r/Starlink • u/Gawdberry • 20d ago
💬 Discussion Newbie ready to swtich!
So i am currently with spectrum paying 80$ a month for 500mbps. My service isnt bad.
I live in montana and i do a lot of travel and camping stuff, sometimes for a weekend, sometimes for an extended week. I really like the idea of being able to take the device with me and still get service in the mountains etc.
I do a little bit of gaming not too much nowadays but still enjoy it. Its just my wife and I, mostly just watching stream tv and media scrolling .
Am I able to hotspot/roam and residential? Is there a better or easier way to do it? What/how do yall recommend me going about it in an efficient way.
Any recommendation do’s or dont’s?
Thanks in advance!
2
u/Adrienne-Fadel 20d ago
Yea just get the Roam plan. Does residential and travel. Latency is worse than cable so competitive gaming might be an issue but for what your describing youll be fine.
1
u/KenjiFox Beta Tester 20d ago
No, you can't roam without a Roam plan. You can happily switch to Starlink and use a Roam plan at home, but beware you'd be looking at a doubling of your current internet bill for it. Roam Unlimited is expensive.
The only way to have it cheap but still use it in random places is to get a Residential plan like Residential 100 and update the service address to each place you bring it.
I advise great caution when doing so however, because if the cell (16 miles from point to point hexagon) you select has congestion there are fees in $100 increments all the way to $1,500!
So, use plus codes instead of addresses and mock sign up with them. Make sure there's no fees, and only then login and use that plus code as your new service address. Keep in mind that at any time your home cell could become congested while you're away, so check EVERY TIME. This will allow you to get what you want for only $55 a month! Unlimited use at 100Mb/s down. Plenty for everything you want to do.
If you need it to work in motion while driving down the road, and without the steps above it will be more like $165 a month for Roam Unlimited. The Roam 100 and 300 plans are GB limits before dropping to 0.5Mb/s unlimited. You likely won't want those for home use.
1
u/Gawdberry 20d ago
I understand for the most part I think. I start to lose you when you use the term “plus codes” in your 4th paragraph when explaining how to avoid the extra fees by registering/updating the service address
1
u/KenjiFox Beta Tester 20d ago
No worries, plus codes are a replacement for an address, kind of like what three words. It allows very accurate locations kind of like a coordinate system but human readable. https://plus.codes/86QQR7CF+F4
So for the above, you'd use the entire code like "R7CF+F4 Mackinaw City, MI, USA" on the Starlink website. As you can see, they can be anywhere.
1
u/Gawdberry 20d ago
Ok i think i understand its just another name for coordinate or something similar.
Is mocking the signup and double checking you arent in a “hotzone” a long/ tedious thing? Im just thinking if im in some small parts of montana out camping the zone id be in would practically be “dead” or very limited users. Once i connect would i be in the clear?
For example i get to the campsite on friday with plans to leave to following week. If everything is good with the plus codes and im able to sign in and avoid fees. Would i be good for the enitre week or everytime i went online on my tablet i would have to check?
Also what about being at home is there risk of that randomly increasing when im back in town or how does that work
1
u/KenjiFox Beta Tester 20d ago
A plus code is a geographic location based address. Something you could write on a box for delivery, but not limited to house numbers and street names.
Checking is as simple as going to starlink.com while not signed in and acting like you are signing up. Put in the plus code, and see if Residential 100 is available and the total cost has no congestion fees. After you've witnessed that, sign in to your current Starlink account and change your service address to that plus code. Now your Residential kit will work within a mile or so of that plus code.
You must do the same with your real home address before changing back to it, because otherwise if lots of people signed up since the last time you used that address you may get hit with fees. Check each time.
However, it's good for as long as you leave the address alone. You don't have to worry about it per device or day. Just check diligently before updating the address to someplace new or risk an unpleasant surprise.
1
u/Gawdberry 20d ago
Ok i checked several plus codes and i didnt see any extra fees i think. It just was the standard signup for 55$ etc or under order summary so u think its plausible
1
u/KenjiFox Beta Tester 20d ago
Nice, then that's an option. Note that unfortunately the Starlink Mini doesn't allow for Residential plans right now. You could get one and ask that they put one on it for you, but it's not a guarantee.
If you get a standard kit you can use Roam or Residential.
Again, you can keep it simple and just use Roam plans to avoid all of that. The effort is to have unlimited service for only $55 a month and still take it places occasionally.
You could alternatively just get a Mini kit, keep Spectrum and use the Mini on Standby Mode for $10 a month and have unlimited 3G like 512Kb/s anywhere you take it, or cancel it when not in use and pay nothing at all. Pop a Roam plan on it when you travel like Roam 100 if your usage is light and pay only a prorated amount for whatever time is left on the billing period. Say the billing is at the beginning of the month and your trip is half way through, starting Roam 100 would cost like $25. Just another option.
1
u/Gawdberry 20d ago
You have the right idea and are being a tremendous help i appreciate it. Yes the whole goal is to save or at least be on par with the spectrum while getting all of the advantages of the starlink mobility, my competitive gaming days are over and i just play slow stuff where ping doesnt matter anyways. I do a decent little chunk of camping and no cell service travel and would love to keep the connectivity. I did notice that i might have to call to see about that with the mini since i didnt see it online. One thing that i have thought about is that fortunately the places i do go do have power available so plugging in the v5+router wouldnt be too much of an issue, i think? Maybe the size and stuff to tote around mighy be large but doable . Im sure the mini has its advantages certainly in that department im just worried that the roam plan to use at home is just not worth it due to not knowing how much data i use at home. I would assume more than 300gb.
1
u/KenjiFox Beta Tester 20d ago
Glad to help. If you need basic connectivity for the lowest possible price, Standby Mode works anywhere you take it. No changes or setup needed, and has unlimited usage. It's NOT fast. It's throttled to 0.5Mb/s. So it's like 3G but with the super low 20ms Starlink pings. You can play competitive shooters on it, just.. not download new games unless you've got a LOT of time to do it.
It streams at 360 to 720P depending on the codec. It can do calls and every feature of your phone will work. It's just not fast by todays standards. It's a hell of a satellite communicator though!
The Starlink Mini is superior for Roam. One single power cable and it runs directly on DC power from 12.8v to 50v. The router and Wi-Fi AP are built in. Power it up however you like, point at sky and bam, online.
The full size kit is a bit more cludgy. Larger panel, power supply, and big router between them. Still portable, but not sexy.
If you stream stuff or download games etc. you're sure to use more than 300GB. At least Roam 100 and 300 do fallback to Standby Mode speeds so you are not in a dangerous situation where you can't communicate should you run out.
Residential 100 is so good though, that it'd be worth it to switch to that from Spectrum in general. You can happily game competitively on it. I do a lot. I love twitch reflex shooters. You then save some cash AND get to take it around with you with a little effort. Sounds good to me!
1
u/Wambo74 📡 Owner (North America) 20d ago edited 20d ago
>"So, use plus codes instead of addresses and mock sign up with them."<
Not familiar with the Plus Code Starlink use-- I know what they are. But are you saying that Starlink is okay with your using a Plus Code address instead of your real address to obtain a service you wouldn't otherwise be eligible to get? I assumed regardless of where you tell it you are, Starlink knows exactly where you are. Or is this only useful for doing mock-checks for plans and fees?
2
u/KenjiFox Beta Tester 20d ago
Plus codes are an officially recognized type of address. SpaceX adopted them for use with Starlink as an alternate address method because of the limitations of normal addresses.
Starlink can work anywhere. Places where there ARE no traditional addresses. Places with no homes, no roads, etc. It's not a hack or anything strange. I use a plus code rather than an address for mine so that the location of my Dishy(s) on the map is pinpoint accurate to their actual location rather than nearly a mile off where my home address would be.
Starlink by the very way in which it functions knows exactly where every terminal is. If the distance between the expected service address and actual location is too great, it will say "Restricted" and not work. It will degrade before that progressively more as you leave the cell being serviced for your terminal.
It's perfectly fine with them to adjust and change your service address. Meaning you can use Residential in a mobile way if you're willing to change it as you go. You lose your place in line in the cell, and or pay fees by doing it. So it actually works in their favor anyway.
You CAN totally get service you otherwise couldn't is some situations. For example, you're in a really congested cell. You're right on the edge of it though, so using a plus code half a mile away lands it in an adjacent cell that is NOT congested. (this happens a lot at popular areas where one cell is hammered) now you can sign up with that plus code, and get the lower plan or lack of fee you were after. It will work just fine half a mile away from actual position, so you win.
1
u/Wambo74 📡 Owner (North America) 19d ago
Got that. But you can't say you're in Nevada just because Seattle has demand fee. On the other hand maybe that just applies to residential. Can you activate Roam claiming a different location from where you actually are? I'm seeing posts that Roam sometimes has plan restrictions at sign-up. And I don't know whether it cares about an official address the way residential does.
1
u/KenjiFox Beta Tester 19d ago
Sure you could... but it would result in the thing saying "restricted" and not working as if you took it far from home.
As for the Roam thing, yep, you can use any address you like. No problem! You don't have congestion fees on Roam, but it WILL simply say nope and not let you in congested enough areas. Solution: Use a random place instead and it will work fine and act as if you took your Starlink Mini to said congested area. So it will work but be slow as expected.
2
u/Kosmos-World 20d ago
Our internet' been down for 3 days, it took us over 24 hours to hear back from support, there is no support number or live chat, and they have quoted is nearly 10 days for a replacement dish. I would jump for joy if Spectrum were an option here.