As the number of RVers on the road increases, including remote-working RVers, the need for reliable mobile-friendly internet increases, too. So, is Starlink for RVs up to the task?
Starlink Roam, the mobile service available from Starlink, is available to RVers, van travelers, and other land-based nomads. This service aims to provide high-speed satellite internet in the most remote reaches of the US.
In this article, we’re taking a look at:
- Specs of Starlink for RVs
- Pricing
- Pros and Cons
- What You Need to Know
- And more.
Read on to learn more about Starlink for RVs so you can decide if this internet option is a good choice for you.
Disclaimer: Internet service provider and plan details, coverage, and pricing changes all the time. We do our best to keep our articles up-to-date with accurate information, but with the rapid changes in the internet world, you may find different data. For up-to-date pricing and package information, visit Starlink's Website.
We also recommend following our friends at the Mobile Internet Resource Center on their website or on their YouTube for up-to-date information and changes within the mobile internet industry.
Table of Contents
- What Is Starlink Internet?
- Types of Starlink Mobile Service
- How Much Does Starlink RV Internet Cost?
- Pros and Cons of Starlink for RVers
- Is Starlink Roam Good for Working From Your RV?
- What You Need to Know About Using Starlink
- How to Get Reliable Internet in an RV
- Is Starlink for RVs Worth It?
What Is Starlink Internet?
If you don’t already know, Starlink is a satellite internet provider by SpaceX. It’s a literal constellation of satellites in a low Earth orbit that provides internet access to areas of the world that are traditionally underserved when it comes to internet needs.
Starlink serves remote and rural areas, and it also has mobile applications making it great for land-based nomads to get faster internet speeds, more data, and better service in some of the most remote places.
Starlink Roam – Starlink for RVs
Starlink Availability Map (Availability Only, Not Coverage)
Starlink Roam, or Mobile, formerly called Starlink RV, is a portable satellite internet service for RVers and land-based travelers.
The standard Starlink Roam plan is designed for portable use in any destination where Starlink has active coverage.
For residential Starlink service, there is still a waitlist in many areas as coverage is still expanding. However, for Starlink Roam, you don’t have to wait to order it, even if you don’t live in a coverage area.
Since Starlink Roam is a portable service that you can use on the road, you can order it and have it shipped to you just about anywhere.
You can check this map on the Starlink website to view residential availability.
Types of Starlink Mobile Service
Starlink has 2 mobile plans available known as ‘Mobile’ and ‘Mobile Priority’.
Starlink Mobile is a land-based service described as best for RVers, campers, and nomads, and it comes with the lowest priority of service, meaning that you may be deprioritized in congested areas. Mobile users receive the lowest level of priority, falling underneath all other categories: Priority, Mobile Priority, and Standard.
Mobile has both Regional and Global plans available. Regional is for within your same continent, and Global is if you travel outside your home continent.
Starlink Regional plans allow US users to use their Starlink anywhere in the US, Mexico, and some Central American countries.
Starlink Mobile Priority is a prioritized service that is described as best for maritime, emergency response, and mobile businesses. This plan has priority service at different data tiers and can be used while in motion, and on the ocean as well. Mobile Priority is prioritized above Standard users, falling just under Priority in terms of prioritization.
View this PDF for a high-level overview of the different plans and pricing information.
How Much Does Starlink RV Internet Cost?
As of July 2023, Starlink Roam pricing is as follows:
Mobile:
- $599 one-time hardware fee
- $150 Regional plan OR
- $250 Global plan
Note: You can pause and unpause the Mobile Regional and Global plans at any time. You will be charged for a full month of service when you unpause. This feature is great for snowbirds or part-time RVers.
Mobile Priority:
- $2,500 one-time hardware fee
- $250/mo 50GB priority service
- $500/mo 1TB priority service
- $5,000/mo 5TB priority service
Pros and Cons of Starlink for RVers
Pros:
- Provides internet service in very remote areas
- Starlink Mobile plans are competitively priced per month
- Can pause and unpause Mobile Regional and Mobile Global as needed
- They are constantly launching rockets with new satellites for increased global coverage
Cons:
- Starlink Mobile receives the lowest priority which may lead to abysmal internet speeds in certain areas or at certain times of day.
- Starlink Mobile Priority can get very expensive depending on your data needs
- They’re constantly changing plans, pricing, and service tiers
Is Starlink Roam Good for Working From Your RV?
If you work from your RV, having quality internet is essential. Otherwise, you could miss important meetings or deadlines or just not be able to get your work done. So is Starlink up to the task?
As in almost all cases when it comes to mobile internet options: it depends. This depends on your location, obstructions, what internet speed you need or how much data you need, and the service plan you’re on.
If you rely on the internet to work from your RV, there won’t be a one-size-fits-all type of internet that’s perfect for you. In most cases, you will need redundancies – aka multiple internet options so you have a couple of fall-backs if others fail. And then a backup plan for that, like a coffee shop or local library.
What You Need to Know About Using Starlink
Now that we’ve covered what Starlink for RVs is and the different plans available, let’s dive a bit deeper into what you need to know about using Starlink.
How Fast Is It?
Note that the photo above says “Expected speeds per service plan:”, and not “Guaranteed speeds”.
The expected speeds for the mobile plans are as follows:
Mobile:
- Download: 5-50 Mbps
- Upload: 2-10 Mbps
- Latency: <99 ms unless in remote locations
Mobile Priority:
- Download: 40-220 Mbps
- Upload: 8-25 Mbps
- Latency: less than 99 ms unless in remote locations.
As various users in Starlink Facebook groups have noted, speeds may range from much higher than the upper limits noted here for regular mobile, and at times, very low.
It depends on where you are and how congested the network is, as is the case with many forms of RV internet.
Here’s another notice from their specifications page which you can also access at this link.
Can You Use Starlink While You're in Motion?
According to the website, Starlink Mobile plans can be used in motion up to 10mph, and Starlink Mobile Priority can be used in motion at any speed.
The only dish that Starlink has approved for use in motion is the $2,500 High Performance dish, but some users have had success using the regular $599 dish in motion as well.
Only time will tell if this continues to be the case, as Starlink is constantly updating their terms and adding new functionality to their system.
How Do You Set it Up?
Starlink RV internet is surprisingly simple to set up every time you arrive at a new campsite, which is part of the reason it’s such a great option for RVers.
The Starlink Kit comes with the dish, base, cables, and router.
The router plugs in to AC power inside your RV and the cable runs from the router to the dish, outside your RV.
If you’re worried about drilling a hole to run a cable outside, you don’t have to.
Many RVers will run the cable through an RV window with a soft gasket (so they can still close it securely), or run it under a slide out opening, and these options seem to work well.
When you arrive at a new location, find an area with an unobstructed view of the sky and place your dish. The dish automatically searches for satellites, so don’t ever try to adjust the dish manually.
Then, connect the dish cable to your router and connect your router to power, then use your phone to connect to the Starlink App.
Your dish will calibrate and search for connection points in the sky and once it finds a connection, it will point itself at the satellite and you’ll be done.
You can read the setup instructions on their website here and watch the video above for a walkthrough.
Starlink Needs A Decent Amount of Power
If you’re always plugged into shore power, then powering up your Starlink shouldn’t be a problem.
However, if you like to head off the beaten path and boondock or dry camp, you’ll need to consider how you will power your Starlink internet setup.
The Starlink router needs to plug into 120v AC power and when running constantly, it will use quite a bit of power.
How Much Power Does Starlink for RVs Use?
On average, the standard rectangular Starlink dish setup consumes between 1.2 to 1.8 kilowatt hours of power in a 24-hour period. On the low end, this will consume almost all the power in a 100ah lithium battery or a 200ah lead acid battery in a 24-hour period.
So unless you have a robust battery bank or a way to recharge your batteries quickly, you’ll eat up a lot of power using the Starlink. Of course, you don’t have to leave it on 24/7, so that will save some power.
Location Affects Performance
Your location will affect your Starlink performance for a couple of reasons: obstructions and prioritization.
Obstructions
Starlink does not perform well when there are obstructions of any kind in the field-of-view of your dish. So if you’re camping in an area with lots of trees, you may get very poor performance from your setup.
The Starlink dish comes with a 75-foot cable, which gives you flexibility with dish placement. Some RVers utilize an extremely tall pole that mounts on the RV ladder and raises the dish above the trees. Others choose to simply walk their dish out to a clearing for an unobstructed view of the sky.
Prioritization
As we’ve gone over a few times in this article, certain Starlink plans are prioritized higher than others. The lowest tier of mobile service, Starlink Mobile, is the lowest level of priority in an area that has high usage or congestion.
When you are in an area of congestion, your internet speeds will be deprioritized, or throttled, to very low speeds. This can make some internet tasks difficult or impossible, but typically only at peak times of day.
How to Get Reliable Internet in an RV
As an RVer, you have to be flexible and adaptable. And as an RVer you know that you can’t always have the same creature comforts as a sticks and bricks house, at least not without some work. And constantly reliable internet is no exception!
If you want or need consistently reliable internet in your RV, you’ll need more than one option to cover all your bases.
This can include satellite, dedicated mobile hotspots, and/or hot-spotting off of your cell phone.
RV park and campground public wifi is rarely reliable, although it’s always nice to find a campground with great wifi. However, don’t count on it as your main source.
