Starlink

[downsizingnow48]

On obstructions. Try:

Starlink > support > advanced > debug

Near the bottom of the debug page is two sets of 12 lines each. Each line stands for a 30 degree segment of the field of view. The line is blank if there is no obstruction. There are numbers on the line if there is an obstruction. I dunno what the numbers mean, but it is an accurate way to see where obstructions are located. I found this helpful to identify obstructing trees in the 210 - 240 degree segment that I assumed were far enough way to be OK.

 

[BigBlue1]

On obstructions. Try:

Starlink > support > advanced > debug

Near the bottom of the debug page is two sets of 12 lines each. Each line stands for a 30 degree segment of the field of view. The line is blank if there is no obstruction. There are numbers on the line if there is an obstruction. I dunno what the numbers mean, but it is an accurate way to see where obstructions are located. I found this helpful to identify obstructing trees in the 210 - 240 degree segment that I assumed were far enough way to be OK.

Interesting. Did not realize any of that was available. How do you know from the list what direction any of the numbers represent? Mine is all '0' at this point, but I may move the dish back just to check things.

Rob

 

[downsizingnow48]

I also think the power supply is too hot. I think it is hot enough to harm wood finishes. So I arranged an elevated location with full air flow.

 

[BigBlue1]

It's likely their Support will improve as they migrate from Beta to Business. At the present time their primary mission is creating a complex system that works. That requires employees who are engineering oriented rather than customer oriented.

I'm sure that will be true.

 

[downsizingnow48]

I think the first segment is 0-30 degrees starting where the dish is pointing ie north in my case. Then clockwise from there. That worked for me when I was trying to figure out the obstructions.

There is no documentation I could find on the debug page, but some of the reddit group users puzzle out this stuff.

 

[BigBlue1]

On obstructions. Try:

Starlink > support > advanced > debug

Near the bottom of the debug page is two sets of 12 lines each. Each line stands for a 30 degree segment of the field of view. The line is blank if there is no obstruction. There are numbers on the line if there is an obstruction. I dunno what the numbers mean, but it is an accurate way to see where obstructions are located. I found this helpful to identify obstructing trees in the 210 - 240 degree segment that I assumed were far enough way to be OK.

Some nice info there. Ping drop rate, live latency measurement, GPS location, info on some error conditions, downlink and uplink throughput rates. Thanks for the pointer.

Rob

 

[Blue Mule]

Monthly fees plus equipment charges effectively make this a $150/month deal in the first 12 months, and $100/month after that assuming they don't jack up the rates like cable companies do.

Compare that to the new T-Mobile ISP service, which I ordered in December at $50/month, with no data caps, no equipment charges, a no price change guarantee, and it relies on a more established and reliable cellular tower network.

I'm not sure that Starlink is going to be the amazing thing people were told.

 

[cqaigy2]

Monthly fees plus equipment charges effectively make this a $150/month deal in the first 12 months, and $100/month after that assuming they don't jack up the rates like cable companies do.

Compare that to the new T-Mobile ISP service, which I ordered in December at $50/month, with no data caps, no equipment charges, a no price change guarantee, and it relies on a more established and reliable cellular tower network.

I'm not sure that Starlink is going to be the amazing thing people were told.

I don't get anywhere near your speeds with any of the wireless carriers i've tried out.

 

[BigBlue1]

Monthly fees plus equipment charges effectively make this a $150/month deal in the first 12 months, and $100/month after that assuming they don't jack up the rates like cable companies do.

Compare that to the new T-Mobile ISP service, which I ordered in December at $50/month, with no data caps, no equipment charges, a no price change guarantee, and it relies on a more established and reliable cellular tower network.

I'm not sure that Starlink is going to be the amazing thing people were told.

Everyone has different situations that make certain features or offerings better for them. If you are close enough to T-Mobile cell network to reliably get the speeds you need then that is a pretty good solution for you. Can you get 150Mb/s from it? I know I've been using the similar LTE offering from AT&T for a few years now and my speeds very rarely get over 70Mb/s. Still fine for my needs, and at $20/mo for the Mobley plan it has worked well. But I'm not a T-Mobile customer so I'm sure their plan costs more than $50/mo if you don't have cell lines through them. The main issue that gives me pause with the AT&T plan is the fact that it is not truly unlimited and we blow far past the data 'limits' each month so if they ever start enforcing things it will be a problem. And occasionally my LTE service can be be disrupted.

Living in a rural area and needing Internet for two full-time jobs in our household I'll always have two ISP offerings. An LTE cellular plan and Starlink will be great for my needs.

Rob

 

[deserteagle71]

it relies on a more established and reliable cellular tower network.

I'm not sure that Starlink is going to be the amazing thing people were told.

Again, depends on where you live.

I just went through 18 hours of no service of any kind - phones, TV, internet - everything went down, and that's how long it took for the problem to be fixed. Not just me - this whole area of northern Nevada was down because of some kind of failure somewhere. Stores could not accept credit cards because none of their systems worked! What a tremendous vulnerability our systems are, just waiting to be exploited!

Can't wait for the Starlink service to be fully functional. At least it should be an alternative to the flawed system we already have.