did not want the aftermarket similars). Once you establish an account you can visit the Starlink store and buy their stuff if needed. I used a piece from the roof eave mount to attach to a fence post at the S&B for home use. I also bought a 75’ cable from Starlink to use at the house. I bought an aftermarket wall mount on Amazon for the router and power pack. I waited for my purchases to arrive then I built the fence post mount and stuck the dish into the mount on the fence. Once it was all the hardware was in place I activated my account, chose the unlimited Roam plan and made the first payment.

 

[foldbak]

Pulling my hair out!

Trying to set up my standard that I got from Home Depot. The service map shows Sacramento sold out! Through the app I have an option for roam but only $165 a month not the $50.


On line I see the same when activating my own equipment. What am I missing? I can order the equipment from Starlink and I see the $50 a month option.
Return HD and order from Starlink?


Update: After playing with the ordering online I discovered that the $50 option is only available with the mini. Apparently since the release of the mini, those of you that have the standard $50 a month are grandfathered in.
Now the question is, how good is the mini?

 

[Byron B]

I believe that if bought through Starlink you have a 30 day trial period. Granted, 30 days may not be adequate to examine most of the possibilities of use.
If the mini is a smaller dish, I would question the ability to see through trees as well as mine does. IMHO!

 

[foldbak]

I believe that if bought through Starlink you have a 30 day trial period. Granted, 30 days may not be adequate to examine most of the possibilities of use.
If the mini is a smaller dish, I would question the ability to see through trees as well as mine does. IMHO!

That's mine concern. I think I'm going to try the 30 day trial.

 

[Flashracer]

Trying to set up my standard that I got from Home Depot. The service map shows Sacramento sold out! Through the app I have an option for roam but only $165 a month not the $50.


On line I see the same when activating my own equipment. What am I missing? I can order the equipment from Starlink and I see the $50 a month option.
Return HD and order from Starlink?


Update: After playing with the ordering online I discovered that the $50 option is only available with the mini. Apparently since the release of the mini, those of you that have the standard $50 a month are grandfathered in.
Now the question is, how good is the mini?

Please keep us posted. I wanted the standard but only want the 50GB roam package. Curious how the mini works. If I got the standard, I wouldn’t use my dish, I could stream from my xfinity account.

 

[foldbak]

Please keep us posted. I wanted the standard but only want the 50GB roam package. Curious how the mini works. If I got the standard, I wouldn’t use my dish, I could stream from my xfinity account.

I'll let you know how it works. Picking it up today. It sucks that the standard doesn't work with roam. The downfall with the mini is the router is built in the dish so the farther away the weaker the signal and it doesn't have as much antenna surface. It does use half the wattage though.