Starlink Public Beta About to Happen?!?!

Royce.Arnold said:
Keep in mind what the shade panels are made of will make a huge difference in whether how much of the signal will be blocked, if any. The front of the dish has some type of plastic covering the transceivers. That material or a similar material could likely be used to shade the sun while having minimal impact on the signal.

I've seen covers for DirecTV and DISH dishes that were intended to keep snow from accumulating on the dish, while allowing the signals to get through. Those are different frequencies, so it just a matter of finding the right material for the frequencies that StarLink uses.
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Additionally, we aren't limited to a flat surface or a stationary one, and it doesn't have to be huge, either. It only need block the sun, not the whole sky.
 
slurm said:
womp womp wommmmpp: Starlink dishes go into “thermal shutdown” once they hit 122° Fahrenheit

https://arstechnica.com/information...rizona-sun-knocking-user-offline-for-7-hours/
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Thanks for the link - The temps here will be 113 today and were 112 yesterday, no thermal shutdown yet (*knock on wood*), the dish is on a pole that extends up a few feet from the roof, so it may not be getting as much heat from surroundings, as say, the low ground mount that comes with the kit. I'll wager California's forward-thinking and robust energy grid will most likely shut down due to excess demand (rolling black/brownouts, what it's done virtually every year during the summer) or PG&E power shutoffs before the temperature gets high enough to kick my dish, but I will post here if it hits that dreaded thermal shutdown.
 
unfortunateson said:
I'll wager California's forward-thinking and robust energy grid will most likely shut down due to excess demand (rolling black/brownouts, what it's done virtually every year during the summer) or PG&E power shutoffs
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Interesting, you used "Forward-thinking", "Robust" and "rolling blackouts" in the same sentence. California and Texas need complete re-evaluations of their power grids.

And unless the drought somehow miraculously corrects itself, CA is going to get worse.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/17/us/california-drought-oroville-power/index.html
https://www.livescience.com/hoover-dam-lake-mead-reservoir-record-low.html
 
Anyone know of any updates on this? I just remember hearing mid-summer, and also remember hearing something about August. Seems like something should be happening soon unless stuff has been delayed or pushed back?
 
GotNoRice said:
Anyone know of any updates on this? I just remember hearing mid-summer, and also remember hearing something about August. Seems like something should be happening soon unless stuff has been delayed or pushed back?
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I got my invite months ago. Declined based on large cost and uncertain employment. This is in full swing.
 
Still waiting in Mid-TN for an update, think there is a lat/long req with satellites that we are waiting on. I don't need it, but have a large rural property to "retire" on, and as we work and build it out I'd love to have some Starlink out there so i can possibly just camp out there for a week or two and not worry about connectivity for work.
 
Yeah i think they were focusing on a northern/midwest US through central canada to start. I saw an interactive map of satellites at one point, and I would say Norcal is not on the early availability list.
 
GotNoRice said:
Anyone know of any updates on this? I just remember hearing mid-summer, and also remember hearing something about August. Seems like something should be happening soon unless stuff has been delayed or pushed back?
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Alot of people around me in western Canada (Alberta) have been getting their starlink setups and have been amazed by them.

One of them went from a cell modem that at time could barley push 3Mbps and is now getting around 170Mbps from starlink.
 
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Ragenrok said:
Alot of people around me in western Canada (Alberta) have been getting their starlink setups and have been amazed by them.

One of them went from a cell modem that at time could barley push 3Mbps and is now getting around 170Mbps from starlink.
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Waiting for mine. No idea when it'll arrive. Pretty much anytime from now until the end of the year.
 
Ragenrok said:
Alot of people around me in western Canada (Alberta) have been getting their starlink setups and have been amazed by them.

One of them went from a cell modem that at time could barley push 3Mbps and is now getting around 170Mbps from starlink.
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we're hoping for similar results for one of our hutterite colony schools. will be a massive improvement over telus cell service. not sure if the kit has come in yet, as im off over the summer. we were on the "fall list".
 
Still waiting for any internet options... signed up for beta, paid for pre-order, still nothing. Seems more people who have access to internet already are the ones being selected, kind of defeats the purpose I would think.
 
For those interested in more information I suggest the following sites:
More information: https://www.reddit.com/r/Starlink/
Coverage Tracker: https://starlink.sx/

I'm in central GA and still waiting, too. However, the coverage in this area has improved dramatically in the last month (based on the coverage tracker). A couple of months ago, I was probably getting 70% theoretical uptime with 2 or more satellites in view at any give time. Now, it's probably 95+% with 2 constantly in view and virtually 0 periods with no satellites in view.

For those pondering why some are getting service (even though they have other options), there are a lot of factors:

- Service locations are broken up into cells. The cell you are in must be activated before you can get qualified to receive service. When you are signing up for a pre order, you are only securing your position in line in your cell. They could have been more clear about that when signing up. Sometimes if the neighboring cell is active, you can play games with your service location and get service.

- Right now and for the current satellite generation, there is no satellite to satellite communication. That means that in order for your location to receive service, the satellite has to be able to connect not only to you, but also a ground station. Ground stations may run into local government regulations and restrictions.

- The design of the Starlink network is such that the further you get from the equator, the higher the density of satellites (at least until the polar regions). That means the closer you get the equator, the more complete the network needs to be before you can get reliable service.

- The satellites orbits also shift gradually as the earth and satellites orbit. This means you might be on one orbital band today and another tomorrow (or in six hours, etc) and then another and then another... Again, meaning you need more satellites up for good coverage.

- I've seen reports of a cells that appear to be "full". Basically, they are not adding any more customers in that area to maintain good service for the existing customers. There may also be some limitations imposed by there phased array technology and the size of the areas they are covering. Those can likely being reworked as more satellites reach their orbital locations. Their phased array tech is amazing.

- There are still about 600 satellites that are up but not in their final orbital locations.

For those looking for other options and in a T-Mobile service location, T-Mobile just started marking a cellular home internet service. It's uncapped, but may be throttle in times of high traffic. No up front cost. No contract and ~$50 / month. Speeds are suppose to be between 25 and 100 megabits. They are also out of modems until September...
 
So I got my availability February 8th, got my equipment on the 18th of February. (I signed up for the beta back in September of 2020.
I live in an area of Oregon that has NO internet option other than hughes or viasat old school satellite. (And those options are a joke, totally over priced and terrible connection, crazy high latency like 900ms)
I have no cell service, until now, because I got a Verizon extender that uses the internet.

That being said.
I think people are really forgetting how "beta" this is. Yes starlink is amazing!, from the perspective of what my option are. (25mbs satellite internet with a 60gb a month usage limit for $150+ a month) But it still can't hold a candle to 150mbs cable internet. (Less than a year ago that's what I had at my old house before we moved out of the city).
Attached is some screen shots.

First screen shot, obstructions, I am 100% clear now, it took some work, had to run a 200ft cable to my shop and put the dish on a 6ft pole above the peak (dish is about 25ft above the ground) to clear the trees on my property. (At the current time you need a pretty clear view of the north horizon as in where the sky meets the ground, if you have a big hill (my neighbors) they won't get a good connection, more dead time then on time.

Second screen shot, uptime and latency, it's not perfect, not bad, but see those dips on the uptime, they sometimes are big enough that if I am talking on my phone via verizon extender it can disconnect the call. Or if you are in a game it will feel like a freeze for a solid second or two and then everything goes back to normal, so it happens enough that it's bound to happen at the worst time and get you in game killed. But at least I can play at all vs the old viasat.

Last screenshot, these are the connection killers, the only time streaming Netflix pauses and rebuffers. The Verizon extender totally loses connection and has to go through it's reconnection process that can take upwards of 10 minutes.

Last night it went down for over 15 minutes a little before 11pm PST. It might have been an update I don't know, but it was annoying as I was actually doing some work online.

I know this was a long post, but I just want to give you MY experience with starlink.
Yours, I am sure will very.
Am I happy? Yes 100% and I am super thankful I got selected early, the via sat was not working for a family of 5, and the teenager is finally okay with living in the country lol.
So if you are expecting this to be the great replacement for you current ISP cause you hate the 1tb caps or something you are probably not going to be happy.... Anytime soon.

Ohh and I didn't bring up the no public IP, so don't expect to run a OpenVPN server so you can access your stuff from the outside. My next project is to figure out how to get around this so I can get into my truenas and my camera system. But from what I have seen it's not looking good.
 

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Sinistar said:
I received the t-mobile gateway about a month ago, I have a weak signal (two bars) but get between 200 and 300 mbits down and 10 up.
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That actually sounds pretty good. What part of the country are you in? City or Rural area?

I'm signed up, but waiting on a modem. I honestly am not expecting great service. T-Mobile in this area has always been poor performance. But you never know.
 
Icestation said:
Ohh and I didn't bring up the no public IP, so don't expect to run a OpenVPN server so you can access your stuff from the outside. My next project is to figure out how to get around this so I can get into my truenas and my camera system. But from what I have seen it's not looking good.
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I've seen report of work arounds. Seems like a few people are reporting success with IP V6. I was thinking of trying to use a VPN service with assignable public IP / Ports. I currently do that behind a cellular connection with the same type of network restrictions as Starlink. But not really suitable to run a public web site / service.
 
Royce.Arnold said:
That actually sounds pretty good. What part of the country are you in? City or Rural area?

I'm signed up, but waiting on a modem. I honestly am not expecting great service. T-Mobile in this area has always been poor performance. But you never know.
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I live in northern indiana, there is a 5g cell tower about 4 mile from my house. I live down in a valley, so that probably doesn't help.
I did not have high hopes when I ordered it and have been basically testing for about a month. So far I am impressed and will be ditching ATT.
 
I signed up a long time ago. Hoping to get one soon. I dont need it.I just hate comcast and everything they stand for.

I have 1gb cable but im the last of the line in my area. Ok maybe the house a half mile away is last now. But if I were two houses away id be forced to get 4g or dsl.
 
tangoseal said:
I signed up a long time ago. Hoping to get one soon. I dont need it.I just hate comcast and everything they stand for.

I have 1gb cable but im the last of the line in my area. Ok maybe the house a half mile away is last now. But if I were two houses away id be forced to get 4g or dsl.
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You have 1gb cable.... Starlink is not for you.
 
Shoganai said:
No, it isn't. I have no idea why anyone would want to move to something significantly slower in every conceivable way from a gigabit line.
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Was curious because you quoted my post without mentioning the relevant poster. Starlink is a significant downgrade, and literally designed for plebs like myself who can pay $180 a month for 25mbps ultra fast wireless.
 
travm said:
Was curious because you quoted my post without mentioning the relevant poster. Starlink is a significant downgrade, and literally designed for plebs like myself who can pay $180 a month for 25mbps ultra fast wireless.
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I was agreeing with you, which is why I quoted you. "You" was used as a general term, I wasn't specifically referring to you as a person. Sorry for the confusion. :) And yes, my internet is balls and I'm eagerly awaiting my Starlink dish.
 
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travm said:
You have 1gb cable.... Starlink is not for you.
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I hate comcast as a company. Truly hate.

However, I like SpaceEx alot. I like technology that seeks to help humanity, not enslave us.

I want to try it. If it doesnt pan out, I can easily sell the dish for 100% of what I paid right here on HF. Not a big deal. Plus peeps getting 200mbps and low latency. Not bad. When service is wide open, it will be gig speeds and lower latency especially when laser linking is activated.

Id rather my money go to advancement of humanity, not some corporate chicom controlled fake news pushing America hating junk business like Cumcast.
 
100% hope this succeeds and continues to get better, i own property thats very rural and lack of good internet is only thing holding me back from building on it and living there
 
tangoseal said:
If it doesnt pan out, I can easily sell the dish for 100% of what I paid right here on HF.
Click to expand...

You may want to research that further. I've seen reports of Starlink not allowing transfers...

They are also working on a new version of the dish that is supose to reduce cost. The current dish also has a relatively low upper temperature limit that causes thermal shutdown outages in some areas.
 
Icestation said:
So I got my availability February 8th, got my equipment on the 18th of February. (I signed up for the beta back in September of 2020.
I live in an area of Oregon that has NO internet option other than hughes or viasat old school satellite. (And those options are a joke, totally over priced and terrible connection, crazy high latency like 900ms)
I have no cell service, until now, because I got a Verizon extender that uses the internet.

That being said.
I think people are really forgetting how "beta" this is. Yes starlink is amazing!, from the perspective of what my option are. (25mbs satellite internet with a 60gb a month usage limit for $150+ a month) But it still can't hold a candle to 150mbs cable internet. (Less than a year ago that's what I had at my old house before we moved out of the city).
Attached is some screen shots.

First screen shot, obstructions, I am 100% clear now, it took some work, had to run a 200ft cable to my shop and put the dish on a 6ft pole above the peak (dish is about 25ft above the ground) to clear the trees on my property. (At the current time you need a pretty clear view of the north horizon as in where the sky meets the ground, if you have a big hill (my neighbors) they won't get a good connection, more dead time then on time.

Second screen shot, uptime and latency, it's not perfect, not bad, but see those dips on the uptime, they sometimes are big enough that if I am talking on my phone via verizon extender it can disconnect the call. Or if you are in a game it will feel like a freeze for a solid second or two and then everything goes back to normal, so it happens enough that it's bound to happen at the worst time and get you in game killed. But at least I can play at all vs the old viasat.

Last screenshot, these are the connection killers, the only time streaming Netflix pauses and rebuffers. The Verizon extender totally loses connection and has to go through it's reconnection process that can take upwards of 10 minutes.

Last night it went down for over 15 minutes a little before 11pm PST. It might have been an update I don't know, but it was annoying as I was actually doing some work online.

I know this was a long post, but I just want to give you MY experience with starlink.
Yours, I am sure will very.
Am I happy? Yes 100% and I am super thankful I got selected early, the via sat was not working for a family of 5, and the teenager is finally okay with living in the country lol.
So if you are expecting this to be the great replacement for you current ISP cause you hate the 1tb caps or something you are probably not going to be happy.... Anytime soon.

Ohh and I didn't bring up the no public IP, so don't expect to run a OpenVPN server so you can access your stuff from the outside. My next project is to figure out how to get around this so I can get into my truenas and my camera system. But from what I have seen it's not looking good.
Click to expand...

Looking at your downtime stats, 17 seconds of downtime over 12 hours seems like nothing, but you still get problematic netflix pausing/rebuffering? My starlink went down for about 15 minutes a couple nights ago as well, the longest I've ever had it go down - maybe it was for an update? Besides that, mine has been very solid, similar to your downtime screenshots, only a second or two of downtime in most instances, which has virtually never caused me buffering issues, and only very slight hiccups in online gaming. As far as not getting a public IP, I've read that all you need to do is plug the cable directly into your router (and not use the starlink supplied router), then you should have a direct bridge (haven't tried it myself though).


Royce.Arnold said:
You may want to research that further. I've seen reports of Starlink not allowing transfers...

They are also working on a new version of the dish that is supose to reduce cost. The current dish also has a relatively low upper temperature limit that causes thermal shutdown outages in some areas.
Click to expand...

I checked with their customer service, Starlink does not allow transfers (based on their TOS). I am putting my house on the market, and being able to transfer would have been a major selling point (everyone else in a 5 mile radius has either 3Mb broken DSL, 20Mb capped Hughes, or 3-15Mb spotty cell service).

If Starlink is available in the location where I move, I am able to bring my starlink dish and set it up there.
 
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