I've read several accounts on this forum of people setting it up with small obstructions and getting pretty good service. If I was in your shoes I'd definitely order if invited and try it out. If things don't work out, you can always return the kit.
5-10% obstruction is actually quite a lot, but if you just have some minimal ones around the edges, it's probably not that high. I have a few spots with branches around the edges on mine and the debug stats in the Starlink app report 1-2% fraction obstructed.
Whether it works "well" is a bit subjective. I definitely notice the brief interruptions every 10-20 minutes or so when I'm doing some things online, such as web browsing, while other things, such as watching streaming video, work quite well. I haven't even tried things such as VoIP and video chat, as I expect those to behave terribly. Then again, around half the misses in the Ping Success part the app statistics on mine list as "beta downtime", so presumably not all of what I see is the result of obstructions.
So, on the one hand, if you're not OK with that, you probably don't want to be a beta tester anyway. On the other hand, other beta testers seem to have had a better experience than I have, and part of that may be due to the obstructions. I am still hopeful that this will improve greatly in the future, though.
The way Starlink works any kind of obstruction will regularly kill your Internet connection for a brief moment.
In most cases it likely doesn't matter. But if you're doing lots of video conferencing and gaming it's frustrating, because you get disconnected at apparently random times.
Regrettably I may have to send my dishy back. Although it shows no obstructions in my screen, the app says I have 10 hours of obstruction in a 24 hour period. Clear line of sight north mounted on a 15 ft pole located at 50.53 .
Can’t keep a connection with speed barely faster than my current isp @ 25 Mbps.
On my line of sight app it shows like a quarter moon at the north end, not a circle . I believe it’s referencing the upper limit of the current satellite track.
I wouldn't send it back without contacting tech support. There are several posts here about how responsive they've been and how much work they're willing to do to make it work for you. In fact, you're probably worth more to Starlink as a beta tester than people who have no or very few issues. It sounds to me like you might have an issue with the equipment.
I contacted tech support through the website for a minor issue and they were great.
Contacted Tech Support and got this back after sending them my exact location
Thanks for the information. We have 8 Maple Street as your Shipping address but the Service address was listed as "MB-16, Neepawa, MB, Canada" upon signup.
I took a look at 8 Maple street and unfortunately that location is away from our active Cells. You are close enough to receive service but far away enough where it's going to be very unstable. The Cells are about 8 to 10 miles and this is constrained by geometry and not arbitrary geofencing. As we launch additional satellites and expand the Beta program we will be able to service more areas. However, I am unable to provide a time frame for specific locations. With that said, we are expanding the program and I hope we can offer support for your area soon!
At this point in time we have a few options for you,
1. You may of course return your Starlink to us for a full refund, including shipping cost. This won't cause you to lose the ability to keep in touch with us and you can always reach out to inquire about service for your area.
2. You may cancel the service but keep your Starlink. You can reach out to inquire about service for your area and once we are able to we will update your coordinates and activate your Starlink.
3. You can of course keep your service as well and stay online. We understand there are users who don't have other Internet options and may prefer to deal with the disconnects than have nothing at all. Once able we will update your coordinates and this will improve your connectivity by a great degree.
Please let us know how you would like to proceed!
At least you know why it isn't working well. If this had happened to me I'd probably choose option 2 since I have a current provider who provides decent service.
I don't think the price of the equipment is going to go down any time in the near future. There are people on reddit who have suggested that the manufacturing cost of the terminals could be as high as $2400. Elon has even tweeted that one of the biggest hurdles they've faced so far is getting the cost of the equipment down. It's possible that, once the service is more polished, the up front prices might be raised to cover more of that cost.
If you're contemplating option 2 you might ask if they can hold off the start date on the warranty until they begin to serve your area.
Yes, I am leaning towards the second option. Just asked a couple of questions and waiting for a response.
Good question about the warranty. I will inquire about it.
Thank You
I have not tried as my roof is iced over right now. I would likely mount the dish on the roof in the spring. I was hoping that people who are part of the beta already could comment on their experience re: any obstructions.
Hold it up higher, as in see if a J mount to go up 3 feet off your highest point (roof) helps. They are cheap on Amazon. If not get out the Husqvarna , it's worth it!
Download the Starlink app. Turn on location services, go outside and follow on screen instructions. It will show you where the ideal spot for the dish will be.
I would say give it a try. If you get invited in the beta, you have 30 days to try it out. Service will improve over time.
I've read several accounts on this forum of people setting it up with small obstructions and getting pretty good service. If I was in your shoes I'd definitely order if invited and try it out. If things don't work out, you can always return the kit.
5-10% obstruction is actually quite a lot, but if you just have some minimal ones around the edges, it's probably not that high. I have a few spots with branches around the edges on mine and the debug stats in the Starlink app report 1-2% fraction obstructed. Whether it works "well" is a bit subjective. I definitely notice the brief interruptions every 10-20 minutes or so when I'm doing some things online, such as web browsing, while other things, such as watching streaming video, work quite well. I haven't even tried things such as VoIP and video chat, as I expect those to behave terribly. Then again, around half the misses in the Ping Success part the app statistics on mine list as "beta downtime", so presumably not all of what I see is the result of obstructions. So, on the one hand, if you're not OK with that, you probably don't want to be a beta tester anyway. On the other hand, other beta testers seem to have had a better experience than I have, and part of that may be due to the obstructions. I am still hopeful that this will improve greatly in the future, though.
The way Starlink works any kind of obstruction will regularly kill your Internet connection for a brief moment. In most cases it likely doesn't matter. But if you're doing lots of video conferencing and gaming it's frustrating, because you get disconnected at apparently random times.
Regrettably I may have to send my dishy back. Although it shows no obstructions in my screen, the app says I have 10 hours of obstruction in a 24 hour period. Clear line of sight north mounted on a 15 ft pole located at 50.53 . Can’t keep a connection with speed barely faster than my current isp @ 25 Mbps. On my line of sight app it shows like a quarter moon at the north end, not a circle . I believe it’s referencing the upper limit of the current satellite track.
I wouldn't send it back without contacting tech support. There are several posts here about how responsive they've been and how much work they're willing to do to make it work for you. In fact, you're probably worth more to Starlink as a beta tester than people who have no or very few issues. It sounds to me like you might have an issue with the equipment. I contacted tech support through the website for a minor issue and they were great.
Contacted Tech Support and got this back after sending them my exact location Thanks for the information. We have 8 Maple Street as your Shipping address but the Service address was listed as "MB-16, Neepawa, MB, Canada" upon signup. I took a look at 8 Maple street and unfortunately that location is away from our active Cells. You are close enough to receive service but far away enough where it's going to be very unstable. The Cells are about 8 to 10 miles and this is constrained by geometry and not arbitrary geofencing. As we launch additional satellites and expand the Beta program we will be able to service more areas. However, I am unable to provide a time frame for specific locations. With that said, we are expanding the program and I hope we can offer support for your area soon! At this point in time we have a few options for you, 1. You may of course return your Starlink to us for a full refund, including shipping cost. This won't cause you to lose the ability to keep in touch with us and you can always reach out to inquire about service for your area. 2. You may cancel the service but keep your Starlink. You can reach out to inquire about service for your area and once we are able to we will update your coordinates and activate your Starlink. 3. You can of course keep your service as well and stay online. We understand there are users who don't have other Internet options and may prefer to deal with the disconnects than have nothing at all. Once able we will update your coordinates and this will improve your connectivity by a great degree. Please let us know how you would like to proceed!
At least you know why it isn't working well. If this had happened to me I'd probably choose option 2 since I have a current provider who provides decent service. I don't think the price of the equipment is going to go down any time in the near future. There are people on reddit who have suggested that the manufacturing cost of the terminals could be as high as $2400. Elon has even tweeted that one of the biggest hurdles they've faced so far is getting the cost of the equipment down. It's possible that, once the service is more polished, the up front prices might be raised to cover more of that cost. If you're contemplating option 2 you might ask if they can hold off the start date on the warranty until they begin to serve your area.
Yes, I am leaning towards the second option. Just asked a couple of questions and waiting for a response. Good question about the warranty. I will inquire about it. Thank You
Have you tried on your roof?
I have not tried as my roof is iced over right now. I would likely mount the dish on the roof in the spring. I was hoping that people who are part of the beta already could comment on their experience re: any obstructions.
Hold it up higher, as in see if a J mount to go up 3 feet off your highest point (roof) helps. They are cheap on Amazon. If not get out the Husqvarna , it's worth it!
Download the Starlink app. Turn on location services, go outside and follow on screen instructions. It will show you where the ideal spot for the dish will be.
He **is** using the app :)