Starlink Off Grid - Portable high-speed Internet for camping and backpacking!

[@digger553]

Excited to have this for my boat.

[@MikeOnSpace]

For sure! It opens up so many possibilities!

[@BenQuigley]

Have to say I'm glad to see that you are well, you had me worried being away for so long

[@MikeOnSpace]

Yes, sometimes life gets in the way. Happy to be back though! Thanks for watching!

[@joeldeveau1759]

Great to know this. I have Starlink as well (South West NS) and will keep this in mind next time I go camping. Stay safe and keep your great videos coming.

[@MikeOnSpace]

Thanks Joel! I definitely have my mind on the outdoors with all this nice weather we've been having!

[@JordanLoweElevaToursCanada]

Great news Mike! We got our Starlink Dishy kit on August 9. We live in Hopewell Nova Scotia, and our speeds have been in the range from 100 Mb all the way up to 290 Mb when it comes to Internet speed. Happy to watch this video with the power of Starlink!

[@MikeOnSpace]

That's awesome! I know you've been waiting a while - I'm happy my video could be one of the things travelling down that amazing bandwidth :)

[@JordanLoweElevaToursCanada]

@@MikeOnSpace yeah I'm extremely happy with it, when we got the email saying that we can place our order both me and my father we're celebrating like it was Christmas day LOL!

[@SomedayisNow]

Thanks for this great easy to understand video. Just got Starlink RV yesterday and I’m researching how to power the thing

[@micspamgod2324]

Hey, Mike. I don’t know if you remember me or not but I have some exciting news. So recently about 2 weeks ago, I got fast internet finally and it’s not my old ISP, it’s a private ISP that serves my surrounding counties where I live. Basically we had 130Mbps Download, 26Mbps Upload and my latency ranges from 6 to 10 ping. It’s Fiber. It is more expensive than Starlink for about $114 a month. It’s worth it in my opinion for sure. I used to have 2.8Mbps Download, 700Kbps Upload with my old ISP. So far I have been enjoying the crap out of it! It’s nice to be able to do things instantly and not having to worry about any buffering or lagging in online games etc.

[@micspamgod2324]

we **have** 130Mbps Download, 26Mbps Upload*, not “had” lol

[@MikeOnSpace]

Of course I remember! I haven't been away for THAT long ;) That's awesome! My favourite thing is hearing when people get to ditch their old, slow, laggy internet - whether they're moving to Starlink or fibre like you got! I hope you'll keep watching even though you have kick-ass fibre now :)

[@micspamgod2324]

Oh yeah I have a really funny story too. When I got the better internet, it was actually messed up. I was getting 130/26 but an hour after having it all running it went down. Then the internet came back on after a couple of minutes and I did a speed test. I was getting a whopping 600Mbps Download with 500Mbps Upload speed!!! Lmao The internet would go out every 10 mins to 3 hours randomly. So we had to call them to fix it and they did a few days later. Pretty funny, I had those speeds that entire day too by the way. That was awesome to have those speeds I literally downloaded a 40GB+ game in 15 minutes. 😂 But I’m extremely happy with my 130/26 speeds. Much better than less than the 3Mbps/700Kbps speeds I did have previously with my old horrible overpriced ISP. Lol

[@micspamgod2324]

@@MikeOnSpace Yes I’ll continue to watch you. I can always learn something from you anyhow so that’s always good. 😃

[@igame8309]

Well well well what we have here ? .!! Finally you are back😯😯❤

[@MikeOnSpace]

I know I know - happy to be back on! Thanks for sticking with me even when I'm too busy to post!

[@wbegg1]

Glad to find "oat" about this. May use this setup at my "Hoas"

[@dvtkdlwl]

Long time no see!😃

[@MikeOnSpace]

Yes, it's been too long! Thanks for sticking around even through my longer gaps :)

[@gwatko1]

Hi Mike. Do you have a way that I can contact you with questions about Starlink outside of this forum?

[@michelcaron2671]

interessing, Jessy and Zac from Know you know have traveled with their starlink thru many states and had no issue. have you tried it or you just guessing?

[@ferysery]

hi @14:10 you talk about how good it would be to get rid off tripod and pole. yet in your other video you rip apart the dish and take it to the streets on top of your car. can u enlighten me about paradox? tnx

[@markwitkop7022]

I saw a youtube video of an RV'er who changes his starlink address each tine he goes to a new campsite. It works for him.

[@bob_frazier]

Hi Mike! Very interesting! Missed you.

[@MikeOnSpace]

Hey Bob! When it's sunny and warm all I can think about is getting outside. This way I can bring Starlink with me ;)

[@brendonshave7776]

Why wouldn’t you bypass the AC conversion totally?

[@prational]

Just a word of caution. According to Starlink tech support you are taking a chance that you may not be able to go back to your original cell if you change your address to a new cell. There is a possibility that while you are at your new service address your old cell will have new users assigned to it and if it gets to capacity you will not be able to go back to that old cell. Here is Starlink tech support response to my question about changing my service address: "When a customer changes their service address, that change happens immediately. At this time in Beta, we have limited availability where Starlink is available due to our continued upgrades to our Network as we previously mentioned. Therefore if you were to change your service address from the one on file to another address (even temporarily), there may be a chance that the limited availability where Stubblefield Dr. is currently serviced, may (be) taken up by another customer who is waiting for service." PS I've had my Starlink for about 4 months and to say that I am satisfied would be an understatement. The only time that I have noticed any dropouts is during a rainstorm we had here in the desert which only occurs once or twice in about a year-and-a-half. I currently have it mounted on my RV but I only use it when I'm at my service address here in Pahrump Nevada. Have it mounted so that I can stow it and then move it down out of the wind stream and just travel with it in that position until I get back home. I sure hope that they come up with a DC power supply as running my inverter from my RV solar panels is very inefficient as you pointed out in your excellent demonstration of a portable system.

[@MikeOnSpace]

Yes, that's a good warning about "losing" your old cell if you switch temporarily. Whenever they open it up to full mobility this will be an even more amazing system. As you say - it's pretty incredible already! I've been tempted to try to pull apart the Starlink power supply to make my own 12V-to-Starlink converter, but I think for now I'll concentrate on making more videos :) Hopefully SpaceX releases their own soon!

[@DJ-Illuminate]

MIke, I am trying to warn the cable industry that this is a game changer. Imagine a flat dish and having multiple dishes at home and on the roof of a car. No more Verizon.

[@dj-bn1fj]

Once star link phones come out no more verzion 😁

[@IMiss_The90s]

Post it here folks from NS... What part of the province are you from? When did you get your Starlink? What have your speeds been like?

[@RedPillRachel]

I have a 100w panel and a 500wh bike battery at 36v, I use a mix of dc to dc convertors and an invertor. The setup works in the mountains and on canal narrrowboats!

[@MikeOnSpace]

Sounds like a great setup! It feels pretty amazing to be able to connect with high-speed low-latency Internet without ANY local infrastructure :)

[@RedPillRachel]

@@MikeOnSpace I'm using 4g though, not many have Starlink yet!

[@anthonymooney6843]

Good info Mike...I am looking to RV across North America and Canada going forward in my retirement. About 2 years out so looking for more information.

[@MikeOnSpace]

That sounds awesome! I definitely think Starlink would be great for that use case. I'm going to do some more videos on low-power solar options - I'm aiming to take it camping this summer. Thanks for watching!

[@williampalmer8356]

What payment methods does Starlink use? I hope Bitcoin or USDT will be added.

[@craigduncan4826]

You could just connect the panel DC-DC directly to the PoE connection for the antenna. The circuitry would be simple to provide continuous PoE DC injection between the Ethernet port on your laptop and the antenna. Your losses with this system are probably around 60% at best. Basically get rid of the entire spacex power supply (which is just a PoE injector).

[@MikeOnSpace]

The main hurdle with that today is that the PoE supply SpaceX provides is non-standard. It provides a higher current then a standard PoE supply. Definitely possible, but would take some reverse engineering to get everything compatible. I definitely hope it happens though! Thanks for watching!

[@mrmotofy]

Nope won't work, the panel is probably 12v nominal or so. The POE of the dishy is likely 48v nominal. You might wanna study physics, dc power and POE standards

[@craigduncan4826]

@@mrmotofy PoE is 48V - iv installed 48v systems for PtZ cameras many times

[@craigduncan4826]

@@mrmotofy you are referencing current which is different from voltage. The dish requires perhaps more current but that can be supplied at sufficient voltage by an injector with sufficient amperage output. I have done this for a living for 15 years.

[@m10653]

Has there been any updates on trying to hack the dish to gain serial access? Ill love to do it but I have no need for a starlink dish. Would be interesting to dump the flash.

[@Edward-tz7xz]

Excellent video, Mike. I am a world-wide sailor and would love to have starlink on my sailboat. While sailing, my boat moves continuously due to wind and wave conditions around it’s axes. Would starlink work under those conditions? Or would I have be anchored or in port? Thank you for your videos.

[@MikeOnSpace]

It works great on a moving vehicle as I showed in a recent video, so it seems like it should work in principle on a sailboat as long as you get it high enough that the rigging doesn't interfere with the view of the sky. My one concern would be extreme angles like when the sailboat is heeling. There's a limit on how far the phased array can steer the signal - at an extreme angle it might be too much for the phased array to handle. I'm not sure though, but would be interesting to test! Thanks for watching!

[@Edward-tz7xz]

@@MikeOnSpace I appreciate your kind response. The place I think the array might work is on the radar mast at the extreme aft, port side, about six ft above the deck. It would be behind the sails and mast. I will think that through. Pls keep the videos coming. Thank you very much.

[@ryanloon8533]

i’m curious can you use this at a remote camping cabin? i was thinking of getting one for my camping cabin

[@JohnSmith-rf1tx]

As far as your "cost" to starlink so far, if you really sent them back the original dish they had sent you then they may have been able to fix the issue it was having or refurbish it and then be able to use it with another customer. So, I'm not convinced that your cost impact has been quite as high as you were estimating. But user terminal production cost is one of the major items SpaceX has to deliver on for the project to really succeed. It's vital for them to get that cost down.

[@IMiss_The90s]

Dude did fall come early in the city? Still summer here in Antigonish LOL. Got my Starlink system a few weeks ago in Guysborough County. Easy setup and works flawlessly. Speeds 100 to 250 down and 20 to 50 up.

[@lordgarak]

Yea it looks like he shot this back in April or May.

[@MikeOnSpace]

You got me - I think it was early May. Just got around to editing and posting it. It's been a busy few months :)

[@fensoxx]

Awesome video, next, let’s take the power supply apart and bypass the whole rectification process!

[@MikeOnSpace]

I'll definitely try that if SpaceX doesn't release their own before I get around to it :)

[@cesarlovefer7895]

Hi, Where did you buy this solar panel?

[@YadraVoat]

02:24 - So in meaningful units, that's 22.5 MiB/s down, 499.2 KiB/s up, no?

[@shantaloft]

do you know how big the window of reception is. A few feet or a mile or so?

[@MikeOnSpace]

I don't know exact numbers, but most reports have a cell as 15-25 miles. So you can move the dish anywhere in the cell and have good coverage, but beyond that coverage will get worse then stop.

[@sheerazkhan1730]

Appreciate Bro We are waiting for Starlink come in Pakistan 🇵🇰

[@MikeOnSpace]

Thanks for the note! My fingers are crossed for you - thanks for watching!

[@YadraVoat]

07:50 - I gather the antenna system requires alternating current...which it then converts back into direct current. 😓

[@samreciter]

Great minds... I only wait for the end of the geofencing! Then i will be customer =)

[@MikeOnSpace]

Totally! I can't wait until I can actually go anywhere with it :)

[@samreciter]

@@MikeOnSpace And if it's only a day at the beach - the whole day with a bit of working. Or even a multiday boat tour or just working all over Europe for some time. For freelance developers, like me, or other people who just need a computer and internet - the possibilities are just endless =)

[@dscad]

Will this work with my Packard Bell 133 MHz

[@MikeOnSpace]

Ah, that takes me back. I still remember my 486 DX2 66MHz PC :)

[@edgarhaner1949]

Great stuff! It will be amazing getting high speed internet out in the sticks!

[@NathanW-o2q]

Ware do I buy this unit?

[@MikeOnSpace]

The round Starlink terminals aren't for sale any more, but you can buy all the latest at starlink.com If you're in the US of Canada they're even selling them at CostCo now! Thanks for watching!

[@amethacharv]

From hacking satellite signals to solar pannels... ah? What happened to hacking starlink series? Did you make any progress on that? Did anyone ask you to not show your findings publicly?

[@MikeOnSpace]

I'm been away from the channel for a while, but happy to be back. I like to cover lots of different aspects. I'll be doing more on the technology and reverse engineering, but I like to cover using Starlink since it's such a huge change for so many people. Thanks for watching!

[@amethacharv]

Glad to see you are back. Thanks for your response.

[@renaissanceman5847]

ditch the POE injector and the inverter... you lose about 30% efficiency overall. get a POE injector that uses a DC power supply and run your laptop from a similar DC input supply.

[@MikeOnSpace]

Yeah, I'd like to do exactly that! I agree the current setup is fairly wasteful. Thanks for watching!

[@cloud09gaming]

I'm still waiting for it to come the southern states ;_;

[@gravelydon7072]

Same here. But at least they have not changed our time frame of Mid to Late 2021.

[@MikeOnSpace]

Yeah, I've heard stories of many people being changed into 2022. I wonder if delays are more due to component shortages now, rather than number of satellites?

[@gravelydon7072]

@@MikeOnSpace I look at the pattern over us right now and it isn't the lack of satellites. I've seen it show up to 8 in range that are active at the same time and as Ft Lauderdale has an uplink site, it should be able to handle more. So my guess, with all the people waiting, it is a lack of dishes.

[@arnecarlsson9740]

Mike, I see you are a ham radio operator!

[@MikeOnSpace]

Yes! For almost 20 years now, although I will admit I'm not very active on the air - I'm more interested in the technical aspects. But I am getting an HF antenna up in my new place so maybe I'll get more involved there :) Thanks for watching!

[@fensoxx]

Sees trees in background with no leaves. Ugh it’s coming.

[@MikeOnSpace]

Don't worry too much yet - I actually recorded this back in early Spring. I haven't had a chance to edit and post until now :) Thanks for watching!

[@brendonshave7776]

Does everyone name the dish, dishy? Why the personal attachment with a chunk of plastic? One last observation… my, mine, my, mine… lots of ownership when reality is no one owns anything but only for a moment.

[@hqcart1]

you disappeared!

[@MikeOnSpace]

And now reappeared! :)

[@hqcart1]

@@MikeOnSpace Can you measure starlink consumption while no data being transferred? i.e. unplug the router and check?