STARLINK FOR RV // What You Need To Know Before You Buy

[@MrSparks54]

This is the best overview of Starlink for RV out there, I've watched a bunch of vids trying to decide about getting Starlink. Thanks man, good info!

[@Kendopler]

You answered more questions then anyone has ever done. Great video.

[@rvlifediy]

It's a little bit better than I expected. Speed is great in rural areas.

[@deltabravo1257]

Thanks for the video - your explanation is much better than a few other videos I've sen on the same topic.

[@ateamrventures]

Great job on this review. I was wondering about the RV setup and you answered that. Very informative in an easy to understand format. My gratitude, dude! 👌

[@mingo0817]

Love the shirt! Great meeting you and your family at Overland Expo

[@freelyroaming]

Thank you! You as well. We had a great time there.

[@igorkvachun3572]

Yes Starlink 👍📲🖥️🖱️

[@DownsizingMakesCents]

Great job on starlink rv update, we got our starlink rv setup going yesterday, we have trees to deal with here in Florida but managed to find a gap in the trees within my 75 feet cord. I’m not sure if they are automatically going to bill me $135 or $110 for the first month because even though i ordered starlink rv, portability is not activated in my account settings. We will se what happens on my first move. First time seeeing your channel, very well presented and concise, Larry

[@freelyroaming]

Thank you. If you ordered Starlink for RV without a home service address, it should be 135. Portability is only an add-on option for residential.

[@borandell9915]

This was an exceptional video. Easy to understand and it confirms, to the extent possible, what I already assumed was happening with the roaming feature of my residential service. I camp alot but not full-time. So far my de-prioritized roaming speeds have not been bad. Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Texas. I'm very happy with it. Thanks for taking the time to explain this as it is confusing when trying to decide.

[@freelyroaming]

Thank you!

[@jernone3849]

180 a month no thanks and it says service coming soon 2036??? WT?

[@borandell9915]

@@jernone3849 No it's $135/month. And I had it delivered and usable within a week. Also, factor in that you can likely get rid of your existing internet service. It was a great deal for me. But I fully understand a tight budget. We've all been there.

[@freelyroaming]

@@jernone3849 are you talking about the same thing?

[@zedacruja681]

Ok you talk 2 years ago,,,because Now In Portugal there talking about. 40 euros a month Plus 349 for the stuff....gizzz wizzz. am I missing anything. or just TIME wise. Twi years early .... ok got it need it in July 2024.

[@DoriMena]

Thank you so much for that detailed explanation. It answered a lot of questions we had.

[@freelyroaming]

You guys are always welcome!

[@rhino4321rhino]

Thanks, that answered questions friend.

[@susanmcgillick224]

We bought ours in the states to bring up to our place in Canada. After reading the comments about the 2 months allowed for roaming out of the country, we will not be able to use it up here. It isn't like Starlink counts the days using the service, so we already hit 2 months during this first trip because of when our billing cycle occurred.

[@luckydogfarms]

Subscribed! Always learn more on your channel. Thanks, J

[@FoyeFlowers]

Very helpful, thanks.

[@busterhoodstar4447]

I have Starlink Residential + RV = $135 This gives my Starlink priority at home. On the road, my priority is the same as anyone on the RV plan only. I live in Los Angeles County in the City of Reseda. I've kept my landlines from Spectrum on. I get 78Mbps and 120Mbps with Spectrum. I get random speeds between 170Mbps and 500Mbps with Starlink.

[@freelyroaming]

To clarify, you mean you have a plan that is residential+mobility right? You don't mean you have 2 dishes with residential on one and RV on the other.

[@busterhoodstar4447]

@@freelyroaming correct

[@dustingre8]

How well does the router work? I’ve got mine on it’s way for my home because I’m still in line for my residential unit. My home is multi stories and fairly large. Wondering if I need the extended coverage router accessory.

[@freelyroaming]

It is pretty good. But with a big house I think you're gonna want a mesh network

[@Zaitouddahi]

Slow for Starlink is light speed compared to spectrum.

[@freelyroaming]

At least for now. We will see what happens when it is more congested.

[@5thGenNativeTexan]

@@freelyroaming I suspect that things will only get better. Only a small portion of the overall constellation is up, and of the existing constellation, only part of it are the new 1.5 "laser linked" satellites which will greatly enhance both coverage and throughput.

[@neilpateman333]

I just watched your latest video, hopefully worst case scenario for speeds. Should be a lot better when we’re out boon docking. Look forward to seeing some tests in a less congested area. Also did you here anymore from starlink about registering an address in a foreign country like Canada or Mexico after the 2 month period ends with starlink for rv’s or the portability option.

[@freelyroaming]

I was actually quite surprised that the router to internet speeds were as high as they were. If that's the worst case scenario then it will be great outside of cities. Ive not asked about being away for more than 2 months. I will cross that bridge when I get there I guess.

[@SuperFartMan1000]

Any updated reviews? I am wondering about how people are dealing with the tree coverage or other limitations they have encountered. Thanks in advance!

[@freighter1097]

I'm a few weeks in and its working great. As far as tree issues, its fairly straight forward. I have mine mounted to my trailer and I don't park under trees. I never have anyway due to my solar. On average I'm pulling 120mbps down with a low ping. I can stream movies and game anywhere I've been yet.

[@besearchingforwisdom6267]

I was hoping to get it for use on a boat offshore in the Los Angeles area

[@freelyroaming]

I've seen some limited use of these on a boat. I would assume you might have some issues with signal stability.

[@Kendopler]

Great explanation 👍🏻

[@Lolaandcassidyadventures]

They need to make an RV roof mount antenna. Guys hack it but looks sketchy.

[@tvguide4khv]

its a perfect backup for any user ....

[@freelyroaming]

A bit expensive for people who do not travel as there are other options. Since my channel is dedicated to nomads, my videos are designed for this audience.

[@neilpateman333]

I’m a Canadian resident and a snowbird. From my understanding of Starlink for Rv’s if I purchase the kit in Canada, I have to use a Canadian adresss, then I can roam for up to 2 months both in Canada and the USA. After that 2 months if I want to continue roaming in the USA, I have to register a new home address, but I can’t register a USA address as I purchased the kit in Canada. From the support page. International Travel: Starlink can only be used within the same continent as the registered Shipping Address. If you use Starlink in a foreign country for more than two months, you will be required to move your account to your new location or purchase an additional Starlink to maintain service. Does pausing the service, then resuming service reset the 2 months or can I register a new Canadian address and get another 2 months. Starlink support does not seem to want to give a definitive answer to this question.

[@freelyroaming]

I assume you will not be able to pause and resume to get 2 extra months. I would just change your address temporarily to the campground or winter rental you are at if you plan on being there for more than 2 months. I don't think that will be a problem. I plan on spending more than 2 months in Mexico this winter so I will find out for certain.

[@neilpateman333]

@@freelyroaming Reply I got from support I think whether its the portability option or the RV option the same rule applies. This is the same if a usa customer purchased in the usa and then travels to mexico or Canada, that after 2 months they cannot register in a foreign country. Tech support reply Hello Neil! Great question! Kits sold and sent to Canada will indeed work with the Portability feature activated for 2 months in another country within the same continent. Starlink Kit power/electrical configurations and certifications are based on country-specific requirements, therefore, a Kit from the Canada will not work or be considered certified in another country and this will affect the warranty as well. We would recommend to cancel your second order in Canada and place one for your US address. We hope this helped! have a great day

[@freelyroaming]

@@neilpateman333 I wonder if your hardware is spec'd differently than mine. Mine comes with regulatory docs for all of the countries they support. So I think the latest hardware is the same around the world. I think I will fire off an email to them and ask about the latest hardware and how that applies.

[@neilpateman333]

I ordered the residential kit on May 15, 2022. When I looked into it further and the portability option was only going to work for max 2 months in the usa and I couldn't register it for a USA address as I purchased in Canada, I promptly returned it. It will be interesting to hear what starlink have to say about your planned use, that you will take into mexico for over 2 months. Thank you for checking into this.

[@Hellvoisin]

@@neilpateman333 I returned mine for that same reason.

[@matt82228]

I had to cancel my SL Residential and ordered SL RV. Had to pay for shipping both ways. Their lack of phone or email support did not help either.

[@freelyroaming]

That's what I assumed you'd have to do. Thank you for confirming that with your personal experience. Although I heard that the email support is decent but just delayed for about a day or two. Sounds like we just need to be patient with them thru this growth period.

[@surfreadjumpsleep]

Yall are on it. amazing. Looking forward to knowing how much power it consumes. Whoa I just googled that it takes 65 watts of power. That'd be a no go for me. I'd have to install a new panel for that. Starlink seems like it'd be great once you find that ideal offgrid spot while you are roaming around in your van. Before that... 3g & even 4g work in a heck of a lot of places.

[@freelyroaming]

yeah it does draw quite a bit of power. Especially since you have to also run an inverter. I plan to use it with our portable power bank and its built-in inverter. this way I can isolate its consumption and keep it from draining the main house battery. I think most of the time, I will be still be using our cellular data.

[@timpatton3948]

@@freelyroaming How much power does it consume ?

[@freelyroaming]

@@timpatton3948 65 watts. So it will translate to about 120Ah per 24 hour period. It's a good amount so I would recommend turning it off at night and to have a fairly large lithium pack and solar panels of you are going to use it. I plan to power mine thru a portable power bank so it doesn't draw down my house battery too low by accident.

[@toptriode]

I read somewhere that residential Starlink consumes 100 watts, so 65 watts would be a definite improvement for those using it off-grid. Can anyone else confirm that residential Starlink consumes 100 watts?

[@freelyroaming]

@@toptriode you could be reading about the gen 1 round dish. I can't confirm for sure but it is really hard for me to believe there is any difference in the hardware between residential vs RV right now.

[@mimicondon5754]

I can't get residential till 2023 but have paid to be on waitlist. I want to purchase the RV now and use for my home. 1. Have 4 kids that will need (strong enough) 2. Weather proof? What about strong weather? Way to make it sturdy not to blow away? 3. Can we keep it on 24/7 ?

[@freelyroaming]

Hardware is exactly the same as residential so it will work the same. The only difference is prioritization of your data speed.

[@TheBrandonWK]

Question: I know it’s $135/mo and you have the option to turn service on and off with the app. If you use it say 6 days in a month, it’ll be like $30 or so for the month? And that’s not added on the $135 right?

[@freelyroaming]

No you have to pay for full months. No proration. When you pause, it will pause when your current billing cycle ends. So be aware when you decide to pause and learn when your billing cycle starts and ends. Otherwise you might be paying unnecessarily for a whole month.

[@gotflowo]

Can you go from rv to residential once capacity opens up? (Use same dish)

[@freelyroaming]

Right now no. But I suspect it will change.

[@waynead754]

For RV it ought to run on 12 volts, not 110. Yes everyone has an inverter, but that's not as efficient.

[@freelyroaming]

I believe a dedicated mobile receiver is coming. Rumor has it that it will officially support mobile use, smaller and runs off of 12v. This version is just a plan change with the same residential hardware. I don't think it will be ready until at least 2023.

[@5thGenNativeTexan]

Overall, it's really not bad even with the existing version of modem. While the specs say roughly 100 watts (per hour), general consensus out in the field is that people are seeing about one-half to one-third of that, so even with an inverter the draw is pretty low.

[@tracyvincent239]

Hi does it have a 12v adapter for off grid?

[@freelyroaming]

No. Out of the box, you need to run it through an inverter.

[@rickmerritt1834]

We have been waiting for 16 months and I am considering the RV mode for strictly residential use. I am trying to find out if I can switch it to non RV in the future and also if I can order the RV mode with a 150 foot cable and a pole.

[@freelyroaming]

Right now the answer is no. You will need to place a residential order to keep your place in line.

[@rickmerritt1834]

@@freelyroaming Thanks

[@XGiveMeLibertyX]

I’m not sure what to order the residential service or the Rv. I travel for work so I want to select the rv option but it just says not available in my area but I can pre order the residential service option, says it will be available in my area sometime 2023. The the rv option a smaller dish?

[@freelyroaming]

Same hardware. You only have RV option if you want to use your home address. Otherwise you can try ordering residential with a random address and just add portability. You will still be deprioritized though in your home zone.

[@KiLoKills]

Can you switch your RV service to the residential service or are you stuck with the RV service?

[@freelyroaming]

Residential is waitlisted in a lot of places, you can not switch from RV. You will need to place a new order.

[@WindowFluffer]

So I am a truck driver, I am looking for an internet to solve any issues with any hot spots etc. how does this compare to cell hotspots? And how do I order? Do I order RV? Or do I order Residential plus roaming?

[@freelyroaming]

If you can order residential plus portability without waiting then go for that. Because you can switch from residential to RV but not the other way around. However if you don't need it yet, I would wait and see if a new dish is on the horizon with the ability to be used while on the move.

[@WindowFluffer]

@@freelyroaming awesome thank you for the advice I will wait a bit and see. For now I am ok I don’t think I need it quite yet. Just looking into options to mitigate the bordem on downtime lol thank you so much

[@smmcclain5215]

Does it work on a boat in the Marina or at Anchor?

[@kenproulx8276]

Yes it does

[@samshepperrd]

6:35. Look out! There's someone behind you with a gun! This is the best review on Starlink so far. Kick the cell phone companies in the ass - right out the door. I'd think there would be problems keeping the dish aimed at a satellite while in motion.

[@freelyroaming]

Haha yeah he is a dangerous cat walker!

[@jernone3849]

180 a month no thanks and it says service coming soon 2036??? WT?

[@freelyroaming]

I guess they don't like you.