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Elon's Starlink Internet Service

Bill_Satellite
Explorer II
Explorer II
The most recent info from the beta testers for the Starlink service.
Hardware costs to be a beta tester $499.
Monthly service $99/month.
No information thus far on end user experience or expectations for the service. Lots of speculation and hopes but few actual experiences. It's also still unknown how many users are using the few satellites currently in orbit (yes, I call less than 100 few) and how additional users or satellites will effect the experience and the cost.
I have great hopes for Starlink. I just don't have any hopes that this will be anything usable by us common folks in the next few years.
Point of interest, however, is that if the service was $99/month and you still had to pay for a streaming service to watch TV you would still be better off with DISH or DirecTV plus a stand alone internet service.
What I post is my 2 cents and nothing more. Please don't read anything into my post that's not there. If you disagree, that's OK.
Can't we all just get along?
50 REPLIES 50

magicbus
Explorer
Explorer
NamMedevac 70 wrote:
I have several free and cheap streaming internet movie options from now standard internet wifi. Just saying
Would you mind defining "now standard internet wifi"? It never occurred to me there was any such animal. Do you mean a wifi access point to cable Internet access or something else?

Dave
Current: 2018 Winnebago Era A
Previous: Selene 49 Trawler
Previous: Country Coach Allure 36

NamMedevac_70
Explorer II
Explorer II
In traditional accounting startup recoupment cost was spread out over a long period of time so as not to scare off customers with high prices. There is no longer this incentive for Musk as only a few operators provide satellite internet service and they know a large number of people have to have this unique service. The other two long time operators recovered their startup cost many decades ago IMHO but seem to maintain high prices from what I read on this forum. I remember a few things from my accounting major. I have several free and cheap streaming internet movie options from now standard internet wifi. Just saying

CFerguson
Explorer
Explorer
Billy, why wont you meet me for lunch if we are close? I'll buy. Bring your partner if you want. Depending on where you are exactly, i probably know the good spots too. I really think ftf helps folks understand each other better. Typing words can never convey the true subtlety/nuances that speech can.

Again, i am completely happy for anyone who likes their current dish, landline, or even bright plaid yellow bell bottoms (well, that last one is a white lie, those things are hideously offensive to my eyes). This is America and Capitalism and the Freedom to Choose! But looking at what Elon has done in such a short period of time(!), what the projected timeline is.....well, i just dont see how the old services can have any future. RIP old guard, you were fun while you lasted. Refusal to see whats coming will get you run over. If i can help you, or anyone, function better and enjoy life more (and save money!!!), then the world is just a little bit better place.
Starlink: gawdawfulfaster, cheaper, more coverage, and laughs at current dish's obstructions. Born 2020 amidst troubled times, matured 2021(?), dominated 2022+.....
- champy ferguson who doesnt believe that billy has blocked him since the last time he said "i'm done with this thread, no more posts" he came back 4 more times.

Bill_Satellite
Explorer II
Explorer II
CFerguson wrote:
edatlanta, i think you nailed it. hilarious!

Billy, i was TRYING to teach something by stating what i had read about the weather conditions that Starlink excels in (btw, it was all of them in case you missed it). Not everything is about your posts. And as to my words, i have watched you do worse to other folks in the preceding months. I try to talk to people in a manner similar to how they speak. If you want to sarcasm at me, Git After It! I can laugh at myself with the best of em. Some of your stuff does actually get a good grin from me, bion.

I still cant believe this is something that anyone believes (I'm not really sure you arent trolling us on this. Seriously, i think youre smarter than that). From Wall St analysts to tech wizards to everyone who hates the way that the cable and phone companies (o yeah, Starlink's voip is gonna reek havoc there too) to people....well, dang near Everyone is chomping at the bit for Starlink to go nationwide. Can Unreliable dish companies with exclusion zones (both regional and under trees)compete with cheaper (or even close) with completly reliable and GAWDAWFULFASTER internet?

I understand that some very few will still cling to the old ways of doing things. Heck i have a childhood friend who only has a landline and doesnt want the internet. I've offered to fix him up and cover all costs but he just cant handle the change. I KNOW he would like it. He was one of the smartest people in our large HS and he loves playing on the computer i gave him but he is someone who just cant handle change anymore.

And let me say again. If you want your Dish, you can keep it. If it works for you, I am happy for you. Really. But the rest of us are going to be taking the rocketship speeds down the Inturweb Turnpike!

Heres the first 2 results of a DDG search if youd like to read up on the future:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File$Starlink_satellites_in_orbit_since_May_2019_(target_%3D_1440).svg

((edited to say place a colon in place of the $ in the above link. the software here sees it as an emoticon ))

https://www.whistleout.com/Internet/Guides/starlink-satellite-internet-vs-viasat-hughesnet (Elon has said No Caps)


You won't be taking rocketships anywhere as the service is not available. Until it is, I am very happy with DirecTV! Even if it became available today, was fully mobile, only cost $500 for the hardware and only cost $99/month, I would still be better off with my DirecTV and AT&T internet.
I would have to send a PM to explain just how I feel about you and your attacks but your suggestion in another thread that we should have lunch is so never going to happen!
You win, I can't take any more. You have been blocked.
What I post is my 2 cents and nothing more. Please don't read anything into my post that's not there. If you disagree, that's OK.
Can't we all just get along?

Crabbypatty
Explorer
Explorer
I had dish for many years until they got to expensive, along with Verizon copper lines then cable internet. Cable internet is the only game where we live, so I dropped Dish and Verizon and have package tv, internet and phones from Cable. Of course I now no longer have Dish on the Road.

Yes satellite is affected by weather, without a heated dish had to throw snowballs at it to knock off the snow and yes when a big thunderhead comes through it will block your signal a does heavy downpours.

It will take some time, but with companies expanding internet to get around cable companies soon we will have more choices. For now both cellular and wifi repeaters are in my rig and occasionally that all fails and we drive over to a hot spot with the laptop and do a download. Always carry dvd's on board for remote camping that we do a lot. But Hey if you got the pesos buy what you need and enjoy it. hughes offers broadband and tv. Theres a doctor who camps by us and has the hughes dish on his mega 4x4 truck camper.
John, Lisa & Tara:B:C:)
2015 F250 4x4 6.2L 6 spd 3.73s, CC Short Bed, Pullrite Slide 2700, 648 Wts Solar, 4 T-125s, 2000 Watt Xantrax Inverter, Trimetric 2030 Meter, LED Lights, Hawkings Smart Repeater, Wilson Extreme Cellular Repeater, Beer, Ribs, Smoker

free_radical
Explorer
Explorer
time2roll wrote:
NamMedevac 70 wrote:
Like everything else the rest of the world will receive this service for free or very cheap reduced rates. Just saying.
Will be interesting when places like China, N Korea, Middle East get unfiltered communication with the world.


Chinese are quite inovative
They just launched 6G comunications satelites into space

https://youtu.be/LxaanrLX6j8

CFerguson
Explorer
Explorer
edatlanta, i think you nailed it. hilarious!

Billy, i was TRYING to teach something by stating what i had read about the weather conditions that Starlink excels in (btw, it was all of them in case you missed it). Not everything is about your posts. And as to my words, i have watched you do worse to other folks in the preceding months. I try to talk to people in a manner similar to how they speak. If you want to sarcasm at me, Git After It! I can laugh at myself with the best of em. Some of your stuff does actually get a good grin from me, bion.

I still cant believe this is something that anyone believes (I'm not really sure you arent trolling us on this. Seriously, i think youre smarter than that). From Wall St analysts to tech wizards to everyone who hates the way that the cable and phone companies (o yeah, Starlink's voip is gonna reek havoc there too) to people....well, dang near Everyone is chomping at the bit for Starlink to go nationwide. Can Unreliable dish companies with exclusion zones (both regional and under trees)compete with cheaper (or even close) with completly reliable and GAWDAWFULFASTER internet?

I understand that some very few will still cling to the old ways of doing things. Heck i have a childhood friend who only has a landline and doesnt want the internet. I've offered to fix him up and cover all costs but he just cant handle the change. I KNOW he would like it. He was one of the smartest people in our large HS and he loves playing on the computer i gave him but he is someone who just cant handle change anymore.

And let me say again. If you want your Dish, you can keep it. If it works for you, I am happy for you. Really. But the rest of us are going to be taking the rocketship speeds down the Inturweb Turnpike!

Heres the first 2 results of a DDG search if youd like to read up on the future:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File$Starlink_satellites_in_orbit_since_May_2019_(target_%3D_1440).svg

((edited to say place a colon in place of the $ in the above link. the software here sees it as an emoticon ))

https://www.whistleout.com/Internet/Guides/starlink-satellite-internet-vs-viasat-hughesnet (Elon has said No Caps)

time2roll
Nomad
Nomad
Gdetrailer wrote:
So far, Starlink speed and latency is dismal compared to my current cable Internet provider and my price is the same as Starlink Beta and I didn't have to buy the $500 receiving station.
Sure and there is limited range of cable. Sometimes I am lucky to get 3g data. Probably can turn in your satellite phone too.

I bet that $500 equipment cost will drop and soon will get absorbed into the first year lease of services.

I also understand there are some other providers that will be in competition with Starlink. This may provide a price cap compared to the cable services.

Gdetrailer
Explorer III
Explorer III
CFerguson wrote:
Bill.Satellite wrote:
The most recent info from the beta testers for the Starlink service.
Hardware costs to be a beta tester $499.
Monthly service $99/month.
No information thus far on end user experience or expectations for the service. Lots of speculation and hopes but few actual experiences. It's also still unknown how many users are using the few satellites currently in orbit (yes, I call less than 100 few) and how additional users or satellites will effect the experience and the cost.
I have great hopes for Starlink. I just don't have any hopes that this will be anything usable by us common folks in the next few years.
Point of interest, however, is that if the service was $99/month and you still had to pay for a streaming service to watch TV you would still be better off with DISH or DirecTV plus a stand alone internet service.


You've missed a few reports or arent reading the right sites. Reports I've seen are that even when covered with icicles and snow and in blizzard conditions, Better Than Nothing Beta (Starlink's words, not mine!)works without a hiccup. Rave reviews all around. The only downside so far is that the beta units are intentionally geofenced, meaning that they are only allowed to work in the beta/home area.

Traditional Satellite is dying. Maybe not in 2020, but very very soon. At 60 new laser sats per Falcon9 launch, you'll have a front row seat in 2021 to watch the expansion of Starlink. And my God, i dont even know how many Starlink sats Elon will be able to stuff into a Starship when he gets those things flying! (you might want to recount those currently orbital sats, eh).

btw, if you havent been following Starlinks plans, those laser comms between sats all but eliminates the need for all those ground stations someone may have said were necessary. Pricing? lol. You do know this is a BETA, right? Look up Economic Scaling. It amazes me that the beta is this cheap! FWC understands. Capitalism Rules. Elon will prob price it far enough under to dominate the market, yet make lots of profit.

The future is coming but you can still hang on to your landline and tube tv if you want.


Your "future" is getting much more expensive if you really think Elon's Internet is going to reduce costs of Internet, phone or even streaming viseo services..

THIS NEWS FLASH is a telling story of the latest streaming service HULU of INCREASING their LIVE TV streaming service to $65 per month..

"Hulu with Live TV increasing its price to $65 a month

Itโ€™s now the same as YouTube TV
By Julia Alexander Nov 16, 2020, 3:25pm EST

Hulu with Live TV is the latest virtual TV bundle to get a price hike โ€” this time to $64.99 a month.

Hulu with Live TV currently costs $54.99 a month, marking a $10 monthly increase for current customers, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Itโ€™s also on par with YouTube TV, a competing virtual live TV bundle. The price change will go into effect on December 18th and affect both new and current customers. Hulu last increased the monthly cost of its virtual TV provider last year when the company told subscribers they would go from paying $44.99 to $54.99 on December 18th, 2019.

While these types of packages were originally meant to help cord-cutters who still wanted access to some live programming (like news and sports) but didnโ€™t want to pay big cable fees, prices have been increasing across the board. As content gets more expensive for companies to license, and as they try to find more channels to offer consumers, the monthly costs also increase. Oh, the irony.

Still, Hulu with Live TV is growing. The service has more than 4 million customers, which is approximately 1 million more than YouTube TV. The bundle has seen a 40 percent increase in subscribers over the last year. Recently, Disney CEO Bob Chapek spoke to how important Disneyโ€™s entire streaming ecosystem (that includes Disney Plus, ESPN Plus, and Huluโ€™s regular streaming service) are to the companyโ€™s future.

While YouTube TV and Hulu with Live TV represent some of the more costly options (up there with AT&Tโ€™s AT&T TV Now), they also come with some of the highest channel offerings. Competitors like Sling TV have monthly plans for $30, but the content offering isnโ€™t as strong."


Eventually, EVERY streaming service WILL increase over time and the "limited free" versions will slowly go away or get on the "pay to watch bandwagon"..

So far, Starlink speed and latency is dismal compared to my current cable Internet provider and my price is the same as Starlink Beta and I didn't have to buy the $500 receiving station.

NamMedevac_70
Explorer II
Explorer II
Gulfcoast wrote:
I'm on my Mobley now and every day.... the best deal we ever got Bill.


I also have the original mobley and plan and use it as home internet backup and for traveling. My reception at campgrounds has been at least 200 feet from the truck. The price is right and all is good. Peace

Bill_Satellite
Explorer II
Explorer II
Gulfcoast wrote:
I'm on my Mobley now and every day.... the best deal we ever got Bill.


I moved the Mobley SIM to a Netgear router years ago and use it everyday as my main source of internet. Took a picture of the data usage the other day when it showed 750+ MB used and the month was not yet over.
Love that a few of us were able to snag the deal during it's short lived availability.
What I post is my 2 cents and nothing more. Please don't read anything into my post that's not there. If you disagree, that's OK.
Can't we all just get along?

Bill_Satellite
Explorer II
Explorer II
CFerguson wrote:
Bill.Satellite wrote:
The most recent info from the beta testers for the Starlink service.
Hardware costs to be a beta tester $499.
Monthly service $99/month.
No information thus far on end user experience or expectations for the service. Lots of speculation and hopes but few actual experiences. It's also still unknown how many users are using the few satellites currently in orbit (yes, I call less than 100 few) and how additional users or satellites will effect the experience and the cost.
I have great hopes for Starlink. I just don't have any hopes that this will be anything usable by us common folks in the next few years.
Point of interest, however, is that if the service was $99/month and you still had to pay for a streaming service to watch TV you would still be better off with DISH or DirecTV plus a stand alone internet service.


You've missed a few reports or arent reading the right sites. Reports I've seen are that even when covered with icicles and snow and in blizzard conditions, Better Than Nothing Beta (Starlink's words, not mine!)works without a hiccup. Rave reviews all around. The only downside so far is that the beta units are intentionally geofenced, meaning that they are only allowed to work in the beta/home area.

Traditional Satellite is dying. Maybe not in 2020, but very very soon. At 60 new laser sats per Falcon9 launch, you'll have a front row seat in 2021 to watch the expansion of Starlink. And my God, i dont even know how many Starlink sats Elon will be able to stuff into a Starship when he gets those things flying! (you might want to recount those currently orbital sats, eh).

btw, if you havent been following Starlinks plans, those laser comms between sats all but eliminates the need for all those ground stations someone may have said were necessary. Pricing? lol. You do know this is a BETA, right? Look up Economic Scaling. It amazes me that the beta is this cheap! FWC understands. Capitalism Rules. Elon will prob price it far enough under to dominate the market, yet make lots of profit.

The future is coming but you can still hang on to your landline and tube tv if you want.

Not sure why your posts can't be more informative and less sarcastic and personal. I haven't had a landline or a tube TV for something like 20 years and, if you care to actually read my post, I said that I have great hopes for Starlink. I also never said anything about the weather. That post came from another poster. I no facts don't mean much to you during your attacks, but those are the facts.
What I post is my 2 cents and nothing more. Please don't read anything into my post that's not there. If you disagree, that's OK.
Can't we all just get along?

edatlanta
Explorer
Explorer
way2roll wrote:
thomasmnile wrote:
obgraham wrote:
thomasmnile wrote:


And like anything satellite, cloud cover and precipitation will affect reception. But in areas without access alternatives, it's better than nothing, albeit expensive.
The only folks who believe this are the cable company ad-writers.
I've had Dish for 22 years now. Never once had an outage for weather, clouds, snow, or rain. There used to be a 20 minute outage twice a year for solar interference, but that has gone away now.


Was a Dish subscriber until we sold our house in 2016. Every Spring solar flare, every moderate to heavy summer thunderstorm, every tropical system with heavy squalls, we lost the signal. Even had a tech from Dish come out and check antenna orientation and signal strength. No issues until it rained.


That was our experience with DirectTv. Storms, snow etc we would lose signal. Was especially frustrating when you need to watch the weather for bad storms and the irony was that the storm made you lose the signal.


I am a DirecTV customer since 1995 and I personally like losing the signal when a thunderstorm is approaching. If I lose signal I look out to see why. Much faster than watching a news report later telling me I got hit.
Ed
KM4STL

2006 GMC 2500HD CCSB 4x4 Duramax/Allison, Titan 52 gallon fuel tank, Prodigy Controller, B&W Companion Hitch, Progressive Industries EMS-PT50C, TST Systems 507 TPMS
2010 Jayco Designer 35RLTS,Cummins/Onan RV QG 5500 EVAP
Fulltime since 2010

CFerguson
Explorer
Explorer
Bill.Satellite wrote:
The most recent info from the beta testers for the Starlink service.
Hardware costs to be a beta tester $499.
Monthly service $99/month.
No information thus far on end user experience or expectations for the service. Lots of speculation and hopes but few actual experiences. It's also still unknown how many users are using the few satellites currently in orbit (yes, I call less than 100 few) and how additional users or satellites will effect the experience and the cost.
I have great hopes for Starlink. I just don't have any hopes that this will be anything usable by us common folks in the next few years.
Point of interest, however, is that if the service was $99/month and you still had to pay for a streaming service to watch TV you would still be better off with DISH or DirecTV plus a stand alone internet service.


You've missed a few reports or arent reading the right sites. Reports I've seen are that even when covered with icicles and snow and in blizzard conditions, Better Than Nothing Beta (Starlink's words, not mine!)works without a hiccup. Rave reviews all around. The only downside so far is that the beta units are intentionally geofenced, meaning that they are only allowed to work in the beta/home area.

Traditional Satellite is dying. Maybe not in 2020, but very very soon. At 60 new laser sats per Falcon9 launch, you'll have a front row seat in 2021 to watch the expansion of Starlink. And my God, i dont even know how many Starlink sats Elon will be able to stuff into a Starship when he gets those things flying! (you might want to recount those currently orbital sats, eh).

btw, if you havent been following Starlinks plans, those laser comms between sats all but eliminates the need for all those ground stations someone may have said were necessary. Pricing? lol. You do know this is a BETA, right? Look up Economic Scaling. It amazes me that the beta is this cheap! FWC understands. Capitalism Rules. Elon will prob price it far enough under to dominate the market, yet make lots of profit.

The future is coming but you can still hang on to your landline and tube tv if you want.

Gulfcoast
Explorer
Explorer
I'm on my Mobley now and every day.... the best deal we ever got Bill.
RV'ing since 1960
Dodge Cummins Diesel
Mega Cab
Jayco Travel Trailer