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Starlink yea or nay?

Ummduh said:
And those satellites are limited because of base stations and the lack of inter satellite communications. AFAIK the whole linking thing hasn't been implemented yet.

That's my understanding of it, but I've never been mistaken for a satellite networking engineer.
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I too am not a satellite engineer but I have worked with a couple of Starlink’ers and SpaceX’ers and how they describe Starlink is not like you are thinking.

To keep the system affordable there were never plans to have inter satellite comms. There is an acknowledgment that a certain number will fail on launch, fail on deployment, and fail during use.

If anything, Starlink has been way more successful than initially planned, and has more subscribers and folks on the waiting list now than they expected when forecasting was done. As a result they have increased the launch schedule to cover area’s they only thought they may cover in 10-15 years, and put more satellites in service in areas that are heavily oversubscribed.
 
XtremeJ said:
I too am not a satellite engineer but I have worked with a couple of Starlink’ers and SpaceX’ers and how they describe Starlink is not like you are thinking.

To keep the system affordable there were never plans to have inter satellite comms. There is an acknowledgment that a certain number will fail on launch, fail on deployment, and fail during use.

If anything, Starlink has been way more successful than initially planned, and has more subscribers and folks on the waiting list now than they expected when forecasting was done. As a result they have increased the launch schedule to cover area’s they only thought they may cover in 10-15 years, and put more satellites in service in areas that are heavily oversubscribed.
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The sats they are launching now do have the ability to communicate with each other. There just isn't enough yet to take full advantage. He has touted that star link will be faster than fiber once its all-in place.

Being able to link satellites also keeps a country from shutting down coms by closing ground stations. It would be massively redundant if they could just route around a node.
 
XtremeJ said:
I too am not a satellite engineer but I have worked with a couple of Starlink’ers and SpaceX’ers and how they describe Starlink is not like you are thinking.

To keep the system affordable there were never plans to have inter satellite comms. There is an acknowledgment that a certain number will fail on launch, fail on deployment, and fail during use.

If anything, Starlink has been way more successful than initially planned, and has more subscribers and folks on the waiting list now than they expected when forecasting was done. As a result they have increased the launch schedule to cover area’s they only thought they may cover in 10-15 years, and put more satellites in service in areas that are heavily oversubscribed.
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They can’t cover the globe until the satellites can communicate between themselves. That was absolutely the original plan. Version 1 was using the satellites as a reflector, effectively—your signal goes up to a single satellite, and back down to a base station. Which means you need to be within so many miles of a base station. Version 2 was going to be if you’re in the middle of the pacific, you communicate up to a satellite, it uses laser transmission to beam the message around the network of satellites until it reaches one that is within range of a base station, and then comms can happen.
 
Void_of_Light said:
The difference between 3 and even 20mb is significant in terms of user experience. I routinely get over 100 on Starlink.
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Can't say I've ever found my internet to be slow, dunno.
Though for the $115 a month I pay, it's pretty shit speed!
 
Ummduh said:
And those satellites are limited because of base stations and the lack of inter satellite communications. AFAIK the whole linking thing hasn't been implemented yet.

That's my understanding of it, but I've never been mistaken for a satellite networking engineer.

Edit: I can't really find any good reads on this quickly while at work. It's entirely possible I'm wrong or they've upgraded to point my understanding is outdated or was always wrong, lol.
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I can see the amount and capacity of ground stations also being a limiting factor.
 
Void_of_Light said:
The sats they are launching now do have the ability to communicate with each other. There just isn't enough yet to take full advantage. He has touted that star link will be faster than fiber once its all-in place.

Being able to link satellites also keeps a country from shutting down coms by closing ground stations. It would be massively redundant if they could just route around a node.
Click to expand...
OHV Wildcat said:
They can’t cover the globe until the satellites can communicate between themselves. That was absolutely the original plan. Version 1 was using the satellites as a reflector, effectively—your signal goes up to a single satellite, and back down to a base station. Which means you need to be within so many miles of a base station. Version 2 was going to be if you’re in the middle of the pacific, you communicate up to a satellite, it uses laser transmission to beam the message around the network of satellites until it reaches one that is within range of a base station, and then comms can happen.
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The first article I found said everything launched except v0.9 had intersatelite coms, but wiki says they started that with V1.5 in Jan. of '22, but the other wiki list of total starlink satelites shows the first production 1.5's went up in Sept. of '21.

v0.9 (test)[edit]​

The 60 Starlink v0.9 satellites, launched in May 2019, have the following characteristics:[54]

v1.0 (operational)[edit]​

The Starlink v1.0 satellites, launched since November 2019, have the following additional characteristics:[citation needed]

  • 100% of all components of this design will completely demise, or burn up, in Earth's atmosphere at the end of each satellite's life.[269]
  • Ka-band added[270]
  • Mass: 260 kg (570 lb)
  • One of them, numbered 1130 and called DarkSat, had its albedo reduced using a special coating but the method was abandoned due to thermal issues and IR reflectivity.[271][272]
  • All satellites launched since the ninth launch at August 2020 have visors to block sunlight from reflecting from parts of the satellite to reduce its albedo further.[273][274][275][276]

v1.5 (operational)[edit]​

The Starlink v1.5 satellites, launched since 24 January 2021, have the following additional characteristics:

  • Lasers for inter-satellite communication[277]
  • Mass: ∼295 kg (650 lb)
  • Visors that blocked sunlight were removed from satellites launched from September 2021 onwards.[278]

​

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Fucking 1000 character limits. Austin - WTF?

Starshield (operational)[edit]​

These are satellites buses with two solar arrays derived from Starlink v1.5 and v2.0 for military use and can host classified government or military payloads.[279]

v2.0 (initial deployment)[edit]​

SpaceX was preparing for the production of Starlink v2.0 satellites by early 2021.[280] According to Musk, Starlink v2.0 satellites will be "... an order of magnitude better than Starlink 1" in terms of communications bandwidth.[281]

SpaceX hoped to begin launching Starlink v2.0 in 2022. As of May 2022, SpaceX had said publicly that the satellites of second-generation (Gen2) constellation would need to be launched on Starship, as they are too large to fit inside a Falcon 9 fairing.[258] However, in August 2022, SpaceX made formal regulatory filings with the FCC that indicated they would build satellites of the second-generation (Gen2) constellation in two different, but technically identical, form factors: one with the physical structures tailored to launching on Falcon 9, and one tailored for the launching on Starship.[111][282] Starlink v2.0 is both larger and heavier than Starlink v1 satellites.

Starlink second-generation satellites planned for launch on Starship have the following characteristics:[283][282]

  • Lasers for inter-satellite communication[284]
  • Mass: ∼1,250 kg (2,760 lb)
  • Length: ∼7 m (23 ft)
  • Further improvements to reduce its brightness, including the use of a dielectric mirror film.[285]
  • On 2,016 of the initially licensed 7,500 satellites:[286] Gen2 Starlink satellites will also include an approximately 25 square meter antenna that would allow T-Mobile subscribers to be able to communicate directly via satellite through their regular mobile devices.[111] It will be implemented via a German-licensed hosted payload developed together with SpaceX's subsidiary Swarm Technologies and T-Mobile.[286] This hardware is supplemental to the existing Ku-band and Ka-band systems, and inter-satellite laser links, that have been on the first generation satellites launching as of mid-2022.[citation needed]
Further, in October 2022, SpaceX redefined some early v2.0s so there are 3 different busses of v2.0s:[287]

  • Bus F9-1 (planned), 303 kg mass, having roughly the same dimensions and mass as the current V1.5 satellites.
  • Bus F9-2 (initial deployment) (sometimes called "V2 mini"[111]), 800 kg mass and measuring 4.1 m (13 ft) by 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in) with a total array of 120 m2 (1,300 sq ft). The Solar arrays are 2 in number. It could offer around 3-4 times more usable bandwidth per satellite.[288] They are smaller than Starlink's original ones (and so can be launched from existing rockets), have four times the capacity to the ground station to increase speed and capacity. This is due to a more efficient array of antennas and the use of radio frequencies in the E band range.[258]
  • Bus Starship (planned), 2000 kg mass.
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According to This Site there are 1,423 active V1s and 2,110 V1.5 or V2.0. So well over half are interlink capable. Not really finding much on if they're actually using the links or not at the moment.
 
bgaidan said:
Fucking 1000 character limits. Austin - WTF?



According to This Site there are 1,423 active V1s and 2,110 V1.5 or V2.0. So well over half are interlink capable. Not really finding much on if they're actually using the links or not at the moment.
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I ran into the same issues. ..I had read tons of good info in the past and now I can't really find up to date info.

I do KNOW that inter-satellite coms was ALWAYS the goal/plan though.

frickin-laser-beams.jpg


If the earth was flat it'd be a lot easier to mesh them all together, lol

I also remember reading that capacity was severely limited until this was implemented but it was going to take as ass-ton of sats before they could turn it on.
 
funny we were talking about it the say it started happening.

me.pcmag.com

SpaceX Starts Beaming Data From Second-Gen Starlink Constellation

The company has already launched hundreds of satellites for the second-gen constellation, which could help address the capacity issues facing Starlink.
me.pcmag.com me.pcmag.com

SpaceX is indicating it’s starting to use the second-generation Starlink constellation to beam internet data.

On Tuesday, the company notified the FCC about the development. “SpaceX has initiated communications between spacecraft in its Gen2 non-geostationary orbit satellite system and licensed earth stations with directional antennas located within the United States,” it wrote.



SpaceX didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, making it unclear if Starlink is already tapping the satellites to deliver internet to customers. Nevertheless, the development is good news for users of the satellite internet system, which can beam high-speed broadband to almost any location on the planet.

Starlink has become so popular, especially in the US, that capacity has become stretched, which can result in slower speeds and spotty internet quality for affected users. So to improve capacity, SpaceX has been working to launch hundreds of additional satellites into Earth’s orbit. This has included launching new satellites for the first-generation Starlink constellation, and for the second, which the FCC granted a license for back in December.

Specifically, SpaceX has said it plans on using more powerful “V2” satellites to fill out the second-generation constellation and supply even faster speeds and capacity. Unfortunately, the company’s FCC filing is concise, and offers no details on other progress for the second-generation constellation. But the document notes “The first Gen2 space station was placed in its authorized orbit and began operating on February 10, 2023."

This is significant because not all the satellites in the second-generation constellation necessarily feature the latest hardware. Instead, a majority of the satellites in the second-gen constellation are actually made up of V1.5 equipment, according to the astronomer Jonathan McDowell, who’s been tracking Starlink satellites.

In an email to PCMag, McDowell added: “The Feb 10 date is consistent with the first sats from the 2022 Dec 28 launch of Group 5-1 reaching their operational altitudes. These are (possibly somewhat modified, but not extensively so) V1.5 sats.”

Currently, the second-gen constellation is made up of 492 V1.5 satellites. Meanwhile, only 79 of the remaining satellites feature “V2” mini technology. The reason is likely because SpaceX has been hoping to use its new Starship craft to carry the heavier V2 satellites into orbit. But with Starship still in the launch testing phases, the company has been forced to use smaller Falcon 9 rockets to build the second-generation Starlink network.
 
Void_of_Light said:
funny we were talking about it the say it started happening.

me.pcmag.com

SpaceX Starts Beaming Data From Second-Gen Starlink Constellation

The company has already launched hundreds of satellites for the second-gen constellation, which could help address the capacity issues facing Starlink.
me.pcmag.com me.pcmag.com

SpaceX is indicating it’s starting to use the second-generation Starlink constellation to beam internet data.

On Tuesday, the company notified the FCC about the development. “SpaceX has initiated communications between spacecraft in its Gen2 non-geostationary orbit satellite system and licensed earth stations with directional antennas located within the United States,” it wrote.



SpaceX didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, making it unclear if Starlink is already tapping the satellites to deliver internet to customers. Nevertheless, the development is good news for users of the satellite internet system, which can beam high-speed broadband to almost any location on the planet.

Starlink has become so popular, especially in the US, that capacity has become stretched, which can result in slower speeds and spotty internet quality for affected users. So to improve capacity, SpaceX has been working to launch hundreds of additional satellites into Earth’s orbit. This has included launching new satellites for the first-generation Starlink constellation, and for the second, which the FCC granted a license for back in December.

Specifically, SpaceX has said it plans on using more powerful “V2” satellites to fill out the second-generation constellation and supply even faster speeds and capacity. Unfortunately, the company’s FCC filing is concise, and offers no details on other progress for the second-generation constellation. But the document notes “The first Gen2 space station was placed in its authorized orbit and began operating on February 10, 2023."

This is significant because not all the satellites in the second-generation constellation necessarily feature the latest hardware. Instead, a majority of the satellites in the second-gen constellation are actually made up of V1.5 equipment, according to the astronomer Jonathan McDowell, who’s been tracking Starlink satellites.

In an email to PCMag, McDowell added: “The Feb 10 date is consistent with the first sats from the 2022 Dec 28 launch of Group 5-1 reaching their operational altitudes. These are (possibly somewhat modified, but not extensively so) V1.5 sats.”

Currently, the second-gen constellation is made up of 492 V1.5 satellites. Meanwhile, only 79 of the remaining satellites feature “V2” mini technology. The reason is likely because SpaceX has been hoping to use its new Starship craft to carry the heavier V2 satellites into orbit. But with Starship still in the launch testing phases, the company has been forced to use smaller Falcon 9 rockets to build the second-generation Starlink network.
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Well fuckin' A. Surprised it took them that long.

I've seen reference to "constellations" several times. Almost implies that the V1.0, 1.5 and/or 2.0 are working independently from other generations.
 
Sooo...bit the bullet and picked the "dish/router" up at Best Buy. Ace in the hole doing it this way is we have the Geek squad total coverage so if hassles or it craps out we don't have to deal with Starlink at all for the next 2 yrs. That eliminates the customer support concern briefly. Price was $599 for the kit. Dish is 10 ft off ground on an old Disk network mount that's been languishing around for over 12 yrs scanning the NW skies.

But it did open up the "install in a 2 story house" with a 12" thick retaining wall between where the router is and the upstairs issue so $150 later a mesh link shows up along with a cat 6 cable, network expander box and adapter to connect hardwired stuff. Needed the hardwire parts cuz not everything is wireless, notably the dog watch collar system.

Cat 6 hookups a no brainer but the mesh was a ROYAL PITA and NOT a plug n play deal. Required going to NON Starlink webpage trouble shooting pages plus crossing ones eyes and holding the tongue out of mouth on JUST the left side got it paired.

Given I was on DSL and dealt with slow speeds in a rural area its worth the $110/month. However its not that fast and frankly comparable speed wise to cable in town. So Id be doing a cost comparison and using non Starlink sales spiel data if I lived in town...
 
Finally left the land of the poor tent campers and got a crawler hauler. My home Internet is $80 a month for satellite Internet anyways so I just ordered the Roam Starlink package to see if it’s better than my home Internet but at least I’ll be able to keep the kids entertained at the campground when we’re on wheeling trips and I can have access to the outside world at king of the hammers. Although I think at this point in time there’s gonna be 1000 billion people out there with Starlink after last year.

I see people using different methods to mount the dish at the top of their camper but I don’t see the need can’t I just take it out and find a clear spot?
 
60-70 isn’t too bad

they recently updated the Starlink map, so you can toggle between availability, and looking at expected download/upload speeds. Cool addition

www.starlink.com

Starlink

SpaceX is developing a low latency, broadband internet system to meet the needs of consumers across the globe. Enabled by a constellation of low Earth orbit satellites, Starlink will provide fast, reliable internet to populations with little or no connectivity, including those in rural...
www.starlink.com www.starlink.com
 
So after a month no starlink ... seller will not respond to me or Amazon at this point.. and lastnite this pops up.. wonder if I'll ever see my purchase or my money?

And yes I'm the purchaser..

Was told lastnite by customer service to file a police report as well..seriously! They said that.
And keep giving me links that go directly back to Amazon customer service. As they are handling this seller and apparently more than one situation...

Saying I have to contact seller directly. Yet links go rite back to Amazon itself..

So over this!
 

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TOMS97ZJ said:
You purchased through Amazon?

Why not direct?
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Ever deal with Starlink customer service? Their reputation precedes them in a fashion similar to the customer service Tesla has...thats why I had no issue with going thru Best Buy here in MT, at least Best buy answers the phone...

On an FYI note...had a glitch in the system a week ago where the "dish and router" dropped of the map and wouldn't talk. Tried a simple reboot via unplugging but no luck sending the wife (a remote worker bee) into panic mode.

Eldest son had had similar problem tried and finally got ahold of Starlink CS after an hour wait (CO location)...they said to ship the dish and router back, this was about 2 months ago . Wife was panicking at the time ours went out called our "expert" son which he said to pack it up with some mumbo jumbo from Starlink about sometimes the communications gets lost and loses the security info so dish and router have to be replaced...

Cooler heads prevailed...I had noticed both the router and dish were extraordinarily hot for an electronic device of this type. Unplugged it for about 2 hrs in the nice cool MT air. Plugged it back in and TADA it worked. Luck? Maybe but I suspect that the tracking software can go buggy sending the router and dish motor into overload, its made with "consumer grade" electronics so can be iffy if overheated. Unplug allows it to cool off and reset...

Yes I'm aware of the overnight sleep and warm the dish up if snow packed/iced over modes in the software but neither were turned on by me, so unless there's a glitch in the software that automatically turns it on...still comes back to a software bug.
 
DVanVorous said:
Ever deal with Starlink customer service? Their reputation precedes them in a fashion similar to the customer service Tesla has...thats why I had no issue with going thru Best Buy here in MT, at least Best buy answers the phone...

On an FYI note...had a glitch in the system a week ago where the "dish and router" dropped of the map and wouldn't talk. Tried a simple reboot via unplugging but no luck sending the wife (a remote worker bee) into panic mode.

Eldest son had had similar problem tried and finally got ahold of Starlink CS after an hour wait (CO location)...they said to ship the dish and router back, this was about 2 months ago . Wife was panicking at the time ours went out called our "expert" son which he said to pack it up with some mumbo jumbo from Starlink about sometimes the communications gets lost and loses the security info so dish and router have to be replaced...

Cooler heads prevailed...I had noticed both the router and dish were extraordinarily hot for an electronic device of this type. Unplugged it for about 2 hrs in the nice cool MT air. Plugged it back in and TADA it worked. Luck? Maybe but I suspect that the tracking software can go buggy sending the router and dish motor into overload, its made with "consumer grade" electronics so can be iffy if overheated. Unplug allows it to cool off and reset...

Yes I'm aware of the overnight sleep and warm the dish up if snow packed/iced over modes in the software but neither were turned on by me, so unless there's a glitch in the software that automatically turns it on...still comes back to a software bug.
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Haven’t needed CS. Knock on wood it’s been problem free since we got it.

Id trust Best Buy over something from a random Amazon seller.
 
I'm about ready to pull the trigger on starlink. I have a local Internet provider, rural, with an antenna and card on my house. It blows.... I just speed tested, 7 download, 3 upload. And about two months ago I ditched DirecTV for Internet based streaming apps. It's been fubar from the getgo.
 
I've had it for over a year and love it. I deactivated it for 3 months, no penalty or BS just a click in the ap. I'm going to fire it up again for my road trips.:smokin:

I stream and work on it simultaneously. It'll hold a connection steady and long enough that RDP (remote desktop connection) have stayed up for days without issue.

I do all ordering and account stuff right in the app. Have not needed customer service. I am on the roaming plan.

Don't tell them, but I'd pay double what they charge. It affords me freedom and peace of mind to know it'll work and remain steady with no latency problems.
 
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Still loving my home Starlink. Need to install the updated router. Just because

Love the portable Starlink we are using on the outbox even more. Very effective piece of kit.

Let’s just say a feasibility study proved I could run the timing and scoring feed, the life tv feeds and possibly also a Peacock stream of the Rugby World Cup. Impressive
 
Pook said:
We have never hit the limit. My wife works through a VPN and everything is on remote servers, no data is stored on her laptop, large online video conferences all day long, my kids streaming crap, my work, emails, streaming. It just works. Its what made it possible to move to the woods for us.
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Mind doing a test call with me sometime with video? I'm planning ahead to see if I can work by it with a couple of high rez video feeds going.
 
rugger said:
Mind doing a test call with me sometime with video? I'm planning ahead to see if I can work by it with a couple of high rez video feeds going.
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I work remote and am on calls with video and audio while Roku is sucking up data on 2 TVs. I never have problems with it. The way they eliminated latency with satellite internet still boggles my mind and I've been a network engineer for almost 30 years.

Starlink is legit if you're in their covered area and have a clear view of the northern sky.

You have 30 days to give it back no charge, they even pay shipping. I think they give everyone the first month free just to comfort you.
 
I've had it for a few months now. No issues. Way better than the shitty speeds could get through the cable company and they wanted $12k to run new cable.
 
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