Unlimited mobile broadband - at a price

[Morat]

In the quest for fast, reliable access to broadband on the boat I'm sure most will agree that 4G has been quite a game changer. I'm yet to try 5G as there's none near me.

However, has anyone considered Starlink?

It's at the very beginning of user testing in the UK at the moment, but it's an interesting tech.

 

https://www.androidauthority.com/what-is-starlink-1134426/

 

[Alan de Enfield]

7 minutes ago, Morat said:

In the quest for fast, reliable access to broadband on the boat I'm sure most will agree that 4G has been quite a game changer. I'm yet to try 5G as there's none near me.

However, has anyone considered Starlink?

It's at the very beginning of user testing in the UK at the moment, but it's an interesting tech.

 

https://www.androidauthority.com/what-is-starlink-1134426/

 

 

 

Will it work on boats ?

It appears to be a 'home based' or business system.

 

 

Q: Will Starlink work with cell phones?
A: No. It is designed to offer fixed internet services to a home or business. The Reddit user Darkpenguin22 recently posted up images of what he claims was a prototype Starlink tracker terminal in Wisconsin. The small circular Starlink tracker antenna has been called by some people a “UFO on a stick”. Having said that, smartphones could connect to a Starlink data connection and its home network via its WiFi hardware.

[Alway Swilby]

44 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

 

Will it work on boats ?

It appears to be a 'home based' or business system.

 

 

Q: Will Starlink work with cell phones?
A: No. It is designed to offer fixed internet services to a home or business. The Reddit user Darkpenguin22 recently posted up images of what he claims was a prototype Starlink tracker terminal in Wisconsin. The small circular Starlink tracker antenna has been called by some people a “UFO on a stick”. Having said that, smartphones could connect to a Starlink data connection and its home network via its WiFi hardware.

Will it work on boats? It uses a satellite connection just like satellite telly so I think it will.

[TheBiscuits]

 

Don't forget OneWeb are supposed to be launching services in the UK later this year too - that's the company partly owned by the UK government.

 

https://www.oneweb.world/ 

[LadyG]

How are they going to retrieve these gadgets, can we expect them to last forever, or five years? 

[Jen-in-Wellies]

It works with lots of small satellites in a low orbit, so each one goes across really fast and it relies on a lot of them being in orbit to hand over each user from one to the next. This could be a problem in areas with lots of trees, or tall buildings, in the same way that GPS accuracy reduces and sometimes goes completely in similar environments. You'll need an antenna on top of the boat. I've no idea yet how much power it uses for the surface station. If it needs a lot to process the signal and to drive a transmitter strong enough to reach multiple satellites, then this could be a problem for boat use. Similar to the way FM radio uses a lot less power to receive than DAB, due to the processing needed in the receiver. I don't know the answers to these questions yet.

Jen

 

7 hours ago, Alway Swilby said:

Will it work on boats? It uses a satellite connection just like satellite telly so I think it will.

See above. It has to transmit from the boat as well as receive. Satellite telly just has to receive, so much less power required. Also satellite telly is pointing at a satellite in geostationary orbit that doesn't move relative to you. Satellite internet uses low orbits to reduce signal transit time, but they move fast relative to the surface and you need a lot of them handing over to each other.

Edited February 20, 2021 by Jen-in-Wellies

[Alway Swilby]

26 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

It works with lots of small satellites in a low orbit, so each one goes across really fast and it relies on a lot of them being in orbit to hand over each user from one to the next. This could be a problem in areas with lots of trees, or tall buildings, in the same way that GPS accuracy reduces and sometimes goes completely in similar environments. You'll need an antenna on top of the boat. I've no idea yet how much power it uses for the surface station. If it needs a lot to process the signal and to drive a transmitter strong enough to reach multiple satellites, then this could be a problem for boat use. Similar to the way FM radio uses a lot less power to receive than DAB, due to the processing needed in the receiver. I don't know the answers to these questions yet.

Jen

 

See above. It has to transmit from the boat as well as receive. Satellite telly just has to receive, so much less power required. Also satellite telly is pointing at a satellite in geostationary orbit that doesn't move relative to you. Satellite internet uses low orbits to reduce signal transit time, but they move fast relative to the surface and you need a lot of them handing over to each other.

Good point re power consumption. I think I'll stick with 4G for the time being.

[Alan de Enfield]

8 hours ago, Alway Swilby said:

Will it work on boats? It uses a satellite connection just like satellite telly so I think it will.

 

 

I think Jen has covered the points, I was simply going by the Q&As where it said is is for "fixed internet services to homes and buisness"

 

I appreciate that a boat can be someones home, but I doubt that the Starlink people would.

 

If it needs a 'tracking station' I don't see that as being compatible with a NB.

[Hudds Lad]

as a Yorkshireman, i’m afraid i can’t get past this point;

 

Quote

It is now inviting people in the U.K. via email, according to reports and social media users. Starlink is charging U.K. customers £439 for the satellite dish and other communications equipment, as well as an £89 monthly fee and a £54 shipping fee.

 

[Alan de Enfield]

7 minutes ago, Hudds Lad said:

as a Yorkshireman, i’m afraid i can’t get past this point;

 

 

 

 

Ans it appears it is not even available in the UK.

Canada first, then USA, then plan to roll out across the world.

 

 

The company has clarified that the beta would launch first for residents in Canada, along with the northern portions of the United States. The plan is to expand to other parts of the world in 2021.