Starlink

[plowhog]

I got my parents off of the landline 5 years ago...They saved $60 a month.

We had cancelled our landline. All was well until my rotary mower accidentally started a wildfire and we had no way to call the fire dept. (wifi calling, at that time, was mostly unusable through a HughesNet satellite.)

At first ATT refused to reconnect the land line. Had to twist some arms to get it back. Yet another reason why not having Starlink is such a disappointment. (Need to be more patient ....)

 

[ponytug]

@plowhog Yes, we are having AT&T issues as well, and they are telling us that they have staffing shortages due to the storms in your area, so maybe AT&T transferred a few folks up your way.

Regardless, I am sure that splicing aerial cable in snow isn't fun.

I hope that your service is restored sooner than February 1st!

Still waiting on Starlink.

All the best,

Peter

 

[BigBlue1]

Customer Service seems to have been dying a slow death for years now. It's not just Starlink.

Power in CA went out about 2 weeks ago. It was out for 11 days, a big storm, but not huge. ATT landline went out at the same time. As of today they are telling me it will be repaired "by Feb. 1st at 7:12pm." So more than 30 days.

It's this kind of rural BS why I wanted Starlink. On the schedule as advertised. I guess I need to learn more patience being in line with no information ...

Well, to be fair, there isn't really any customer service Starlink needs to provide to people who simply placed a deposit. The customers who placed a deposit can see their status in their online account and cancel via that account. Starlink isn't answering anybody's questions regarding "when will I get my service" beyond the general timeline shown in their account. So allowing those folks to open support tickets really doesn't make sense. I don't see it as 'poor customer service'.

As for the 'schedule as advertised'... It was always a rough estimate. Started out "mid to late 2021" and then changed as the supply chain issues ramped up impacting chip availability and their launches.

I have no doubt they are doing all they can to expand service. They want the revenue increase. You'll love it when you do get it!

 

[plowhog]

there isn't really any customer service Starlink needs to provide to people who simply placed a deposit.

Pre-installation support is commonly provided in the tech world. My company flew people to install sites in advance to ensure a smooth installation. Flying people on airliners is not feasible at smaller dollar valuations, but it doesn't mean providing *nothing* is OK.

Example- the "sky obstruction" app would not work on my Android phone. Could I ask Starlink why? No. (What other company provides phone apps with zero support?)

Example- my ideal dishy location is to erect a small tower in my pasture. This one specific location is the only place where I could add multiple security cameras in view of my residence, 2 entry gates, and pond.

What's the catch? Also at this location, a set of 600V PGE overhead power transmission lines would be in view of dishy. About 15 degrees off vertical. Will the power lines cause interference for dishy? Can I ask Starlink? No.

I'd like to do trenching and tower erection this spring. And benefit from improved property security and more. But with no pre-sales support available, I have no way to know if this will work or not. So I'm not going to do it.

 

[plowhog]

You'll love it when you do get it!

On that, my friend, we most certainly agree!!!!!!!

 

[Hilbilly]

Well I discovered a downside to Starlink. The router that comes with it does not reach very far. With my old router I had service in my shop that is about 100' from the router. With the Starlink router there is nothing in the shop and I loose Wifi just a short distance from the house.

Is there a way I can use my old router? I tried connecting the power supply to the old router but the power supply light, for the LAN connection, does not come on when I do that. I tried using the Ethernet cable that I had for the old router and I also tried using the cable that came with the Starlink kit but no go.

 

[BigBlue1]

Well I discovered a downside to Starlink. The router that comes with it does not reach very far. With my old router I had service in my shop that is about 100' from the router. With the Starlink router there is nothing in the shop and I loose Wifi just a short distance from the house.

Is there a way I can use my old router? I tried connecting the power supply to the old router but the power supply light, for the LAN connection, does not come on when I do that. I tried using the Ethernet cable that I had for the old router and I also tried using the cable that came with the Starlink kit but no go.

That's a common observation that the included router is mediocre. Fine for many folks but nothing great and not configurable. Fortunately you have options. You can replace Starlink's router with any other of your choosing. Just plug the cable from the dish controller into the WAN port on any router you have. You can also, instead, connect another router or a mesh wifi system to the output LAN port on the Starlink router. That's the config I use (with a Deco M9 mesh system).

Sounds like you tried the former config. I'm surprised that isn't working right off for you. Just to be clear, you need to connect the dish's cable to the black side port on the controller box and connect your other router to the white side port. Any normal CAT 5 (or later) ethernet cable should work. Shouldn't even have to reboot the Starlink system. Are you sure you're connecting to the WAN input port on the router, not one of the downstream ports?

For others who may read this:

The above applies to the original Starlink system. In the last month or so they have switched to a new square dish and the router is built into the controller, apparently. You can still use your own router after the built-in one but you'll have to buy a dongle for it ($29, I think).

 

[Hilbilly]

As you suggested I connected the Aux port from the Starlink router to the “internet” port on my other router and all is good now.

Thanks for the help.

 

[bdhsfz6]

T-Mobile just rolled out their 5G home internet service in my area and, for me anyway, could be an acceptable alternative to Starlink. They advertise speeds of 100+ down and 10+ up at about half the monthly price with no equipment costs. Their gateway router will connect up to 64 devices which is fine for my needs but their advertised range is only 30 feet. Their tech people tell me there is no way to connect an external router. I would have to use a WiFi range extender but that will have an effect on speeds.

Others in this thread are using T-Mobile 5G. What has been your experience with their equipment & service?

 

[wpala]

I waited over a year on Starlink (signed up for beta testing and paid the fee) just got it in December and really happy can watch Netflix and actually watch videos on Internet had a Explornet which is almost as bad as the US satellite based system I think is Hughwes or something like that the difference is staggering and price similar for the service BTW I'm in Rural North Ontario

 

[IXLR8]

T-Mobile just rolled out their 5G home internet service in my area and, for me anyway, could be an acceptable alternative to Starlink. They advertise speeds of 100+ down and 10+ up at about half the monthly price with no equipment costs. Their gateway router will connect up to 64 devices which is fine for my needs but their advertised range is only 30 feet. Their tech people tell me there is no way to connect an external router. I would have to use a WiFi range extender but that will have an effect on speeds.

Others in this thread are using T-Mobile 5G. What has been your experience with their equipment & service?

I have Verizon LTE at the moment, so I can't speak to T-mobiles service. The LTE only does 30+ down for speeds and like you commented, the range is only about 30 ft. I added a WiFi extender and it has had no effect on speeds and it covers my entire 2700 sqft house now. My WiFi extender uses a dedicated 5G wifi 'line' to communicate with the LTE box so speeds aren't affected. Then again my speeds are not that high to start with. HTH

 

[kcflhrc]

My neighbor order the TM Home Internet this week I will report back how well it works. But honestly this is gonna be different for everyone based on your location and how far you are from the tower. 30 Meg over LTE is quite acceptable to do about anything you want. Where the problem arises with 30 meg is when you have multiple things going on at the same time. For me, that is never an issue. I'm still using the Mobley Plan $23 a month and it consistently runs over 25 meg down. I can stream with that and never get any buffering. Adding a higher bandwidth router to a slow connection isn't going to help in any way.

 

[bdhsfz6]

I have Verizon LTE at the moment, so I can't speak to T-mobiles service. The LTE only does 30+ down for speeds and like you commented, the range is only about 30 ft. I added a WiFi extender and it has had no effect on speeds and it covers my entire 2700 sqft house now. My WiFi extender uses a dedicated 5G wifi 'line' to communicate with the LTE box so speeds aren't affected. Then again my speeds are not that high to start with. HTH

I'm currently using Verizon LTE also. Their gateway router has a jack which allows you to connect an external router or range extender. The T-Mobile gateway does not have this jack. A range extender would have to be a wireless WiFi repeater which will decrease speed a bit.

 

[IXLR8]

I'm currently using Verizon LTE also. Their gateway router has a jack which allows you to connect an external router or range extender. The T-Mobile gateway does not have this jack. A range extender would have to be a wireless WiFi repeater which will decrease speed a bit.

My Verizon LTE does not have a ethernet port jack on it, my range extender is a wireless WiFi repeater. I am seeing the same speeds if I am connected to the LTE pack or to my repeater/extender.

 

[bdhsfz6]

My Verizon LTE does not have a ethernet port jack on it, my range extender is a wireless WiFi repeater. I am seeing the same speeds if I am connected to the LTE pack or to my repeater/extender.

Interesting.

I guess my Verizon 4G LTE Gateway is a different model. Mine has a recessed cavity on the bottom of the white cube with two ethernet jacks.

 

[JESSE1]

I've had the T Mobile 5G home internet for two months now and so far I'm very pleased with it. Checked the speed early this morning and got 210 mbps, slows down during the day and evening but usually get at least 75 mbps. I'm waiting a while before I cancel Starlink to make sure T Mobile is still working good, Starlink says mid '22 before it's available here. I have a T Mobile tower on my property and I talked to a technician yesterday about internet. He said they're upgrading all the towers and the speeds are going to get much better soon.

 

[kcflhrc]

The T-Mobile Gateway has 2 wired ethernet ports on the back of it that you can connect to any kind of router/mesh system you so desire. As long as the router you are plugging into the TM Gateway is on a different subnet then you shouldn't have to change a thing. Connect an ethernet cable from one of those LAN ports on the TM Gateway and the other end to the WAN Port on your existing router and it will pull a DHCP address off that port just like it would if you plug in a laptop to one of those ports.

 

[bdhsfz6]

The T-Mobile Gateway has 2 wired ethernet ports on the back of it that you can connect to any kind of router/mesh system you so desire. As long as the router you are plugging into the TM Gateway is on a different subnet then you shouldn't have to change a thing. Connect an ethernet cable from one of those LAN ports on the TM Gateway and the other end to the WAN Port on your existing router and it will pull a DHCP address off that port just like it would if you plug in a laptop to one of those ports.

Thanks for that information. The T-Mobile tech I spoke to said there was no eithernet connection on their gateway. I wonder if there are two versions?

 

[kcflhrc]

Thanks for that information. The T-Mobile tech I spoke to said there was no eithernet connection on their gateway. I wonder if there are two versions?

The one on their website shows 2 ethernet ports. My neighbors will be here by the weekend I will report back what they are actually shipping

 

[IXLR8]

Thanks for that information. The T-Mobile tech I spoke to said there was no eithernet connection on their gateway. I wonder if there are two versions?

Everyone I have talked with has said their Verizon LTE unit has an ethernet port on it and they are surprised mine does not. I got mine in Dec and the only port is the USB-C port for charging it. I am wondering if cell companies are getting cheap like Starlink and pulling the ethernet ports from their routers.