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Post by copperpipe on Jul 26, 2022 9:56:00 GMT -5
Just a thought... and I've only looked casually a few times... but... "home wi-fi" is normally considered to not need a lot of range... However, many farms these days use Wi-Fi connected gear... And farms can get very large... And getting good solid coverage is a big deal for them... And I've seen some really impressive coverage claims for "commercial farm WiFi systems". (They have all sorts of signal boosters and special long-range coverage antennas.) You may find a whole different range of products available in those catalogs than from guys who normally sell "home systems". (And expensive "home systems" certainly cost enough that you might be in the price range of "commercial" equipment.) Yep, I can appreciate that. Unifi (or rather Ubiquiti) is definitely corporate/carrier grade equipment. Some of us use it in our home because it's amazing, but yes that is the one advantage of airmax equipment is that it can go for miles when using the right antenna and setup correctly. The Unifi AP I mentioned has a range of 600 feet, but that is for standard wifi equipment. Combined with a nanostation it will go way farther than that in my experience. I don't need range, my biggest distance is about 600 feet, and even at that distance I use a nanostation which goes through trees, a glass window, some furniture etc before connecting to a crummy "home dsl modem" inside the house and I still have full bars of connectivity. Those nanostations are incredible.
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Post by AudioHTIT on Jul 26, 2022 11:25:28 GMT -5
Just a thought... and I've only looked casually a few times... but... "home wi-fi" is normally considered to not need a lot of range... However, many farms these days use Wi-Fi connected gear... And farms can get very large... And getting good solid coverage is a big deal for them... And I've seen some really impressive coverage claims for "commercial farm WiFi systems". (They have all sorts of signal boosters and special long-range coverage antennas.) You may find a whole different range of products available in those catalogs than from guys who normally sell "home systems". (And expensive "home systems" certainly cost enough that you might be in the price range of "commercial" equipment.) Yep, I can appreciate that. Unifi (or rather Ubiquiti) is definitely corporate/carrier grade equipment. Some of us use it in our home because it's amazing, but yes that is the one advantage of airmax equipment is that it can go for miles when using the right antenna and setup correctly. The Unifi AP I mentioned has a range of 600 feet, but that is for standard wifi equipment. Combined with a nanostation it will go way farther than that in my experience. I don't need range, my biggest distance is about 600 feet, and even at that distance I use a nanostation which goes through trees, a glass window, some furniture etc before connecting to a crummy "home dsl modem" inside the house and I still have full bars of connectivity. Those nanostations are incredible. Agreed, UniFi/Ubiquity makes quality gear for those who need (or want) something better than most home networking options. It is more expensive, but for me the Controller (management software) and the many router, switch and AP options make it all worthwhile. I’m covering inside our home with a single U6 Long Range (upgraded from UDM internal WiFi), and most of our 10 acres with three outdoor APs, currently one U6-Mesh, and two UAP-FlexHD. We don’t really need any point to point WiFi as we’re CAT6/1GB to the APs. We can walk most of the property and stream music from our phones, while listening though our outdoor zone speakers, or just sit on a remote bench under a tree and hangout in The Lounge.
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LCSeminole
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Post by LCSeminole on Jul 27, 2022 21:09:48 GMT -5
… don’t you have 4K Redbox too! Jeesh … go ahead and gloat! 🙃 Now that would be over the top if I had access to 4K RedBox as well. Since I don't there will be no gloating!!!
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Post by AudioHTIT on Jul 27, 2022 23:42:45 GMT -5
… don’t you have 4K Redbox too! Jeesh … go ahead and gloat! 🙃 Now that would be over the top if I had access to 4K RedBox as well. Since I don't there will be no gloating!!! Ah, my bad, thought you had said you were in a test market or something, just went to see what the status is, still not that many cities, though a little better than the 5 they started with: 4K UHD discs are currently available at select locations in Austin, Colorado Springs, Des Moines, Detroit, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York City, Reno, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Spokane and Portland, Oregon. We hope to expand to more areas soon, so keep checking back.
Looks like the closest to me are San Francisco and Reno ... think I'll keep waiting ... 😴
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Post by AudioHTIT on Jul 28, 2022 9:05:27 GMT -5
Ran a test this morning and seeing my best numbers yet, well I’ve seen faster upload but I’m very happy with these; download, upload, latency, all good 👍
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Post by AudioHTIT on Jul 28, 2022 12:57:41 GMT -5
Too much time on my hands ... oh, that could be a song! 🎶
I was mentioning that some of the Starlink App is animated, the most noticeable one is a depiction of your Dishy pointing into space, with clear sky marked in blue, and obstructions marked in red. I did a video screen capture and put my first video in Google Photos, we'll se how well it links here (I'm skeptical it will work).
Edit: Switched it to YouTube
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Post by AudioHTIT on Jul 31, 2022 22:55:16 GMT -5
Here’s an EOM graph on speed and latency, this one’s interesting because it includes a week or so at the beginning of the month with my previous WISP (fixed wireless ISP). It still shows how volatile speeds are, but at the same time shows that the worst Starlink speeds are generally five times faster than what we had before, and the best are about 20 times faster, pretty good!
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LCSeminole
Global Moderator
Res firma mitescere nescit.
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Post by LCSeminole on Jul 31, 2022 23:25:48 GMT -5
Here’s an EOM graph on speed and latency, this one’s interesting because it includes a week or so at the beginning of the month with my previous WISP (fixed wireless ISP). It still shows how volatile speeds are, but at the same time shows that the worst Starlink speeds are generally five times faster than what we had before, and the best are about 20 times faster, pretty good! Are the dips in speed at certain times/periods of the day when the satellites are further away?…if so hopefully the slower times are during periods you aren’t using the internet.
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Post by AudioHTIT on Aug 1, 2022 0:38:46 GMT -5
Here’s an EOM graph on speed and latency, this one’s interesting because it includes a week or so at the beginning of the month with my previous WISP (fixed wireless ISP). It still shows how volatile speeds are, but at the same time shows that the worst Starlink speeds are generally five times faster than what we had before, and the best are about 20 times faster, pretty good! Are the dips in speed at certain times/periods of the day when the satellites are further away?…if so hopefully the slower times are during periods you aren’t using the internet. I suspect things are actually more erratic than this graph shows, as it’s based on two automated speed tests my router runs daily (though it may also incorporate data if I run that test manually, not sure). It occurs because of the LEO nature of the Starlink satellites, they are moving a 17,000 miles per hour, and I think you might be talking to 30 or so at any given time. So a lot going on to make this work and your dish is always connecting to new satellites, and disconnecting from those who’ve passed by. Not much chance it won’t be affected at some time, though it usually remains fast enough.
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Post by cwmcobra on Aug 1, 2022 5:48:20 GMT -5
Here’s an EOM graph on speed and latency, this one’s interesting because it includes a week or so at the beginning of the month with my previous WISP (fixed wireless ISP). It still shows how volatile speeds are, but at the same time shows that the worst Starlink speeds are generally five times faster than what we had before, and the best are about 20 times faster, pretty good! That's very encouraging Bruce. Thanks for the continued updates. Still waiting for "my turn in line"....
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Post by AudioHTIT on Aug 2, 2022 0:15:08 GMT -5
I read this today and thought the author put it well, similar to my OP, but more detailed (😮 someone who writes more than me!)
“First of all, I want to say that I am a Starlink user since March, 2022 and it has been a godsend for me. My only other options are HughesNet and other geo-sync satellite providers and T-Mobile cellular home internet. Of the two, T-Mobile was far superior, averaging a reliable 10-15 Mbps. I have a background in satellite communications, so I understood what I was signing up for with Starlink. However, I have seen many posts that show that a lot of people really don't understand what Starlink is (and more importantly, what it isn't) and end up disappointed or frustrated once they have it.
I also want to be clear that although I absolutely love my Starlink system, if I had access to cable or fiber internet, I would drop it in an instant.
My hope with this post is to save those people a lot of heartache by giving a frank, warts-and-all overview of what they can expect when getting Starlink.
If you don't want to read the whole post, at least read this part:
If you have a viable, reliable alternative to satellite (such as cable, fiber, fast DSL or whatever), you should stick with it. I strongly advise against trading a ground-based internet provider for a satellite-based one unless your current choices are just unusable.
Why? You might ask. Isn't Starlink super fast? Doesn't it have great latency?
The short answer is "Yes...compared to other satellite providers." In a contest between HughesNet and Starlink, Starlink wins every time. But compared to even mediocre cable or fiber, it has some serious drawbacks that you may not have considered:
* It's expensive. While ISP costs vary widely, Starlink definitely come out towards the top of the price range in most areas. There is a large up front equipment cost ($599) and a high monthly fee ($109). * It WILL degrade or go down completely during heavy storms. Satellite relies on radio signals traveling from your very weak transmitter to a satellite miles above the earth and receiving a very weak signal back from it. ANYTHING that is between your dish and the satellite will cause a degradation in service...even raindrops or snowflakes. In fact, as I was writing this a storm rolled in and my internet dropped out. I am now on my cellular backup link. This is important to understand. * It will (for the time being anyway) suffer from peak-time congestion. The Starlink satellite network is far from complete and in the evenings, the satellites that are in service are working very hard to handle the amount of traffic being requested. This can often cause speeds to go from a smoking 150 Mbps early in the day to a dismal 10 Mbs or lower in the evenings. * You need a WIDE OPEN VIEW of the sky for it to work well. You can't go by the view you had for HughesNet or other satellite providers since they use a completely different technology that keeps the satellite at a very small point in the sky while Starlink tracks multiple satellites across the sky. Starlink will not work well in the middle of a forest. It won't work well with high mountains of cliffs to the view side of the dish. It won't work if you have a tall building to view side of the dish.There is a free Starlink app you can install on your phone that will allow you to check the location you have in mind to see if it is suitable. You would be wise to install it and use it prior to parting with any money, because if you have too many trees or other obstructions, you will not get reliable service and may end up investing a lot of money in an antenna mast or having surrounding trees topped to give a clear view...or you may end up unable to use it at all if you can't get a good unobstructed view of the sky.This is an example of a good unobstructed view: i.imgur.com/umyaEBK.jpg And this is an example of a unacceptably obstructed view: i.imgur.com/3rHY56K.jpg * It is advertised as 100 Mbps+ download speeds, but that's a "near best case" scenario. Yes, I do get over 100 Mbs speeds a lot of the time. I also get 4 Mbps sometimes. Satellite internet is highly variable and unless you can tolerate frequent drops to sub-10 Mbps speeds or no connection at all in bad weather, you will not be happy with it. * Latency is also highly variable. If you are planning to do real-time stock trading or online gaming, you will intermittently experience the effects of high ping times. Your games will sometimes lag as a result, often for extended periods of time. * It can take a year or more to get the hardware. I waited exactly a year, but some people have waited much longer. This is due mostly to the fact that Starlink is still in the process of building out their satellite network and can only bring on a certain number of new systems each month.
All of these points are due to the fact that this is satellite internet. Again, if you have a reliable alternative that doesn't rely on satellites, you shouldn't even consider Starlink at this time, if ever.
So who should get Starlink? Someone who: * Has no viable alternative. If your only other choice is HughesNet, then yes, sign up now. If you have cable or fiber and are mad that it is only 50 Mbps instead of the advertised 200 Mbps, do yourself a favor and live with it. * Has a location within 50 feet of the router install location with a good view of the sky (or 120 feet with the optional 150 foot cable). Starlink will not work reliably without an unobstructed view. See the image links above for examples of good and bad views. * Can tolerate outages in storms, frequent low bandwidth ( < 10 Mbps) and frequent high ping times or has a viable backup service for when satellite inevitably goes down. In my case I have a failover to T-Mobile cell internet. * Needs something they can take with them and still have reliable internet (using the RV option) * Needs a backup internet connection for when their primary one goes down”
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Post by AudioHTIT on Aug 13, 2022 8:55:40 GMT -5
A new version of the Starlink iOS App came out last night (2022.07.3) It now displays real time debug data to help you or support evaluate issues you might be having.
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Post by AudioHTIT on Aug 14, 2022 10:31:56 GMT -5
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Post by AudioHTIT on Sept 3, 2022 9:55:12 GMT -5
At the end of my second month with Starlink, though speeds have definitely gone down as more users come online, and there was one global outage earlier this week, we’re still getting better performance than our previous WISP and are happy with the change. Streaming is improved (RoP this week), and large file downloads are much faster. Hard to see in the graph, these are speeds since July 1, in August there were few peaks above 200 and generally speeds between 50 and 100 (but sometimes lower). More satellites are coming online, and more people seem to be getting access to other land based services, like fibre. Both of these will help improve Starlink performance over time.
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Post by cwmcobra on Sept 3, 2022 20:20:38 GMT -5
Thanks for the update, Bruce. Still waiting here. In fact, just reupped my Hughesnet contract, but will terminate it when Starlink is confirmed to be an upgrade here.
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Post by AudioHTIT on Sept 4, 2022 12:04:13 GMT -5
Thanks for the update, Bruce. Still waiting here. In fact, just reupped my Hughesnet contract, but will terminate it when Starlink is confirmed to be an upgrade here. It seems to be “location, location, location”, some cells are over serviced and under utilized, those users get first priority when new equipment is available. Other places (like where I am, and possibly you), the cells are designated ‘waitlist’, though some have service the demand outstrips the system’s ability to deliver. That said, the last couple nights we’ve watched “The Rings of Power”, and restarted “Wheel of Time”; the video / audio production values and streaming quality of those two are some of the best we’ve ever seen (especially for Amazon Prime), certainly due in part to the stream not being bit starved, as virtually every 4K / HDR / DV / Atmos movie and series we’ve watched in the past has been. While due to the AP App on TV not delivering DV (HDR10 instead) the picture isn’t quite what it could be, Starlink is currently meeting my goal of high quality 4K streaming, hopefully that will continue.
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Post by cwmcobra on Apr 7, 2023 7:26:56 GMT -5
Well, my day has come. While sitting in a Maundy Thursday church service last night I heard my email vibrate and behold, I got the "Your Starlink is ready! Confirm your order in the next 7 days" message. When I got home, I placed the order for the Kit. It contains the Starlink Receiver Dish and mounting base (which they now apparently simply call the "Starlink"), the WiFi router, and a 50' cable. Kit cost is $549 + $50 shipping and handling. After deducting my $99 deposit and adding $35.94 sales tax, my cost for the Kit is $535.94. A confirming email was immediately received with this information: "The Starlink team has received your order. You will be sent a separate email once your order ships, typically within 2-4 weeks." And the Starlink app shows my status as "Preparing Shipment". I'm obviously excited to begin the upgrade journey, and a bit disappointed with the lead time until shipping. But, after signing up and paying the deposit in February 2021, I guess a few more weeks shouldn't concern me so much.
I looked over all the accessories and will decide on a location and type of mount while waiting for the kit to arrive. I tested a location just outside my backyard pool fence and got acceptable results regarding obstructions. But, after viewing the mounting options, I think I'll mount it at roof peak level instead, using a wall mount. I have no home network to speak of. Just wireless access from a few PCs in the house and in my shop. I'm hoping the Starlink router will have better range than the Hughesnet router and will provide easier access in my shop. My home theater equipment uses Ethernet cable into an 8 port switch, so I'll for sure get the Ethernet adapter.
That's about it for now. I'll post my experiences with installation and performance in a few weeks. Exciting times!
Chuck
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Post by AudioHTIT on Apr 7, 2023 9:37:31 GMT -5
Well, my day has come. … I'll post my experiences with installation and performance in a few weeks. Exciting times! Chuck Hey congrats Chuck, I’m still happy with my choice to switch from fixed wireless to Starlink. Overall reliability has been pretty good and speeds better / more consistent as the network gets built out, and the software gets refined. How busy your ‘cell’ is also affects your performance. It’s good you’re checking out locations, I think the mounting hardware (I ordered the pole mount) arrived before my Dishy, so I could start working on that. Also as I probably mentioned at the time, the router end of the cable has a right angle plug on it, making pulling through conduit difficult; you can (carefully) unplug the cable from the dish end and run it from inside to out if that’s a problem. My Starlink router is in bypass mode so I can’t speak to the WiFi range, but as with any router / access point (and real estate) … location, location, location. Finding a spot with good height, and the fewest walls (and electronics) between router and client will give you the best chance for success. I just looked at speed and latency from January 1st until now, and then then clicked on a few highlights. Year to date speed and latency tests — generally download above 100Mbps & latency below 50ms Best Download Speed Best Upload Speed Worst Download Speed
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Post by cwmcobra on Apr 8, 2023 6:52:23 GMT -5
So much for my disappointment in the lead time for shipping. The kit is on the FedEx truck for delivery today. Order placed and confirmed Thursday night; shipping notice Friday night; shipment out for delivery Saturday morning. I couldn't have asked for anything better. I hope when I order a mount and the Ethernet adapter the shipping will be equally fast.
Hopefully, I'll be able to report initial results soon.
Happy Easter to all!
Chuck
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LCSeminole
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Post by LCSeminole on Apr 8, 2023 8:41:29 GMT -5
So much for my disappointment in the lead time for shipping. The kit is on the FedEx truck for delivery today. Order placed and confirmed Thursday night; shipping notice Friday night; shipment out for delivery Saturday morning. I couldn't have asked for anything better. I hope when I order a mount and the Ethernet adapter the shipping will be equally fast. Hopefully, I'll be able to report initial results soon. Happy Easter to all! Chuck Hot-digiti-dog!!! Very happy for you Chuck!!! Internet bandwidth is a necessity in this day and time!!!
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