Starlink

[JethroB]

I keep my cell phone (hotspot) for backup - it works good but datd charges are a killer.

Same for me. If I want to stream Netflix while using the cell phone as a hotspot I try to remember to turn Netflix quality down to SD from HD.

 

[ponytug]

Just fyi about 2 inches of overnight snow disabled my Starlink recently. Not sure why-- I verified my app is set to "auto" regarding snow melt.

Brushed the snow off the antenna easily. Nothing was stuck or adhering. It came back online quickly.

If it was close to freezing, I wonder if the antenna hadn't yet realized it was snow covered. When it snows again, you could try setting the snow melt function to "ON", either preemptively, or after there is an issue.

All the best,

Peter

 

[TheMan419]

Same for me. I used the AT&T Mobley plan as primary ISP for a couple of years and at $20/mo it was a no-brainer to keep as my backup when I moved to Starlink. I dropped the $90/mo sub-5Mb/s DSL provider at that point, which had been my backup to AT&T. Both Starlink and the AT&T hotspot plan are entirely functional for two of us to work from home with. Now I use the AT&T side for significant downloads after Starlink's 1GB/mo limit started.

Thankfully that is a soft cap and only during peak hours. If you can schedule DL for overnight it does not count against your cap. Once you hit the cap you are deprioritized until your next billing cycle starts.

 

[BigBlue1]

Thankfully that is a soft cap and only during peak hours. If you can schedule DL for overnight it does not count against your cap. Once you hit the cap you are deprioritized until your next billing cycle starts.

All well known and not relevant to my situation. Some situations with my work require multi GB downloads during the day and, with our needs for Internet for WFH, I will not risk pushing SL to the deprioritization point. It's why it is nice to have two reliable ISPs when you live in rural areas and WFH.

 

[NoTrespassing]

Same for me. I used the AT&T Mobley plan as primary ISP for a couple of years and at $20/mo it was a no-brainer to keep as my backup when I moved to Starlink. I dropped the $90/mo sub-5Mb/s DSL provider at that point, which had been my backup to AT&T. Both Starlink and the AT&T hotspot plan are entirely functional for two of us to work from home with. Now I use the AT&T side for significant downloads after Starlink's 1GB/mo limit started.

I'm guessing you mean TB rather than GB.

 

[plowhog]

If it was close to freezing, I wonder if the antenna hadn't yet realized it was snow covered.

Interesting. It did start snowing even though temps were above freezing. Something like 37F.

 

[BigBlue1]

I'm guessing you mean TB rather than GB.

Indeed. Fixed it.

 

[dmccarty]

Not a direct Starlink question, but what are you folks using as a back up system for Starlink?

We have no cell service here, and the DSL equipment on the telco's side aged to the point that it wasn't reliable.

With WFH, having a "Plan B" seems important.

All the best,

Peter

Prior to Starlink, our primary ISP was cell based with DSL, 1.5 mbps, as a backup. The DSL cost a fortune compared to the data rate and reliability, so we canceled it when we saw how well Starlink was working. Our previous cell based provider had major problems just as Starlink arrived. That was a close call. The cost for Starlink and the cell service was the same, so we got faster and more reliable service for the same price. For backup, we added Internet connectivity to our current cell phone plan, which is limited by data usage, but it is cheap.

Ironically, recently we had a 10-15 minute Starlink outage, during which our cell based backup did not work either.

Best laid plans of mice and mine....

 

[tradosaurus]

As long as you understand that the "satellites" providing you internet coverage are nothing more than high altitude balloons.
Satellite envy

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Starlink has applied to FCC for direct from phone to satellite link.