Get Internet with No Cell Service??

[TC_Z]

We plan an extended RV trip to Big Bend park in south Texas and beyond. There is spotty cell coverage there at best. What's best most reasonable solution to get satellite internet? No need for voice, just internet, no streaming. No in motion needed, just stationary.

Viasat? Starlink? Hughes.net? Iridium hot spot? Others? Willing to commit to a month at a time, but no year contracts.

Thanks, take care....

[Gulfcoast]

I waited for 14-months for Starlink and finally got it a couple of weeks ago.

I can't believe how fast it is.... I'm getting up to 260 Mbps and even took it way out in the country roaming where there was no cell signal and got over 150 Mbps.

I have the fastest internet I've ever had and can take it with me all over the country, thanks to roaming.

It's not mobile, but it's moveable.

[n0arp]

Wade44 wrote:
Just cause it works today at point A does not mean it works tomorrow at point B.

Cellular plans are similar. You aren't guaranteed access everywhere. Access is provided on best-effort basis and you may be deprioritized or throttled. Oh, and there are contracts most of the time instead of it being month to month where you can cancel whenever you want.

We don't have any cell service - AT&T or VZ, where I'm writing this from. Starlink works great.

And we're (for the most part) not talking about using it *in motion*. Using it in multiple locations is now supported. Using it rolling down the road is not (but works fine - I don't mind voiding warranties).

[3_tons]

Well either way, I would think that it does qualify ‘as mobile’ since the earth is continuously rotating, right?? 🙂 - lol

3 tons

[Wade44]

n0arp wrote:

Wade44 wrote:
Anyone who shells out that much coin for something that comes with those terms is a financial fool IMO. It essentially says we can shut you off at any time for any reason or our stuff may just not work and in that case too bad. But hey its your money. I tried to subscribe for the farm, says I might receive hardware and service in 2023 or later if I send a $100. Screw that.

If you actually read the thread, a lot of the discussion revolved around that you don't have to preorder and can get it immediately if you choose a service address that allows full ordering and either change the service address after ordering, or roam. I've ordered two of them, and never had to wait more than week for them to arrive.

SL has worked in more places than either of the AT&T or Verizon unlimited SIMs I pay just as much or more money for, and consistently provides much better speeds. Interestingly enough, neither AT&T or Verizon guarantee you service everywhere you go, and neither of them are any cheaper when you get into high usage plans. Also, they can shut you off for any reason at any time per their terms as well.

I work remotely and boondock almost exclusively (full-time) in remote locations. To keep the paychecks rolling in, I need multiple options for Internet access. I would say the initial investment (up-front cost) paid for itself within a single week of use, and that the monthly fees are easily overshadowed by the money Starlink continues to facilitate. So financially, it has allowed me to make money in places I wouldn't have been able to otherwise and I'm thrilled with that. To each their own, but I'm not interested in being tied to a single location just because I have to work.

Glad it works for you, and I did read the thread, along with Starlinks terms. Call it roaming, call it Portability, call it whatever you wish but that still does not change the terms. Just cause it works today at point A does not mean it works tomorrow at point B.

"If the portability feature is available"
"Secondary service will be best effort"
"Starlink does not support in motion or mobility services"
"Using the Starlink kit in motion will void the limited warranty of the kit"
"Starlink does not guarantee when or where the Portability will be available"

IMO this is like buying a new vehicle that comes with the disclaimers "Truck may or may not start", "wheels may or may not fall off" or "we provide no guarantee you will ever be able to actually drive the thing".

[n0arp]

Wade44 wrote:
Anyone who shells out that much coin for something that comes with those terms is a financial fool IMO. It essentially says we can shut you off at any time for any reason or our stuff may just not work and in that case too bad. But hey its your money. I tried to subscribe for the farm, says I might receive hardware and service in 2023 or later if I send a $100. Screw that.

If you actually read the thread, a lot of the discussion revolved around that you don't have to preorder and can get it immediately if you choose a service address that allows full ordering and either change the service address after ordering, or roam. I've ordered two of them, and never had to wait more than week for them to arrive.

SL has worked in more places than either of the AT&T or Verizon unlimited SIMs I pay just as much or more money for, and consistently provides much better speeds. Interestingly enough, neither AT&T or Verizon guarantee you service everywhere you go, and neither of them are any cheaper when you get into high usage plans. Also, they can shut you off for any reason at any time per their terms as well.

I work remotely and boondock almost exclusively (full-time) in remote locations. To keep the paychecks rolling in, I need multiple options for Internet access. I would say the initial investment (up-front cost) paid for itself within a single week of use, and that the monthly fees are easily overshadowed by the money Starlink continues to facilitate. So financially, it has allowed me to make money in places I wouldn't have been able to otherwise and I'm thrilled with that. To each their own, but I'm not interested in being tied to a single location just because I have to work.

[Wade44]

n0arp wrote:

Thermoguy wrote:
Where are you coming up with them allowing you to move around with it? Everything I have read says it is for a single address location only. When I check my service address, it says my area is already at maximum capacity and to expect delivery in 2023. I looked all over their website and could not find roaming was OK. I also read that they plan to have a mobile version, but it was a few years out.

They enabled roaming in Feb, and added the following to the Terms of Service on their website:



It's mostly referred to as roaming, because in the debug data, if you are out of your native cell, it sets the roaming flag to yes.

Portability seems to be nationwide (continental USA), because on the FB group I mentioned, people have reported it working all over the country, with very few exceptions. I have a CO service address and have been using my service in AZ, CA, NV, and UT without issue. We're currently camping with another couple, using our old round dish, who also have a CO service address and are seeing similar results.

There is also a very good chance that if you place an order with a different service address, you can move service to your exact address. We’ve found that just because you can’t place an order somewhere, doesn’t mean you can’t set your service address there as an existing customer.

Anyone who shells out that much coin for something that comes with those terms is a financial fool IMO. It essentially says we can shut you off at any time for any reason or our stuff may just not work and in that case too bad. But hey its your money. I tried to subscribe for the farm, says I might receive hardware and service in 2023 or later if I send a $100. Screw that.

[n0arp]

Thermoguy wrote:
Where are you coming up with them allowing you to move around with it? Everything I have read says it is for a single address location only. When I check my service address, it says my area is already at maximum capacity and to expect delivery in 2023. I looked all over their website and could not find roaming was OK. I also read that they plan to have a mobile version, but it was a few years out.

They enabled roaming in Feb, and added the following to the Terms of Service on their website:



It's mostly referred to as roaming, because in the debug data, if you are out of your native cell, it sets the roaming flag to yes.

Portability seems to be nationwide (continental USA), because on the FB group I mentioned, people have reported it working all over the country, with very few exceptions. I have a CO service address and have been using my service in AZ, CA, NV, and UT without issue. We're currently camping with another couple, using our old round dish, who also have a CO service address and are seeing similar results.

There is also a very good chance that if you place an order with a different service address, you can move service to your exact address. We’ve found that just because you can’t place an order somewhere, doesn’t mean you can’t set your service address there as an existing customer.

[Thermoguy]

Where are you coming up with them allowing you to move around with it? Everything I have read says it is for a single address location only. When I check my service address, it says my area is already at maximum capacity and to expect delivery in 2023. I looked all over their website and could not find roaming was OK. I also read that they plan to have a mobile version, but it was a few years out.

[3_tons]

n0arp wrote:

3 tons wrote:
Thanks for the added information…So IF I have this right (??….) when you say ‘service address’ this means the (general?) location of your whereabouts for reception, versus ‘exact address’ is where you receive your mail, and service address needs to be occasional updated as you move on to other locations - at least that’s what I’m thinking…

3 tons

Yeah, "service address" is where you expect to use the dish. When you go to their website and type in an address to see if it is available, that is the service address. Further into the checkout procedure, you can enter a different shipping address for them to send it to. It's always been possible to use a different service address than your exact location, and historically, within about a 15mi radius would still guarantee you service. More on that in my next paragraph. We found that if it didn't like the first service address you tried, you could often, but not always, find an eligible address or plus code within that 15mi radius, and just change the shipping address to have it sent to you.

Up until Feb 18, anyone moving around and using Starlink had to change their service address on the Starlink website every time they moved. Again, any usable service address within about a 15mi radius would work. On Feb 18, they began to allow roaming, and now updating the service address is no longer necessary. The caveat is they "only guarantee service at the service address", so if are using it elsewhere, it's on a best-effort basis. We, and many other people, have had great luck with just roaming this last month and a half.

Starlink is still very much a work in progress and evolving all the time, but with the recent update to allow roaming, it has become our primary source of Internet, enough that I'm considering dropping one or both of my expensive grandfathered unlimited cellular options in the next few months if nothing changes.

Ok, sorry for all my consternation, thank you 🙂

3 tons

[n0arp]

3 tons wrote:
Thanks for the added information…So IF I have this right (??….) when you say ‘service address’ this means the (general?) location of your whereabouts for reception, versus ‘exact address’ is where you receive your mail, and service address needs to be occasional updated as you move on to other locations - at least that’s what I’m thinking…

3 tons

Yeah, "service address" is where you expect to use the dish. When you go to their website and type in an address to see if it is available, that is the service address. Further into the checkout procedure, you can enter a different shipping address for them to send it to. It's always been possible to use a different service address than your exact location, and historically, within about a 15mi radius would still guarantee you service. More on that in my next paragraph. We found that if it didn't like the first service address you tried, you could often, but not always, find an eligible address or plus code within that 15mi radius, and just change the shipping address to have it sent to you.

Up until Feb 18, anyone moving around and using Starlink had to change their service address on the Starlink website every time they moved. Again, any usable service address within about a 15mi radius would work. On Feb 18, they began to allow roaming, and now updating the service address is no longer necessary. The caveat is they "only guarantee service at the service address", so if are using it elsewhere, it's on a best-effort basis. We, and many other people, have had great luck with just roaming this last month and a half.

Starlink is still very much a work in progress and evolving all the time, but with the recent update to allow roaming, it has become our primary source of Internet, enough that I'm considering dropping one or both of my expensive grandfathered unlimited cellular options in the next few months if nothing changes.

[3_tons]

Thanks for the added information…So IF I have this right (??….) when you say ‘service address’ this means the (general?) location of your whereabouts for reception, versus ‘exact address’ is where you receive your mail, and service address needs to be occasional updated as you move on to other locations - at least that’s what I’m thinking…

3 tons

[RLS7201]

When we toured Big Bend Country many years ago, it was AT&T country. We managed to get internet service with an outside, directional, cell receiver. I would think that service has improved in the last 12-15 years.

I just checked and that area is still AT&T country. But no coverage in the park.
Big Bend AT&T coverage.

Richard

[n0arp]

3 tons wrote:

n0arp wrote:

Retired JSO wrote:
If you apply for Starlink today, you may get it within 2 years. My neighbor applied last February 2021 and is still awaiting his equipment.

The people who are waiting that long are the ones who just put in their exact address, and don't look into it any further.

Please translate into wider group-speak…I have no idea whatsoever why an exact address won’t work, nor the necessity to join FB… This sounds crazy…

It's very simple and nothing crazy. There are certain addresses that will accept immediate orders, and some that won't. You set your *service address* to one that will, and your shipping address to your actual address or wherever you want to receive the package. On the FB group, there are people tracking and reporting what addresses are accepting immediate orders, along with explaining how it all works.

Generally speaking, your exact address may not be eligible for immediate shipment, but one five miles away in the next town is. Or, with roaming now being available, you can use an address clear across the country and still have a reasonable expectation for fast and reliable service. Service is per cell, so you are usually not roaming if you are within approximately 15mi of your service address. RVers have been hopping around the country and changing their service addresses with every move for about a year now. With roaming, which was enabled on 02/18/2022 - you no longer have to change your service address, but can roam instead. Roaming does not guarantee the same level of service, but most people are reporting that there is no notable difference.

My last order used a plus code in the middle of the desert for a service address, and a mailing center in a small town for a shipping address.

Here is an example order. An order to Sheep Bridge Rd in Virgin, UT, with shipping to a mailing center that allows you to receive packages in St George, UT. That's more or less how I ordered mine. And it's taking full payment, so it will ship out in 2-3 days. If it only requires a deposit, it adds you to a waiting list.



You can change service addresses any time after ordering (and available service addresses do not necessarily corroborate with addresses that accept full orders), or just use roaming.

There are a few arm-chair observations and assumptions in this thread that simply aren't true. To clear them up:

1) There are no long term commitments required. All service is month to month.
2) You can get it within a week if you use a service address that is open to ordering.
3) In-motion service works but is not fully approved at this time - YMMV if using it AND equipment warranty is voided.

[3_tons]

n0arp wrote:

Retired JSO wrote:
If you apply for Starlink today, you may get it within 2 years. My neighbor applied last February 2021 and is still awaiting his equipment.

The people who are waiting that long are the ones who just put in their exact address, and don't look into it any further.

Please translate into wider group-speak…I have no idea whatsoever why an exact address won’t work, nor the necessity to join FB… This sounds crazy…