Starlink for the RV?

[ADQ K9]

Anyone put a Starlink in their trailer yet I am thinking about purchasing one for the house but I like the Idea of its portability. If you have, where do you position the antenna? I know that there is a mobile version but I am looking at the stationary version.

[NH_Bulldog]

I know of a few people who might weigh in. Although I have no experience with Starlink, those who have it and that have discussed on here seem to have been happy with it.

Here is a decent review that specifically discusses differences between Starlink Mobile vs. Starlink Residential. https://blinqblinq.com/starlink-rv-v...w%20and%20then.

As for mounting location, I have seen people add a pole to their rear ladder and telescope it up when they park and then adjust for best signal.

[Ramtop]

I don’t have it, but a friend of mine was showing me his this past weekend when camping together and he attached the antenna to his flagpole that attaches to his rear ladder. Puts it up at the campground and stows it away when traveling.

[vampress_me]

We have had StarLink in our camper since last spring. Last summer it was used both in MN at our seasonal spot (on the ground stand set about 70’ behind our camper since we are under trees), in the middle of MT, and in the Big Horn Mtns in WY, plus stops in between. While traveling we used the Flagpole buddy mount. At our seasonal spot I was able to work when needed, and could call using Wi-Fi calling on my cell phone with no issues. In the Big Horns, we were under some trees, so had interference. But, it still allowed me to work when I had to and for my BIL to call in to the hospital for his work when he needed to. We just would have small interruptions using the Wi-Fi calling, which was very doable versus having to drive halfway down the mountain to get cell service. I have had it paused since November and am about to unpause it for camping again. The pausing on RV service is great since it means we haven’t paid anything monthly since November. Overall, it seems to work great for what we need, even when I’ve set it up at home to use. Now, one caveat, we don’t have/ can’t get any internet at home except cell phones, so anything not cell phone related is an improvement.

[Matty Rich]

I love my StarLink. I have a flag pole mount on the ladder.
Sometimes I just set it out in front of the trailer. Just depends where I am and how long I’m staying there.

[UKLimey]

You may want to watch the excellent video put out by the Changing Lanes folks

https://changinglanesrv.com/starlink-head-to-head/

[Matty Rich]

Starlink recently changed up their service regarding portability.
I have Residential with Portability but I don’t think that’s an option anymore. I’m sure they will eventually take me off that plan.
Also regarding speed; Starlink also launched some new V2 satellites that offer faster speeds and wider coverage. I noticed a bump in speed in the southwest.
It really all depends on where you are and the demand of the network in that area.
I check my speeds every time I setup the Starlink and have always hit the 200mbps speed, sometimes faster.

[Jonahex2099]

We just received ours after a rainy first outing to a campground with horrible internet. Since we both work from home, the ability to do that from the camper when settled in was also a big deal.

I have two ways I can mount it - flagpole on either the back or front or with the ground mount that comes with it.

In my driveway with some obstructions, I was pulling 60+ down/20+ up with varying latency - but completely usable for work. First real trip with it is next week (memorial day weekend) so we'll see how it goes...

IIRC if you're going to use it on your camper (and changing locations) you'll need the Roam option - I think they are getting more restrictive in that regard.

[ADQ K9]

Thanks everyone,
Looks like if forces me to do the roam option I can turn it on and off when I want yet it is more expensive I am just in the research stages now.
We have Starlink at the remote location I work at its is way faster than our old provider. Coverage of Alaska is very good. there are still a lot of places up here on the road system where is no cell coverge but it slowly is improving.

[Avman2119]

We have one, have had it for over a year now. Never had any issues with it and it works great, especially in the mountains of Colorado. We've used it in Wisconsin as well and started taking it with us on road trips in case something happens when we don't have service. Super easy to set up and use. Hoping to upgrade to the in motion dish next year when we get a Class C.

[GlasNav]

Combo of Residential with Portability option no longer available. Now you can only have one or the other. BTW, it does work great, long term stability as the customer base expands TBD.

[dutchmensport]

The problem with mounting on a permanent spot would be if you camp in wooded areas and find your rig sitting under trees. This may be very problematic. I would think, having the ability to move the "antenna" would be a better option rather than mounting it.

We had Direct TV and had a Tailgater cube instead of a satellite dish (we did have one for a while and then discovered the cube). The intention was to put the cube on top of the roof of the trailer .... well, that was ok, but we are Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina camping people and we found ourselves under too many trees too many times, where, no matter we put the cube, we never got a clear SW sky. We eventually gave up Direct TV completely.

Anyway, depending on your camping style, you might want to rethink attaching to a permanent location.

[huskerfancf]

We have used Starlink once they enabled the roaming option. We use the mount that came with the unit, to allow moving to avoid trees or obstructions. Our experience has been great for the last year. We are heaving data users while working from the trailer. The roaming option is getting expensive, $150 month, but nothing compares for stability simplicity and speeds. I would recommend anyone who needs high speed data to go with Starlink.

[rlh1957]

There are many who have it, many like it, many don’t.

YouTube had more than a few from very recent to a couple years old.

One of the latest is from Long Long Honeymoon.
It is one of the best do far.

Main over-all complaint is cost. Initial equipment hardware is around $600.
The monthly rate is now at $150/month.
If you set your smart phone for wifi calling then you can get and make calls. Just like internet at home.
Starlink is victim to the same thing as at home satellite. Can experience heavy weather fade out, trees in the way, not a clear view of satellites in the sky. Western US seems to be better covered snd Eastern covered but so congested with users signal times can degrade. Sound familiar.
It will improve as more satellites go up and technology advances.

Price I don’t see coming down as lobbing rockets and million dollar satellites as well as Musk’s other expensive dreams has yo get cash from somewhere.

My opinion is if you have StarLink snd also a cell phone you’ll have access to stream most of the time.

[firestation12]

Originally Posted by ADQ K9

Anyone put a Starlink in their trailer yet I am thinking about purchasing one for the house but I like the Idea of its portability. If you have, where do you position the antenna? I know that there is a mobile version but I am looking at the stationary version.

Love my portable Starlink. I wouldn’t have any phone service, wifi or streaming without it. The ability to pause the service i.e. stop paying for unused periods, is a plus feature for the portable model. If you do purchase the fixed system, know that the more expensive (I mean WAY MORE EXPENSIVE) “in motion” model uses 2 120 volt circuits to power the system. I placed my antenna on a slideout roof and run the cable through the slideout’s seal near the bottom to prevent rain entering. I ordered sand bags for weighting down photography light stands purchased from amazon. In lieu of sand, I used 16 oz water bottles (3 in each pouch) and zip tied them to the Starling antenna. A rubber mat was placed under the Starlink’s tripod legs. Since we are parked for the foreseeable future, I have no need to constantly remove it.

[christiaanvandenberg]

I have been using Starlink last summer and now again. It works great for me other than when we are under trees. I chose not to mount it permanently as that gives me the option to move the dish to a place where I can get reception. It comes with a long cable and you can order an even longer one (100) feet. I chose the RV roaming version as I can turn it off for the six months of winter when I do not use it. Turning it back on took a few hours but happened on the day I requested it.

[GeekSquadOfUn]

I'm a Canadian who spends his winters in Florida.
Last winter we used our neighbor's Starlink during our 3 month stay, he shared his Wi-Fi password for us to test it.
Needless to say, we loved it. It worked flawlessly all the time.
We both were streaming, all the popular apps. No issues.
We came back to Canada and Starlink started a special promotion for those of us living in specific 'Rural Areas', which we did qualify for.
$199 CAD (that's like $150 USD) for the hardware. That is one heck of a deal.
Well, I couldn't resist. So I bought one. Came in, tested it, got it going, works great.
Got the Mobility option and it's now Paused, no bills, until we get back to Florida. (We have a great internet access at home for cheap, no need for any better...)
If you have no other cheaper option, it's great.

[firestation12]

Originally Posted by GeekSquadOfUn

I'm a Canadian who spends his winters in Florida.
Last winter we used our neighbor's Starlink during our 3 month stay, he shared his Wi-Fi password for us to test it.
Needless to say, we loved it. It worked flawlessly all the time.
We both were streaming, all the popular apps. No issues.
We came back to Canada and Starlink started a special promotion for those of us living in specific 'Rural Areas', which we did qualify for.
$199 CAD (that's like $150 USD) for the hardware. That is one heck of a deal.
Well, I couldn't resist. So I bought one. Came in, tested it, got it going, works great.
Got the Mobility option and it's now Paused, no bills, until we get back to Florida. (We have a great internet access at home for cheap, no need for any better...)
If you have no other cheaper option, it's great.

So glad you had a great experience, as did we. We found that a single Starlink would accommodate the whole camping group of our 6 sons, their wives and 28 grandchildren in remote areas. The Wi-Fi range was over 100’ radius.

[GeekSquadOfUn]

Originally Posted by firestation12

So glad you had a great experience, as did we. We found that a single Starlink would accommodate the whole camping group of our 6 sons, their wives and 28 grandchildren in remote areas. The Wi-Fi range was over 100’ radius.

I don't use the included Starlink router, I use my own. You can cover as big as you want with the right equipment. My son has it at his cottage and covers a few miles. But the Starlink router ain't bad for small areas.
Great invention for sure.

[RonaldoTocino]

Can we all just take a deep breath and not respond if you don't have experience with the thing being asked about? Asking for a friend....