Starlink doesn’t require a contract, leaving Hughesnet as the only satellite internet provider that requires a two-year commitment. You can end your Starlink service anytime, but you’ll be stuck with $600 worth of hardware. Fortunately, it’s possible to sell and transfer ownership of Starlink kits to others if you’re moving on from the service.
Due to their technological differences, Hughesnet and Viasat can only do so much regarding speed. Instead, they try to remain competitive by making their services more affordable and improving reliability. The policy doesn’t specify the amount of data, unlike other providers.
However, a year prior, download speeds in the US were closer to 90 Mbps. Starlink’s service has expanded significantly thanks to its large constellation of satellites. The company currently has more than 3,000 satellites in orbit and continues to expand it with near-weekly launches. On September 18, 2022, SpaceX launched another 54 satellites into space.
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Jim Olson uses Starlink at his self-sustaining cabin in mountainous Colorado. After using the other two satellite providers (Hughesnet and Viasat), he told me the quality was night and day. Starlink’s reliability rating is among the lowest of any provider due mainly to its poor customer support. Limited support is a significant source of customer dissatisfaction. Starlink is easily the best choice for gaming over satellite internet.
Can I cancel or reverse a transfer?
Plenty of games and consoles have automatic updates that will use your data when you are not actively playing. Around the U.S., Starlink latency runs between 30 and 50 milliseconds (ms), compared to Hughesnet and Viasat, which clock in latency as high as 800ms. The improved latency makes Starlink ideal for buffer-free streaming and online gaming—frustrating or nonexistent activities for Hughesnet and Viasat customers. The Starlink dish is utilities payable accountingtools self-orienting and connects quickly as long as it has a clear view of the sky.
Prerequisite Conditions Before Selling Your Starlink
As of August 2024, there are no signs of slowing down in order to meet Elon Musk’s goal of complete, worldwide coverage. Olson, who is tech-savvy and handy, was concerned about Starlink’s lack of customization options. While he was impressed with how quickly he could connect to the internet right out of the box, he was confused by the lack of controls, proprietary cable, and no Ethernet port on his Gen 2 router. Starlink’s Fair Use Policy states that to deliver fair and equal speeds to all customers, it may slow speeds for customers who consistently surpass the average usage amount.
Target doesn’t carry Starlink in-store, but it offers free shipping, allows customers to pay in installments, and has a 30-day return policy. To initiate the transfer, go to your Account portal, and navigate to Manage. Now select your dish and click on the Transfer button given after the Status section. Make sure to be fully confident about your transfer process because there is no way back after this step. All your hardware will be immediately removed from your account, and the remaining days of the internet plan (if any) will be discontinued. On the other hand, Christian Bacasa in Utah told me in an interview he doesn’t mind the hands-off approach to support.
Many customers I spoke with were handy enough to mount their dish, drill a hole into their home, and run the cable through. They also told me they understood it could be trouble for other people. It turns out that Starlink’s growing customer base is having an impact on its performance. In fact, compared to a year prior, Starlink speeds decreased in every country Ookla surveyed in Q2 — across Europe, Oceania, North America and South America.
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- Now the crucial step for the buyer is to sign up for the Starlink official account with a Gmail address and password.
- After doing all 3 steps successfully given above, you must pack up your equipment, which you have to ship to your buyer’s address.
- As of September 2022, service starts at $110 per montly with a one-time hardware cost of $599.
- Because once you buy the Starlink Kit, you own it and do whatever you want to do as per Starlink’s terms of service.
The previously mentioned plans are compatible with any Starlink kit and need to be stationary, but what if you need internet while you’re literally moving? A Mobile Priority plan paired with the Flat High-Performance dish allows you to tap into Starlink’s highest speeds while in motion, making it the preferred choice for maritime or mobile business usage. Starlink markets its plans as having unlimited high-speed data, and while this is technically true, there is some fine print to be aware of. Service providers have only so much bandwidth to offer their customers; Starlink is no exception. Since the service and equipment are designed to be simple to install and activate, many customers I interviewed rarely needed customer service and liked the hands-off approach. Even if this is so, it’s no excuse for not having more responsive support for something many people depend on.
The idea is Starlink’s constellation of satellites connect users anywhere on Earth to the internet. Starlink promises to deliver “high-speed broadband internet to locations where access has been unreliable or completely unavailable”. The company started out selling receivers to residential and business customers before adding on support for roaming services on both land and water. Customers pay a one-time fee for the hardware and then a recurring fee for internet service. Other satellite internet service providers are out there like HughesNet or Viasat, but, for better or worse, more people tend to know about Starlink thanks to its connection with Elon Musk.
Likewise, it’s possible to save money by buying a preowned kit, but like any used electronics, there is the risk of it not working correctly. Starlink is the only satellite internet provider that requires you to purchase its equipment instead of leasing it. Most Starlink customers I interviewed switched their internet service from one of the other two satellite internet providers.
If you’re a business or on a boat, expect to shell out $2,500 for a high-performance kit. For someone in a remote area who needs access to a high-speed, stable internet connection, Starlink is a great purchase. If you’re looking for a routine home-fiber network that won’t handle much traffic, it may prove more prudent to consider other options. For example, Starlink’s speed map shows that customers in Nevada enjoy up to 179Mbps, while Virginia customers have to settle with up to 102Mbps.
You have to collect your DEVICE ID and TERMINAL ID to provide them to the buyer. In most cases, people install Starlink themselves, as the company does not send professionals to the job. So you can install it yourself if you want to, or you can hire a technician to do the job instead.
Starlink satellite internet has grown faster than any provider in recent years, bringing high-speed, low-latency internet to rural areas where fiber and wireless internet are unavailable. It’s easy to get started, but the high start-up cost and monthly subscription can be a barrier for customers. Starlink is engineered to be intuitive, but the self-installation and limited customer support may also put off some users who are used to those services. Starlink Business is available for remote and rural businesses across the globe for $500 per month with a one-time hardware cost of $2,500. This service provides connectivity for offices of up to 20 users, storefronts and demanding workloads across the globe with promised download speeds of up to 350 Mbps and latency of 20 to 40 ms. Starlink is, without a doubt, the most expensive satellite internet service.