Quote:
Originally Posted by jyl
A few more comments about my Starlink experience.
My daughter is running a summer camp at 8500 ft in the Sierras, their internet is some satellite service (Hughes?) and I measure 300 kBps to 1 MBps. So I installed my Starlink system for her. \
The good: even with a partially obstructed location (which is the best we can do, lots of tall trees) I measure 40 MBps to 120 MBps.
The bad: Internet is interrupted for 2-20 seconds every several minutes, due to the obstructions. You don't notice this for most uses, but for Zoom video meetings it might be an issue, also one of my apps won't auto-reconnect so I have to click "reconnect" all the time.
Starlink really wants an unobstructed view of the sky, above 30 deg from horizon, especially to the north. It will work with a clear view to the north and significant obstructions elsewhere, but you'll get the interruptions.
I'm now planning to install the Starlink on my Vanagon Westy camper, and turns out it is a little bit of a power hog - average draw as much as 100 watts - but I think I can get it lower by running from DC. However, the obstruction issue will be a problem at many PacNW type campsites, so I am also looking at a cell signal booster (WeBoost etc) as a fallback.
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Thanks for this John. I have a new camper and find myself in the woods more. I also can work from home, so the thought of leaving on a Thursday and coming back Monday night is intriguing, working from the woods. Thist tree business has me concerned. I guess one could find a very open campsite in terms of trees. I am not limited to campsites, actually try to avoid them. Some of my adventures are in the high Sierra above the tree line and also in the high desert, where it will work well.
What do you do if you don't want the device any longer? Can you sell it? Are there used units on the market? I think for about a grand to get started for a couple months, I may give it a go, before the winter hits!?
Edit: Could one take this to another continent, i.e. to camp there or take it to a remote location where internet is poor? How portable is it in a small suitcase?
Thanks!
George