Starlink RV - An honest review / Internet on the road

[@tonyhine47]

Fur someone that doesn't know a lot about the technical side you did really well. Relayed all the information that needed saying in a straightforward, no nonsense way. Good job 👍

[@nowornever_aus]

Cheers mate!!

[@GoneTravelingOZ]

Thanks for the review guys really appreciate it!! its a shame the monthly subscribing cost wasn't half what it is now would certainly make it more affordable $174 a month is a massive hit to the beer fund haha!! we will be in WA in a few months will keep an eye on this over next few months. Safe travels!!

[@nowornever_aus]

Yeah it is expensive but still early days so hopefully more options/cheaper plans become available!

[@jezbon]

The speeds are nuts when you think NBN is constantly less than those speeds for Starlink. I've never had a decent NBN speed and I have fibre to inside the house. Caravanning soon and just ordered my Starlink. Thanks so much for the review, I was nervous about it but you've sold it to me.

[@nowornever_aus]

No worries! It’s an absolute game changer and I can see it being on every house eventually 👍🏼

[@jezbon]

@@nowornever_aus btw guys if you make income from your KZbin videos make sure you tax deduct the monthly starlink cost as an expense to make income. That's $2K off your taxable income. Just (if ever asked) explain that for personal use you use your Telstra 4G thing, and you're sorted. 😉 it's how I'll be doing it - I need internet for work and I'll be working remote.

[@nowornever_aus]

Great idea, thanks mate!

[@iandibley8032]

A good review on Starlink when you are having to get content out weekly in remote areas it's a good thing but $174 a month for an average traveller it's a bit much ,may drop in time hopefully. Set up price of the unit reduced to $450 till end of December. Safe travels.

[@nowornever_aus]

Cheers mate! Yes it is pricey and hopefully it does eventually come down!

[@philby1979]

when you remove the cost for say the Telstra NightHawk plan on a NightHawk $85 a month + if you do the device repayment, that only gives 400GB, reduce mobile data plan as well you can save there as Starlink is unlimited data in that price, also being the RV plan you are not in a contract so if you are in a city with decent mobile coverage you can stop the plan with no issues and restart when you want it again.

[@nowornever_aus]

Yep that is exactly what we are doing! Phone contracts are up so dropping them right down

[@WildTouring]

Solid feedback, i reckon you've sold it to me!

[@nowornever_aus]

You won’t regret it!

[@karlschmidt4018]

We had ours out last weekend trees behind us and clear Infront (river) kept facing trees but we had no drama 🤙🏻

[@nowornever_aus]

That’s good to know! Seems as though with a little obstruction it still works quite well!

[@morepawstravels]

Love the review. And amazing that the RV kit is now AUD$450 (until the end of the year I believe)

[@nowornever_aus]

Thanks mate! Bummer we missed out on the price but we can hardly complain considering how good it is!

[@morepawstravels]

@@nowornever_aus I have heard from third party sources (Facebook groups) that some people have been granted a couple of months subscription as a “make up”…

[@nowornever_aus]

Thanks for the heads up!

[@youpmac1]

Megabits per second (Mbps) are units of measurement for bandwidth and throughput. They are used to show how fast a network or internet connection is.

[@nowornever_aus]

Thanks for the info!

[@yagirlwetzy3637]

Very interesting! Simplest way to understand numbers is download is the speed on which you receive onto your phone (so watching videos etc) upload is what your put out from your phone (so when you upload your vids etc) the Lowe the number the worse it is, the higher the better 😊

[@nowornever_aus]

Thanks for that!! 🙌🏼

[@kylieliddell4983]

Awesome!!! We'll be signing up for Starlink ASAP. Gotta keep up with your latest episodes while we are on the road😉Cheers

[@nowornever_aus]

🙌🏼

[@matthewfinnigan3862]

The great thing is if you have a break down or something happens in the outback you can make calls over the internet with the star link. No need for a satellite phone anymore. Probably best to still carry an epirb.

[@nowornever_aus]

Yeah that’s true!

[@gettingtheretravel]

Make sure you don't leave it disconnected for too long when not travelling. There is an issue where dishy mcflatface can stop working if it hasn't updated and you end up with an expensive pot plant stand. Do a search on "bricked" starlink. We're talking months of non-use but still something to be mindful of. As the portable feature of starlink is new, this may not be an issue anymore but time will tell.

[@nowornever_aus]

Thanks we’ll look into that! Had a good laugh at the dishy mcflatface!! 😂

[@nunayadoxing4623]

surely there is a maintenance port like a usb or ability to connect directly to it and upload firmware to it to bring it back so its compatible with the network again... surely...

[@gettingtheretravel]

@@nunayadoxing4623 you would think so, but nope.

[@nunayadoxing4623]

@@gettingtheretravel wow... how can there be so many oversights lol. you would think there would be someone there that says hey, if we update the app that connects to the dish and change the core network with these changes that it will mean people who have not upgraded to the last lot of firmware wont be able to connect via the app or the network..... and then there is the no maintenance port. these guys are meant to be launching rocket ships lol. note to self, dont go to mars with elon.

[@4wd_action]

Go to bunnings and get a extension cord reel . Then wind your cable onto that. Then you only need to pull out as much as you need. Way more neat and tidy.

[@nowornever_aus]

Thanks for the tip! That’s a great idea!

[@philby1979]

also now you are capable of having communication / video chat / Telstra wifi calling so no matter where you are you can get hold of someone. also in very important for an emergency situation that I hope you never have to use however its there if needed...

[@nowornever_aus]

Yes so true!!

[@BozSpooner]

Awesome review would have made a big difference its fast by watching this....Keep up the good work guys one of my top tube channels :)

[@nowornever_aus]

Thank you so much!!! Yeah Starlink is an absolute game changer!

[@Spotto6464]

Great cable length allows you to run it out from under trees ! Avoid putting it on your van cause ultimately you will be parked under trees in hot weather don’t worry about the negative comments cause you’ll be able to make wifi calls and FaceTime anyone anywhere anytime ! Cheers guys

[@nowornever_aus]

Cheers!

[@malcolmmildren2924]

Thanks for the info and making it easy to understand. Travel Safe and Enjoy.👍🏼🇦🇺

[@nowornever_aus]

Cheers mate!

[@helenmarchesani7003]

Great video, thought you explained things really well! Would it be worth installing a caravan wall plate to connect into the van instead of feeding through the window? Interested in knowing what kind of connection it is

[@nowornever_aus]

Thanks! At the moment the whole unit is outside for us, not too sure what the connection is but will look at a wall pass through style option in the future

[@nzmarkb8713]

Is it worth mounting the base on the roof of your van permanently?- sorry you answered this at the end 👍 One concern I have is as they get more customers is the speed going to decrease It’s not cheap but if you really need internet I guess it lets you be where you want not where you need to be

[@nowornever_aus]

Yeah hopefully the speeds don’t drop, not sure how that works with satellite internet!

[@Foolish_Paul_Australia]

Great video. Very informative. I reckon the 240v only option for the modem/router is because it was based on the RV market in the US. Have you seen some of their rigs? Some of them are so big, I reckon they carry small nuclear power plants in them. LOL. 🤪 So supplying 240v wouldn't be an issue. 🙂 When you showed the speeds you were getting, I was VERY jealous as it sh!ts on my own crappy NBN service at home. 😒

[@nowornever_aus]

Yeah your right mate, the rv’s they run over there are insane!! I was actually going to say that in the video but didn’t want to ramble too much! 😂😂

[@Foolish_Paul_Australia]

@@nowornever_aus I enjoy your ramblings. 😋

[@MrFastFarmer]

It’s because it drags so much power. Up to 10amps which NO one talks about.

[@ichecksmartgauge6552]

Great informative reviews guys..love it!

[@nowornever_aus]

Thanks mate!

[@jacquelinewrigley9027]

Very informative, balanced review. Thank you 😊

[@nowornever_aus]

Thanks for watching!

[@petenbeesaussietravels3028]

Thanks you for your review on starlink i the question that i wanted to ask you is that if you purchase the star link do you have to connect straight away i am thinking of buying the star link but we arnt ready to travel just yet we will be starting to travel in about 2/1/2 years i dont want top buy this if we have to connect to it if we arnt using it

[@nowornever_aus]

They do charge you for the first month upfront but you can pause the plan straight after that

[@robertarmbruster5650]

Thanks for another great video. Watch out for those Mbps (Mega bits per second) and there are 8 bits in a byte, so it's better to have MBps but they all like big numbers, it's an American thing.

[@nowornever_aus]

Cheers mate!

[@glengriffin5773]

good vid mate buy a second antenna mount one on your roof as a permanent and the second one you can use to move around if needed more cost i know but could be useful to some cheers from Queensland

[@nowornever_aus]

Thanks mate! Will definitely be doing a roof mount but just holding off as will be changing our setup next year 👍🏼

[@craigtomkinson2837]

Awesome stuff , great ep, Love this,

[@nowornever_aus]

Thank you!

[@livingtotravel4290]

Hey guys, where did you get the little antenna for the night hawk. That’s all we use at the moment as we are not yet full time. The starlink is a little expensive for us although it’s good to know that guy can pause the subscription.

[@nowornever_aus]

We got it from retravision when we were in Kununurra, helped a lot!

[@livingtotravel4290]

@@nowornever_aus don’t suppose there was a brand on it 😎

[@nowornever_aus]

There was on the packet but can’t remember what it was sorry!

[@ozzyencounters]

Great review guys. What is the phone call quality like over the internet?

[@nowornever_aus]

Really good from the small amount of calls we’ve done!

[@helenmorgan4042]

156 mps is really good. We get around 90 to 100 on nbn and it's really quick

[@nowornever_aus]

Yeah it’s amazing how quick everything loads now!

[@rfish6993]

Thanks for your video. Just one question. Have tried using WiFi Calling on your mobile phone. If so, were you able to make normal phone calls anywhere in Australia?

[@nowornever_aus]

Yes we have and it’s been perfect! No delays or anything 👍🏼

[@KircardProductionsAustralia]

Great video, thank you. Is there any restrictions on how long you can suspend the account when not touring? Would love your info on this. 🙂

[@nowornever_aus]

As far as we can tell there are no restrictions but have heard stories of it becoming “bricked” if you leave it paused for too long and it doesn’t get the necessary updates, we have ours paused at the moment so will be interesting to see how it goes when we fire it back up. Thanks for watching!

[@ChasingThatWay]

What’s up brotha! Currently in big bend national park Texas with our starlink and it’s stupid fast. 2 phones, 2 laptops, 2 tvs, and PlayStation all streaming no issues so far. Where about are you guys now?

[@nowornever_aus]

Hey mate! We are on the east coast of aus now, Starlink working just as good here, much better than any other internet option we have available here in my opinion!

[@philt2485]

Just about to unbox my StarLink. Many thanks for a great review - by the way, what antenna, cable & fittings were you using on your Nighthawk?

[@nowornever_aus]

No probs! Not sure on the brand of cable and antenna but we bought it from retravision

[@karenbahr8861]

Thanks for the review, How much does the set up weigh?

[@nowornever_aus]

No probs! It’s around 5kg

[@diannehavelberg5875]

Sounds so simple we have night hawk as well so be interested

[@nowornever_aus]

It’s a major upgrade from the nighthawk and we’ll worth it!

[@natalietownley7488]

Starling is on sale up to Christmas for $450.

[@nowornever_aus]

Yeah we wish we got it for this price! Can’t complain though as it’s so good for what you pay!

[@colindennis4143]

Loved the presentation and the honesty Thank you Colin We have JB GatorX on order cheers guys

[@nowornever_aus]

Thanks!!

[@captainkipper86]

Great vid guys! Interested to know if you guys were not doing KZbin, would you still think it was worth it for the average travelling fam?

[@nowornever_aus]

In our personal situation I’d say no we wouldn’t! I mean it’s always great to be able to watch Netflix but if weren’t uploading videos I’d say we’d just deal with no internet for those certain places and enjoy the serenity!

[@Alan.livingston]

RV’s in the US don’t actually spend much time off grid so they usually have shore power available.

[@nowornever_aus]

Yeah I assumed it might be like that in the states! Cheers 👍🏼

[@tonywilson8383]

Not bad for where you are. My 5g gives me between 400 and 600mbps download with about 50mbps upload. I only pay $85 per month. Cost me nothing to install with no lock in contract.

[@nowornever_aus]

That’s great!

[@anddoh]

I have had 5g for about 1 year and the fastest i have seen is 265 down and 16 up, normally about 200 good for me but i am not a content provider.

[@Prockski]

I’m in Switzerland and our direct lines give me between 8000-9000 up and down but if I wanted to pay for a stronger router, I could get 23000-25000 up and down. It’s pretty damn wild.

[@4X4TRUCKINGOZ]

the price per month is not that bad considering you would pay more to get nbn speeds to match or better it, I get 250mbs download and 36 mbs upload all day long from my home in the bush, I had that wireless nbn is was absolute rubbish for $110 per month for a 25mbs connection, best thing is i can switch between RV and home use so I can take mine on the road when i want it and switch back to home base when i home

[@nowornever_aus]

So true! Cheers mate

[@glmaguire]

What is the power usage like?

[@nowornever_aus]

Fairly low, draws around 3 amps per hour

[@glmaguire]

@@nowornever_aus thanks for the info. I hope you guys have enjoyed your time in WA.

[@nowornever_aus]

We certainly have!!

[@treebs9516]

Does this support wifi calling?

[@nowornever_aus]

Yes it does and works very well!

[@jedpallett2872]

mpbs stands for mega byts per second

[@nowornever_aus]

Thanks!

[@robertcorlet512]

👍

[@nunayadoxing4623]

150mbps is 15megabytes per second. Thats huge for anything U would need to do. Upload of 35mbps is 3.5 megabytes per second for when you are uploading your KZbin videos

[@nowornever_aus]

Thanks for that!

[@nunayadoxing4623]

@@nowornever_aus no worries. We are travelling Australia with the family now full time. I'm tempted to get one. Our family are gamers but can't find anyone able to answer what the ping is like when playing and if it's stable lol

[@nowornever_aus]

I wish I could answer that for you but I have no idea what it means! 🤣🤣

[@Barbernz]

I think your videos is a bit old now as the pricing is very different. $330 AUS for a refurb direct from Starlink. I think its double for a new one. Thats the price for the RV one.

[@nowornever_aus]

Yep the vid is a year old

[@biglap.australia]

$174 pm after coughing up $450, nah I’m not much in need of being on the internet. I reckon WA has some of the best internet and NT the worse.

[@nowornever_aus]

Yes it’s expensive, we always say if we didn’t need it for uploading to KZbin we wouldn’t have it, but because we rely on having good internet it has definitely paid for itself already!

[@nunayadoxing4623]

The guys at Telstra are fools lol. I have a nighthawk 6 pro 5g and it is fine in 3g, 4g or 5g. With a mimo 5g entenna I can turn 2 bars of 4g into 5 bars or 4 to 5 bars of 5g when I couldn't get it without the antenna.

[@nowornever_aus]

I’m not surprised they don’t understand, we are happy with this over any form of nighthawk though just purely for the time we have zero receiption 👍🏼

[@nunayadoxing4623]

@@nowornever_aus yeah it restricted us from traveling only within 12kms of a tower. I do 4 hrs work a day as a programmer so need internet. Hoping this will mean we can go off grid a bit more inland.

[@stuartkcalvin]

Only if 5G is available in the outback.

[@Brenno79]

$139 a month on website

[@nowornever_aus]

That’s for the fixed Starlink, it’s $174 for the RV version which allows you to move it anywhere 👍🏼

[@Brenno79]

@@nowornever_aus Arh righto 👍🏻

[@MrFastFarmer]

“A couple of amps” what total bullshit. It pulls upto 10 amps… which is why it is 240v. You honestly think they haven’t considered 12v???

[@nowornever_aus]

We checked how much it was drawing in the middle of the night when there were no other loads drawing from the battery. Inverter on its own turned on drew 2 amps then with the Starlink on went up to 5amps. So if this isn’t correct then I guess the enerdrive battery monitor isn’t accurate 🤷

[@MrFastFarmer]

@@nowornever_aus well, point is it’s considered too thirsty for the general public 12v system. That said, I’ve done the conversion and most POE injectors can’t handle the 100w draw… and I discovered this the hard way.

[@johncumberland2762]

Sorry but not another unboxing. I’m sure there all packed the same way even mine

[@nowornever_aus]

You’ll never know if you don’t unbox them all! 😂