Starlink vs. Telus: My Experience in Rural Alberta

[@MediocreCoffee]

Check out part 2! Telus responds: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZ7Xfn6efaeSj5Y

[@SilverPaladin]

Starlink is going to let me realize my dream of moving out to the country and live in a cabin while I watch youtube all day.

[@theodhorzhobro4646]

Holy

[@sagehenry7880]

it really does let you. before starlink i could only watch you in 144p or 240p with the slight chance of 360p but now with starlink my whole family can watch whatever they want at any quality.

[@Steph1]

Man this sounds so lazy and if society hadn’t predisposed me with the “working is important” mindset I would do the exact same 😆

[@SilverPaladin]

@@Steph1 MGTOW life means your not beholding to society anymore. You can work much less, enjoy life much more!

[@ScaredStupid]

@@SilverPaladin Yup. Something like Starlink isn't just internet, it's something that will enable us to pursue some freedom; all you need is some self reliance and be willing to put in some effort. I'm going to be looking seriously at picking up a large "useless" plot of land in Northern Canada.

[@xGaLoSx]

Starlink really is a game changer for the rural world.

[@afez2752]

As well as the international connections.

[@Oilcruzer]

I’m about 50 km east of the person who posted this video. Xplornet was awful here 4 years ago. They upgraded last year and we now get 40 to 60Mb d/l (drops to 20 to 25 at times) and less than 3 Mb u/l. Now I don’t know whether to switch to Musk Link. He’s really brilliant and I expect this will get better. How much power does this use? Is heating on 365 days a year?

[@cosettapessa6417]

@@Oilcruzer in another video I saw 140watts when it's heating. Only if it's cold obviously.

[@samjam6989]

good for working online in the woods

[@dougjohns5115]

I'm just happy to hear that here in Canada we FINALLY have some competition to Bell and Rogers

[@workerworker7961]

Yes, good for everyone. The Bell/Rogers mafia will have to improve their services and pricing structure to even stand a chance of keeping up.

[@RandomPlaceHolderName]

@@workerworker7961 Starlink has a limited number of customers it can handle per square kilometer due to its configuration. It will be very good for rural folk but for most city dwellers, it won't even be an option, so will not be a threat to larger greedy ISPs anytime soon. As a whole, Starlink is a step in the right direction but hardly the answer to ISP/cellphone carrier corruption in North America.

[@vladimirdyuzhev]

In the remote locations - maybe. Near Toronto - good luck beating my Bell's 1Gbit fiber.

[@vladimirdyuzhev]

@@arvin6883 Unlikely.

[@RandomPlaceHolderName]

@@arvin6883 You're delusional.

[@LeavemeMalone333]

I currently suffer with the only available isp, Xplornet, but our community leaders are considering Starlink! No more 900+ ping, finally some online gaming in this isolated community!

[@edgar-mmxxiii]

If those slow ISPs do not behave Starlink will kick them out to bankruptcy

[@garthvanguilder9588]

not really sure there is an "if" involved. Starlink will put several of these providers out of business

[@gustavoventurin]

In rural, definitely. But I wouldn't ever replace my Fibre connection over Satellite internet. While I applaud Starlink for being able to reach such high speeds, they'll never match the 5000Mbps I get in Toronto.

[@the_omg3242]

All the ISP's need to do is invest in their future. A few briefcases full of money to the right politicians and they can get Starlink banned in Canada or just have the subscriptions taxed to the point that they're unaffordable.

[@vladimirdyuzhev]

No. It may try and get some chunk of the market in rural areas, but those are not the backbone of the telco revenues. They may be even happy to offload those not profitable customers to Starlink. And Starlink can't beat fiber in cities, meaning it would not achieve profitability.

[@ryanthompson3737]

No, I think ISPs in Canada will purposely pull out so they can focus on major cities instead of rural areas. Why try to compete with a company FOCUSING on rural areas and has much more access rather than focusing on what you do best.

[@bobhawkey3783]

Haha, we're on a lake in Saskatchewan, use Rogers and we have the same ZTE hub and have the same experience. Needless to say our Starlink will be here in a couple of days.

[@vladimirdyuzhev]

Note that your speed will be shared with all other Starlink consumers around you. So you may be into some disappointment with some time.

[@bobhawkey3783]

Yes, I think that's why they have a limited number of subscribers in each 'cell'. Given the upgrades planned I'm not worried that performance will ever be reduced below our limited other options.

[@philipe.9738]

@@bobhawkey3783 Did you receive your kit yet?

[@bobhawkey3783]

@@philipe.9738 yes! 15 minute setup. Getting up to 225 down and 40 up max. Avg 150 and 20 as advertised. Very few outages. Completely satisfied.

[@philipe.9738]

@@bobhawkey3783 North of Saskatoon? Melfort?

[@MaxStanden]

Love the videos and variety of content, keep it coming! - fellow Edmontonian and long time Follower on your B.E.M channel!

[@MediocreCoffee]

Thanks! :)

[@imjody]

Another fellow Edmontonian & follower of Best Edmonton Mall here! 😊

[@HiDDENk00l]

I knew that voice sounded familiar. I didn't realize it was him though

[@sweetkellymay]

Thanks for the great video.. I've had the Smarthub since it's inception in Alberta Beach but mine is a Huawei router, and I've had rock solid 25 Mb/s down and up ever since day one, and they just put up another tower less than a 1/4 mile away. $120.0 for 1 terabyte a month. I know they can deliver well over 100 Mb/s, so I'm pretty sure when Starlink becomes more prominent in the area, they will bump up the speeds to compete.. I had Xplornet before the Smarthub and all I can say is I hope Starlink puts them out of business FOREVER..

[@MediocreCoffee]

I'm glad you liked my video! I see you're a fellow Xplornet fan. ;)

[@everestcomputer]

"I hope Starlink puts them out of business FOREVER" we can only hope...

[@eduardojones6411]

I was getting 85 down load when smarthub first came out then they throttled it to 25

[@emko333]

ping though

[@eduardojones6411]

@@emko333 I can play GTA 5 and RdR2 without laggin

[@TheLittleBlueOwl]

Your wifi router is reason for 55 mb limit on wifi. Actually it can be also client with older wifi adapters

[@dsshir]

This

[@thatsmystapler99]

Pretty much the same experience on our acreage SW of Edmonton. Xplornet sucked, switched to Telus Hub - ended up putting external roof top antennas so we could get consistent 25/5 to work from home. I have a timer rebooting it twice a day just to keep it stable/connected with the tower! Just got our StarLink dishy this week and installed it on the roof. 100M/15 on average! Welcome to the 21st century, my rural friends.

[@timyarrow8844]

I looked up your location: 52 NN. Lat. We just installed Starlink at our home in Northern New England (44.5 N.) and are seeing speeds up to 275 mbs down/30 mbs up/22-30 ms latency. Crazy fast when we are used to 1-3 mbs/down...unreliably. Total game-changer.

[@LoudFlimzz]

...and to think its still in beta.

[@Table192ebay]

I died laughing that i did the same thing with my router with the timer. lol

[@CenterpointConnect]

Ditto.

[@167mm167]

you are using a router made in China ..that's why you need to reboot it every night ..LOL

[@Neojhun]

@@167mm167 Yikes those are borked DoA devices. Network equipment should not operate like that. This has nothing to do with China, I've used Asus & Netgear in the past their operations are entirely in China. But I typically get 2 Month UpTime where I have to manually shutdown for various reasons e.g. Storms causing brownouts. "15days 14hrs 37mins" here is the uptime counter from my current router.

[@marshallmednick7195]

I've got a ZTE modem as well and don't have this issue. The unit has a battery backup and I've been able to connect remotely to my cottage all winter long. Occasionally I can't reach my cameras but a few hours later I'm able to connect back in. I only get 2-3 bars so I guess it depends on the signal strength from Rogers. Perhaps I have a slightly different model.

[@gnic76]

My parents live in town, have telus optic, whenever the power goes out (rare) all the telus hardware needs a hard reboot to get a connection working after power comes back on.

[@richardwagner8498]

Thanks for the info, I had Xplornet (horrible pings) I managed to get Telus to get full bars while being 38km from the tower with a yagi antenna but the interment shut downs were still there. Starlink is looking pretty good.

[@daveduran8158]

Wow! what a cookout, and nice video..

[@bartdemarie7810]

I just got starlink myself, my tests far exceeded yours for some reason. I use my own router (dlink) and i get speeds often in the early 200mbps download end 20 to 40 upload. I got peaks of almost 400mbps download as well. I am myself and IT senior network admin. Ensure your router can even handle WAN throughput that large and that the firmware is up to date. Most routers have a wan throughput limitation far less the gigabit speed. I am in saskatchewan around the national park area

[@mtktm]

For those of us that from the US, the prices are in Canadian dollars. My invite quoted $500 + $99 month

[@JorgeSantos-uw3gk]

Thx🤣🤣

[@yegscaper6444]

This is exactly the review I was looking for, thank you! We’re out at Battle Lake.

[@sagarparmar-mp6hb]

I heard starlink will have 300Mbps & less than 30ms ping by end of the year.

[@MediocreCoffee]

Yes, I've heard similar. But even at it's 'beta' speeds, it's already blowing the competition out of the water!

[@avedis1990]

elon musk goal is to have 1gb/s

[@TOSStarTrek]

100Mps /20ms are what most beta are getting right now. No data caps right now.

[@akyhne]

I highly doubt they will offer more than the current speeds for the casual user. Their satellites don't have the bandwidth. And SpaceX like any other company, wants to make money. So more customers with lower bandwidth is the way to go.

[@avedis1990]

@@akyhne they will probably have different speed with diddrent bandwidth packages. 99$ per month is way too expensive especially for underdeveloped countries where the government isnt able to provide fiber optics Spacex core market would be underdeveloped countries, and for underdeveloped countries 100 -150 MBps speed is God send, as the speed in these countries is usually less than 2 MBp/s I will be super content with 100-150 mbps speed, as my current speed is less than 3 mbps But I cannot pay 99 $ /month, it's just below the medium wage here...(lebanon )

[@winterize]

Thanks for the upload. I put my deposit in for starlink a month or two ago. Just waiting on the hardware. Hopefully I get it

[@Moonwalker6969]

Went from using Arrow technology, testing out the telus smart hub and currently using xplornet i cant wait for my starlink kit to get here next week :D

[@sarcasmo57]

I might get this for my van down by the river.

[@opnavesea]

is that where you broadcast motivational speeches from?

[@GarlandCoulson]

Nice to see local Alberta results from Starlink. Thanks for testing and sharing

[@5thGenNativeTexan]

I do believe that Starlink will be the way to go for me in our rural Texas location, when it becomes available. Until then, I did opt for a rather pricey cell signal booster, that has a unidirectional antenna mounted outdoors on the roof, pointed towards the very distant cell tower, and the booster rebroadcasts the signal indoors. We're getting significantly better cell data experience with this setup, but it was an additional $500-ish equipment outlay.

[@masonhollman5675]

i feel your pain my friend. just ordered my starlink today!! so excited!! i’m just 10 minutes outside of Penhold and we had to switch from xplornet to the telus hub and we wouldn’t see more then 10mbps at any time, can’t even watch netflix man. thanks for the great review man, really appreciate it can’t wait to join the club!!

[@jackphillips3512]

Thank you. I'm impressed you get better speeds with Telus than we get on our phones in rural Virginia (USA). Our WISP system gets about 8Mbps. Already on the list for STarlink.

[@yahikotendo5631]

Starlink is awesome! I can't wait to see how much better it becomes when the constellation is complete. Also lowering the cost of the dish would help a lot, I'm sure they're trying to do something about that.

[@brentnorrod300]

The disk is really a $2500 cost. Starlink is eating $2k per. For a little perspective, I paid $480 in 1981 for a 300baud Hayes smart modem. So I would pay full price to get this dish. My current provider is getting me 300kbps. I need Starlink :)

[@AMVAnimaI]

the monthly cost should be the first goal to lower. a $500 upfront for the dish isn't so bad, that's the cost of a modern gaming console. But you'll be paying more than double that in the monthly subscription per year if it stays at $100 USD

[@dongraham4760]

@@brentnorrod300 2500 dollars ? Nar . The antennae part is relatively cheap to make . The main cost is in the motorised alignment , but 2500$ for the lot , I can't see that . In todays mass manufacturing , some molded plastic parts , a bit of electronics and a motor gearbox , maybe 2 ? maybe 3-400 dollars MAX .

[@gregclare]

What WiFi mode are you using on your TP-LINK router? If using 802.11a/g you will be limited to around 54Mbps (which seems to align with what you are seeing). If you have 802.11n capability you should be able to see improved throughput.

[@silververve7970]

Thanks for the video, been looking then waiting for someone in my area to review. good job!!

[@mengkit7884]

It shows that Starlink is in the right market for rural area. There are many limitation with conventional internet in rural area

[@mysystem32]

At 4:45, your should test with a wired connection. I suspect your "slow" Starlink may be due your TP-link WiFi

[@dsshir]

the answer

[@Killbayne]

4:32 This part really reminds me of these scam advertisements with that music and "oh wow it's a wonder!", but this time its actually genuine lol

[@carlhall6836]

one thing to remember with the Telus plans.......these are only available in Alberta......for anywhere else, its even more outrageous

[@ChrisTopher-wl6pd]

(Former cable tech and expert in home Wifi)My first reaction is that you need a better router/Wifi access point. Your speed tells me you are using the 2ghz connection. If your router has a 5ghz option available, use that while indoors. The range isn’t as good but the speed is. 2.4ghz wireless g or n maxes out around 45-55mbps 5ghz wireless n maxes out around 90-95mbps 5ghz wireless ac theoretically maxes out at 1gbps but I have not had an opportunity to test this in the real world. However it would easily cover your 108mbps.

[@dtvfan24]

amazing video. just so cool to see such high speed on a Satellite broadband

[@MediocreCoffee]

Thank you!!

[@leftenant4707]

Thanks for the video! I think Dishy McFlatFace enjoys the snow, it blends quite well.

[@kurtisca]

Great video and its super nice to get a local experience with the Starlink system!

[@garthvanguilder9588]

It's not just obvious rural and urban areas that will benefit. I have been amazed at how many people there are just on the outskirts of larger cities right here in the states that have very limited and poor ISP options. Even though I live in an area that will not really benefit from Starlink (getting 200Mbps in rural Florida), I am a big Starlink supporter.....of course as a SpaceX family member, I have a vested interest lol

[@moledong9390]

As Ilec member, The clouds, rain and snow has always been the problem for aerial (satellite) connections. Its not new, i've been using satellite since the days of using wafers to hack the super channel (aka Porn channels). Fibre optics is the end all and be all for Internet. Everything else is more like a novelty to support the 1 or 2 customer areas which is better suited for CLEC businesses as like Starlink is.. you will never be a ILEC as data in the air is Free for all for hackers..

[@nortonnewmann3711]

In Ohio, 30 miles from one of the three major cities. HORRIBLE internet with no competition... 35mps is average. At least in the city you have more than one reasonable option.

[@ThomasGrillo]

Thanks for the demo of Starlink. I think that's going to be your best bet, for now. I like that it has a built in anti-icing coil! Brilliant! :)

[@Ergzay]

He's actually wrong on the anti-icing coil, it just naturally uses a lot of power (at least right now) and so it stays warm.

[@mitchlecapoy1909]

This is a great vid! Thank you for this i am very close to you just outside calmar and i am currently waiting on my starlink!

[@blakehendrix641]

Great video and info! I just subscribed! You make a good case for Starlink… it’s not cheap but only a bit more than what I pay for cable (aside from the startup equipment cost) and it’s literally 4x faster!

[@everestcomputer]

thanks for this, it gives me hope. we(my work) have a site in rural southern ab that has gone through all the same steps as you. after a couple of weeks of me talking about how this could solve their probs, they caved and ordered a kit.

[@Rogger_50]

This is perfect. I am moving from a large city in AB out to the country. I work remote 100% so Starlink is my only option aside from LTE, so seeing these speeds makes me confident I can do it without issues. Thanks for the review.

[@Casper_Espresso]

I'm going square. After 1 year and some upgrades to the dish, this looks like a better form format, much more attractive. I'm in central Saskatchewan, and just got my invitation this week, purchased my dish and it will be delivered on March 15th. 7 days after order it will have arrived at my home. I'm so looking forward to increasing my internet speed

[@kristinmcmiller]

I’m so glad I found this video! We’re buying a property and will need reliable speed for our business. I’d just gotten off the phone with Xplornet when I saw your video. Definitely looking into Starlink.

[@thesaltysergeant4103]

We are on Telus Smart Hub and just ordered Starlink a month ago. I hate Smart hub and cant wait for starlink. Not sure when we will get it, hopefully soon.

[@ebb2421]

Starlink will be a major competitor maybe forcing Telus to drop prices to stay in the game and Shaw for that matter. I have telus fiber, they pulled out the copper to prevent other services, prime etc. For $125/mnth(incl tax & landline), I get 300Mb up/down and they try to upgrade me to 600Mb(marketeers!). No one on the internet is that fast, netflix is streaming under 25Mb. Go Starlink Go Musk...

[@nommchompsky]

Starlink won't be a competitor in urban areas that have fiber access. At least not for quite a while

[@dalel3608]

Hey neighbor! (i'm at Buck Lake) Thanks for the info, this is probably getting me to switch too. Xplornet was so garbage I went back to Telus net over phone line.. 6Mbps too.

[@MediocreCoffee]

Howdy! And yes, Xplornet is garbage.

[@zachyggs]

great video man! i was your 1000th sub

[@MediocreCoffee]

That feeling when your B-Channel hits 1000 subs!! 🕺💃🕺

[@captainmidnight7012]

@@MediocreCoffee phil Collins, ( in the air tonight ) rings a BELL 🔔 😂🤣🤣😂😂

[@WillN2Go1]

One important takeaway from this is : Most telecom companies will sell you 'something,' whether or not that something is even marginally usable. I always end up purchasing the T-Mobile international service up grade when I travel even though in Europe it was a complete joke. You get these bursts of connectivity and then it would throttle right down to nothing. Completely unusable. (In Japan and Hong Kong it was much better). The last time I went to Asia the operator gave me some nonsense about a minimum 6 month or year subscription. I finally just told her that was a no go and saying I would only pay for a month, and maybe I should see what Verizon and AT&T were offering. They still got me for $50 for a month.

[@KXKKX]

Did you try external directional (yagi) antennas for your 4g connection? Relying on tiny low gain omnidirectional cellular antennas on the interior of a building is killing your chances of success to get a good signal to a distant tower. (Enjoy the starlink, looks awesome, just posting for others who might see this comment)

[@drichardcarr8095]

We dumped xploitnet last week after 7 years of pure hell

[@MediocreCoffee]

It's a good feeling

[@Lou-xd9ef]

oh man that must of been the worse. Thank F for Starlink! Mine arrives in a week!

[@cepefa]

I have also a cabin in the woods and I use the same TELUS router for my Internet. I managed to increase my speed from 20-40Mbps to 60-70Mbps with two yagi directional antenas setup in a 90 degree angle and pointing out to the aprox. location of the cell tower (I used a free app in my phone to try to locate it and it worked fine). The total additional investment was under the 200 CAD mark, including the antennas, cables, adapters and a pole. I got most of that stuff new from Uniden with the exception of the second antenna that was a used one from same brand but listed in ebay. I am not antenna expert, I just got all this information from different sources on the Internet. I tested this in the city first and then moved it to the cabin and the speed increase was pretty much the same. In my case the antennas are outside.

[@antoniogaeta2880]

To increase the performance of your 4G LTE connection you need to mount an external 4G LTE antenna on the terrace and then connect it to your Router/Modem. Otherwise you have to buy an antenna/Router 4G LTE type Mikrotik SXT 6 LTE to be mounted on the mast of the TV antenna and with the ethernet cable you enter the house and connect it to your router.

[@anihilist724]

Came here to say something similar. I'm a big fan of what Starlink is doing, however, I don't think this is a fair comparison without mounting an external antennae and running it to the Telus "smart" hub.

[@CatalystNetwork]

Isn’t the Telus cell thing metered ? Like. You pay for data? Starlink is totally unmetered right ?

[@MediocreCoffee]

Yes and yes, that's correct.

[@harthenry]

I am amazed how many people test StarLink internet throughput via a wifi connection vs. a wired connection and share their concerns about slow speeds.

[@TamimLB]

I'm from South Africa, I used to have an ADSL connection that was usually around 2mbps download and 500kbps-1mbps upload. Then Fibre launched in my area and now I have 500mbps download and 300mbps upload. It's amazing to use, I can work while downloading/updating games all while family are home using the internet and I wouldn't notice a change. It has never cut out since I got it (2 years ago). Plus it is uncapped so it is even more free for me to use.

[@rustochango7542]

Wait a minute... I live very close. I'm on Battle Lake. I have a Telus hub and unplugging it doesn't cycle power. It has a built in battery. Either way, I just set up my Starlink yesterday and it's amazing.

[@MediocreCoffee]

Ah, yes! I actually removed the battery!

[@JohnA891]

You got a like just for the Possum Lodge sign!

[@MediocreCoffee]

Keep your stick on the ice. ;)

[@TimHunold]

If they can't find ya handsome...

[@madcatx]

Thank you so much for this. We're practically neighbors (we live near Breton) and you're telling our story as well starting out with Xplornet, first wifi, then satellite, and moving on to telus hub. It looks like we'll be giving Starlink a shot this fall. The cost for a telus hub to pay outright is $400 which isn't that much less than Starlink's $650.

[@Ergzay]

How old is your wifi? If it's an older model that only runs 802.11g or 802.11b your absolute maximum possible speeds on the wifi will be approximately 54 mbps. Even if you're using 802.11n, it can drop lower easily as well. Buy an 802.11ac hotspot and you can get much better speeds.

[@travismailsa1]

External mounted directional antenna for your LTE router? Also when you connected your TP-link, i doubt that model is an AC1200 dual channel? probably why you maxing at 50mb/s

[@RyanMurrell]

greta video, I just bought a starlink for my mum, cant wait for it to arrive.

[@charu002]

This makes me want to dream an off grid cabin from this video. Besides Pigeon Lake, is there any more location on where we can build a cabin for ourselves?

[@MediocreCoffee]

In Alberta check out Lower Therein Lake - it's far more affordable.

[@chiluco2000]

Great example when choosing available solutions. They can be had with: - Good (quality) - Fast (performance) - Cheap But only two of these qualities can be together, you have to leave one behind. Maybe Starlink in the future will offer all three compared to rural internet and redefines the market (game changer).

[@Yegtard]

I have the same problem with my Telus LTE hub in Alberta, I put the hub on a lamp module attached to my security system so I could reset it from my phone it drove me crazy to lose our security cameras for days until we got back, my security system has a separate LTE connection. I had to permanently pull out the battery ON MY ZTE modem so that the lamp module turning off would actually power cycled the unit. My Starlink arrives tomorrow! Thanks for the video!

[@joegomez5807]

Nice video. You forgot to mention how long you spent at the Telus store buying the modem and going through the activation process. I am in Missouri and love my Starlink !

[@hillppari]

Mayby should have gotten a better LTE router with support for external out door antennas for better coverage. Not a really fair test when signal is blocked by the walls

[@ScrapHappy]

Starlink has made my online business possible. I do a fair bit of streaming for work and before Starlink... ouch! I do find that while live streaming there will be times where signal drops out for about 30 seconds, but we've finally discovered a work around for that and now I'm so happy! I can't wait for the Beta to be done as I'm sure they'll resolve those lost connections.

[@brokenfingergaming]

Thank you for the comments So how do you like StarLink now after this post its been a year I would really like to maybe try StarLink

[@ScrapHappy]

@@brokenfingergaming I still am happy to have StarLink. There are fewer downtimes than a year ago. When it’s down it’s about 30 seconds or so, and it happens less than once per hour. Unless you are hardcore gamer or streamer most people wouldn’t notice. I do a lot of streaming. You’d never notice if you’re watching Netflix or KZbin. It’s nice to have something so reliable living outside of a major center.

[@brokenfingergaming]

@@ScrapHappy Thank you I do watch allot of KZbin Netflix now and then but mainly uploading to my channel not much online gaming anymore LOL

[@grumpyoldman336]

This will put providers like Access communications in rural Sask right out of business .. i cant wait for this to become available here.

[@yukonbikerguy]

I am a Northwestel customer, my monthly bill for a 250 Mbit connection is $250/mo , and they only recently started offering unlimited service instead of overage charges. The monthly fee for Starlink is less, and for better service.

[@ChefNutter]

Thanks for the review, does the Starlink have hard wire option for desktop PC?

[@MediocreCoffee]

From their router, there is a way to connect hardwire, yes.

[@Jarvision1]

Do you know how far you were from the nearest tower? I am setting this up on a property near Entwistle, AB. I am about 4 kms from the nearest tower as the crow flies. Two years of tech advancement have gone by since you made these comparison videos, the kits now come with a 5G outdoor hub and stand, as well as the newest router. I'm very curious as to the service I will get. This was my best option on my rural internet budget. Fingers crossed.

[@jaredwilkes3834]

Pigeon lake is north of the Starlink latitude specified on their website. Did you order it to an address within the range and then set it up in pigeon lake? Asking since I’m close the pigeon lake.

[@thesilvermerlin1713]

Hey there, the misses and I are planning a move to rural Alberta (Buck Lake region) soon and we were hoping to hear if you have any updates on your StarLink experience? Btw, thanks a bunch for this initial review 👍🙌

[@MediocreCoffee]

Still great speeds, very few downtime periods - and they're getting more infrequent as time goes on. Still my choice for rural internet.

[@carolinelindsaycalder9790]

Thanks for the review, super helpful.

[@pgerry9400]

Excellent video, amazing while I am watch your video I get a commercial , guess who ,Telus. So happy big brother is looking out for me.In due time I to will take the starlink plunge.

[@kristopherleslie8343]

Your speed likely bumped down due to being double nat'd and firewalled...

[@BestEdmontonMall]

Yes! Several people have informed me as such! Thank you! :)

[@kristopherleslie8343]

@@BestEdmontonMall awesome. I use to work in ISP industry. Between fiber, 5G and obvious Starlinks satellites, I’ve never been more happy. Most people in your situation don’t even have options so it’s good to see Starlink make itself a poster child for the sector!

[@bobdeverell]

I've never seen any significant speed reduction due to double or triple natting or more up to the limits imposed by the lan cables or router hardware..

[@kristopherleslie8343]

@@bobdeverell really? I have since about 99. One key point is we are taking consumer equipment, not business grade. I’ve done both.

[@otherside2k3]

Similar to other comments, no nat and firewall should not affect the speed even a little bit. The difference is either due to the fact that startlink within minutes can have such differences in speed or most likely the tp-link router wifi sucks... try using a laptop with ethernet and then you can do some real comparisons...

[@jesuschrist8106]

When did you order and how long for delivery?

[@BijanJamshidi]

In the thumbnail you’re smiling while holding DishyMcFlatFace, and you’re not when holding the Telus router. Thumbnail says it all.

[@menguardingtheirownwallets6791]

I live in York Region, just North-West of King City, Ontario ( 30 miles North of Toronto), and other than Satelite Internet from 'Xplorenet', or dial-up Internet, there is NOTHING, and I mean absolutely NOTHING else available, even though we are just a stone's throw away from Toronto, a city of 2 million people. Even cell phone reception here is barely available and usually cuts out after just a few seconds into a call. Xplorenet = $100 per month, and the service is booked solid and turning away new customers. There is a new fiber Internet service being offered by Vianet, and it has a connection charge of (sit down for this): $1,795 just to hook you up to it ! Yes, almost $2 grand just to hook up to the Internet.

[@moriscnam]

I really enjoyed the video. An honest expression of the experience obtained by using Starlink service through a professionally made documentary video. Good job!

[@shokmail3875]

I’m having the exact same experience with Smarthub. I live south west of Calgary. Telus oversubscribed the tower in our area and the solution was to point to a more distant tower in the opposite direction. (Btw I put up my own tower and directional antenna years ago which helped but never got close to the promised performance). I signed up for Starlink and cannot wait to get on board this summer. Goooooo Tesla!!

[@jimf1964]

If I'm not mistaken, StarLink hasn't got anywhere near all it's planned satellites up, so it should get better, but yes, costs are an issue to many. I'd like to know how much power StarLink consumes though. Like would it be doable on a small solar powered system? Doesn't look like it

[@philipe.9738]

The brick is substantial. I didn't take a close-up of it while trying to get things going yesterday. Will check when I get home. The dish has built-in servos to run the dish in line with passing satellites so its power consumption will be high I think.

[@jimf1964]

Philip E. so usually communication satellites like that are geostationary, so it wouldn't have to move much. Remember all the other dishes are stationary. But I heard, either from you or another channel that it's actually heated to prevent snow build up. That could use an enormous amount of power for a solar powered system.....unfortunately.

[@philipe.9738]

​@@jimf1964 Brick is 100-240 volts @ 2.5 amps PoE 56V @ 1.6A x2, 56V @ .3A, with a combined output of 180 watts.

[@uweschroeder]

I have Comcast and I have my cable modem on a timer that turns if off every night for 1 minute (smallest increment the timer can handle). That does the trick at not having to power cycle the modem every few days when it freezes up. So a simple timer would fix your Telus router problem. EDIT: LOL, just after I typed this - voila, the timer.

[@MediocreCoffee]

🤣

[@nismo4x4n]

Having fiber is nice as you no longer need the ISP router / wifi / cable modem anymore. Fiber > SFP+ > switch > opnsense. Only time it needs reset is when opnsense gets an update. I don't miss the slow uploads of cable too.

[@YamYamChris]

Are you using an old router? If so that explains the slow down because the speeds you were seeing where close to the 54mbit limit of 802.11g

[@whysoenvious]

Bruh in the rural area you get terrible services regardless of the router. I have e Wi-Fi out here in NC and I barely get 2 MB’s

[@MediocreCoffee]

I'm sure my router is 802.11n, but I'll confirm! Thanks for the suggestion!

[@YamYamChris]

@@whysoenvious Yeah but I'm on about the starlink, if it's maxing out at about 55mb on starlink the wifi could have become the bottleneck. It's usually 100mb+

[@iamthemoss]

My son in law is from Vancouver BC, he said cellular coverage in Canada is basically a monopoly an is not that great (and expensive) . Why is that.

[@nommchompsky]

It isn't a monopoly, there are 3 or 4 major carriers in most parts of the country. It is really expensive though. That said we somehow have some of the fastest cell networks in the world, especially in places like Vancouver

[@iamthemoss]

@@nommchompsky why is it so expensive?

[@MediocreCoffee]

Huge land mass to low relative population. We all have to pay for the network infrastructure for 8 people in some rural place. But then, after that's paid for... why lower prices when you can [profit]!

[@patrickbuick5459]

Don't forget government regulation...

[@ericlemay7169]

Hey there I’m in Montreal but would love to go to cottages in Quebec and work out of there. Do you think you would get similar performance if you took Starlink around Alberta?

[@MediocreCoffee]

Yes, I think so. It's supposed to be up to 300 Mbps for all of North America by the summer.

[@geertbosch2778]

You should upgrade your WiFi to something modern. Use a decent WiFi mesh network if in doubt. It will make a big difference now you have a decent broadband connection. Make sure you configure the WiFi correctly using bridge mode, assuming the SpaceX modem does any required NAT and fire-walling. Even if you'd revert back to your old provider, it will still make some difference.

[@sagarmeena0210]

love the DIY and easy setup

[@deerosedonovan3838]

I cant wait to get mine. I'm out in Nova Scotia Canada on a 100 acre Farm and right now i can only get 1mb DL and upload lol. This is gonna be a massive upgrade for me. I dont have to sell my home and move into town now to keep my business going.

[@questv2661]

Interesting I’m from Nova Scotia as well and I get 1.5Gb/s down and 1Gb/s up. And I’m not in the city either....

[@rafaelm03]

well done video, some good details

[@MediocreCoffee]

Thanks!

[@nathanlambert1502]

You’re the best, this exactly what I was looking for. Rural alberta

[@MediocreCoffee]

Glad to help!! :)

[@123456dirtman]

I have property at Baptiste Lake (54.7N), 20km west of Athabasca, and I have used a Telus Smarthub. I get 25mbps down and 8mbps up regularly, and I can remote desktop into my house and work remotely. The Telus tower is line of sight to my property. However, I just signed up with Starlink, and I am anxious to try it out. From what I have seen, Telus is throttling the Smarthub connections to 25-26mbps, as when I signed up a few years ago, I was getting much higher speeds, up to 55-60mbps. I only use it seasonally though, so I'll have to wait to see if it makes sense to use Starlink in beta...

[@k1zmt]

You need to get a proper LTE antenna with integrated modem. Once you will install it outside on the roof you will be pleasantly surprised.

[@Robert-rt9ho]

Where I live in Australia the nbn (national broadband network) here is the worst with starlink looking a lot better right now it’s 100$ a month unlimited 5-20mbs down 2-5mbs up and over 120ping. That’s the best I can get where I am starlink is looking better and better everyday

[@lazerusmfh]

I’m getting 80-170mbps down and 15-30 mbps upload over my beta starlink

[@OriginalJetForMe]

You definitely want to do speed tests while hard-wired; most WiFi setups are very slow. Bypassing your router would help you know your actual link speed, if you're not certain your router can keep up. When I finally got gigabit fiber at my house, it took a while to find the right combination of things to get a speed test to show anything near 1 Gbps.

[@AdvantageWealth]

I am located near Rockport Ontario. I have had my beta unit for a couple weeks. I find the Starlink quite variable in speed...and the one application it doesn't work well for me is a ZOOM meeting (no buffering like KZbin)....it starts and stops the feed, so when it's not connected, you lose that portion of the video call. It doesn't disconnect from ZOOM...I have reported to Starlink on their "contact support" and they say they are working on it. I have had two ZOOM calls over the past week and performance was the same. I still have my "other provider" and when I switch back to them, the ZOOM call works. But this service is really only a 20Mbps service maximum.

[@isaacswift]

can you do Starlink month to month or does it need an annual contract?

[@nigel8499]

It's month to month, cancel anytime.