Starlink Alternatives for RV & Boat Mobile Internet
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- Опубликовано: 11 фев 2025
- SpaceX's Starlink satellite broadband constellation has become a game changing option for mobile internet for many RVers and boaters over the past few years - allowing nomads of all types to keep abundantly connected in places not possible before.
But Starlink is not without its drawbacks - and we get asked all the time here at the Mobile Internet Resource Center for advice on alternatives.
There are many reasons one may not want Starlink - whether it is the rising ongoing monthly costs, issues with obstructions, constant plan and terms of service changes, off-grid power consumption concerns, or other more personal reasons.
Can nomads still travel with abundant connectivity - without relying on Starlink?
The answer for most is YES!
With a little bit of work it is not hard at all to dial back or eliminate completely your dependency on Starlink.
And even if you intend to keep Starlink a part of your connectivity arsenal - knowing your alternatives can pay off when you encounter Starlink congestion or obstruction issues.
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[About MIRC]
The Mobile Internet Resource Center is dedicated to helping mobile travelers (RVers, boaters, nomads, etc.) keep connected!
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Thank you very much. It’s all about options and it’s wonderful to have them explained.
I ADORE the Calyx Institute! We are at the 5G "Sustainer" for the past year and it has been flawless coverage. Stream multiple video feeds, works in the city and the midst of the low-country swamps along the Edisto and has never buffered or throttled. We are retired, live in SC and 'glamp' travel the south east coast NC to FL in our 30 yr old Class A RV. Highly recommend Calyx!! (Even worked post-hurricane Helene to stay in touch when we were all out of power for 2 weeks.)
Calyx is a great option,. and one we have listed as a Top Pick: www.rvmobileinternet.com/planpicks
YES, you can use something like a Peplink to act as a load balancer and it will prioritize whatever connection has the least latency. As someone who supports these products this is a very solid way to get the best of both worlds
Peplink is a top choice of many of our members, exactly for these reasons.
I think I bought Starlink about two years ago and have yet to take it out of the box. I've never used it because my combination of T-Mobile and ATT&T with an extender has worked just fine for me. And I work full-time Mon-Fri! I just have it just in case.
Same
If feasible, try to fire it up from time to time (if you have already set up an account for it). If your account is paused, software updates over the link will still be processed (no charge). Extended periods of no updates might be an issue. At a minimum, it's a function check of the system.
Cellular can keep one very well connected.. we personally haven't needed our Starlink in over a year.
Thanks for the tip, you gave me something to do this week!
@@MobileInternetResourceCenter
We've recently had the opportunity to visit Death Valley and Big Bend National Parks, as well as other areas in the western United States. During our time in these locations, we found that Starlink internet connectivity was definitely necessary.
I'm on the water and am an amateur radio operator. HF radio and WINLINK allows sending and receiving email and receiving weather around the world. There's also a marine-centric system called Sailmail that has similar capability. Cell, and especially 5G, take care of all my needs when near a coast.
We really enjoyed having starlink, but found we had to keep all our cell services for when we didn't have a clear shot at the sky. Was it a game changer? Yes. Did it cots $2k a month in service fees? Yes.
Can't fathom a 2k service bill. I have all three carriers for under a hundred.
Thanks for this.
Thank you!!!❤❤❤
Great update. Thanks! 👍🏻
Excellent video! Through your recommendations over the years I've built a system on my RV that just works. Starting with the Peplink Max br2 Pro dual modem as the brains, the appropriate husky antenna on the roof Plus Romlink from mobile must have. Along with roam link I also added an AT&T account. Starlink is still on board but I'm not a fan of Elon so I'll not be unpausing the starlink system unless there's a natural disaster and every single cell tower has been blown down. Also for out in the middle of nowhere, with no cell phone service my Verizon Google pixel 9 Pro XL has satellite messaging connected with Garmin inreach to get help when Off-Roading on those Colorado trails. One other option I haven't used yet but have tested, just plugging the pixel into the peplink works very well using it as a modem. And you're right, I get better speeds with this configuration then starlink or at least as good as and now I don't have to worry about parking under those trees which is pretty much all you do camping in Colorado.
We have indeed been plenty of places where trees made Starlink unusable, and cellular worked wonderfully.
In my case, I want backup internet for our home when we lose power and cellular isn't the solution, because when we loser power, everyone jumps on the cell towers and saturates them so badly, you can't even get text messages through. Cellular bonding routers are pretty cool though, and I didn't know they exist.
Indeed.. for a specific location or need, there may not be alternatives. We're specifically focused on mobile internet for RVers and boaters.
BALANCE 20X SINCE LAST SPRING 👌
The Balance 20X was a great option - it's now retired, and replaced with the much more capable B One 5G: www.rvmobileinternet.com/gear/peplink-b-one/
Thanks for this video.Starlink ALTERNATIVES. It's nice that you understand that there are other ways. I know some people have to be (or feel like they have to be) connected all the time rather than taking a few days off. As you said, planning is important. I don't think Bezos is an alternative for Musk. I saw this yesterday: Feb 3, 2025: Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario, announced "We’ll be ripping up the province’s contract with Starlink," said Ford. "Ontario won’t do business with people hellbent on destroying our economy." Thanks again, Chris
With a little planning, one can keep as connected as they need or desire with cellular - indeed.
Alright! The anti-Muskrat campaign is picking up steam.
I canceled my Starlink. I can no longer support that guy...
😢😢😢😢🤣🤣🤣🤣
I'm watching this so I can do that very thing!!!
I have other options. I know not everybody does.
And why is that? All he’s doing is looking for waste in our government. And there’s a lot of waste out there
@@loydadair There is waste everywhere not only in government. You are missing the entire point. It's not because something is wrong or need adjusted that you should give catre blanche to a single individual with serious conflicts of interests. If you dont see that as a problem then you are also part of the problem. There are ethical ways of dealing with over staffing and over spending. They are both ruining your country and you guys are so blinded by your current issues that you are completely missing that freight train that's coming for you.
Why can't why can't I adjust the video speed?
You should be able to. That is a RUclips issue - not us.
The biggest drawback for Starlink is the Nazi who owns it.
Cellular is not going to work off the grid end of story .
It can work great when off the grid (we have used it regularly for 19 years now when boondocking).. just not in places off the coverage maps. Those are different things.
Balderdash. I have off-grid property with 3 cellular carriers to choose from.
Yes, there are alternatives to starlink. However, are they cost effective? Even though I don't want to give money to the weirdo, I won't fall on my sword financially. You guys provide great content and you are a huge help to the RV and boating communities but one place you could up your game is to do cost comparisons other than just who has the cheapest plan this month. For example, this video could have contained an actual multi-network cost comparison to starlink.
There are many options for data plans, that are always changing. Going over them all would made this video both excessively long and quickly outdated. Which is why we point to our current top pics at www.rvmobileinternet.com/planpicks. There is a 25m video there going over many great options - that can be cheaper than Starlink depending on your unique needs.
Why would you want an alternative.?
There are multiple reasons listed in the video.
I sure love my Starlink. Don't need any alternatives. 🙂
There's a lot to love about Starlink - it's a ground breaking technology. Just some don't want to be optimized around it for various reasons.
Cellular works where works and doesn't where it doesn't (which is still a lot of places in the US)...So if Y'all are being honest...the answer is NO...there is not a good alternative if you are actually comparing apples to apples!
Really just depends on how often you need to be away from the carrier's coverage maps. It's a totally viable option for those that don't see that as a problem.
BTW - we have been traveling full time now for nearly 19 years. It has never before been easier to keep connected - even without Starlink.
We definitely speak from experience.
I agree! If there is no or only bad cellular connection unfortunately there is NO alternative to Starlink. I would be more than happy if I don’t had to use Starlink anymore. This month old contract not possible anymore and $20 price increase.
I am boondocking all the time and too often there is no or really bad cellular connection.
If I need two or three contracts with Tmobile, AT&T and Verizon than Starlink is same or cheaper but always better. I need WiFi for work but hotspots are too bad and far too expensive!