StarLink Mini question?

[Flyer32RLS]

Seeing on FB that they are offering the Mini for $199, $16/mo or pay in full with a service plan. No they have three different ones. 100GB/$55/m0,
100GB/$80/mo or Unlimited for $175. Now I use our T-Mobile cellular WIFI for $50/m0. IT does very well where we go and have been. Will be going traveling more often next year and just trying to catch a good deal ahead of time if one comes along. I understand that going to Alaska, StartLInk is a must.

My question for those that mainly travel within the lower 48. Do you find yourself needing StarLink or does cellular fit most needs? I like my TV for entertainment and also to keep up with what is going on in this crazy world. The equipment price of $199 isn't bad but I have no idea how much data 50 or 100 GB's is. How long that 50 or 100 GB will last. I like the unlimited as that takes all the guess work out of things but $175/mo is a little hard to take.
Any help will be appreciated!!
TYIA!

 

[Fishfnatic]

We started out with 50 and moved to 100. We stream some shows in evening. Pushed the limit on 50. We use Rv park WiFi when possible but sometimes their WiFi will not stream. We may go back to 50 as we have not come close to using 100 yet.

 

[Lantley]

I have T mobile wireless internet using T-Mobile router. I am seldom of grid.
I travel mostly east coast. I always have Wi-Fi $50 a month unlimited.

 

[Flyer32RLS]

I have T mobile wireless internet using T-Mobile router. I am seldom of grid.
I travel mostly east coast. I always have Wi-Fi $50 a month unlimited.

Thanks, that is what we use. Looking at going more but not total full time next year and trying to get things set up before then and watch StartLink for specials. Just can't justify the money when T-Mobile works like a champ. Fast, easy and cheap.
They had mentioned that it was not allowed roaming but have never had anything said. Think we got it before they made that rule. At $160 a month for their roaming fee, think I would for sure jump on the StarLink wagon.
Happy Glamping!

 

[KCAlis]

Full timers here. We used a Visible phone account purely as a hotspot for our Roku TV. We stream around 2 hrs/day on a regular basis. Buffering was occasionally a problem. We had numerous campsites where we had no phone service, much less streaming ability.

Seeing locals in the Big Bend area (no cell service for miles on end) with Minis on their vehicles coupled with Starlink’s current hardware deal convinced me to sign up for a Mini on their 100GB Roam plan.

Buffering has stopped, availability is excellent and we’re using around 65GB/month. I’m considering allowing our phones and laptop to use Starlink data via the Mini’s router as down and upload speed is better than 5G. I may increase my subscription to 300GB if things keep working so well allowing me to remotely monitor sensors and cameras at the trailer.

An added advantage to the Mini is it’s WiFi network. It’s the first solution that’s consistently allowed me to connect to my printer.

 

[stanburnb]

We are pretty much full-time, but don't work. We use about 275 gigs a month. We have the 300 gig plan and use Starlink pretty much all of the time. We mostly dry camp and spend a fair amount of time where there is no cellular coverage.

 

[azreddot]

For those with starlink mini roam, does anyone suspend the service while at home? We only travel for 4-6 months and wouldn’t need it then.

 

[George]

For those with starlink mini roam, does anyone suspend the service while at home? We only travel for 4-6 months and wouldn’t need it then.

We definitely suspend service when not using. The catch is that the suspension does not take affect until the end of your billing cycle.
When you resume you pay a pro-rated amount for the days left in your billing cycle. For example: If today happened to be July 26th and if your billing cycle ended on July 31st, you would only pay for 5 days of service to resume.
You could resume today and tomorrow pause and the $10 pause fee would be billed on 7/31 and you would have full service until then.

 

[Oregon_Camper]

For those with starlink mini roam, does anyone suspend the service while at home? We only travel for 4-6 months and wouldn’t need it then.

100%....simple task in the app.

 

[Chaseweston]

The first year we were out, we only had TMHI with a Winegard 5g air 360+ with 4x4 MIMO on the roof and it was mostly good. I still work so we had to redirect from some boondocking spots that had zero cell signal (one time, turning a 1 hour drive into an 8 hour drive around the Rockies looking for a spot to fit the rig and had signal...) Second time out I had gotten starlink mini so we wouldn't be bound by cell signal and that was a game changer. I've worked full time from Canyons in Moab, deployed it in remote areas in NM where we have broken down and needed signal to figure it out, etc. With two young kids, and me working full time (mostly teams meetings), we use about 800G a month. I have the Roam unlimited. I ended up cancelling the TMHI because we ended up needing to deploy the starlink more often and they wouldn't let me pause the TMHI since I was on a promotion $50/mo unlimited or something. The TMHI was nice on the road because I left it on all the time, powered by DC system so we had Wifi while driving and spots that had signal, the rig was connected when we parked, letting the kids get into something while we setup.

It felt like they started really throttling the mobile TMHI customers over the geo-located users in some areas. I got our SL Mini as a refurbished unit for like $300 I think. I'd go for it at $200 all day. Get a boost converter to push 30v and run it off DC system with the included cable.