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Small Cabin Forum / Off-Grid Living / Wireless internet service
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simon49ers
Member
# Posted: 21 Jan 2021 08:40
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Most of us either live full time or part time, sometimes weekend getaway in our cabins where there is no internet connection. Does anyone know a product /name brand that they currently use to pick up internet?

ICC
Member
# Posted: 21 Jan 2021 09:03
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cell phone data or satellite internet

jhp
Member
# Posted: 21 Jan 2021 09:19
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If you haven't heard of it, check out StarLink.

https://www.starlink.com/

This is a product developing from SpaceX (you know, Elon Musk, Tesla guy) that basically has been launching hundreds of micro satellites into low orbit to provide low-latency Internet to remote places. Right now they in a beta program and have pretty decent coverage of something like 95% of the day (it takes multiple satellites to give you constant coverage.)

I think the costs currently are something like $500 for the setup equipment and $100 a month but the service is good - download speeds 50-100Mbps and upload at like 5-10+ with lower latency than traditional satellite services. I still don't think you're going to game on it but streaming services would be fine.

When this program finally finishes rolling out it's really going to cause a lot of competition in cellular and other wireless Internet providers.

Anyway check out the link and see if you can get on as a beta program.

Nobadays
Member
# Posted: 21 Jan 2021 09:54
Reply 


Jhp.... we have signed up... several months ago but no luck yet. We currently use Viasat and it's not too bad, we can stream TV pretty well most of the time. The issues with it are, wind - this makes it go in and out for some reason, thunderstorms and heavy rain, and snow storms, these will interrupt the service. The worst is the latency, I think that is what is causing the problem.... we use Wifi to make calls and though we can hear the other end well for some reason we cut out on their end. It may not be Viasat, might be our iPhone 7s... we have another friend up here on satellite as well and we can hear them fine but we cut out on their end.... frustrating! We payed $175.00 for set up, $10.00/month reciever rental (local company is not allowed to sell it to us) and $150.00/month for 100gb. We look forward to Starlink.

simon49ers
Member
# Posted: 22 Jan 2021 14:08
Reply 


Thank you all for the replies, I’m currently looking at wireless portable router. But not sure the cabin has to have service in order to pick up signal on my Smart TV in the middle of nowhere.

ICC
Member
# Posted: 22 Jan 2021 20:42
Reply 


A portable router can be handy to allow internet use to be shared between different devices at a cabin. The travel or portable router can extend the range of a poor signal. You do need a signal from somewhere before you can share, though. The portable router cannot make a signal appear as if by magic.

willywilly2020
Member
# Posted: 23 Jan 2021 21:33
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Does anyone on here use Starlink today? I've talked to them via email a few times, and they don't think it will work there today. I'm interested to hear about anyone's experience using it.

I work remotely, and would LOVE to be able to live/work out at my cabin. But today there's zero service/offerings in my area.

BobW
Member
# Posted: 24 Jan 2021 15:31
Reply 


Hugh Net works with a dish and is about $76 a month. Like any satellite system is affected by weather. Mine is OK but probably would not do for streaming TV.

jsahara24
Member
# Posted: 26 Jan 2021 06:51
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Where I live we don't have any internet options beyond cellular or satellite. We have hughes net and hate it.

We signed up for starlink and are patiently waiting for it to be in our area. I saw a couple reviews on youtube and they basically mimicked what JHP said above so it sounds pretty promising, especially if you are used to hughes net....

bobrok
Member
# Posted: 26 Jan 2021 16:49
Reply 


This just in. Mega speeds if it comes to fruition.

I had applied for beta but missed the latitudinal cutoff by 15" of 1°.

[img=null]null[/img]URL

https://www.pcmag.com/news/spacexs-starlink-raises-download-speed-goal-from-1gbps-to- 10gbps

Daaaaaaaan
Member
# Posted: 13 Feb 2021 22:44
Reply 


For starlink help, it's best to check out their user-created reddit channel: https://old.reddit.com/r/starlink

So far, reports are very good if you're used to Hughes/Viasat. Usually still better than cellular or fixed-wireless systems.

Only unfortunate thing is that it's not portable: you can't 'bring it with you' from the city to the cabin, or put it on an RV, even though it auto-aims.

jsahara24
Member
# Posted: 15 Feb 2021 09:13
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I got an email last week from starlink saying it is finally available in my area, PA. I ordered it, 500$ for the dish and modem, 99$/month. Supposed to arrive in the next week or two. Didn't like spending that much but I will save money from Hughes net which has terrible data caps and almost worthless speeds....

Once its setup I will advise with some data/latency speeds.

Fanman
Member
# Posted: 15 Feb 2021 18:44
Reply 


We had Hughes, 40GB/month shared amongst maybe a dozen active users... nobody was happy. But this past summer Verizon put up a new cell tower and now we can get reliable cell service for the first time. We can use our phones as a hotspot, but we bought their "Jetpack" cell modem/router which works quite well, though the data cap is still too low. We may look at one of the gray market unlimited providers, some of our neighbors have had good results with that.

Nobadays
Member
# Posted: 15 Feb 2021 19:48
Reply 


Checked yesterday and we will now be able to order Starlink for the cabin. We will move back up there the end of March so then get rid of Viasat and get Starlink.

jsahara24
Member
# Posted: 2 Mar 2021 08:43
Reply 


So I've been using starlink for about 10 days now. Definite game changer compared to hughes net. My speeds have been all over place, with the highest around 80 MB.

I am working from home right now running CAD, and its been working great! I do get kicked off my VPN approximately 10 times a day, which is annoying, but I get back in within a minute.

We do not have cable, so we have been streaming all TV. Haven't had any buffering or downgrading of picture quality.

If you have access to real cable internet then I would go that route, but if you live remote I would definitely recommend it.

Nobadays
Member
# Posted: 2 Mar 2021 11:58 - Edited by: Nobadays
Reply 


We are still under contract with Viasat (2 year) but that ends sometime in May so we will be switching to Starlink!

How long did it take for them to deliver the equipment after you signed up and put your money down?

jsahara24
Member
# Posted: 2 Mar 2021 21:42
Reply 


It took about 2 weeks to get here. Had it setup and working in about ten minutes.

I'm not familar with viasat but if it's similar to hughes net you will be very happy. If ur looking for reassurance check out the starlink reddit.

Nobadays
Member
# Posted: 3 Mar 2021 06:52
Reply 


Thanks! By all accounts Viasat is better than Hughes, we are getting around 40MB download speeds most of the time. The bad thing is wind, snow and rain, if there is much of any of those it plays havoc on reception.

jsahara24
Member
# Posted: 3 Mar 2021 07:12
Reply 


Gotcha, with hughes nets highest data package we would run out of data within approximately ten days and stuck using their throttled data for the rest of the month. If they would get rid of their data caps it would have been manageable, but no luck....

I'm far from an expert but apparently the dish for starlink heats up to melt the snow. We had some snow the one day and when it was really coming down it couldn't melt it fast enough, but it caught up as soon as it slowed down to a moderate snow.....

Fanman
Member
# Posted: 3 Mar 2021 19:46
Reply 


It's not the snow on the dish, it's the snow or rain in the atmosphere that interferes with the signal. Though maybe snow on the dish is an issue, too. We never used Hughes in the winter, but their satellite is so low on the horizon that anything on the dish would slide right off.

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