Is Starlink all it is cracked up to be?

Oh yeah it is!

Let’s start by talking about why it could be important for you.

If you camp somewhere that doesn’t have cellular or WIFI, that’s a really bad thing. Accidents happen and if you’re on your own, it could end up being a horrible thing.

These are our most recent experiences:

Marfa’s Tumble In RV Park had pretty sketchy cellular. The cellular signal worked inconsistently.  Big Bend National Park had zero cellular coverage. One thing to make note of here, is that Starlink mini is able to go with you in the car as long as you can power it up. That makes being in places like big bend, much safer.

Abilene State Park has zero cellular unless you have AT&T, that according to one of the park rangers. We didn’t get another T-Mobile signal until we were about 12 miles from the park.

Lake Whitney State Park has very poor cellular for T-Mobile users, I think Verizon may be better there.

These are the kinds of situations where you are going to want WIFI calling – just in case something unexpected or bad happens.

The other thing that WIFI would do for us is allow me to work on my laptop, and videos. I currently tether my laptop to my iPhone.  To upload a very short video takes an incredible amount of time.

I have to say, out of the above list, the most important thing to us is being safe.

One of the Park Hosts at Lake Whitney had Starlink mini.  I was on the bubble until I talked to her. She absolutely loves it. After that conversation, Tammy and I were sold on the idea.  The thing that pushed us over the top was that the mini was on sale for 229.00.  I was interested when they were 299.00.

We ordered ours, and it arrived the next day.

Setting starlink up couldn’t be easier, however if you are looking for your model and serial number, It’s on the very bottom of the box the unit came in. It starts with KIT.  That caused a little confusion as we looked for the number.

There are several different plans to choose from so let’s step through them:

Roam 50GB Plan, which includes 50 GB of data with the option to purchase additional data by the GB.  The Roam 50GB plan, according to starlink is roughly equivalent to 20 hours of high-definition video streaming or 50 hours of video calls. Keeping that in mind you can “Opt in” for additional gigs of service, which will cost $1.00 per gig.

This is exactly what the camp host that we talked to does. She said that she has never gotten close to spending 165.00 dollars in a given month. 165.00 is the cost of the roam unlimited plan.

However, here is an important thing to think about.  If you pay per gig and hit the 165.00 mark, it doesn’t automatically mean you are now on unlimited.  In fact, you will keep getting charged per gig over that amount.

Roam Unlimited, which has no data cap.

Once activated, you can change service plans anytime and as many times as you like via your Starlink account portal. Changes will take effect immediately or at the start of your next billing cycle, depending on the plan.

For example, I went to standby mode the first week after I began using Starlink. I received a message that my subscription would change to standby at the end of the current billing cycle.

You have the ability to pause and resume service with Standby Mode. Standby mode is $5.00/month and there is a minimal amount of data that is available in standby mode.

Now let’s get down to the meat of the matter.

How hard is it to set up?  It’s really easy.  There are just a few steps.

  • Go to starlink.com/activate. This is where you will enter the starlink number from the label on the bottom of the box the unit came in.  Don’t bother looking on the unit – it isn’t there.  So, save that box.
  • After entering the KIT number from step 1.  Fill out the rest of the account information and choose your plan.
  • Next download the Starlink app to your phone.  It will guide you through the set-up process.
  • You will want to make sure you set up your Starlink network with it’s own name and password so it’s a secure network.  You definitely don’t want an open network.

It took us all of 30 minutes from unboxing to satellite connection.

The internet connection is surprisingly fast.  Even uploading a video when I got a message that I was partially obstructed on my satellite view was quite fast.

So overall, here are the top reasons you should consider Starlink

  1. Safety – you WILL, at some time, be in a campground with no cell coverage or WIFI.  Think about the worst-case scenario of not being able to call out for emergency help.  We have been at two campgrounds already this year where we had no cell or Wi-Fi.
  2. Any camping plan should include having family or friends know where you are and that you are safe.  This requires at the very least checking in with them.  Without connectivity, you are on your own.
  3. Weather can change in an instant, without any connectivity, you could be in a dangerous situation with the potential for strong winds, severe thunderstorms, tornados, or flash floods etc.

For me, the ability to do videos on the road is a big plus, but the above three issues are what drove us to get Starlink.

Additional things you may want to consider? A tripod for mounting the mini, and a carrying case so that it does not get damaged.