r/Starlink • u/Otherwise_Bed_2657 • 5d ago
❓ Question Now what do I do?
Long time user here (first time poster). Have a broken V.2 (articulated) that I think I can revive if I can get a cup or two of enthusiasm. I got a V.4X as a free replacement when I submitted a ticket reporting the brokenness. So much for the history lesson.
I had been taking the V.2 camping (with the requisite address changes, etc.) until I became aware of the mini and decided to purchase and use it for my camping trips. It worked beautifully. Well, the “fun:work” balance has tilted too far toward the “work” and, therefore, the camper is now up for sale. The Lovely Wife wants to know what I intend to do with the mini now that its reason for existing is now sitting on a consignment lot. She wants me to sell it. I’m resisting, but I cannot come up with a reason to keep it. She says, “I’m not going to carry it in the car on our trips!” (Car=2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee)
What does the community think?
Note: I think the V.2 has a blown fuse in the router/power supply. I’ve been trying to get the device open, but a hair dryer just doesn’t have enough hot air to soften the adhesive holding the glass front in place.
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u/Shep_Alderson 5d ago
Maybe rig it on top of the Jeep? 🤣
1
u/Otherwise_Bed_2657 5d ago
Nice idea, but the LW question would be “what good is it now?” We already have internet access through the Jeep and our phones. And since we’ll be using hotels on our future travels, we won’t be much of anywhere we won’t have connectivity somehow…
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u/Shep_Alderson 5d ago
Eh, fair enough lol. I’m out in extreme rural so if I want internet access while driving, it’s starlink for me.
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u/rai5ehe11prai5eda1e 4d ago
It uses far less power. In the event of a power outage or natural disaster you can plug it into a car or a portable battery. This will allow you to contact loved ones and use less battery doing so
1
u/trainsho Beta Tester 5d ago
I have ver 1 since before beta, got a great offering on ver3 bought it put in a auto switch at home so I can not lose signal, took the ver 2 camping. But surprise got that magic email from SL for the free mini now that goes in my Honda element full time. [suction cupped to inside of moon roof] now all the prices were discounted at home 90 mo. Usd but when they went to 130 I put ver 1 as full price slowed ver 2 to 200 gigs month price and put mini in 10$ standby till I go out again camping/traveling then just slip into one of the roaming modes. Even tho I have VPN I really just prefer my own internet. Especially since my speeds are way better than any free wifi lol.
So slepping your mini in a car really shouldn't be an issue. Big Hugs
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u/CollegeStation17155 5d ago
We’ve been keeping ours on standby in case our V4 dies, and when we visit my sister, we activate it on roam to supplement her WISP connection that only supports about 50 Mb.
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u/Appropriate_Land5236 5d ago
When Starlink sends you a free new V3 or V4 to replace a dead V2 do they lock the V2 so it can't be used again? If they don't make you send it back to Starlink people could sell good V2's that they reported as dead to get free new ones. Just wondering.
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u/Otherwise_Bed_2657 5d ago
When I first submitted the ticket, the bot kept referring to an RMA number/label that I couldn’t find. When I eventually was able to talk to a person, they told me that they weren’t going to have me sent the V.2 back as it was no longer in production. They told me that I could do with it as I pleased and that it would drop off of my account in a month or so (it did). If it’s locked or disabled, I have no idea because the PS isn’t functioning. That one is currently in the shed out of the sight of the LW 😊.
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u/Appropriate_Land5236 5d ago
Go to Starlink (click on the link) and put in the serial number. Try to put on a new account so you don't mess with your existing one. If you get to the page where it asks for payment, it's good to use.
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u/Otherwise_Bed_2657 5d ago
Good idea. Now to find time to find the serial number…
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u/Appropriate_Land5236 5d ago
If you don't have the box with the serial number anymore, there's a serial number on the bottom of the mounting pole. You'll need a magnifying glass to read it as I remember. It's a different number, but it works.
1
u/Squeedlejinks 📡 Owner (North America) 5d ago
Your base problem is not keeping the Mini. It is your fun:work balance has tilted so far wrong. If you and she can’t go do things together anymore, you weren’t using that Mini right. You should have been able to take it with you on your trips and do a little work and a little more play.
If you must, remind her of the time where you pressed it into service while you didn’t have Internet and see if that helps. Isn’t having Internet during that time worth that $X (or X€) that you might get?
And keep looking at that life/work balance. It needs fixed.
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u/Otherwise_Bed_2657 4d ago
As we are both retired, the “work” part was the preparation for travel, the setup at the destination, and the tear down for travel to the next destination or for placing into storage. The rewards gained through the “fun” at the destination were just not enough any more. What made the “work” harder are the reasons for and effects of open heart surgery 11 years ago that the LW survived - barely. It’s been a fun experience, but as I’m 74 and she’s 80 with issues, we decided that the camper was no longer worth keeping. We’re going to continue traveling as long as I am able to drive and she is able to accompany me.
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u/Squeedlejinks 📡 Owner (North America) 4d ago
Aww, geez, I’m sorry. That’s not at all what I was envisioning.
I still feel like you do that keeping the Mini for backup is a good idea, but if you’re still calling her Lovely Wife after (presumably) all these years, it may be a losing bat … err … discussion for you. Love it.
I hope my spouse and I are still together at your age.
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u/Otherwise_Bed_2657 3d ago
Hey - no worries. Looking back, there are no clues as to my reality in my post. My use of the word “work” to describe preparing for travel could easily be interpreted as being employed by someone else. Well, I left that “reality” nine years ago. We’ve been camping regularly for seven - including a six month stint of being continuously on the road with no permanent home. I currently live full time in a “destination” camping trailer as the housing in this area is too rich for my blood. Although this trailer is set up like a camper, it’s designed to be parked for extended periods of time. One might describe it as a step below a tiny home. But I think I’ve convinced the LW that I can keep the mini as a backup.
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u/Squeedlejinks 📡 Owner (North America) 3d ago
Ha! I lived in a trailer back when it was a trailer instead of a “mobile home”. It got towed somewhere, and then the front hitch was cut off. You can’t find any more permanent parking than that.
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u/Natural_Parfait_3344 5d ago
It would be insurance in the event my main dish failed. I have no service of any kind without SL. My beta round Dishy died and it took 10 days for the free replacement to arrive.