Starlink RV

[Scotico]

So my brother has a starlink rv. He gets great speeds with it. So hypothetical question. What if I took it on our cruise and used that for internet. I can set it on the balcony and cans be easily moved around. I have to do some work while cruising and don’t want to depend on the cruise internet. I heard about a RCCL ship testing starlink satellites for internet. 

[xpcdoojk]

37 minutes ago, Scotico said:

So my brother has a starlink rv. He gets great speeds with it. So hypothetical question. What if I took it on our cruise and used that for internet. I can set it on the balcony and cans be easily moved around. I have to do some work while cruising and don’t want to depend on the cruise internet. I heard about a RCCL ship testing starlink satellites for internet. 

 

I have absolutely been waiting for you to come along.  Please do.  Let us know how it works out.  You can always buy the internet package on day 3.  I think you need to try until you are well out into the ocean!!!!

 

Remember to report back Ranger!🤣

 

jc

[notscb]

1 hour ago, Scotico said:

I heard about a RCCL ship testing starlink satellites for internet. 

 

That ship is Freedom of the Seas and I'm not sure if they're still piloting it, but based on some recent youtube cruise reviewers it seems like they are. As long as there aren't any individual parts of the system that would get flagged  by security on your way onboard, I don't see why you couldn't hypothetically try it?

[twangster]

If your balcony faced towards the north, where most Dishy orientate towards in North America you might do okay at least for a little bit within ~150 miles of North America but probably not.

 

Dishy track Starlink satellites that are going somewhere around 12,000 km/h and you need a clear view as much as you can of the sky as possible so that Dishy can form beams that are steered through the sky to follow the satellites that fly overhead.  

 

The problem with most balcony cabins on ships is they automatically lose half the sky in the direction your balcony isn't facing at any given moment.  No one mounts Dishy on an RV or on a home half way up the side of their vehicle or house.  They mount Dishy as high as they can, often on the roof so as to maximize the view of the sky in as many directions as possible.  

 

Plus Starlink doesn't work far away from land such as over the middle of oceans yet, that's coming, hopefully, soon.  Maybe Q4 of 2022, maybe Q1 of 2023, maybe longer which is a common theme as Starlink continues to build out.  Hurry up and wait.

 

The current state of Starlink maritime service and coverage map can be found here:

 

https://api.starlink.com/public-files/maritime-coverage-map.pdf

 

 

The light blue areas near land masses is where maritime coverage works today.  The Starlink Freedom trial was picked since Freedom on short Florida itineraries stays close enough to mainland US to remain in the light blue areas of coverage map.  

 

For a cruise that went past the Bahamas such as into the Caribbean Sea or the leeward islands there is no Starlink maritime coverage right now.  Panama Canal cruise?  Nope.  

 

Starlink has a long history of over promising and missing milestones.  Ask anyone who in 2021 was promised service mid 2022 but are now discovering their latest estimate is mid 2023. 

 

With Starship delays they are estimating they will fall behind their satellite launch schedule and the smaller Falcon 9 rockets can only put up 1/4 of the satellites compared to Starship.  They are somewhere around 1/4 of the way to building a fully functional constellation which is why service sucks for many users.  It also takes nearly 9 months for a satellite launched on a Falcon 9 rocket to reach its operational orbit compared to a month or so when Starship starts flying so the Starship delays have the potential to really put Starlink way behind schedule.   

 

Time will tell.  

 

 

Edited August 26, 2022 by twangster

[ckruetze]

9 hours ago, Scotico said:

So my brother has a starlink rv. He gets great speeds with it. So hypothetical question. What if I took it on our cruise and used that for internet. I can set it on the balcony and cans be easily moved around. I have to do some work while cruising and don’t want to depend on the cruise internet. I heard about a RCCL ship testing starlink satellites for internet. 

A lot of people have problems getting extension cables, multi plugs etc. through security. How are you planing on getting a starlink setup on the ship?

[PolicromaSol]

Whatever you do, don't drop it off the side! 🙃You know what the waiting list is on those things?

 

Also, to answer ckruetze's question, some of the Starlink routers just look like an antenna sitting on a stand. They don't even have LAN ports unless you add them. (I think they're battery powered to make them easier to use outdoors too.)

 

The only thing that might give him trouble is if he uses it in an area that isn't covered yet. Starlink works by use of many small low-orbit satellites. So there have to be some available where you are in order to make it work.

Edited August 26, 2022 by PolicromaSol

[twangster]

18 minutes ago, PolicromaSol said:

The only thing that might give him trouble is if he uses it in an area that isn't covered yet. Starlink works by use of many small low-orbit satellites. So there have to be some available where you are in order to make it work.

 

That's why folks are willing to shell out more for the RV service.  They pay a higher monthly fee at the cost of those who have been waiting for a year or more to get service in their cell.  

[Magicat]

So can you not set the Dishy out by the pool deck and work from there?  Place it on the sundeck above the Sky Bar and you can work from the seats at the bar.  Problem solved.

[twangster]

2 minutes ago, Magicat said:

So can you not set the Dishy out by the pool deck and work from there?  Place it on the sundeck above the Sky Bar and you can work from the seats at the bar.  Problem solved.

 

Sure, just plug it into the North American style outlets that are all over the place on the pool deck.  Oh wait....

[twangster]

If you are looking into ways to bypass Voom it might way easier to get cell service in the middle of nowhere in 2023 and beyond.  At least for T-Mobile users.  Starlink and T-Mobile have announced a partnership to extend cell service where there is no cell service today. 

 

The same caveat applies to the timeline since it will require the next generation Starlink satellites and the Starship platform to put them in space. If that is delayed so will this new "cell tower in the sky" service.  

 

If it comes to fruition it has the potential to dramatically impact cruising and it would work with most extsing phones, at least any current T-Mobile phones that are 5G capable.  Rather than dragging a Starlink RV setup onboard, just carry your cell phone.  

 

https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/25/t-mobile-phones-will-connect-to-starlink-for-free-starting-next-year/

 

• T-Mobile and SpaceX have announced that Starlink satellites launched next year will be able to connect directly to the carrier’s phones over existing cellular bands. The companies hope to enable global roaming wherever satellite coverage exists, and the service may potentially be added for free to existing T-Mobile plans.

 

• “It’s a lot like putting a cellular tower in the sky, just a lot harder,” said Sievert. “Your phone doesn’t really know it’s connecting for space. It’ll think it’s connected to a cell tower, because that phone is using industry standard technology communication protocols and it has the spectrum already built in, as the vast majority of phones in circulation today do.”

 

Time will tell, but this could be a game changer if it happens.    

 

 

Edited August 26, 2022 by twangster

[Charles4515]

2 hours ago, twangster said:

 

Time will tell, but this could be a game changer if it happens.    

They have announced this now without any satellites in orbit for it for late 2023 or later because the rumor  is Apple might announce something with satellites in a couple of weeks. The have title their event "Far Out.'  Time will tell for either service, (if the Apple rumor is true) but the Starlink/TMobile service will be slow and mainly only text initially as would be what Apple is rumored to be offering. Neither will be offering data. Any game changing is years away. 

Edited August 26, 2022 by Charles4515

[Charles4515]

5 hours ago, PolicromaSol said:

Whatever you do, don't drop it off the side! 🙃You know what the waiting list is on those things?

 

Also, to answer ckruetze's question, some of the Starlink routers just look like an antenna sitting on a stand. They don't even have LAN ports unless you add them. (I think they're battery powered to make them easier to use outdoors too.)

 

The only thing that might give him trouble is if he uses it in an area that isn't covered yet. Starlink works by use of many small low-orbit satellites. So there have to be some available where you are in order to make it work.

Starlink RV uses a dish and you need open sky. From the dish you have to run a thick cable to the router. 

Edited August 26, 2022 by Charles4515

[BirdTravels]

Most ships would not allow it because “the ship”’is broadcasting on a frequency they are not licensed for. 

[twangster]

48 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

They have announced this now without any satellites in orbit for it for late 2023 or later because the rumor  is Apple might announce something with satellites in a couple of weeks. The have title their event "Far Out.'  Time will tell for either service, (if the Apple rumor is true) but the Starlink/TMobile service will be slow and mainly only text initially as would be what Apple is rumored to be offering. Neither will be offering data. Any game changing is years away. 

 

Long term for sure.  Just like expanded maritime coverage and expanded cell density on land is banking on the aggressive growth and launch plans in the same long term, serviced by some of the same v2 satellites.  

 

For basic connectivity, SMS, MMS and voice, which is a significant topic of discussion weekly on all cruise forums, there will be many who need nothing more while traveling.  There will be more data hungry users who will want true high speed internet service but once basic connectivity is available for the masses that will eat into a lot of Voom purchases.  

[Charles4515]

11 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

Long term for sure.  Just like expanded maritime coverage and expanded cell density on land is banking on the aggressive growth and launch plans in the same long term, serviced by some of the same v2 satellites.  

 

For basic connectivity, SMS, MMS and voice, which is a significant topic of discussion weekly on all cruise forums, there will be many who need nothing more while traveling.  There will be more data hungry users who will want true high speed internet service but once basic connectivity is available for the masses that will eat into a lot of Voom purchases.  

You are going to need clear sky to connect to the satellites. So you would have to go up to the upper outside decks to connect from your phone.These services will be best for rural areas and national parks. Cruise ships will be problematic. Lot of metal and obstruction. 

[twangster]

17 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

You are going to need clear sky to connect to the satellites. So you would have to go up to the upper outside decks to connect from your phone.These services will be best for rural areas and national parks. Cruise ships will be problematic. Lot of metal and obstruction. 

 

Line of sight won't be required since it uses the same 5G cellular frequencies in use today.  A phone in your pocket will work Musk has suggested.  

 

Just like someone in an interior cabin can't use cellular today while in port, the same will hold true with the new service.  

 

This thread is about Starlink RV service which does not work in an interior cabin either and probably won't work from a balcony while this new "cell tower in the sky" will work from a balcony.

 

Edited August 26, 2022 by twangster

[Charles4515]

37 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

Line of sight won't be required since it uses the same 5G cellular frequencies in use today.  A phone in your pocket will work Musk has suggested.  

 

5G mid band only reaches 1000 to 1500 feet from cell towers. Musk often makes promises that don't pan out. 

Edited August 26, 2022 by Charles4515

[Magicat]

Ok here is a thought.  Instead of trying to figure out how to work on the ship, how about just enjoying vacation away from work?

[notscb]

44 minutes ago, Magicat said:

  Instead of trying to figure out how to work on the ship, how about just enjoying vacation away from work?

 

You know, some of us work part of our time from home and part in the office. If I can flex my schedule to put the from home days at the end of the week and reliably work from a ship, I'd take that opportunity any day.

[rudeney]

46 minutes ago, Magicat said:

Ok here is a thought.  Instead of trying to figure out how to work on the ship, how about just enjoying vacation away from work?

 

Some people (me included) just can't totally turn off work. It's both because I am just not wired that way, and the fact that my company needs me.  We are a small business and we don't have any overlap of duties.  When I'm out, the things that rely on me to manage come to a stop.  I don't usually do a lot of work while on vacation, but I check in and keep myself updated, and will jump in for short periods of time if anything needs my attention.  Just as my job sometimes gets interrupted by personal issues, my personal life sometimes gets interrupted by job issues.  It's no big deal and spending 10-15 minutes a day checking into the office is something easily done.

[twangster]

The other consideration is that Starlink RV when used in a maritime environment may violate the term of service.  The maritime solution costs $5,000 per month, the RV version costs $135 per month. 

 

Obviously Starlink doesn't want commercial vessel owners buying the RV version and putting it on their vessels.    Once your brother's RV system checks in at sea and reports in for duty Starlink will see it at sea, not on an RV. 

 

At that point your brother may find his coveted Dishy setup no more useful than a boat anchor.