AST's satellites cover much larger area than Startlink's per count. Disclaimer: I am an AST shareholder. Starlink will still dominate but the market is big enough to have multiple players and there is strong incentive to have multiple space-based Telecom players.
Starlink Mini
- Thread starter Midwestdrifter
- Start date
Evil Patrick
Well-known member
So...
It looks like there is a $40 / mo plan that has a 100M/s speed cap, but UNLIMITED data.
I haven't looked into this, and it's my understanding that this is only offered in select areas. I don't even know if it's an option for the mini.
Anyone else here have more info?
It looks like there is a $40 / mo plan that has a 100M/s speed cap, but UNLIMITED data.
I haven't looked into this, and it's my understanding that this is only offered in select areas. I don't even know if it's an option for the mini.
Anyone else here have more info?
Maslin
I've worked on a few vans
Not on mine, but there is this guy. Why would I pay $50 when this one is $40?
edit. I think it’s $40 for the plan then $25 per 50 gigs? So $65 for priority and special blah blah? Maybe worth the extra $15, maybe not.
GritBaja
Member
I looked into this, it is $40/month but then you have to buy buckets of data which cost extra. For 50GB it comes to $65/month, so why do this over a Roam plan for $50 which is also 50GB? I suppose the "priority" feature, guaranteed uptime, etc. make it attractive to some. From 50GB this plan steps up to 500GB priority data for $165/month (total), which is what I pay for Unlimited (but not priority, I guess).
I have yet been able to stay below 50GB/month, hence Unlimited for me. For the same $165 I could try Local Priority with 500GB data, which is more than I need, but I'd lose the ability to use my Starlink Mini in Canada should I cross the border. I don't think priority or uptime are important to me, so I'll stay where I'm at.
marklg
Well-known member
Blue Origin's recent success bodes well for AST, but is even better for Amazon's renamed Leo constellation. It is thought that the internal cost of a launch using their own rockets is significantly less than that charged to others. So SpaceX and Blue Origin have definite advantages over anybody else. I wouldn't count out Blue Origin / Leo. They are much more cautious in how they develop rockets, so it may be years till they can approach the cadence that Starlink has achieved. Bigger satellites don't fit as many on a launch. I will bet the users served per launch may be similar.
As I think about it, the main reason for a resuable Falcon 9 is to launch Starlink satellites. That is the majority of the launches. Any other launch only has competitors that charge much more, so they could charge similarly more and probably get most of the same launches, with similar profits. Having a reusable rocket that gets the launch costs down enables the mega constellations.
Regards,
Mark
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offgriddude
Active member
I am interested to see if the bandwidth on the "Pause" roam subscription is enough for some basic remote monitoring functions such as Victron VRM. I assume it would be, as .5mb is probably plenty for this. Anyone try it?
Kajtek1
1922 Ford T. No OBD
They call it "pause" lately, when it was "slow service" when it started.
That is what I use in my cabin and I can monitor my security camera without a problem.
When in the cabin, for couple of days, I was able to use internet, even with streaming youtube movies.
On couple of occasions my speed went down to 0 for couple of hours.
I suspect the SL detects streaming and cuts down the service, as 1 time I just purchased higher plan and it work just fine.
I made a complain on their support site and after my complain, the speed went well above the 50 MBS they rate.
Their computerized helper was giving me running around, saying that the very small obstruction I have on my antenna is getting amplified on slow service.
Bottom line, the pause service is still useable for checking email and this forum is not having lot of adds, so it shines between other sites.
Just get your favorite beverage next to computer and be patient.
dharmasprint
Well-known member
Do you use it for voice calls at all? WhatsApp or Signal?
I'm thinking about pulling the trigger on a mini with the roaming option as I noticed that on my last trip that there were vehicles with the antenna setup on the dashboard of their vehicles.
There were long stretches when there was no cell service that I could connect to despite having 5 bars of LTE .
GritBaja
Member
I've had no problems making phone calls over VOIP using my Mini, whether I have Verizon service or none at all. I no longer pay attention to "bars", there's no need to unless for some reason the satellite connection is blocked (trees, gas station awning, etc.). In that case I temporarily turn off my phone's Wi-Fi to force a cellular connection, but that's rare.
I don't use WhatsApp or Signal but I see no reason for them not to work.
In my experience Starlink using the pause/standby plan works fine for wifi calling, WhatsApp voice calls and high quality music streaming. That's assuming no, or limited obstructions. You can also do light browsing, navigation, texting and of course email. Perfect for staying in touch with friends, family and the news while driving or for some activities while fueling Some people also successfully stream low res video but I am not that patient with long delays and crappy quality. My antenna is permanently roof mounted and on dash performance will be worse but probably also acceptable. For $5/month it's hard to beat but if you are camping in a spot without cell coverage you'd probably want a faster plan.
dharmasprint
Well-known member
I'm currently paying $105 / month for a terrestrial wireless connection at home with a 350 GB maximum. The speed is variable between 0 and 25 Mbps depending upon how many users. There is a possibility of fiber being installed at some point but when ?
I don't think starlink offers the $5/ mo plan in Canada. I would not permanently mount the antenna as I would move it between the house and van depending upon whether I was traveling or not.
Kajtek1
1922 Ford T. No OBD
My wife is talking on WhatsApp, when I am checking the email.
Again, the $5 service can be good, but lack consistency.
Sometimes I just sit and wait for signal to come back.
The difference is that for the $10 plan you got high speed up to 10 GB and then $2/GB after that and for the $5 you get low speed (500 kbps) but indefinitely.
borabora thank you very much for the explanation!
On a side note:
I don't really use the Starlink much, so I didn't want to pay $50 a month for it. At $10 a month I can afford to let it sit there for when I want to use it. The math says that I can use it up to 30GB for $50, which is the break even point of the $50 a month plan (50GB). BUT, every month that I don't use it up to 30GB I am saving money. So, works great for my application.
On a side note:
I don't really use the Starlink much, so I didn't want to pay $50 a month for it. At $10 a month I can afford to let it sit there for when I want to use it. The math says that I can use it up to 30GB for $50, which is the break even point of the $50 a month plan (50GB). BUT, every month that I don't use it up to 30GB I am saving money. So, works great for my application.
For your situation the $10 plan would be a good solution. That plan, however, is not offered anymore. So, once you change it, you probably won't be able to go back to it. There are different plans offered in different location and nothing seems 100% certain but it's likely that you won't be able to change back to it in the future and you may even get kicked out of it.
johswdiesels8
New member
yes but mini isnt as fast as the non mini.