Photo: SpaceX
SpaceX recently launched their Starlink Maritime plan targeted at boat owners and cruise ships. Still, the price can be prohibitive for small businesses and individuals. Nevertheless, people soon discovered that the cheaper Starlink for RVs can be almost as good at a much lower price.
Starlink’s internet service is quite good compared with other satellite-based services and sometimes even with ground-based connections. But the true internet liberation hasn’t happened until SpaceX launched the Starlink for RVs service, allowing people to bring their internet dishes wherever they roam. Starlink’s conditions prohibit people from using the dish while in motion, with a threat to void the warranty on those who disobey.
But that doesn’t mean people don’t try to bend the rules. And despite not endorsing this use-case scenario, SpaceX doesn’t discriminate against users who use their dishes on moving vehicles. We’ve recently written about a test in Ukraine which resulted in good connection speeds even when traveling at 50 mph (80 kph). A new report comes from a Starlink for RVs user who used the hardware while sailing around the Greek islands. According to Business Insider, he, too, had a “surprisingly good” connection, even though not without issues.
Tarpo Topolev is the cofounder of RebelRoam, an Estonian company that provides passenger WiFi on public transport. He ordered the $599 Starlink for RVs kit in July and started to test the service in various locations around the Greek islands. Together with his crew, Topolev sailed between the islands of Kea, Mykonos, Syros, and Kythnos, testing the network for a week.
Being designed primarily for stationary use, the system would drop connection when the yacht made sharp turns but worked well at sea. This is good news, as the Starlink Maritime plan will set you back $10,000 for the hardware kit and a $5,000 monthly fee. Compared to the $599 upfront/$135 monthly fee, this is indeed prohibitively expensive.
Starlink Maritime might work for cruise companies like Royal Caribbean, which get a hefty return on their investment from customers, but for private use is a big no. Fortunately, it looks like whoever needs an internet connection at sea will get a good-enough service with Starlink for RVs. As long as they are comfortable with losing the hardware’s warranty for using it in a moving vehicle, of course.
But that doesn’t mean people don’t try to bend the rules. And despite not endorsing this use-case scenario, SpaceX doesn’t discriminate against users who use their dishes on moving vehicles. We’ve recently written about a test in Ukraine which resulted in good connection speeds even when traveling at 50 mph (80 kph). A new report comes from a Starlink for RVs user who used the hardware while sailing around the Greek islands. According to Business Insider, he, too, had a “surprisingly good” connection, even though not without issues.
Tarpo Topolev is the cofounder of RebelRoam, an Estonian company that provides passenger WiFi on public transport. He ordered the $599 Starlink for RVs kit in July and started to test the service in various locations around the Greek islands. Together with his crew, Topolev sailed between the islands of Kea, Mykonos, Syros, and Kythnos, testing the network for a week.
Being designed primarily for stationary use, the system would drop connection when the yacht made sharp turns but worked well at sea. This is good news, as the Starlink Maritime plan will set you back $10,000 for the hardware kit and a $5,000 monthly fee. Compared to the $599 upfront/$135 monthly fee, this is indeed prohibitively expensive.
Starlink Maritime might work for cruise companies like Royal Caribbean, which get a hefty return on their investment from customers, but for private use is a big no. Fortunately, it looks like whoever needs an internet connection at sea will get a good-enough service with Starlink for RVs. As long as they are comfortable with losing the hardware’s warranty for using it in a moving vehicle, of course.
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