Starlink announces new, compact, low profile dish for use on vehicles in motion

[docj]

Starlink has announced a new, low-profile dish designed to be used on vehicles in motion. The device cost $2500 but the monthly service is the same $135/mo that Starlink has been charging for RV service.

Winegard is a dealer for this new Starlink product. Winegard is the parent company of WiFiRanger. You can pre-order it here:   https://winegard.com/flat-high-performance-starlink-kit-with-wedge-mount/

Here's a link to an Mobile Internet Resource Center article on the topic:  In-motion low profile Starlink Dish

Edited October 26, 2022 by docj

[Chalkie]

Wow! Just wow! First the price is ridiculous, and second:

Quote

The High Performance Starlink receiver is designed, and FCC certified for in-motion usage. The Starlink Standard system only unofficially supports in-motion usage, and Starlink has made moves toward blocking this capability.

So at this time, while interesting, it is a non-starter for me. 

[docj]

1 hour ago, Chalkie said:

Wow! Just wow! First the price is ridiculous, and second:

The High Performance Starlink receiver is designed, and FCC certified for in-motion usage. The Starlink Standard system only unofficially supports in-motion usage, and Starlink has made moves toward blocking this capability.

So at this time, while interesting, it is a non-starter for me. 

I think it would be rather absurd for Starlink to continue to block mobile use when introducing a dish designed for mobile use.   In fact, IMHO the existing prohibition on mobile use is primarily to force users to purchase the expensive dish in order to have mobile capability/

Edited October 26, 2022 by docj

[durangodon]

8 hours ago, docj said:

In fact, IMHO the existing prohibition on mobile use is primarily to force users to purchase the expensive dish in order to have mobile capability/

If you'll look on the availability map for Starlink, you'll see that a large part of the USA in the Easter half is not even eligible for Starlink service yet.  Starlink has made it clear that mobile use is spotty, at best.  If, by mobile capability, you mean the ability to move about the country and set it up wherever, then they can't really offer that when they don't even offer service to a large part of the country.

If, by mobile capability, you mean in motion service, then that requires a more advanced and expensive dish and setup.

 

 

[docj]

2 hours ago, durangodon said:

If you'll look on the availability map for Starlink, you'll see that a large part of the USA in the Easter half is not even eligible for Starlink service yet. 

I think that the Eastern portion of the country is "sold out" of service, rather than still awaiting service.   Interested potential users are waitlisted as new capacity open up.

However, I think you are correct in that reliable, mobile service requires a more advanced (hence, more expensive) dish.

[Chalkie]

9 minutes ago, docj said:

I think that the Eastern portion of the country is "sold out" of service, rather than still awaiting service.   Interested potential users are waitlisted as new capacity open up.

This is true for residential users, however business users (which requires a larger dish) and RV subscriptions are exempt from being wait listed. In both cases the cost of the subscription is higher so it is safe to say it is all about the money.

[docj]

36 minutes ago, Chalkie said:

RV subscriptions are exempt from being wait listed.

Not to quibble but RV service is deprioritized and there have been plenty of complaints posted about slow speeds.

[Chalkie]

5 hours ago, docj said:

Not to quibble but RV service is deprioritized and there have been plenty of complaints posted about slow speeds.

Not quibbling at all as this is true whether in a wait listed area or not. I think RV Lifestyle has a good explanation:

Quote

Network resources are always de-prioritized for Starlink for RVs users compared to other Starlink services, resulting in degraded service and slower speeds in congested areas and during peak hours. Stated speeds and uninterrupted use of the service are not guaranteed. Service degradation will be most extreme in “Waitlist” areas on the Starlink Availability Map during peak hours.

 

[k4rs]

I have been interested in Starlink for the house since I first heard about them.  I keep checking the map, but I am still in the "Not Available" area.  I guess this may be a blessing in disguise.  Rates are going up, speeds are going down, and now I read they are implementing data caps. 

I am hoping these are just growing pains and will be resolved by the time service becomes available.

Safe Travels...

[Dutch_12078]

1 hour ago, k4rs said:

I have been interested in Starlink for the house since I first heard about them.  I keep checking the map, but I am still in the "Not Available" area.  I guess this may be a blessing in disguise.  Rates are going up, speeds are going down, and now I read they are implementing data caps. 

I am hoping these are just growing pains and will be resolved by the time service becomes available.

Safe Travels...

Starlink offers a 250 GB high speed data cap plan in France at half the no-cap price. The rumor mill is rife with guesses about what they may offer in the US.

[k4rs]

I don't think this is a rumor:

SpaceX's Starlink Quietly Mentions High-Speed Data Caps Are Coming for US Users
The company adds new language to Starlink's terms of service about users receiving a monthly allocation of 'Priority Access.'

You can read the entire article here:

https://www.pcmag.com/news/spacexs-starlink-quietly-mentions-high-speed-data-caps-are-coming-for-us

Safe Travels...

[Dutch_12078]

6 hours ago, k4rs said:

I don't think this is a rumor:

SpaceX's Starlink Quietly Mentions High-Speed Data Caps Are Coming for US Users
The company adds new language to Starlink's terms of service about users receiving a monthly allocation of 'Priority Access.'

You can read the entire article here:

https://www.pcmag.com/news/spacexs-starlink-quietly-mentions-high-speed-data-caps-are-coming-for-us

Safe Travels...

Yes, some wording has been added to the TOS that covers it, but the exact numbers are still just rumors and speculation.

[k4rs]

Starlink Sets High-Speed Data Cap at 1TB Per Month, Lowers Advertised Speeds

https://www.pcmag.com/news/starlink-sets-high-speed-data-cap-at-1tb-per-month-lowers-advertised-speeds

To add insult to injury:

The same document also notes residential Starlink customers will receive the Priority Access tier, but not subscribers of Starlink RV and the Starlink Best Effort plans. These users will have to settle for the slower speeds. 

Safe Travels...

[Chalkie]

3 hours ago, k4rs said:

Starlink Sets High-Speed Data Cap at 1TB Per Month, Lowers Advertised Speeds

https://www.pcmag.com/news/starlink-sets-high-speed-data-cap-at-1tb-per-month-lowers-advertised-speeds

To add insult to injury:

The same document also notes residential Starlink customers will receive the Priority Access tier, but not subscribers of Starlink RV and the Starlink Best Effort plans. These users will have to settle for the slower speeds. 

Safe Travels...

The RV and Best Effort plans have never been given Priority Access so this is nothing new. The 1TB limit seems pretty reasonable for a residential service. If folks really need more then paying for the extra seems reasonable as well. If you are consistently exceeding that limit then perhaps a commercial account would be better. As far as slowing down the advertised speeds I see this as being honest unlike the Comcast service I had for years. As Starlink gets more satellites up I would look forward to changes that reflect the capability of the overall network.

[palmeris]

Here is the email that Starlink sent me today.

To ensure our customer base is not negatively impacted by a small number of users consuming unusually high amounts of data, the Starlink team is implementing a Fair Use policy in the US and Canada in December 2022.   Based on your data usage over the last six months, this policy will have no impact on your service if your usage patterns stay the same. Under the Fair Use policy, all Residential customers will receive unlimited data, and will start each month with Priority Access, which means their data usage will be prioritized during times of network congestion.    Customers who exceed 1 TB of data use on a monthly basis (currently < 10% of users) will automatically be switched to Basic Access for the remainder of the billing cycle, which means their data usage will be deprioritized during times of network congestion, resulting in slower speeds.   Data used between 11pm - 7am will not count towards your Priority Access.   Starting today, you can now monitor your data usage on your account page. Read more in Starlink’s Fair Use policy and in the Terms of Service.   Thank you for being an early customer and for your continued support of Starlink!   Starlink Team NOTE:  The Terms of Service also include updates on using the HP Flat Starlink designed for in-motion use. By continuing your use of Starlink, you agree to be subject to the Fair Use policy and the updated Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. If you do not agree to these changes, you can cancel your Starlink Services at any time on your account page.

[palmeris]

To give an Idea of our typical use for our residential account referenced above, we are streaming all of our TV programs through 3 smart TV's.  DW is home all day, 1 TV gets turned on at 5 AM and off at 9 PM,  it streams live TV via Youtube TV, watches programs from DVR library, grand kids are here 5 days a week after school watching movies from Disney, Prime, Netflix, etc on it.  The other 2 smart TV are used on occasion simultaneously with the main 1 as well during the week

We also have 2 cell phones on our wifi for all calls, each has our verizon number and google voice with business number ported,  each phone has 2 numbers assigned and when at the residence use wifi for calling. Grand kids also have tablets that connect to our wifi , they play their games and watch shows on them as well when they are here

Also have business computer connected 24/7 to the network, email and internet services including zoom calls at least 1 a week for an hour, data downloads of fairly large files for autocad DWG files, pdf files, etc.

We havent seen any slowdowns, drop outs, etc unless there is really bad weather that blocks the signal for a few minutes until it passes. I have wondered how much starlink data we use each month, currently they are not sharing the daily or monthly totals so all I can see is the real time up / down usage.

So far we have been please with the service and have zero complaints. Will see what happens the next 6 months and post back the results.

[Chalkie]

3 hours ago, palmeris said:

We havent seen any slowdowns, drop outs, etc unless there is really bad weather that blocks the signal for a few minutes until it passes. I have wondered how much starlink data we use each month, currently they are not sharing the daily or monthly totals so all I can see is the real time up / down usage.

So far we have been please with the service and have zero complaints. Will see what happens the next 6 months and post back the results.

Same here, we like the service and find it worth the money compared to the alternatives. Per that email you can see your total usage broken out by day if you log into your account in either the app or on a computer. I checked our usage and usage and found it to be surprisingly low considering that we have 17 connected devices, granted the 2 streaming devices would have the highest numbers if there was a way to actually monitor usage by IP like you can in a conventional router.

[fpmtngal]

Did this email get sent to only residential customers or to everyone?  I have an RV account and haven’t seen an email from them (yet).  I wouldn’t mind keeping an eye on my usage, I think it would be interesting to see just how much I’m using now that I’m streaming TV and watching far more than I’ve ever watched in the past.  I didn’t see an option when I logged in, but then I don’t always notice the obvious!

Edit - OK, I looked harder at the Starlink website and the tracking ability only applies to priority use for residential users.  Since I don’t have a residential account, I don’t have priority data so no way to see my usage.

Edited November 5, 2022 by fpmtngal

[palmeris]

If you log onto starlink.com and select manage my account, you will see the data useage graph. I dont see it on the app

 

[Chalkie]

18 hours ago, palmeris said:

If you log onto starlink.com and select manage my account, you will see the data useage graph. I dont see it on the app

 

It is in the app but you have to go to your account by tapping the little person outline at the top left.

Edited November 7, 2022 by Chalkie

[docj]

11 minutes ago, Chalkie said:

It is in the app but you have to go to your account by taping the little person outline at the top left.

Thank you for that; I hadn't found it except by using my laptop.

[fpmtngal]

2 hours ago, Chalkie said:

It is in the app but you have to go to your account by taping the little person outline at the top left.

Ah, ha!  Thanks for the info, I found it in the app.  Very cool.

[palmeris]

Hit the little person Icon on the app, it redirects me to starlink.com, then can choose Manage, then can see the data usage.

 

[Chalkie]

16 hours ago, palmeris said:

Hit the little person Icon on the app, it redirects me to starlink.com, then can choose Manage, then can see the data usage.

 

In the Android version of the app there is no redirect it simply opens a screen within the app that has all my account information including the usage chart. I don't have to choose anything else.

[palmeris]

I have android and it redirects to starlink.com. then have to select manage then can see usage