StarLink satellite internet

That is an inexpensive modem, and doesn’t perform the best in speed, and lacking carrier aggrigation. Don’t think it even does MIMO.
Interestingly it is a winner on low signal strength.
Often will connect to the network where others will not.
I do have a Telstra 4GX Wifi because if my Nighthawk M2 wouldn’t connect and thought it should, would swap the SIM into the 4GX Wifi and often would connect suffiently for email only.
Now have the Telstra Nighthawk M6 Pro, and is on a par for reception sensitivity with the 4GX Wifi. Have the Telstra M6 Pro connected permanently in my caravan to a Blackhawk Marine dipole, and also carry a 15dBi Yagi when needed.

About to order Starlink myself.
Was hoping to purchase the mobile dish for installation to my caravan.
Would make it removable so could use at home if decided to do that.

Sadly not available in Australia except to business customers.
I have e-mailed an associate in the USA that I believe has contacts at SpaceX on the Starlink side. So wishing and hoping may be able to get one. Should have a reply tomorrow.
Reading the Starlink groups, appears the plugs needed to be treated with care and sadly they are proprietory at the moment. No doubt won’t be long before the plugs are AliExpress. Hopefully someone may have the skill to 3D print them. Will certainly have to do some cutting and splicing of the cables to reduce the amount supplied. Have got some NATO plugs which may be suitable, and are waterproof.

Nothing crazy at all. Obviously highly ADHD or along those lines.
Those type of people can genuinely fit square pegs into round holes and make them fit well.
They always think well outside the box and come up with solutions others never think off.
In Australia we have the distasteful practise of wanting to throw these type of forward looking solution finding people on the scrap heap, instead of putting their often highly clever minds to good and fruitful use.
When I was in the USA and came across a good sprinkling of Australians in the corporate world in good positions with low education standards. They were all innovative, forward thinking and achieving positive outcomes. Why did they go to the good ol’e US of A, too difficult to find suitable employment that met their needs and desires, and found it difficult to get along in a closed thinking mind environment.
Understand these type of people fully, and love to get involved with them. I used to seek these people out and loved their vision and methodology of thought and solutions. Often like a three ring circus and having to play mental gymnastics at the same time. Highly stimulating.

The plug is an awkward shape and won’t fit down the pole that is the correct diameter to mount the dish. This means it has to run down the outside of the pole in the weather. It is right angled.

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However and we agree,

I’ve found the all day battery life, and being able to slip it into a corner pocket of the shoulder bag most convenient when travelling. Should MIMO be relevant when I’m sitting a mere metre or two distant with a single device connected on the wifi or USB tether?

There are as suggested other choices, and available for a more premium cost, need’s depending.

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Maybe it is just me, but I think it it is crazy to allow a company, for commercial profit, to put thousands of satellites into low earth orbit just so people can get the bandwidth needed to stream their TV show or movie off the Internet, and low latency to be able to play their Internet game.

Just so much space junk and risk of collisions just to pander to unneeded requirements.

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Thankfully only an unneeded requirement in your mind if you don’t need it.
For a substantial number of Australians in rural areas and travellers Starlink I can assure is manner from heaven!!!

MIMO is a function between the mobile phone tower and the modem. The tower has to support MIMO and them the MIMO function is actually performed in the modem. MIMO makes a significant difference in speed.
https://www.telcoantennas.com.au/site/how-does-mimo-work

Is this the MIMO that means multiple input, multiple output that has been a standard part of radio communications for a long time now?
In cell networks, and WiFi.

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Is MIMO supported on Wifi - no idea. Multiple aerials, so maybe. Never heard it mentioned. Never used Wifi that much except to laptop, tablet, diesel heater. Always used network cables to my CNC machinery for speed and reliability - and easier to configure. Did have MQTT setup for my inverter split system and backup emergency diesel heater. Had a network guru 1km way I would shout out to in reciprocal help.

MIMO on WiFi? Ever since 2008 with IEEE 802.11n.
On cell radio networks, ever since evolutions starting with 3G.

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Sorry but this is just incorrect. Almost all of the people in Australia taking up the Starlink service are doing so because the only alternatives are poor or worse. Starlink is giving decent internet to those who otherwise have third world internet. Starlink is basically restricted by Australian law to offering the service in rural and regional areas (i.e. not metro areas).

It isn’t about streaming video. It’s about even half-decent basic internet.

In the interests of full disclosure: I don’t have the Starlink service, and I don’t have any connection with SpaceX of any kind. But I know several households who have now got Starlink and are loving being in the 21st century.

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OK, maybe it is just me who thinks thousands of LEO satellites in orbit to provide a ‘decent’ Internet experience, rather than a functional one for communications, is unneeded. We have had geosynchronous comms satellites for a long time (I remember doing video conferences to the US way back in 1990).

Perhaps I was affected by the message in the movie Gravity more than others.

Starlink are proposing to put up to 45,000 of these pests into space, just so that consumers can get their video streaming and play interactive games.

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One of the benefits of LEO satellites over a geostationary satellite is that the constellation of LEO satellites by definition services the entire planet. So while it may seem wasteful, each satellite is working for a different country when it’s not working for Australia (because it is not visible in Australia). But sure if you’re an astronomer, you might dislike the Starlink constellation.

Geostationary, all other things being equal, requires more transmit power for the same outcome (being one to two orders of magnitude further away). Orbital altitude also has a corresponding effect on latency, which is quite unworkable with a geostationary satellite for certain use.

On the upside, geostationary doesn’t require a steerable dish (while LEO does) - so the dish can be more reliable (no moving parts) and can more readily be made bigger.

On the neither up nor down side, in the southern hemisphere, geostationary requires a particular point on your northern horizon to be clear (which it may or may not be) while the Starlink satellites generally require a fairly clear southern horizon (which it may or may not be).

Video streaming is viable on Skymuster (geostationary satellite) - provided that you specifically don’t have a problem with quota and more generally provided that your beam doesn’t have a problem with congestion.

Sadly in many cases that is total and utter blindness to others needs. Many stations and businesses NEED this service badly. Many small rural hospitals have fitted Starlink and four rural ambulances now have Starlink fitted and saved two lives with expert live medical help in NSW.
In my case being aged, and an traveller in remote areas of Australia, to have internet and phone anywhere is quite comforting. I do have a satellite dish and satellite decoder for TV, but having Starlink will naturally use that streaming TV instead to my Google Chromecast TV.
Sure we have had geostationary satellites for a long time, but these cannot easily be used by many small businesses and rural stations for personal use on two way communication. The other issue is congestion as it is on Skymuster service and at times limited downloads.
If you had a need and requirement for Starlink I am positive you would be jumping for joy to get a service like this.

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SpaceX could place Starlink satellites into different orbits to better service Australia. However the balance of the time in orbit may be mostly over water or ……?

They could but for a global service and the tiny market in Australia that would make no sense.

LOL. Yes, probably. However providing service to ships at sea (and perhaps aircraft in the air) is not necessarily a bad thing.

PS With the new generation of Starlink satellites that allow inter-satellite routing, even a satellite that is not communicating with any ground-based clients could still be doing something useful.

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Not necessarily…

While Space X Starlink promotes itself saying it won’t contribute to space junk as their satellites will be returning to earth at their end of life (in 5-6 years), this assumes that their satellites aren’t involved in a collision which would potentially spray out space junk leaving it there to impact with other satellites. It appears that NASA has concerns about Starlink’s ability to avoid collisions in the long term. This article provides some additional information:

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10 times faster than a speeding bullet. For personal space travel, not something you are likely to notice when it does happen. :rofl: (emoji added)

Wikipedia suggests for speeds of a different kind 50-150Mbps.

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It isn’t personal travel which is the issue. It is space junk preventing future generations having the same abilities to use orbiting satellites for services and communication. This is where the real risk lies with an unregulated, uncontrolled and commercially driven space.

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Isn’t it a risk to any and all future space endeavours?

Except that it is regulated, rogue nations and secret off shore launches from international waters excepted.
https://www.itu.int/hub/2023/01/satellite-regulation-leo-geo-wrs/

Some further questions as to the issues regulation needs to respond to.

Every reason to be concerned.
Is there a point at which those who fill the prime spaces first and most widely are able to exclude all others? Relevant to future consumers if this serves to restrict choice and hence competition.

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