So I waited over a year for Starlink service and my system was delivered yesterday. Took 5 minutes to set up and for the first time ever, I have high speed internet on the farm. I understand it takes a few days to calibrate and identify all the usable satellites before it reaches max speeds, but I'm already looking at around 100 down and 30 up and that was during periods of heavy downpours and storms last evening. Never buffered a single time.

I'm undecided on a permanent install location just yet as it needs to be accessible to take down during hurricanes and my eaves are 42' high.

Anybody else using Starlink?


This is truly a remarkable testament to how private entities can do so much better than govt. The rural broadband program pretty much told me that there weren't enough people living down the 2 mile road to the farm (there are a total of 20 houses and 27 school age children) and we weren't eligible for the program and would have to pay the local provider out of pocket to run the lines at a cost of over $66k. On the far south end of the farm I can literally see a cable pedestal in a neighborhood across a 20 yard wetland area, but the provider refused to run service across even though I own both properties on either side of the wetland and offered a right of way.

(04-19-2022 07:15 AM)200yrs2late Wrote:  So I waited over a year for Starlink service and my system was delivered yesterday. Took 5 minutes to set up and for the first time ever, I have high speed internet on the farm. I understand it takes a few days to calibrate and identify all the usable satellites before it reaches max speeds, but I'm already looking at around 100 down and 30 up and that was during periods of heavy downpours and storms last evening. Never buffered a single time.

I'm undecided on a permanent install location just yet as it needs to be accessible to take down during hurricanes and my eaves are 42' high.

Anybody else using Starlink?


This is truly a remarkable testament to how private entities can do so much better than govt. The rural broadband program pretty much told me that there weren't enough people living down the 2 mile road to the farm (there are a total of 20 houses and 27 school age children) and we weren't eligible for the program and would have to pay the local provider out of pocket to run the lines at a cost of over $66k. On the far south end of the farm I can literally see a cable pedestal in a neighborhood across a 20 yard wetland area, but the provider refused to run service across even though I own both properties on either side of the wetland and offered a right of way.

I was stuck with pathetically slow DSL (.07-1.0 mbps) for over a decade. I finally gave in the last year I was in my old house and got Viasat. It was 12 mbps for around $140 a month. 12 mbps was a big jump in speed (or at least it was to me lol) but it cost an arm and a leg.

When I moved last year I was finally able to get true high speed. I now get 200 mbps and at less that one quarter the price of viasat.

I can upgrade to 400 or more but there is really no need since its just me. I wonder do I even need 200, maybe just 100? I stream some stuff in 1080 but I don't game or do much else than net surf.

the more access the rural folk can obtain, the better chance this country has to recover its' moxie...

when we moved to the 'burg in '74, cable was a delicacy not enjoyed down a dirt road ... I'm hard wired from the tap to my modem and pay extra for muh 700 mbps (called comcrap last night and made a techie laugh as I explained how to reset my system when it dropped to 70 mbps ... no bs ... I have to stay on their arse since I stream/hdmi everything)

good luck and enjoy the speed!

I have Starlink on order. Right now I'm stuck with Centurylink. Its cheap at less than $50, but its 10mb / 750kb on a good day. I need better speed for sure, but I also wanted an alternative to wire as when storms come thru they can easily take down the Centurylink wire. And I for damned sure wasnt going to order HughesNet or Dish.

This can change the world.