diy solar

diy solar

Anyone in the US still on the Starlink wait list?

JimP said:
Inferior how?
Click to expand...
No motors for repositioning the Dish.
The stand on the Gen 3 looks flimsy!
Starlink likes it because the cost to produce the Gen 3 is a lot less than the Gen 2.
Here is a review.

 
robby said:
No motors for repositioning the Dish.
The stand on the Gen 3 looks flimsy!
Starlink likes it because the cost to produce the Gen 3 is a lot less than the Gen 2.
Here is a review.

Click to expand...

Well, it has no motors because they don't need to be pointed as precisely now that they have ~5000 satellites instead of a few hundred that they started service with. I have a first gen, so I can't compare personally, but there are tradeoffs either way. Maybe the newer dishes don't always get optimal bandwidth, but maybe they'll last longer without moving parts? They are certainly easier, smaller, lighter, especially for portable use.

I think it depends on your needs, including your actual bandwidth requirements. How many people will notice the difference between 40 and 80Mbit (for example - I have no idea how they compare). I don't do much of anything different now than I did back when 1 or 5Mb was fast :)
 
Hmm, kinda like how solar trackers are about pointless now compared to years ago...
 
JimP said:
Well, it has no motors because they don't need to be pointed as precisely now that they have ~5000 satellites instead of a few hundred that they started service with. I have a first gen, so I can't compare personally, but there are tradeoffs either way. Maybe the newer dishes don't always get optimal bandwidth, but maybe they'll last longer without moving parts? They are certainly easier, smaller, lighter, especially for portable use.

I think it depends on your needs, including your actual bandwidth requirements. How many people will notice the difference between 40 and 80Mbit (for example - I have no idea how they compare). I don't do much of anything different now than I did back when 1 or 5Mb was fast :)
Click to expand...
In a typical household it only becomes noticeable when you have multiple 4K streaming boxes running at the same time.
As for the reasons for Gen3, it really is a cost cutting measure by Starlink. I read somewhere that they subsidize each of the Gen2 dishes price by several hundred dollars.
 
Just an update with my Starlink "experience". Note: I have the V2. My speeds had actually been getting better the last month or so. But then about 3 weeks ago, the dish was rebooting at about 9:00pm every few nights (and taking about 10 minutes to get back on line). Just the dish was rebooting, not the router. I contacted support and after going back and forth about a dozen time, they finally escalating the issue. I then got a response back that said the GPS in the dish had failed. They said the dish gets it's internal time from the GPS and without it, it defaults to some other time zone. So instead of doing updates at 3:00am, it was doing them at 9:00pm. They sent me a new complete kit. Installed it today. The debug data now has a green light next to "GPS valid" (the old one did not).

So it would appear the dish V2 dish will still work without GPS, however, I don't know if it would have been able to come back on line (aligned properly) if it had been stowed and had to start fresh.
 
Bought a Gen-3 last week @ Home Depot (veteran discount!)
Not sure which plan to purchase, probably going w/ "Roam", for
traveling in the RV.
Any advice on a pipe mast mount bracket source?
 
pvdude said:
Bought a Gen-3 last week @ Home Depot (veteran discount!)
Not sure which plan to purchase, probably going w/ "Roam", for
traveling in the RV.
Any advice on a pipe mast mount bracket source?
Click to expand...
We have Gen 2 (I think) - square dish - and we did Roam.

We went with this flagpole from AMZ - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00192JG9O/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title Plus The ORIGINAL Starlink Adapter Bushing for Camco 20' Telescoping Flagpole! - https://www.etsy.com/listing/1223120087/the-original-starlink-adapter-bushing

We got this tire anchor mount option for the flagpole - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00192JG9O/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title
and this hitch mount option for the flagpole - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004IVGA0G/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title

All 4 of these items work together well for the Gen 2 square dish.

In practice we either 1) set it on ground/picnic table if clear enough OR 2) use the tire anchor under one of our stabilizing jacks on the trailer to loft the receiving dish using the flagpole. Have not used the hitch option yet. *We've used tire anchor under the tires - but this involves opening trailer to get it out, then moving the trailer (have to close it again) so the tire goes over it and is a pain. So we just put it under a stabilizer jack and don't have to open/close/move the trailer - safer for us.

I have to say that even among Pacific Northwest 'tall tree' camping - we usually get good enough signal to do youtube/AMZ TV over the connection. Yes it can block for 30sec or 1min here and there among dense/tall trees but overall, it's works way better that I thought it would. Here's a shot from La Pine State Park in middle Oregon and this is light-medium dense trees BUT we're using the flagpole to shove it up for wider clear sky and got solid internet.
1710701852085.png
 
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Getting gen 3 and roam in a couple of weeks for the motorhome.
Setting out around campsite for signal good enough.

Best Buy sells them now too.

$150/mo is getting steep. Can suspend account when not traveling though. Keeping cable internet at the house for now - $50/mo for 300mbs with no latency.

Got a Zoleo satellite communicator for off grid biking and hiking. Another $25 subscription.
 
Starlink is great. Had it since the early beta, but it stinks for video conferencing. The uplink speeds are too variable and generally slow. It’s barely useable most of the time, and not at all during a heavy snow storm or heavy rain. Since most people just watch movies, it’s best for them. I have no choice so SL is a godsend
 
mvonw said:
Starlink is great. Had it since the early beta, but it stinks for video conferencing. The uplink speeds are too variable and generally slow. It’s barely useable most of the time, and not at all during a heavy snow storm or heavy rain. Since most people just watch movies, it’s best for them. I have no choice so SL is a godsend
Click to expand...
If available, here's something that might help. I live on an island in a lake, in rural Maine. My wife and I are 2/3 of the total population. Pretty darn remote. But we own several small businesses, including a mgmt consultancy, and are on volunteer boards as well. So, we're on Zoom and Teams calls all day, and in the summer have many visitors who also need to work remotely. Starlink works well for us about 98% of the time, but that's not good enough when you make your living online. So...

We don't use their router. Instead, we have a Peplink router that can take multiple WAN inputs and make use of their SpeedFusion service. Starlink is our primary WAN input but we also use a wireless LTE input from another company (basically a cell phone signal, which can also work), which is always hot. When Starlink loses connectivity for a second or two (or 10 or 15, which is now rare), that special router with the SpeedFusion service running "picks up the slack". Neither we nor the others on the video call can tell there's any problem, even though I can see the LTE signal "pick up the slack" on the router monitoring screen (which usually means it's a really boring call, if I'm looking at that!). It works so well, my connection on video conferences is typically better and more stable than that of my work-from-home employees in more populated areas, using fiber and typical "consumer grade" equipment from their local ISP. The wireless LTE signal isn't nearly as good as Starlink and couldn't routinely replace it (I've tried), but it works well enough to "span" the Starlink "gaps and drops", almost flawlessly. So if you can get wireless service, this might help you as much as it helps us, if you're willing to pay for the Peplink equipment and both services because you need to have a really solid video conferencing capability.
 
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Madcodger said:
If available, here's something that might help. I live on an island in a lake, in rural Maine. My wife and I are 2/3 of the total population. Pretty darn remote. But we own several small businesses, including a mgmt consultancy, and are on volunteer boards as well. So, we're on Zoom and Teams calls all day, and in the summer have many visitors who also need to work remotely. Starlink works well for us about 98% of the time, but that's not good enough when you make your living online. So...

We don't use their router. Instead, we have a Peplink router that can take multiple WAN inputs and make use of their SpeedFusion service. Starlink is our primary WAN input but we also use a wireless LTE input from another company (basically a cell phone signal, which can also work), which is always hot. When Starlink loses connectivity for a second or two (or 10 or 15, which is now rare), that special router with the SpeedFusion service running "picks up the slack". Neither we nor the others on the video call can tell there's any problem, even though I can see the LTE signal "pick up the slack" on the router monitoring screen (which usually means it's a really boring call, if I'm looking at that!). It works so well, my connection on video conferences is typically better and more stable than that of my work-from-home employees in more populated areas, using fiber and typical "consumer grade" equipment from their local ISP. The wireless LTE signal isn't nearly as good as Starlink and couldn't routinely replace it (I've tried), but it works well enough to "span" the Starlink "gaps and drops", almost flawlessly. So if you can get wireless service, this might help you as much as it helps us, if you're willing to pay for the Peplink equipment and both services because you need to have a really solid video conferencing capability.
Click to expand...
Yes, this is a great option if you have a secondary internet service, but unfortunately I don't. I have two starlink accounts/dishes. Each get pointed to a different point in the sky. I bond these services. It does give me better throughput, and somewhat better uplink performance, but it's still not good enough for a commercial zoom/teams work.
 
JimP said:
Well, it has no motors because they don't need to be pointed as precisely now that they have ~5000 satellites instead of a few hundred that they started service with. I have a first gen, so I can't compare personally, but there are tradeoffs either way. Maybe the newer dishes don't always get optimal bandwidth, but maybe they'll last longer without moving parts? They are certainly easier, smaller, lighter, especially for portable use.

I think it depends on your needs, including your actual bandwidth requirements. How many people will notice the difference between 40 and 80Mbit (for example - I have no idea how they compare). I don't do much of anything different now than I did back when 1 or 5Mb was fast :)
Click to expand...
You notice if it’s your livelihood.
 
mvonw said:
Yes, this is a great option if you have a secondary internet service, but unfortunately I don't. I have two starlink accounts/dishes. Each get pointed to a different point in the sky. I bond these services. It does give me better throughput, and somewhat better uplink performance, but it's still not good enough for a commercial zoom/teams work.
Click to expand...
What do you use to bond your services?
 
Madcodger said:
If available, here's something that might help. I live on an island in a lake, in rural Maine. My wife and I are 2/3 of the total population. Pretty darn remote. But we own several small businesses, including a mgmt consultancy, and are on volunteer boards as well. So, we're on Zoom and Teams calls all day, and in the summer have many visitors who also need to work remotely. Starlink works well for us about 98% of the time, but that's not good enough when you make your living online. So...

We don't use their router. Instead, we have a Peplink router that can take multiple WAN inputs and make use of their SpeedFusion service. Starlink is our primary WAN input but we also use a wireless LTE input from another company (basically a cell phone signal, which can also work), which is always hot. When Starlink loses connectivity for a second or two (or 10 or 15, which is now rare), that special router with the SpeedFusion service running "picks up the slack". Neither we nor the others on the video call can tell there's any problem, even though I can see the LTE signal "pick up the slack" on the router monitoring screen (which usually means it's a really boring call, if I'm looking at that!). It works so well, my connection on video conferences is typically better and more stable than that of my work-from-home employees in more populated areas, using fiber and typical "consumer grade" equipment from their local ISP. The wireless LTE signal isn't nearly as good as Starlink and couldn't routinely replace it (I've tried), but it works well enough to "span" the Starlink "gaps and drops", almost flawlessly. So if you can get wireless service, this might help you as much as it helps us, if you're willing to pay for the Peplink equipment and both services because you need to have a really solid video conferencing capability.
Click to expand...
SDWAN more or less.
Definitely helps.
 
mvonw said:
There are a number of network gateway products that do this:

I'm not sure if it's worth the trouble, but having two dishes and accounts for redundancy is..
Click to expand...
I do the same thing.
I use Firewalla.

Was just curious as to what you used..
 
Nobodybusiness said:
You notice if it’s your livelihood.
Click to expand...

Well, I am on calls (audio or video, always sharing docs/desktops/whatever) all day long, working from home as a very senior engineer (software architect) for a very large company whose computers/monitors you likely own. Starlink works great for me. I did keep my DSL and a router that could load balance between Starlink and DSL for about a year, and Starlink has gotten better and better. I dropped DSL ~6 months ago and haven't noticed outages except a couple of times in really heavy rain. I have marginal AT&T 4G and occasionally 5G service here, so I have a booster for that in the attic (~35' up) to make it usable but I haven't had to switch over to using my phone as a hotspot or doing calls on my phone.
 
JimP said:
Well, I am on calls (audio or video, always sharing docs/desktops/whatever) all day long, working from home as a very senior engineer (software architect) for a very large company whose computers/monitors you likely own. Starlink works great for me. I did keep my DSL and a router that could load balance between Starlink and DSL for about a year, and Starlink has gotten better and better. I dropped DSL ~6 months ago and haven't noticed outages except a couple of times in really heavy rain. I have marginal AT&T 4G and occasionally 5G service here, so I have a booster for that in the attic (~35' up) to make it usable but I haven't had to switch over to using my phone as a hotspot or doing calls on my phone.
Click to expand...
Not sure how you do that on a 1-5 mb link.
At least you said it was no different.
Teams or zoom won’t work well at that speed.
Jira or Service now definitely won’t like it.
 
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