Starlink

[Lynx]

Any experiences / thoughts on Starlink? Looks horribly expensive at the moment:

Starlink's beta project is said to have an upfront cost of £439 (or $600) for equipment and setup, and a subscription cost of £84 ($120) per month thereafter — much more expensive than any other currently-accessible form of broadband.

https://www.uswitch.com/broadband/guides...-starlink/

[Seán]

So far I have no experience of Starlink, let alone intend ordering due to the high cost. However, from the demonstration videos I've seen on YouTube, the download and upload speeds are generally very good with the download speeds sometimes exceeding 300Mbps and the upload hitting above 50Mbps. Latency is usually consistent at around 30-40ms, good enough to game on. However, the stability is not perfect yet due to occasional brief outages, although this should be fixed soon with Starlink aiming for global coverage by September.

The following YouTube channel, Irishpixel is well worth watching. He is based in the UK and has regularly reported speed and stability reports up until July:

https://www.youtube.com/c/Irishpixel/videos

[Patrick]

Starlink is accepting orders now from Ireland, as opposed to just taking deposit and put on waiting list. I'll be installing one for someone whenever it lands.

[Eagle]

I'll probably buy it if I can sell my netgear MR5200 for 500 euro or so

[elbob]

Hi,

i ordered Starlink back in February and my equipment arrived in August.

The service itself is fantastic. Getting up to 290Mb downloads so about 5 times faster than my DSL connection. Latency is comparable with LTE with consistent latency of around 31ms

Service was a bit flaky at the start with several minutes downtime or no satellites available however since the start of October it's absolutely rock solid.

It does use CGNAT which means you won't be able to open any services behind it.

You do need a clear line of sight to the sky! Any obstructions will affect the service. Particularly trees. I have mine mounted on a pole that ensures clear coverage.

It is expensive to buy but I reckon the €99 per month after is definitely worth it. Especially as the speeds are supposed to increase over time.

[Seán]

That's a great improvement, especially if it's very stable. Indeed, obstructions such as trees seem to be the main culprit for small drop-outs that I've heard of, especially if the Dishy is installed in the garden or somewhere low down.

Going by the following coverage tracker link, it mainly depends on clear sky coverage to the south. So for anyone mounting the near the roofline or on the gable where the roof partially obstructs the sky, Disky needs to have complete clear view of the southern sky from east to west.
https://starlink.sx/

Good to know about the CGNAT, which is the same with most fixed wireless and LTE providers. Even Three appears to gone CGNAT in some areas with its mobile broadband.

[Patrick]

Installed a Starlink today. It doesn't need that much view of the sky, able to mount off single story wall above the roof instead of on the chimney as I though I would. Got "Poor ethernet connection" message and speed was 5 or not working. Other people have had this issue, some saying loose connections are the issue. They did seem loose so put something under cable to keep it up. Not sure if this worked but was ok eventually. Got between 100-290Mbps. Disappointed at the issue though especially if the loose connections are the problem.

[elbob]

Installed a Starlink today. It doesn't need that much view of the sky, able to mount off single story wall above the roof instead of on the chimney as I though I would. Got "Poor ethernet connection" message and speed was 5 or not working. Other people have had this issue, some saying loose connections are the issue. They did seem loose so put something under cable to keep it up. Not sure if this worked but was ok eventually. Got between 100-290Mbps. Disappointed at the issue though especially if the loose connections are the problem.

When I got mine first I got the "Poor Ethernet Connection" issue as well. My speed throttled itself to 100Mbps.

I opened a support ticket using the app. To my amazement they actually phoned me about 40 minutes later. Decided the issue was either the PoE injector or the cable to dishy and said they would send me out an entire replacement kit. I got notification the following morning that it had shipped and just short of 24 hours later it arrived! They sent the shipping tags for the defective one to be sent back as well.

No issue since with the replacement hardware.

I have to say I've never been so impressed with any company's support team up to now.

[Patrick]

Installed a Starlink today. It doesn't need that much view of the sky, able to mount off single story wall above the roof instead of on the chimney as I though I would. Got "Poor ethernet connection" message and speed was 5 or not working. Other people have had this issue, some saying loose connections are the issue. They did seem loose so put something under cable to keep it up. Not sure if this worked but was ok eventually. Got between 100-290Mbps. Disappointed at the issue though especially if the loose connections are the problem.

When I got mine first I got the "Poor Ethernet Connection" issue as well. My speed throttled itself to 100Mbps.

I opened a support ticket using the app. To my amazement they actually phoned me about 40 minutes later. Decided the issue was either the PoE injector or the cable to dishy and said they would send me out an entire replacement kit. I got notification the following morning that it had shipped and just short of 24 hours later it arrived! They sent the shipping tags for the defective one to be sent back as well.

No issue since with the replacement hardware.

I have to say I've never been so impressed with any company's support team up to now.

Wow, that's impressive. Good to know it will be sorted if there is a problem. Still disappointing that that problem is there in the first place. They can create a network of satellites but not a good quality ethernet connection. Mine was only going to 5 or so, not sure since as haven't heard back. 
On a separate note Starlink has thrown up an issue I didn't have to consider up to now. 100Mbps equipment. Only dawned on me later why the TP-Link DecoE4R mesh system only gave 60-80 and the Starlink router 200+. Use the Tendas myself, think both the MW3 + MW6
are 1G? If they wont upgrade I'll probably put the Starlink in kitchen and cable the Deco down the hall with the 2nd unit in far room (it's a big house) and all on same SSID and password. I saw your past comment Sean where this works ok bar if moving between while streaming or on video call. I've seen reports where people say the wifi is poor from the Starlink router. I assume the best option is discard the router and just use 1G mesh, with the downside of not being able to access the Starlink stats.

[Patrick]

Installed a Starlink today. It doesn't need that much view of the sky, able to mount off single story wall above the roof instead of on the chimney as I though I would. Got "Poor ethernet connection" message and speed was 5 or not working. Other people have had this issue, some saying loose connections are the issue. They did seem loose so put something under cable to keep it up. Not sure if this worked but was ok eventually. Got between 100-290Mbps. Disappointed at the issue though especially if the loose connections are the problem.

Went back a week later to tidy up, had to plug everything out to move it, when reconnected, no problem with "Poor ethernet connection"  this time. So unlikely a hardware issue? Working great, up to 228 Mbps, pings 25 to 40.

[elbob]

Installed a Starlink today. It doesn't need that much view of the sky, able to mount off single story wall above the roof instead of on the chimney as I though I would. Got "Poor ethernet connection" message and speed was 5 or not working. Other people have had this issue, some saying loose connections are the issue. They did seem loose so put something under cable to keep it up. Not sure if this worked but was ok eventually. Got between 100-290Mbps. Disappointed at the issue though especially if the loose connections are the problem.

Went back a week later to tidy up, had to plug everything out to move it, when reconnected, no problem with "Poor ethernet connection"  this time. So unlikely a hardware issue? Working great, up to 228 Mbps, pings 25 to 40.

Sorry for such a late reply. If you're getting those speeds then they're around exactly what you should expect. The Poor Ethernet Connection message according to Starlink Support can often be a result of a loose connection into the PoE brick.

Are you still getting the message?

[Patrick]

Installed a Starlink today. It doesn't need that much view of the sky, able to mount off single story wall above the roof instead of on the chimney as I though I would. Got "Poor ethernet connection" message and speed was 5 or not working. Other people have had this issue, some saying loose connections are the issue. They did seem loose so put something under cable to keep it up. Not sure if this worked but was ok eventually. Got between 100-290Mbps. Disappointed at the issue though especially if the loose connections are the problem.

Went back a week later to tidy up, had to plug everything out to move it, when reconnected, no problem with "Poor ethernet connection"  this time. So unlikely a hardware issue? Working great, up to 228 Mbps, pings 25 to 40.

Sorry for such a late reply. If you're getting those speeds then they're around exactly what you should expect. The Poor Ethernet Connection message according to Starlink Support can often be a result of a loose connection into the PoE brick.

Are you still getting the message?

No, it was fine the second day, despite moving everything around. Not convinced it was loose connection now, don't know what it was..
People are thrilled with it though. Changed their life, can be at home more now as before had to stay at work longer to do video meetings.

[xtensa]

Hope I'm not necroposting on this thread  but there are reports of reductions in pricing for the Starlink service in recent days.

I can't vouch for the veracity of this spreadsheet from reddit, it shows reductions in monthly charges and initial hardware costs across most countries.

Also reports of introduction of monthly data caps , in some countries at least.  Starlink Imposing High-Speed Data Caps in France (But Monthly Cost Will Drop).
250GB / month  is not much these days. Does the system allow you to track the data usage throughout the month ?

Reductions in cost might be offset  a good bit by the increased cost of powering the dishy.  Seáns analysis a while back showed a consumption of 73 kWh / month. 


elbob, if you happen to read this , I was wondering if you still use Starlink and if so,  what is your current opinion of the service ?  Does the latency vary much ?

[elbob]

Yep. I can confirm I got an e-mail saying I get a price reduction from €99 a month to €85 which was a nice surprise. There's still a hefty outlay to buy the equipment though.

It's an absolutely brilliant service. I have consistent max speeds of 270Mbit to 290Mbit. I have seen 350Mbit on occasion.

Latency is typically between 29ms and 44ms.

I should note that I have had issues on Teams and Zoom calls that I've attributed to latency - so for work traffic I route through an Eir DSL connection which is 90Mbit on a good day.

Regarding electricity usage - I don't think it's as high as it's been made out to be. I have a rack of equipment here at home with various routers and switches and 6 small servers and my electricity bill is consistenly around €150 per month.

The rack is powered through two APC 1500 UPS and current load is 11% on UPS A and 13% on UPS B. So that's a bit over 150w so the whole rack is typically drawing around 350 to 400W 24x7. Dishy is powered through UPS B.

If anyone is curious as to what's being powered by both of those UPS.

1 x Mikrotik RB3011
1 x Mikrotik RB5009
1 x Mikrotik CRS328
1 x Mikrotik RB750GR3
1 x Mikrotik Chateau 12
1 x Mikrotik Chateau LTE12
1 x Mikrotik CRS125
1 x Mikrotik SXT G-2HnD
5 x Lenovo M9 series mini Intel Core i5
1 x Lenove M920 tower
1 x HP Microserver N40
2 x Raspberry Pi
2 x IoT gateways.
1 x StarLink

It's a long way from a single Dell Xeon Server pulling in 750W!

[Seán]

I didn't realise how far back Starlink was discussed here, however, both its hardware and plan pricing has come down to the point where if I did not currently have my current mobile broadband / antenna set up, I would go the Starlink route, mainly due to the NBI expected to go live here in 2026.  Even at the moment, it is very tempting. 

At this time of posting, Starlink's Residental service in Ireland is €50 per month with free hardware including shipping on a 12 month commitment:   https://www.starlink.com/ie/residential

They also advertise a Residential Lite plan for €35, which is currently not available to purchase.  But then again with the standard kit costing €273 inc. delivery, the full speed Residental service works out at good value as an interim with the NBI expected to have most of the remaining rural addresses connected by the end of 2026.  When the Lite plan becomes available to buy, it wouldn't surprise me if it outperforms the rural cellular masts that only operate on bands 20 and 28.

[Patrick]

I didn't realise how far back Starlink was discussed here, however, both its hardware and plan pricing has come down to the point where if I did not currently have my current mobile broadband / antenna set up, I would go the Starlink route, mainly due to the NBI expected to go live here in 2026.  Even at the moment, it is very tempting. 

At this time of posting, Starlink's Residental service in Ireland is €50 per month with free hardware including shipping on a 12 month commitment:   https://www.starlink.com/ie/residential

They also advertise a Residential Lite plan for €35, which is currently not available to purchase.  But then again with the standard kit costing €273 inc. delivery, the full speed Residental service works out at good value as an interim with the NBI expected to have most of the remaining rural addresses connected by the end of 2026.  When the Lite plan becomes available to buy, it wouldn't surprise me if it outperforms the rural cellular masts that only operate on bands 20 and 28.

The Lite plan is available and people have reported similar speeds to the normal plan, 200-300Mbps, even though it is advertised at 50-100 as it is non prioritized. However the new free dish offer is only available on the €50 plan.

[Seán]

That's great to hear how well it performs, certainly faster than the ~160Mbps max I typically see with 4G band 20+28 CA or 5G band 28 using 4G band 20 as its anchor where no other bands are operating.

It's possible my area is not eligible as the €35 Lite plan disappears when I enter my address, just giving the option of whether to go with the standard or mini dish kit. I wouldn't be surprised with many houses around here having the telltale square flat dish.

[Seán]

Just to update, I've ordered Starlink and will cease both my Three and Vodafone 4G connections once I have it set up.  At the moment Three is giving me a speed test about 1/3 what I was getting when I joined Three back around 2017!

[erik_ei4kf]

Just to update, I've ordered Starlink and will cease both my Three and Vodafone 4G connections once I have it set up.  At the moment Three is giving me a speed test about 1/3 what I was getting when I joined Three back around 2017!

Is it the 35 Euro plan that you ordered,  Seán? I am giving it serious consideration. I am with Three Ireland and speeds here in County Sligo during evenings have dropped significantly.

Please keep us informed of your Starlink experience.

Erik

[Seán]

I ordered the €50 plan. The €35 Lite plan does not appear to be available in my location as it only gave the €50 plan option once I entered my Eircode, even when I clicked the Standard no commitment (€349 + delivery) option. I am currently paying €30 per month for Three and €20 every 28 days for Vodafone, so the cost works out the same for me. I originally planned using Vodafone as my main 4G connection, however, it's speeds have been gradually dropping down (often 40Mbps peak time vs 80Mbps a few months ago) and I suspect its transparent proxy (Secure Net) is causing intermittent lag, noticeable with web browsing.

When ordering Starlink they charge €50 upfront for the first month. The first month does not start until I connect the dish (once it arrives) or 30 days after delivery. The welcome e-mail mentions I have 30 days to try Starlink from the date of activation, after which I am subject to the remainder of the 12 month commitment, so at least they offer a longer cooling off period than the 14 day consumer right when ordering online. There's not a hope in any mobile mobile provider doing a major upgrade here in Kilcar in the next month, so I cannot imagine choosing to return it.

Once I am set up, I will certainly do some testing, actual file download / upload tests via FTP, Swiss Transfer, TestMy.net, etc. tests I haven't seen in YouTube Starlink demo videos, which I will post in a separate thread. The only small concern I have will be its upload speed as most speed tests I've seen posted show speeds in the 10Mbps to 15Mbps range, but this should still be adequate for what I do. I am not gamer, so I just need low latency for for VoIP line, which I've heard works fine over Starlink. VoIP is the main reason I have a separate Vodafone 4G connection as I get too many voice drop-outs on Three due to its erratic latency.