Starlink’sinternet-from-SpaceXservicehasgonemobilewiththeadditionofanewPortabilityfeature.
Starlinkcustomerscannowtaketheir“dishy”anywhereontheirhomecontinentthathasactiveinternetcoverageforanadditionalmonthlyfee.
Thisenablesconnectivitytoremoteareasthatwillalmostcertainlyneverbecoveredby5G,whichcouldbenefitthegrowingnumberofwork-from-anywheretypesspawnedbytheCOVID19pandemic.
ElonMusk,CEOofSpaceX,respondedtoonesatisfiedStarlinkcamper,saying,“StarlinkisawesomeforRV’s,camping,oranyactivityawayfromcities.”
I’m camping at a remote state park this week with no cell reception. None of my hotspots work (Verizon, AT&T, T-mobile). So set up Starlink and like magic – high speed internet(!). Starlink is changing the game. @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/sfs9ANNIt3
— Dave Lee (@heydave7) May 3, 2022
Starlinkdoesnotyetsupportusewhiledriving,butthecompanysaysitisactivelyworkingonasolutionformovingvehicles.
Muskhaspreviouslystatedthatheisworkingonapower-efficientsolutionthatcanbepluggedintoacar’s12Vcigarettelighterwhilestillmaintainingconnectivity.
Thathasn’tstoppedsomeownersfromusinghackerytotestStarlinkonspeedingcars,withvaryingdegreesofsuccess.
Whenboondockingandlivingoffthebatteryofyourvehicle,powerconsumptionisanimportantconsideration.
AccordingtoJeffGeerling’sblog,Starlinkdraws60-70W,animprovementfromthe80-100Wdrawayearago.
Accordingtothecompany,StarlinkoffersPortabilityona“best-effort”basis,withusersattheirregisteredserviceaddressesreceivingpriorityfornetworkresources.
“WhenyoumoveyourStarlinktoanewlocation,thisprioritization mayresultindegradedservice,particularlyduringpeakusageornetworkcongestion,”theStarlinksupportpagewarns.
ExistingStarlinkcustomerscanactivatePortabilityfromtheiraccountpage.
Itcostsanextra$25permonthontopofmonthlysubscriptionsthatstartat$110afteraone-timefeeof$599topurchasetheStarlinkkit.
