On Monday, May 23rd, Elon Musk’s SpaceX introduced a new high-speed internet service specifically aimed at RVers. “Starlink RV” features immediate shipment of Starlink hardware and eliminates the previously long wait time for both equipment and service.
The company announced the service on its customer support page, stating that it provides “Immediate access to high-speed, low-latency internet on an as-needed basis at any destination where Starlink provides active coverage. The service can be paused or un-paused at anytime. At this time, there is no waitlist – all orders will be shipped shortly after the order is placed. However, supply is subject to network and equipment availability.”
Starlink did not elaborate on its statement that the service “can be paused or un-paused” or what effect that might have on the monthly subscription cost. RVtravel.com has reached out to SpaceX for clarification.
But the news about Starlink RV is not all good
While this is an exciting development for those seeking broadband service while traveling, the news was not all good. SpaceX raised its monthly fee for Starlink RV and will now charge, in addition to the standard initial $599 for the dish, $135 per month for the service. The RV service is no different than the standard residential service in terms of service coverage. In addition, Starlink advises that subscribers may experience “degraded service” and speeds in populated areas. The company also cautioned that the service is still not set up for use while moving down the road.
The Starlink Service Map is a fluid tool for seeing where service may be lowered or non-existent. It is constantly changing because SpaceX is conducting a feverish effort to launch dozens of new Starlink satellites every week. Last week alone, the company launched 106 satellites from its two launch sites at Vandenberg, California, and Cape Canaveral, Florida. SpaceX has put more than 2,300 satellites into low-earth orbit and has stated that its constellation will eventually reach 42,000. Thus, prospective Starlink RV subscribers who may be wary of signing up after reading the caveats on the service’s website should note that Starlink service is expanding rapidly.
We will post more about this RV-specific service as it develops.
Also in Starlink news:
##RVT1054b
I can see lots of comments about cost but think back 25 years with the satellite TV systems and the dish and receiver needed not to mention the cost. This will follow the typical development cost curve. It will be considerably less money and common place in 20 years. New tech always expensive. Think of the first laptops!
I don’t get it. For $5.00 a month my phone can act as my modem and drive my laptop just fine…..just so long as I have a Verizon signal, even while traveling down the road.
If you have an android phone it is free to use as a hotspot, but if you have iPhone they can charge you a monthly fee for hotspot use of your phone. Just a heads up. I have android and I agree, if you have a big or unlimited data plan then hot spot makes better sense for sure.
There are few places Verizon doesnt reach.
We both have I phones, and there is NO charge for using it as a hotspot.
We have AT&T as our carrier, and it works pretty good for us!
My wife and I both use iPhones with Sprint/T-Mobile as a carrier. Our plan does not charge for using our phones as a mobile hot spot.
I have Verizon for my iPhone 8 unlimited data. I run my iPad and 12 volt tv thru my phone. The tv has a Roku stick with YouTube tv all my shows are recorded in the cloud, Prime, MLB TV, Subscription required. Everywhere I go my technology is available if there’s a 2 bar or better cell signal. If I worked from my trailer traveling I could then justify the Starlink, but to text with grandkids and watch tv it’s a future hope.
How about if you people just go “camping” and enjoy a tech-free experience. Just enjoying the scenery, watching the night skies, listening to the sounds of nature and perhaps simply sitting around a campfire. Or is that too boring for the newer generation of “campers”?
YES!!
Agree 🙂 🙂
Believe or not Mike, RVing takes on many forms. Some folks, like us, travel full-time and work from the road. We didn’t want to wait until we were retired to enjoy this lifestyle. So, Starlink provides us high-speed, unlimited data from almost anywhere. When we are boondocking, we can run our business during the day before we go outside in the afternoon to enjoy all the scenery and sounds of nature. And, after sitting around a campfire in the evening, we can come back inside and stream a show before bed if we desire.
Just understand that RVing means different things to different people and respect those differences as opposed to calling people out.
First, if people are using a camper they aren’t looking for a tech free experience. Second, it’s a safety thing, I’ve been out camping in death valley, no phone reception, no way to contact anyone if there is a problem. Yes there are sat phones, not exactly reliable or cheap in the best circumstances. Instead of being a “this generation” person, maybe, just maybe, consider that we’re doing things this way because your way is worse. I CAN AND DO go techless, but prefer to have a backup. Turning off a screen is better than leaving it at home where it becomes useless. I truly hope none of your loved ones are ever trapped in a remote location without the ability to contact help, simply because they wanted to rough it. Thanks for listening to my Ted talk. Have a great day.
I also like to bet on race horses while camping so I can help pay for the campground, firewood, etc….
Not everyone is the same. Not everyone’s situation is the same. Not everyone’s reason for camping is the same. To put a blanket statement out there like this is self-centered and close minded. Open your mind and imagine yourself in someone else’s shoes for a moment and realize that we live in a very diverse world with very diverse people. There is not one thing that is right for everyone.
I require an internet connection while camping because I work from the road. Without this, I would not be able to do what I do at all. I’m blessed to be able to camp full time, see the country and maintain my job all at the same time BECAUSE of an internet connection.
Sorry, Jay. I just found that our filter, for whatever reason, put your comment in spam. I’ve approved it, so now any other comments that you post should show up immediately. Have a great day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
Here are my thoughts not worth 2cents! First as mentioned the up front and monthly rates are on the top end and the bandwidth and latency is similar to previous service providers like Hughes Net. Second and more import is the long term. Starlink uses low earth orbit satellites in a “mesh network”. There will be basically two styles of satellites more easily refered to as routers and access points in a as yet not revealed ratio. The biggest problem I see is that the sattilites have a theoretical 5 year life span and are supposed to basically do a re-entry manuver to then burn themselves up during re-entry. So far there are a number that have been over their lifecycle and have failed to perform the maneuver. SO how much FOD will be in space befor we have a window to launch further space craft regardless of the mission. Going to MARS elon better have a window or you are going to have to hit he bullseye EVERY time! Don’t forget SKY-NET and A.I.!! Just Saying.
I am currently staying in a park in N. Phoenix. Get 5g on phone and have tried to get Verizon/T-Mobile and ATT to provide the “Cube” solution. Problem is they need a “fixed” address as the “Cube” has a GPS element and as soon as you move to another GPS point it will take about 24 hours for it to cancel/null out and cancel service. What frustrates me is I’m on a long term project and will be here for over a year, and have tenancy status.
We used TMo home internet in our RV for three months in Tulsa over the winter, and had zero issues. We also used it on several points along the drive from our home(and service address) near Seattle in Wyoming, Colorado and Kansas and never encountered any issues outside of the distance to the nearest tower with the ‘right antennas’. (Lots of details on the subReddit for TMHI) I have not seen a ‘cube’ for ATT, but I know VZ is a lot more restrictive on their address locations due to their riding local cable networks for their 5G network nodes.
I just signed up for T-Mobile’s 5G home internet. I average 400 mbs download and 20 mbs upload. I got lucky as I can see the tower from my house. It’s $50/month all fees and taxes included and they said it will never go up. I don’t know if there is a “mobile hotspot” offered, but it might be worth it to find out.
Very reasonable price structure considering Elon has spent billions of dollars for the bureaucratic permit pay offs, technology development, hardware development, hundreds of rocket launches, 24-hour monitoring of the satellite’s, research, testing, development, engineering, improvement, etc. etc. etc. I don’t expect to get this kind of technology (no matter where your boon docking) for a cheap Chinese Child Labor Walmart price structure. The nay-say haters will come forward and sound off, the ones sitting in a $300 a month park next to a cell tower with their hotspot who don’t even need this technology. I’m in, I need it.
Please….Let’s keep the country of origin where they are manufactured and how they are made out of equation.
thank you
🇨🇦
Learn to read…..
thank you
This service is targeted at the same socio-economic group as his Tesla cars are….
Tell that to my friend who just went from 3Mb DSL to StarLink at his ranch near Darrington, WA. His tractors are cleaner than his truck, and his F450 is muddier than anything you’d believe – he absolutely loves StarLink.
My understanding is that Starlink RV subscribers are at the bottom of totem pole and will be the first to experience “degraded service” and speeds in populated areas.
This is a ridiculous cost that many RV folks cannot afford. The $600 equipment fee and the $135 monthly fee are way too expensive!.
For those complaining about the price, please keep your hotspots. The less of you on starlink the better for the rest of us. Apparently none of you have struggled with internet on the road, being far from a cell tower. the price is well worth it and has been flawless for me moving about. *SIDE NOTE* Is RV Travel afraid of the Chinese?? They write an article https://www.rvtravel.com/china-hints-threat-starlink-satellite-constellation/ but the link doesn’t work??
Sorry, Bob. Little error in the URL (doesn’t take much), which has been fixed. Take care. 😀 –Diane
https://www.rvtravel.com/china-hints-threat-starlink-satellite-constellation-1054b/
Correct link.
$135 a month and $600 for the dish, OMG, Elon Musk must be thinking that every RVer is a billionaire 10 times over like he is. I will stick to my Mobley Hotspot that cost me $100 and only $22 a month for unlimited data plus I have never seen any throttling since owning the Mobley and we use well over 100 GB every month when in use.
The Mobley Hotspot is no longer available to new customers.
I use my Verizon cell phone, I was grandfathered in to get “no throttling” true unlimited, we sometimes use 350 gig of data a month btwn the 2 of us and it only costs $165 a month that’s including paying for both of our phones on the plan.
I have the note20 5g and hubby’s phone is about 4 yrs old. I’m the geek of the family..
As full time RVers with a lot in Livingston,TX SL is a great service. My T-Mobile phone has only had “Emergency Calls Only” since Oct,2021! My other hotspots provide 2.5 MB of service. SL provides at least 50MB download and 7 MB upload at the most congested time of day. When we start traveling we will add ” Portability” to our service for an additional $25 per month and have service most everywhere.
Now I can use my Vonage box and have phone service in Livingston without need of a cellular plan!
This is why we would buy Starlink…..and did.
Where did you get the information about portability for $25/mo. I have Starlink at home and haven’t heard of this?
The portability feature is $25 a month additional to what you already paying.
I can’t for the life of me understand why someone would spend $599+$135/mo on this system. We use Verizon’s MiFi which cost $139+$80/mo And gets excellent coverage going down the road. DW stays on her iPad the entire time we’re traveling because the traffic makes her nervous. Of course I must clarify one thing, in January 2019 Verizon made an offer of unlimited data for prepaid accounts which I immediately jumped on, as long as I keep my automatic payments going in we have unlimited data. I told SIL about it as we were in TX at the time, he said they didn’t need that, daughter reminds him of that blunder regularly. Lol
I’m not sure that this is different than their regular portable service that I’ve seen about. Please know that the satellite really needs to be in an area that is free of trees or there may be great destruction of the service, if you get any at all.
Nope: this is based on watching YouTube videos, not personal experience.
We love our StarLink and recommend it. Prices are competitive. Its service is as dependable as any. As for using it while moving, I wouldn’t know. We use our iPhone then.
Been following SL for a while was on waitlist and when my cell opened I ordered it. Got the square dishy about 3 weeks after I ordered at my service address cell.At that time portability was just a hack for users and NO guarantee it would work outside your account home address. It worked! Ive been using StarLink in my Outlaw since April. So far over 1k miles used in 5 different states. Its takes less time to deploy and be online then to local channel scan the Axxera TV LOL
Pros: For me bottom line for StarLink is it works and its faster then what was available for us and its easy to use.
Cons: The weakest link imo is the equipment especially for RV’ers is the the apparent fragility of the proprietary plugs used to connect the anten
Wow, $135 a month. If I was still in business I would likely buy it.
I think it’s good for rural areas with no cell services. I have a house in Onyx, Ca with no cell service or high speed internet nearby and it would be good to have there to reach the outside world.