STARLINK Head to Head! (Residential vs Portable/RV for Full Time RV)

[@ChangingLanes]

There have been some questions about the efficacy of the tests given each phone was hitting different test servers... There are two reasons I think the different servers had little effect on the tests: First, those servers and the internet backbone from starlink ground stations are designed to handle MUCH faster traffic than the sub-100Mbps tests I was running. It might affect latency more than throughput but that wasn't what I was focused on. Second, you can see in the test I did at 19:18 (after changing the address on the portable service) that the same servers are still being used and the speed tests are identical. Which is even more proof the throttle was service address based. The test was not scientific nor perfect, but I do believe it was a fair test and proved Starlink Portable was throttled compared to the Residential (at residence) service.

[@Northstardanes]

Great job Chad, very helpful info. I will forward it to my friend a patriot, "Grey Wolf" whose traveling across the country bringing awareness to things going on in the government. He's a KZbinr as well.

[@chrisbrzon3917]

Good comparison. Saw similar speed gains when changed from portability to service at actual service address (cell).

[@TobyGomez73]

one thing i noticed is when you tested you have the speed test set to different cities, So the tests will be different because of ping and how many hops you have to take to get to the test ISP. I would like to see both tests at the same time using Morris Broadband, LLC in Hendersonville, NC If you have time to post a video of that :) . You can manually set them in the speed test app. I have residential Starlink with portability here in Texas and my speeds are slower then what they where a year ago but still average 120 Mbps down and 15 Mbps Up. Thank you for the work you put in on this video awesome work i just feel the test wasn't fair by using different test sites.

[@mccalljo]

I have portable and my guess is that when I set it up long term I get higher speeds. If I move it around a reset the location geographically it’ll be slow for a while. If I’ve been set up a week I think I get higher speeds. Just a thought on how prioritization May be affected by continuity of connection.

[@mccalljo]

I get 80 on my mobile system at my home base so I’d do the test on your portable after it’s been set up for a week in the same location to make sure the prioritization does not change over time.

[@TimShieldsPhotography]

I put my Starlink dish in a backpack and hiked to the edge of the Grand Canyon where I hosted a live webinar for 2,000 people. I powered it with a Jackery battery pack. It worked great.

[@bobafet5363]

Sick!!!!!!! 🙌

[@MrAhhsum]

Sounds like it was worth it! Awesome!

[@maxwellhowell]

Sold !!!! Lol. I didn't have cell reception at the south rim. So that means starljnk is legit !!!

[@johnross6314]

Ditto. Only did WebEx two way business broadcast. I also bought the factory Starlink backpack. Works very well. Used Bluetti solar generator (had portable solar panels, not needed. I have problem with his testing. 1.) dishys were too close to each other. Actually the residential will interfere with the RV dish slowing it down. 2.) his wifi was a problem. There was ton of co-channel interference on both of his routers. Even if he had limited to the Wifi 6 5ghz channels for both which have more channels (he was still using 2.4 in his mix which only have three limited speed clear of interference channels), there will be problems with the wifi side. 3.) The speed tester does not show the RF latencies and other related issues the would slow down not just the “speed” read out, but actual performance based on the RF (not TCPIP) old wifi packet limitations. This test was a mess. For former IT person, he is not familiar with WLAN stack. Otherwise he would have also tested the RF environment using license Air-Magnet (or equivalent). Or used two Ethernet adapters connected hardwired to say two laptops. Not using wifi at all. Then separated the dishy antennas. Which would not have impacted unequally their sky view (based on him showing the sky view on cam). This may have limited possibility of the interference between them being so close. In the end, the pure residential would have worked better. So to the RV system using traffic shaping QOS policies for that system (which could have shown slower speeds depending on two way dishy-sat-to sat(s)-ground station-to peered Starlink internet backbone). Depending on where he is, and if they are talking to version 1.5 sats (which have laser sat to sat com in order to extend reach to a ground station), we would want to make sure both dishy were using the same path to/from at the same moment of time. In fact, both dishy are able to make their own changes to their own possible unique pathway. That also adds variability. I appreciate this test. Understanding this has many issues to be accurate representation of the two systems.

[@Likadees]

​@@johnross6314... very well explained and pointed out the flaws on the test!

[@ryanherron1423]

I'm from Kansas. It's so nice to hear that some people still know where Kansas is. Love your videos.

[@GMLAB5007]

Hi! Even this is a2 year old video now, it is very informative for me , since I was trying to grasp all this concepts while I wait for mi mini dish. I want to thank you such a review. Kind regards! And happy holidays ahead! (Sorry fir my English😅)

[@DanMinellinHisGrip]

I have one thing to say...WOW! I've been searching and searching for a layperson's instructional video on internet mobility options for RV's and I've found it in yours. It makes sense! THANK YOU. (most are inadequate or above my paygrade) We're not FT RV'rs but may be some day and we need affordable good connectivity for work. LIKED! SUBSCRIBED! Thanks again!

[@shawnandkatiethomas936]

Thanks Chief for all your content. My family and I are also retired navy and you and your wife have helped us out a lot as we full time.

[@tripnick3]

I believe he separated as a second class. But I concur completely, wife and I are both 5 years from retirement from the Navy and Chad/Tara as well as happily ever hanks have been our road map for planning our retirement.

[@shawnandkatiethomas936]

@@tripnick3 I retired as a CM1 in 2011 and my wife did 8 years and had enough. We love our veterans

[@WhiteFox011]

Hey Chad, No matter how hard you tried NOT to GEEK out, a ton of this video was sky hi over my head, but you tried darn hard. And I now have the video to go over and over again until I understand it. Great job. We live in south-eastern Washington state, about 1/2 a mile from the Idaho boarder, so I think it will be a while before I give this a try. The residential with portability added does look like the best option for us. Many thanks for your due diligence!

[@MountainMan7.62x39]

This is the best video I've seen on this topic. Thanks, brother!

[@vernowen2083]

I've tested many services and just gave up! I finally talked to the right person who had found a way around prioritization on cell service and now I have no problems.

[@SheaLeona]

I have watched a lot of rv/internet videos and this has been the most helpful by far. Thank you!

[@remisauve7637]

I just got a residential Starlink with portability for my RV. It works great!

[@Dealerschoicegifts]

Hi.. I have an Rv and am trying to find out if starlink has a way to use one at home then when you travel but only pay one subscription…

[@sglynn]

Same question. Can one system be used for home and RV ?

[@UltimateAnarchy]

My wife and I have been full-timers for going on 5 years. The first 4 in a Grand Design 5th wheel then we upgraded to a Tiffin motorhome 6 months ago. I've been using the Starlink since April of 2022 and turned on travel mode just for the month of July. But my speeds were crappy (for SL) in the 60 to 90 Mbps range download and about 10 Mbps up. So I turned off travel mode and have just been changing the service address to somewhere near our camping spot. Right now, it's targeted exactly on top of our campsite in Newport, Oregon and we've been getting between 150 and 225 download speeds consistently for the past month; about 15 to 25 up. Here's an update: 3 months later, we're consistently getting around 160 down using our residential starlink that we paid $500 for. I just don't see the need for the newer models.

[@nightmahershadows]

This is so horrifying to hear that a person can’t just get the RV version and call it a day with perfect service. Always some damn struggle for us Nomads, but I guess I’m getting used to it. Going on 3 years now.

[@Enchanted3DPrints]

We will be on the north coast and am not excited about spending the hardware cost and 150 a month for ther ROAM package if I can only get 10mbps. Are you still getting those speeds?

[@souniert]

Dood….your a natural and the video is very nicely edited. Great pacing and personality. Keep it up

[@ericallen371]

I install Starlink, you did a fantastic job at explaining this. Better than many professionals

[@maui7773]

Hi Chad. Really great job on this video. I appreciate you getting to the information and not "Geeking Out" as you call it. You are a very bright individual and my wife and I appreciate your information. Sometime a second watch allows me to fully understand. That is on me, not you. 😃 Thank you for all you share. Happy Travels!

[@slbd7900]

Thanks for this update on Starling, one of the most positive of all we've watched. I didn't even realize that we were always being deprioritized! We really enjoy all your teaching videos, Chad.

[@bryanhauer]

Hi Chad & Tara - This is a super important test you did, but kind of deflating for anyone on the RV option ☹ I was an early adopter of Starlink myself (did the whole put in address with availability & ship to a different address in April) and have even done a few videos on it, but this was before they offered the official RV option. I had an address I used about 30 minutes outside of Vegas that was actually the Boulder Municipal Golf Course as Vegas wasn't available, but Boulder was, and then had it shipped to my Las Vegas address. I added the Portability option and traveled throughout the west with it April - July and it worked great. I typically had speeds over 100 Mbps. I knew I was going to be at my place here in Nashville the next couple months catching up on editing and not traveling so switched my account over to the RV option so I could pause the service and not have to pay during the months I'm not on the road. Now I'm bummed to see your speeds. I haven't turned my service back on, but am super curious to see what the speeds are. I also wonder if being out west helped the speeds too earlier in the year and there wasn't as many people using it. The map still shows spotty service throughout the eastern side of the US so maybe that could be a contributing factor?? I think you said your cabin is near the TN/NC area. I'm planning to get back out on the road next week and plan to head to the east coast so will report back once I turn it back on and do some tests. Thank you for doing the tests and the video as it's really going to help people make the correct decision when ordering their Starlink. $700 isn't cheap for the hardware and as you pointed out, now that I've switched over to the RV option, there's no going back, so I'm stuck with the throttled speeds. I always knew the RV option would deprioritize me, but not to that extent. Anyways... keep up the great content and safe travels when you get back on the road 😀

[@ChangingLanes]

From what I read, it seems there is a lot less (maybe none) deprioritization out west, in available coverage areas.

[@HighCountryRambler]

Keep in mind prior to his testing here he showed us a bit of obstruction in the 100 degree line of sight needed. That's about what I had when I set the antenna on my deck, when I stuck it on a 14 ft pole the obstruction cleared and bandwidth more than doubled on average... I think with phase shifting when they say no obstructions they mean it. Which seems to be a negative factor over line of sight point to point wireless, unless you only camp in the dessert.

[@v12alpine]

I have the RV version for about 6 months in california and get around 50Mbps regardless of location. I've never seen the super slow speeds shown in this video, but do get a little jealous of the 100+mbps some people are getting.

[@904bees]

This timely, I am ordering mine this week. Thanks for the content.

[@MarkWitzel]

On the speedtest app you weren't connected to the same end server, so that can be a major impact to speed. You need to force the same server for each "Speedtest app" test to be accurate.

[@RogerC68]

Great video and so easy to understand! We received our RV version a few weeks ago and tried it RV version and it worked great in an area where there was no cell service. We had roughly 45% of the view of the sky and did cut out quite a bit but not when watching streaming video. Tried the WiFi calling feature and worked well. When I lost signal, it kept the line open and sometimes it would go silent for the time it was down but when it came back, I was still connected to the person I called. Pretty cool! Thanks again, and I subscribed and rang the bell 🙂

[@DwayneJohnson-1900]

The best part was the outtake at the end. ‘Don’t understand kids these days with these loud mufflers on lawnmower engines’. Classic Dad line. Love it.

[@timmyers3428]

I call those farty cars!

[@Masksandrazors]

This video explains everything you need to know about Starlink. Love it! Amazing job. I couldn't find the info about outages and speed priority anywhere else.

[@quicksoncamping2039]

Thanks Chad I totally agree with all of your findings. I love my Starlink and know it is not without its own issues.

[@salidacyclones8639]

Chad as always you have provided us with great information on the star-link services. I believe your information to be the most accurate I have watched so far. As for the trains and the kid riding the weed whacker. Your getting old brother. Mr Wilson

[@RC-hm9vg]

Great test. I just bought Starlink (Roam / RV). We will be living in our RV soon after selling our house. I have fired the unit up twice and we are in central Texas in the "dark zone" but are still able to get a signal. I've only had it on twice but have been impressed with streaming movies on the TV. If throttling means mid to high 4g vs full on 5g, and I get this kind of result, then I'm good. Hopefully all of this will be a mute point as they put more satellites in the air!

[@riverbankfisher]

Not a moment too soon I stumbled on this highly detailed comparison between the residential and mobile Starlink units, and sir, I doff my hat with gratitude because I was really close to buying a mobile Starlink setup, and now realize that the internet speed and general reliability of the system are way better with the residential system at a fixed address. I would like to enquire whether that monthly $130 is still the monthly amount paid today in February 2023, or whether that figure has been reduced to a lower monthly bill as suggested by my preliminary research into this subject.

[@lauria5040]

This was an excellent teaching tool. I am running SL some of the times and this explained so well why I have some issues. Keep ‘em coming!!!!

[@bertschb]

Fantastic video Chad! Best I've seen on the topic so far. And the rice burners???? Yeah, I feel the same way. Like adding an annoying muffler is going to improve performance on your 150hp car. Sheesh! Hi Tara!

[@TheSincioco]

We just got our StarLink dish and couldn’t decide on which plans to sign up for. Your video was very good informative. Thank you! ❤️

[@aaf6133]

Great info as always...So my takeaway is Starlink is Skynet and they'll do whatever they want as they prepare the robots! LOL Bloopers are awesome!

[@DaveSlamGSS]

Would love to see you do the test again..... July 2023 and see if there is a difference. 👍😎

[@goldviper5280]

Thanks for the great info. Pretty hard to keep up with what you were saying. You did a great job explaining. It is somewhat hard to comprehend.

[@badgerpa9]

Nice explanation as always Chad. Hope your family is staying safe and healthy.

[@MarsellusWallace2024]

This is awesome, thanks! Didn’t know this was an option! I’m also a retired goat, Uncle Sam’s Confused Group. I have a hotshot company now and have a sleeper birth on my truck. This is what I have been looking for. Much appreciated

[@MountainBeaches]

Great video Chad. Just an FYI, the speed of the portability option will vary greatly depending on your location. I’m using portability at our off grid property in North Idaho and ran a speed test at the same time you were and my results weee actually as good and sometimes better than your residential non-portability setup. Location and current usage makes a huge difference. Thanks again, great job.

[@ChangingLanes]

True... In "available" areas there might be no need to throttle... It also might get better as they deploy more satellites...

[@MountainBeaches]

@@ChangingLanes so true. 2 weeks ago I ordered a residential version for our off grid property and it said delivery was expected sometime in 2023. I went ahead and placed the order knowing I didn’t really need it until next spring. One week later I got an email saying it was shipping haha.

[@deniseteague8203]

@@MountainBeaches Hi! i live in North Idaho (Blanchard) It says we cant get it until 2023 but I was wondering if you ordered the RV version or the residential with portability?

[@PipBoxers]

Thank you so much for your video. I just ordered the RV version :) because I don't need it all the time. Thx

[@Captain-Awesome]

That is actually a seriously a creative hack! Well done Sir, well done indeed.

[@WaywardWaggs]

Thanks Chad. Very useful information. We just ordered Starlink for our RV. We are looking forward to trying it out.

[@ninetimes8952]

Good clear relevant info, but I love the outtakes most of all 😎

[@offgridrvliving]

I am holding on puchasing SL until I see the test with your Pepwave. I have a Pepwave and hope it can be utilized with SL. Looking forward to your next test vid. Thanks for doing these tests. You are the RV Geek communities hero!

[@ChangingLanes]

I show using starlink with our pepwave in our last internet video, using wifi as wan... 👍🏼 kzbin.info/www/bejne/aGSngmaChNKlo68

[@fairwindsrv]

Hi Chad. We love watching your channel. We've definitely learned a lot from you and Tara and we'll keep watching as long as you're putting out content. I just bought my own Starlink setup (RV plan) and although it was easy to set up and get running I wish I'd seen this video first. However, based on my own research, I'm not sure I agree with trying to trick the system by using random addresses that actually have coverage...for a couple reasons. First, I read (on the Technomadia site, I believe) that Starlink is considering getting rid of the address loophole by requiring residential with portability users to connect within their home area occasionally, which might affect some people's ability to use their Starlink if they CAN'T connect within the area of the randomly chosen address they provided initially. Additionally, I believe the reason for getting deprioritized is because they (Starlink) don't want areas to get flooded with a ton of unexpected users (like RV'ers) which could cause the folks who actually live in that area to see degraded service. Starlink is trying to ensure everyone has reliably fast connections by ensuring their network doesn't get overloaded. They do that, in part, by ensuring residential areas aren't getting invaded by a flood of us nomads. Just wanted to give my 2 cents on this. I could be wrong here, so let me know what you think. Thanks, again, for all the great videos and keep up the great work!

[@Enchanted3DPrints]

So what do us Rvers do? Im in the market for some internet services for ours. I think most of the time we will have service at parks and such but need it for those times we dont. Are you saying Starlink will prioritize residential customers in an area over the Rvers that could be at an RV park or whatever? Edit, I think Im reading that right so for us starlinks initial setup fee and 150 a month now isnt worth it for those kinds of speeds. Im seeing people getting 10mbp or less when in populated areas. Thats almost unusable with running 3 phones, streaming, gaming and pc for work.

[@slurugger]

What a great comparison! Thanks for doing this and enlightening us. This helped drive my decision about Starlink for now.

[@kenpolzel412]

We watched your video on StarLink and placed and order, thank you very much for the information. Ken

[@AllAboutTheBanks]

Thanks for the information. It was so nice meeting you guys at Hershey.

[@ChangingLanes]

It was great meeting you guys too.. then meeting you again.. and again.. LOL. 😊

[@QuadeQuick]

Thanks, Chad. I did try to use a remote address today (2/7/2023) and even though Starlink took it, they required that it be shipped to that address. Apparently they saw your video! LOL. So, I just threw down a $99 deposit and we'll see what happens.

[@WASUPSTEVO52]

Thank you for making this video! I hope to make the right decision for my situation when the time comes.

[@samsdad638]

Great video and very clear on the results. Thanks for doing this.

[@mikz86ta1]

Literally just seen a few of these a week ago start popping up at the parks. Didn't even know what they were. Great explanation and insight

[@overlandchronicles2708]

Chad, again, you nailed it! Thank you!

[@bigredfred33]

Great info and love the bloopers at the end.

[@kengodin9621]

Great video, Chad! Took your recommendation: Ordered Residential where it was immediately available, shipped to where we are, added portability. Received the unit yesterday and followed these steps. Two quick questions (with apologies if they've already been answered): (1) You say one can turn portability off (and try to change one's service address) at any time, but that one won't see the extra CHARGE for portability dropped until the next billing cycle. That said, is the portability cancellation--and, therefore, the DEPRIORITIZATION--instant? (2) It appears that these changes get made within the Account Portal, which is accessed by clicking the "Manage" button from the "Your Starlinks" section on the Home page. Is this correct, and what is the proper sequence for making the changes? Is it, first, edit service address to your current location (and see if it "takes") then, second, remove portability? or vice-versa, or something completely different?

[@nomadictrekrv]

We noticed the same results. Was using portability and changed the service address to our new location and it was a big difference. I also noticed much lower ping. Will be exciting at v2 Starlink satellite come online to see if the traffic shaping will be needed. My understanding the current bottle neck is at ground link and not with the satellites. If that is the case it would be able to redirect your traffic to a less busy downlink station using the laser links. Amazing technology. You will find moving to Ethernet also improves over all stability. The router is kinda hot garbage.

[@JohnnyLawBMC]

We just sold our house and moved into our Airstream 30' Classic. We are living at Cliffside Park in Whidbey Island Naval Air Station I just got my Starlink. I picked an available area (Concrete, WA) and shipped to my area (not available). We are loving it since we our cell service was bad and internet was worse. Plus it was open internet and we stared getting a lot of Spam. Starlink is up and running on portability. Do I change my service address in the app, website, or some other place?

[@nomadictrekrv]

@@JohnnyLawBMC you change the service address on the website. Under account settings.

[@tavissettles3032]

Awesome work man, thanks for the info. Also love all the videos you have put out as they have helped me a ton as i am new to RV world. Just one issue on your head to head testing using the 3rd party application. Your results will be wildly different since the capacity of the servers your testing to are different. On your Cabin connection that latency is lower and it's connecting to Morris Broadband, LLC, in Hendersonville, NC, and performs better. Your RV is testing to Truvista Communications Toccoa, GA, with over 100ms in latency, and way lower performance. If you want to get a true head to head on your 3rd party app you must make sure your testing it to the same Speed test server. Just looking at the side by side, you have 63ms and jitter of 16ms on the cabin, and 111ms and 32ms of jitter on your trailer, the jitter would also make a large difference too. To get a fair test could you run it again, but with both pointing at Morris Broadband, then again both pointing at TruVista. I think you might be surprised that they are closer in performance than you think. I have been testing Starlink for months now as we are considering using them for deployment for my place of work.

[@ChangingLanes]

I get what you're saying but, there are two reasons I think the different servers had little effect on the tests: First, those servers and the internet backbone from starlink ground stations are designed to handle MUCH faster traffic than the sub-100Mbps tests I was running. It might affect latency more than throughput but that wasn't what I was focused on. Second, you can see in the test I did at 19:18 (after changing the address on the portable service) that the same servers are still being used and the speed tests are identical. The test was not scientific nor perfect, but I do believe it was a fair test and proved Starlink Portable was throttled.

[@michaelmontag5863]

Great video. Good to hear there is an RV-only option. Like you comment about weed-eater engines.

[@carpediem365]

Thanks for the information Chad, love the videos!

[@K7CARadio]

Excellent video on the options out there and how to add Residential any where you live in the country. I was able to get Starlink 2 years ago how you explained. I have the round dish and was part of the BETA program. Have moved my "residential service" 5-6 times after they implemented the mobile service in June. So far they haven't dinged me yet and made me add portability, knock on wood.😀 I'm in the West, UT/AZ/NV, and out in the middle of no where most of the time. My speeds average 100-150Mb down and 25-50Mb up. My only negative has been how much power it requires to run. About 90 watts, so it's a power sucker for sure for anyone living off grid. I understand the square dish is quite a bit less, but isn't as efficient a dish. Starlink is a game changer for mobility nomads, but not the end all for internet. I won't be giving up my ATT Hotspot anytime soon.

[@robertosgood961]

Appreciate the geek out here Chad. You sure seem to know your stuff for this interweb connectivity use. I guess for those who work on the road it's needed info. We have no use for another big monthly bill for the internet. I think I'm just showing my age, tv used to be free. (yeah, I know someone will excitedly say "but look at all you can do with this interweb stuff" ) Just don't use the tv or the web for much. Trying to slow life down, not speed it up. Your video seems appropriate for those running a business and need priority. Thanks for sharing. I do like a good geek out.

[@robh063]

Starlink is fantastic for those that need a connection and have no other option but not very good for people that have other options. It's a terrible deal to pay so much for speeds that are only "So-So". If you can get the same or better speeds for less money from one of the other options, that's the way to go. But if you're in a place where Starlink is the only option, then it's worth every penny.

[@Kor1134]

Wi-fi only! 😲 802.11 is fine for browsing the web and using apps on your mobile device, but 802.3 is still superior for reliability and max bandwidth. My TV, game console, desktop PC, and NAS are all connected to my home LAN via 1000 Mbps copper wire so that my only bottleneck is my gateway. My brother used to connect his PS4 with wifi, the AP is only about 16 feet away. Since running an ethernet cable from his AP to his PS4, his internet connection on the PS4 has nearly doubled.

[@crashweekly7925]

I just purchased a Starlink because they are offering the basic kit for $199 for Canadians, I ordered it through Best buy so I got free shipping and I don't have to activate it until I want to use it. I am not going to be traveling until next year and the price might not be the same by the time I'm ready to use it. If you order it from Starlink you will pay shipping and you have 30 days to activate it or they will automatically start charging you for the service through the card you purchased the kit from. Read the prompts and small print to save you some money if you don't want to activate it right away.

[@OklahomaSania]

Thank you for the good overview and comparison of services. Does Starlink RV has time limit for paused service. I’m just curious because I only found one thread on Reddit related to that. Unfortunately there is no enough information or technical specs about such subtle details on the official site.

[@dianasellars6114]

Thanks for the info, we have been waiting to get Starlink, hoping portability improves. Your info helps.

[@circlethewagons]

I've had starlink for 2 months now, I live in a remote part of NH where there is no broadband, only DSl and I couldn't be happier, this is the fastest internet I've ever had, even partially obstructed by trees. You mentioned a website, I'd like to explore @3:27 but I can't find the link.? Thanks for the in-depth video.

[@ChangingLanes]

It's linked in the description... kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6SVgpavmMyajbc. 👍🏼

[@garymmarich4265]

You're the best, very understandable and accurate. Thank you.

[@waynecornwell2321]

"Sounds like a big weed eater!" Awesome and agree 100%! Thanks for the info.

[@mobiltec]

I really appreciate this video. I have already lost $1000 by not knowing a lot of this information. I accidently bought the RV service thinking I could switch back and forth but can not. I didn't even know that the RV service is deprioritized when I bought it. Now I'm stuck with it. All I can do is buy yet another complete system for residential if I want that service. I totally screwed up and there is no other way out. This really sucks.

[@ChangingLanes]

It's so silly that they can't just flip a switch on the back end. It's all the same hardware as far as I know....

[@mobiltec]

@@ChangingLanes One of the things that got me was listening to people on You Tube about Starlink. No one seems to have any answers. No one knows anything really. Screw Starlink.l

[@TheBestofUSTheFloros]

We started with the Residential and used an address from another location to get it. It supposedly would take another year or more for our area. We didn't have great service at our home due to the trees here in OH. Therefore we switched to the RV and love it. We haven't had much trouble with downloads but it is very handy money wise for us due to being able to close it out. So very worth our money as our Verizon using cell towers was almost just as expensive and was a month charge. Not for everyone, but we love it. Especially for Duane watch the Buckeyes play... Deana

[@garycox7508]

Great breakdown. One additional variable that folks might be interested in is the choice between the standard and high-performance antenna. Once it is available with RV service, I plan to sign up for an RV account with the high-performance antenna for use while traveling in fairly remote areas that see very high daily temperatures. Plus there is anecdotal evidence that the high performance antenna works better in the rain as well. Pretty sure it's not worth the $2k upcharge from the regular antenna for most people..but I'm willing to pay the premium for my particular use case once I can get it. The ability to turn off the RV service when not in traveling season would eventually pay for the upgrade versus just getting residential service and paying monthly with no ability to pause billing. Hopefully it won't be too long of a wait :)

[@BillAnt]

Out of curiosity, why can't the residential service be stopped and restarted at any time? Is there a cancellation or reactivation fee or anything else?

[@garycox7508]

@@BillAnt The terms of service specifically state "Service Activation and associated billing cannot be paused under the Standard Plan." In practical terms, cancelling your account as a means of pausing would mean forfeiting the activation fee. There is also the lag from the time that you put in the order to the time that service is available. There is no guarantee that new service are available to be provisioned depending on current capacity metrics. And finally, since it would be obvious of what one was doing, and the fact that it runs counter to very specific verbiage in the terms of service, it is my opinion that one would risk having the very expensive equipment permanently blacklisted. Musk is a petulant man-child and I think such a response is likely.. and good luck fighting that in arbitration. So while it might be possible to game the system, I don't think it would last very long and likely would eventually prove to be quite expensive with the loss of the purchased equipment.

[@BillAnt]

​@@garycox7508 - Hmm... well, it makes sense that you might lose your "spot in the waiting line" if you deactivate them try to reactivate later. But I can't see why that would blacklist your equipment, after all you've paid for it in full. Also I don't really get the so called "activation fee", it's a self sign-up/provisioning service with your existing equipment, noone even has to come out to install anything. Sound like a cleverly disguised "contract" of sorts. heh When I'm on the road a few times a year, I use a prepaid Tmobile and Verizon sim card in my mobile router which covers 99% of places I go to without having to tell them where I'm going to be using the service. Each costs $50/month with no contract and I can reactivate the service any time without any extra fees. Of course Starlink is great for areas with no cell signal on any carrier.

[@RebecaSolisMaldonado-kp3hw]

I really enjoy all your teaching videos. Thank you, Chad.

[@warrenlancaster5780]

Thanks Chief! That helped a lot. Lamont ASCM Retired

[@telsat]

Lol love the bloopers at the end great video

[@jennimareeh]

Oh bugger I just bought the RV version purely so I can shut down the whole service to save $. I can’t believe the residential has such better priority that’s not good. Possibly I should have gone residential and added the portability but the problem then was I could only pause the portability option. I live in my RV but 3/4 of the time I have general cheaper internet without having to use Starlink. I bought it purely for safety in the outback (Australia). I’m guessing though but will ask with the lower speed on the RV version it still means I would have plenty of speed in a safety situation. I’m assuming the higher speeds are more for video and gaming. Just out of interest mine is running at 204 on the Starlink as we speak. Thanks for the video.

[@garryhammond3117]

EXCELLENT video and information Chad! - Thanks! - Cheers!

[@kathleenrutherford733]

Thank You for your education and sharing this with us, I appreciate you guys

[@RiverWoods111]

That is an interesting idea to change your address, especially if you go and stay a month or two in a place. My plan is to hang out in Cali near my kids during the winter, as Cali in the winter doesn't require me to own a winter coat, and I am thinking about buying some land to build a cabin in the redwoods eventually. I used to live in the redwoods. Then summers where I am from it is 110 in the summer and the fires/smoke affect my asthma horrifically and I end up with pneumonia. Therefore, Montana and Michigan and New England sound wonderful for me in the summer. I am autistic so I don't see myself moving fast at all. I think I will start off with a few hotspots from the majors and that router you have that chooses the best one. Then if I find myself in places where I need Starlink I can add it like you said. Residential and adding portability. Funny, I think I am going to be a reverse snowbird! Haha!

[@JohnnyLawBMC]

Love you idea. We have kids in SoCal, too. We want to chase 70° weather and want to go up the east coast too. Hope to see you on the road

[@dustytravels9458]

As if the throttling in Urban areas wasn't enough, this morning, Starlink announced a $15 per month increase for RV'rs only. Now $150 per month ! Sending mine back

[@brianlykins6663]

Good advice and as in depth and detailed on info as we have come to expect. It sounds like it's getting better, but still kind of hit and miss. Not really a big problem unless your working while traveling, like you do. Hey you know technology it will change faster than you can get used to it. God bless yall and stay safe.

[@johnstancil4544]

It is a great system for home use, travel is no better than cell phone. I suggest getting the correct Cell boosters for you cellphone carrier. I also say if you live in an area where fiber is located get it, or maybe cable. AT&T is currently testing "C" band technology in areas around Orlando, the first beta test reports are crazy with speeds over 1GIG.

[@pmraul2921]

Thank you for sharing. Always great content. You are appreciated.

[@robertshannon8947]

Thanks Chad fantastic information on the Link!

[@1sheinz]

You CAN stop service temporally on the residential service anytime you want and reconnect with no additional cost and no monthly fee's. You also can change your residential address as many times as you want, I have changed mine 90 times in 6 month period with no trouble. The only time I had too use portability was in large residential areas or in areas that came up service not available in this area. People I know use starlink on their sailboat and use it in motion with no drop outs and that includes going from one country too another, 3 countrys now and counting. CHEERS Steve h.

[@ChangingLanes]

Thanks for the info! 👍🏼

[@GlenKowalchuk]

Excellent video - especially the out takes 👍😎

[@tikesr]

Very useful content. Also enjoyed your outtakes. 😂

[@jeffboquist3904]

Thanks Chad. Lots of traffic there. Good info.

[@dirtroadsailing6418]

This was a good review. The way I look at it, things will only get better as they launch more satellites.

[@InTheMomentTravels]

Thank you... This was the tipping point for us. We even used your location tip. Works amazing!

[@ChangingLanes]

Thats awesome! 😀

[@martyb3783]

Very informative. Thanks for taking the time to make this video!

[@carlosherrera5624]

Hello how has your starlink working, I’m asking because I’m working remote and would like a secure internet connection. Thank you ! I became a Full time RVer this year. Finally bought my own it’s exciting to know all these hacks I find your here. Thank you

[@CLTGeek]

Jiminy crickets! That's a lot of deprioritization! Thanks for the thorough testing Chad!

[@howard6798]

Great information, Chad. Train at the end...memories from Goshen, eh? :)

[@wt9653]

As a ISP technician, the locations of the router matters. Is your cabin wood sided and your RV an aluminum siding? Your distance is also equal? Both of your phones should be stationary on the table during testing. I've seen others testing RV Starlink. Speeds were 10x higher than your results. Next time, both of your routers should be side by side where we can see them.

[@416Expedition]

Great Video, Would you be alble to do an updated video on this topic again please. A lot has changed since this video, and I am looking to perhaps buy a unit myself.

[@BigFenny]

Great video Chad! I just bought some land in the middle of Missouri, and my Solitude is going to be my cabin, so to speak. I doubt I do any traveling at this time, but will use it as weekend getaways, and spend a good part of the summer there. I'm just getting all my amenities/utilities ran to the central location. However, I'm starting my research now for Internet and WiFi. I'm in a remote part of St. Clair County (Truman Lake Area). I am a Verizon customer in the K.C. area however, AT&T rules a small Dot of rights in this area which is VERY frustrating. Either I change my provider or go the STARLINK Ave. This video is very informative and I'll be watching for sure.

[@KIEFFNERCLAN]

Thanks for this video. Can you do a comparison between the high performance antenna vs regular antenna?

[@joshlarson5316]

Great video. Very informative. Thank you

[@theodoredesmarais4219]

Very helpful, very relevant info , Thx so much !

[@thetinkercook5430]

I noticed during the first test you were routed through NC and GA - during the second, they were both through NC. VPN on? iPhone privacy settings? I bought the larger antenna, and the only issue I'm finding is the higher power usage. I have an Airstream, so I go from router to router. Thank you, brother.

[@mooreadventures]

Chad, Speedtest tip... Set both devices to the same server in the Speedtest app so you are really testing the same. Not sure if it would make a huge change, but it could level set the test a bit better.

[@ChangingLanes]

I get what you're saying but, there are two reasons I think the different servers had little effect on the tests: First, those servers and the internet backbone from starlink ground stations are designed to handle MUCH faster traffic than the sub-100Mbps tests I was running. It might affect latency more than throughput but that wasn't what I was focused on. Second, you can see in the test I did at 19:18 (after changing the address on the portable service) that the same servers are still being used and the speed tests are identical. The test was not scientific nor perfect, but I do believe it was a fair test and proved Starlink Portable was throttled. 👍🏼

[@mooreadventures]

@@ChangingLanes totally agree, it was just some thoughts on the topic. You did a great job. Thank you for your content.

[@chadbobby]

I'm just here for the outtakes... HAHAHA too funny!

[@pop-popmoose5359]

Excellent and informative video! I think your testing methods were actually quite good. You did it the most accurate way possible, given the variables you could control. I could see using it as my primary internet with cell service for backup.