RicochetStarlink

That's interesting @catman. I made my reservation in March 2021. I got an email in early April 2022 saying service was now available. I placed an order and by the 3rd week of April, I had my kit in hand. So, are you saying that you placed your order at the beginning of the year (January?) and did not receive your Starlink Kit until September? Thanks! @RIcochet

I have some questions for Starlink Support. The question is specific to my connection, so the canned answers in the Support pages (https://support.starlink.com/) don't really help. So, I decided to open a Support Ticket, which I've done a couple of times in the past. However, I cannot find the link to open a Support Ticket anywhere on the Support pages. Is it possible that Starlink removed the ability to open a ticket when they published all the new Support content a few weeks ago? Or maybe they just got tired of my complaining and are censoring me... I dunno... Thoughts? @RIcochet

This is my understanding from reading the Starlink docs. However, I have not confirmed any of this through testing here. I no longer have any bridge devices that I could use. I am not familiar with these devices, but taking a quick look at the mfg's product page (see http://www.ueevii.com/ProductDetail/6728374.html), they appear to be conceptually similar to the Ubiquiti devices I once had. These devices typically have IP addresses assigned. Have you checked the configuration to be sure that IP addresses being used by each device are in the same subnet as your main Starlink router (out in the barn)? The router hands out IP addresses (using DHCP) in the `192.168.1.0/24` CIDR. So, if these devices are using IP addresses that don't start with `192.168.1.xxx`, that could be problematic. Have you tried connecting a device (e.g., a laptop) to the device in the house using an Ethernet cable to one of the LAN ports on the device? If so, what happens when you open a browser and enter `http://192.168.100.1` in the URL bar. This should bring up the web-based app for your Starlink router. This seems like the most likely outcome. However, read on... That sounds like pretty decent signal from the main Starlink router. As an experiment, try this. Disconnect and power down the bridge devices. Inside the house, plug in one of your extra Starlink routers. Open the Starlink app on an iOS or Android mobile device. Tap on 'Network'. After a few minutes do you get a notice about connecting a mesh router? This could take anywhere from 1-10 minutes. If you get the mesh router notice, tell the app to connect the mesh router. After a couple of minutes, the app should show the mesh router connected to the main router in the diagram at the to of the 'Network' page. Assuming all the above has worked, try connecting a device over WiFi to you Starlink SSID. In the app, on the 'Network' page, does your device connect to the main router or the mesh router? If connected to the mesh router, try a Starlink speed test and see what result you get. Afterwards, use Ookla Speedtest (or another web-based tool) and see what result you get. This is all just pure "off-the-top-of-my-head" speculation -- meaning, this might not work at all. Good luck! @RIcochet

This is great news, @catman! My old WISP wasn't as bad as your old situation, but it didn't work for me. I switched to Starlink in May. I've had some ups and downs since then, but in the last couple of weeks, my experience has been very similar to what you describe. I was downloading a large file yesterday and noticed I was getting 185Mbps! Sweet!

Are you being charged for the Starlink dish at your country house?

@Whitesox711, Another thing to try here is to reboot the dish antenna -- this is different than rebooting the router -- using the mobile app. A factory reset on the router should do this, but there are times I've had to reboot the antenna separately. Also, is there any place where the cable between the router and the dish might be crimped (i.e., in a window or doorway) or bent at a sharp angle? My first cable was router through a busy doorway for a couple of weeks and had to be replaced because, apparently, the opening and closing of the door cause an intermittent connection. 😛

Just to be sure this is not the issue, have you checked your Junk and/or Spam folders? Perhaps your email provider has mis-tagged the confirmation email as spam... Also, search ALL of your email folders for the Confirmation number. Maybe you'll find the email that way. On GMail, you can select the All Mail folder which includes EVERYTHING and then search there.

I am assuming that the answer to @StarlinkLeader's question is that the courier delivered the Starlink kit to someone else. FWIW, the courier is liable for correct delivery. If you know which company delivered the dish, then contact them and ask them to fix it. In the meantime, if you can open a ticket with Starlink Support and let them know what has happened...

@twagger, Is it possible to provide some additional details? What devices are you using to create the bridge? I once had a similar setup between two buildings using two Ubiquiti Litebeam antennas (see the datasheet here). FWIW, these devices are relatively inexpensive, have a 10km range, operate in the 5GHz band, and are very reliable. With this setup, one antenna would be wired directly to the main Starlink router in the barn. The other would provide a wired connection for a WiFi router in the house. If your bridge setup is in any way similar to this, try connecting the endpoint in the barn to the main Starlink router using a cable and a Starlink Ethernet adapter. Now, as for your two extra Starlink routers. This kind of bridge setup will not support using a Starlink router in the house. Starlink's routers function in one of two configurations. Either the router must be either directly connected to the dish or it must be wirelessly connected to the main Starlink router as a mesh router. I'd be willing to be that the Starlink mesh configuration will not work over the 300' distance between your barn (main Starlink router) and your house (mesh Starlink router). And Starlink expressly does not support a bridge of any kind between their routers. So, unless you can get the Starlink mesh setup (without a bridge) across the 300' from your barn to you house, you will need to use some other WiFi Access Point in the house. A WiFi router is potentially problematic unless it can be put into "bridge" mode... HTH, @RIcochet

"...not from the iPhone..." To be clear, I mean using the Starlink app, not using the browser on the iPhone.

@StarlinkLeader, IOS (iPhone 13) as you already noted. I did log out, log back in and even reboot my router and antenna. Funny thing, I could run the speed test through a web browser (Chrome) pointed at `https://dishy.starlink.com` or `https://192.168.100.1`. However, not from the iPhone. The problem cleared up within 24-48. hours and has not recurred.

@DirecPC, This is good information. Thank you for posting. Overall, what do you think of the TPLink ER 7206? Historically, I've not been a fan of TPLink networking products. However, it seems they might be doing some things right these days. Did you consider any other multi-WAN routers? If so, would you be willing to share which ones and why you chose TPLink? Thanks! Ricochet

This morning, I tried to start a speed test in the Starlink app on my iPhone. The Speed Test screen displays an error... (!) JSON Parse error: Unexpected identifier "undefined" Once this happens, I have to shut down and restart the app to try again. I've tried rebooting the router(s) -- I have a Starlink WIFi mesh consisting of three routers -- and the dish, but the problem keeps coming back. I understand what "JSON Parse error" means and I think I know what "undefined" is. This would appear to indicate that something in the infrastructure is returning an invalid response when the speed test is starting. Oh, and this seems specific to the app on the device. I can point a browser at the router -- `192.168.100.1` -- and run a speed test with no problems. Has anyone else seen this issue? Any idea what might be going on? Thanks, Ricochet

So, today I got a response from support... Then, "Melissa" closed the ticket. Guess they were tired of hearing from me... Way to go Starlink. The embedded link is to this page: https://www.starlink.com/legal/documents/DOC-1002-69942-69?regionCode=US. The last section reads as follows. So... basically... it seems that Starlink's message -- to me, at least -- is "F#$! off. We never promised you anything. You just THOUGHT we did. And, when service degrades, not only have we disavowed any responsibility for service levels to begin with, we've also told you that the problem could be anything else at your site from aging computers (really?) to weather conditions. And when we tell you in a year that the only way to fix your problem is to replace your equipment with a newer model, YOU WILL BE BUYING IT because... well, because you will. Something tells me I'm not the only person getting "attitude" from Musk's Minions... This is starting to feel like the world's biggest game of Three Card Monty... Oy vey!

Wow! This is encouraging that Starlink responded and resolved your problem in such a short time. Consider yourselves lucky as this is not the experience of many other Starlink customers who wait days and even weeks for responses to support tickets. One question. If you could not login to your account to submit a ticket, how did you reach Starlink to remedy the situation?

Welcome to the Sh!++y Starlink Support Club! I got setup with Starlink sometime in May. At first, everything was great. Then, the service started to decay. I opened my first ticket on 5/25/22. Support responded on 5/27/22 and then fell silent until 6/16/2022 when they informed me that they were sending a replacement cable and router (both "refurbished") and summarily closed the ticket. Three (3) weeks from start to finish for the ticket and another ten days for the equipment to arrive... and nothing changed. Nothing. So, on 7/11/22, I opened the second ticket. Support responded the same day with a message restating all the diagnostic recommendations that are on the web site. I posted several times over the next few days. Then, on 7/15/22, "Crystal" replied explaining, "We are experiencing higher than normal ticket volumes due to a rapid growth in our customer base. We are working on expanding our customer service as this is not the ideal response time. We appreciate your patience as we look into this." The reply ended with a request, "Could you please share photos of your installation?" I saw this response and just went furious. I waiting until 7/20/22 to respond to give myself some time to cool down and collect my thoughts. At that point, I expressed my surprise and frustration with the described situation and asked for clarifications of what photos they needed. Then, silence... until 7/23/22 when "Andrew" replied. I wrote a long, patient reply. Explaining exactly what was going on -- again -- and attached a screen shot of my Ookla Speedtest history. On 7/24/22, I suddenly began to see download speeds in excess of 100 Mbps from Ookla Speedtest on my iPhone 13! I was stoked. Sadly, I was never able to reproduce those results from my Macbook Mini or Macbook Pro. However, I did start to see 35-50 Mbps on the Maccbook Pro and downloaded a 2.7GB macOS update. About 80% through the download, my download speed suddenly dropped below one (1) Mbps and remained below 10 Mbps for the remainder of the download. Needless to say, I added this info (with evidence) to the ticket the next day, 7/25/22. On 7/29/22, "Andrew" replied again. He apologized for the issues, informed me that they had "...escalated this issue to our networking engineers for a deeper look...". He also credited my account $110.00 (one month's service fee) as a courtesy. Over the next couple of days, "Andrew" and I exchanged some trivial, courteous notes. Then, on 8/4/22, Andrew posted the following. I'd already sent them Speedtest results, including using a directly wired Mac mini. The results showed now difference. Why was I being asked to do the same again? I told him I'd do what he'd asked... then I didn't. Just too much trouble and I'd already sent the data. Between 8/5/22 and 8/16/22, service improved a bit... so much so that it seemed like things were on the mend. Then, on 8/16/22, the bottom dropped out again. I complained every day through 8/21/22 until Andrew replied saying they were waiting for the test results they had requested on 8/4/22. So, on 8/22/22, I ran the speed tests they'd requested under the conditions they'd requested and posted the results on the ticket. Today is 9/6/22. There has been no response from Starlink Support since the request from "Andrew" on 8/21/22. This ticket has been open 8 weeks and 1 day without resolution. Of course, there are others here -- 👀 @Oznemol and @Darren -- who have more serious issues and concerns. However, in the end, it would appear that Starlink has added more customers than they can handle -- both on the network and through support. Consequently, all of us who have joined Elon Musk's multi-billion-dollar ISP experiment are paying the price.

Welcome to the mess that Starlink has become. "...speed as low as the teens?" Do you mean 10-19.9Mbps? If so, HA! I'd kill for regular speeds in that range. I'm getting single-digits.

This makes no sense to me... I am a Residential Customer (since May of this year) and I am mostly seeing download speeds UNDER 20Mbps. To me, ti seems like I already have "Best Effort" service. I have had a support ticket open for more than 7 weeks now (since 7-11-2022) with no resolution and no real answers. They keeps asking me to try this or that test that only prove that, under ideal conditions, Starlink can hit their advertised rates of 50-200Mbps. Of course, those results can only be achieved during the wee hours of the morning with a device hard-wired to the router via the Ethernet connector. By midday, using 5GHz WiFi with my Starlink mesh routers enabled, I'm down to 3-5Mbps. During the evenings, it's all we can do to stream 4k video from Netflix/AppleTV+/Prime and using a web site like eBay to make updates is erratic. I am really tired of constantly having web pages fail to load completely and having to refresh the browser one or more times to get the page to load. To compound things, I have been told by at least one support engineer that they are overwhelmed and understaffed. There just aren't enough support personnel to address customer requests... I just read FCC Cancels $886 Million in Funding for SpaceX's Starlink. I wonder if they are trying to make up this revenue shortfall by bringing on more paying customers. This will, of course, worsen both the support staffing issue and the service degradation we are seeing. Maybe this explains the addition of "Best Efforts" plans...

It's been three weeks since my post above. Starlink support asked me to (a) my mesh routers; (b) connect directly to the main router via ethernet -- thank goodness I already had the Ethernet port; and (c) run several speed tests outside of prime time hours, preferably in the very early morning. I did as they asked. At 4:30am MDT on Monday, August 21, 2022, I unplugged my two additional mesh routers. Then, I ran two Ookla speed tests hard-wired to the main router, switched to WiFi for two more speed tests, and then back to hardwired again for the last two speed test. Here's what I saw. At this time of day, my speed tests were 130-150Mbps. Great! Now, how do I get those speeds during regular working hours... or during the evening hours? That's the $64K question... The up/download speeds reported while hard-wired to the router were 15-20% faster than the speeds reported using WiFi. When I exported the Ookla Speedtest results to a .CSV file, I couldn't upload it to the ticket. I kept getting an error stating the file was too big. It is 3K. I fixed this by renaming the file from `*.csv` to `.txt`. Then I was able to upload it... Now, we wait. I'm averaging a response from the support team ("Andrew") about once a week. He admits that they are overwhelmed with support requests. That doesn't surprise me given the reports we're seeing online of (a) people with service who are experiencing poor connectivity and/or diminished speeds and (b) people who's paid for and received their equipment, but can't get connected due to their account not being associated with their email address and/or phone number. Lately, most days, I figure Elon Musk is throwing money down a hole with Starlink. Surely, they can't have misjudged the needs of their business so badly. Starlink's capabilities are an integral part of theSpaceX plan to launch more rockets -- the the moon and eventually to Mars. Have they put so many resources into this aspect of their roadmap that they cannot support their customers who have spent $500-1,000USD to connect to Starlink and $110USD/month for service? Aye-yai-yai!

@Adolfo, I have a (string of) day(s) like this once or twice a month. Using `https://starlink.sx/` to watch the satellite traffic over my dishy during downloads of large files (e.g., macOS updates of 3GB), it appears to me that some satellites just perform better than others. Why? I couldn't begin to tell you. However, I can tell you that I can watch the speed changes each time I (allegedly) connect to a different satellite. Some satellites provide good performance (50Mpbs+). Others are abysmal (<1Mbps). I think Starlink still has some serious issues to work out... issues that are aggravated by the fact that they appear to be oversubscribing their capacity. To make matters worse, I have been told by one of their support engineers that the support team is under-staffed and unable to respond to customers in a timely fashion... but they are "working on improving". Long story short, Starlink is a startup company using new and developing technology to deliver Internet service to folks like you and me. A growing startup company ALWAYS struggles to have enough resources to meet customers demands. New and developing technologies ALWAYS have unforeseen issues that arise and must be worked out. So, we are all part of this grand, multi-billion-dollar experiment called Starlink. Yeah, Starlink wants to provide affordable, global Internet service to people who don't have other options... but the REAL reason for Starlink is so all those SpaceX rockets can communicate during orbital missions... or, at least, that's the way it seems to me. Now, these are the musings of a grey-haired technologist who has little patience for long product-development and product-stabilization processes. Yet, I'd rather talk to a real person on the phone than chat or email with an anonymous someone (a digital bot, maybe?). So, in short, YMMV.

...as I am well aware. I've been writing software since 1978. Still make a darn good living at it... Graphics/UI has never been my "thing", though. I'm more of a middle-tier/data-tier specialist.

@StarlinkLeader and @ProDishy, do one of you own https://starlink.sx ?

Last Thursday, I opened the box on a new MBP 16 M1 Max... oh... yeah... OK, sorry. Distracted. On Thursday evening, I started the update from macOS 12.3 to macOS 12.5 on the new MBP... surprisingly, for the first 80% of that download, I got 35-70Mbps download speeds. Then, after 15 minutes, the speed chart looks like the Cliffs of Dover -- straight down to less than 1 Mbps where the speed remained for the remaining 2 hours it took to complete the download. Hope springs eternal only to be dashed upon the rocks of despair. I've been pinging my ticket on SL Support every couple of days. I got another reply on Friday. I'm told they've escalated my issue to network engineering for which I thanked Andrew, the support engineer. Of course, I first raised these issues with SL Support in the last week of May. So, after two months, in the last week of July, they decide that they should look into this. Oy-vey! The good news is that they provided me with a courtesy credit of one month's service fees as compensation... and that network engineering is now (supposedly) looking at the issues I've been experiencing. We'll see what happens...

FWIW, My average speeds going back to the end of May are... 5-15Mbps. Over and over and over again. I have a daemon running on a Linux box on my network that tests twice an hour. I had another utility running on my MBP testing twice an hour (at different times than the Linux box). Guess what? All are around 5-15Mbps, though, in truth, many times it is less than 1Mbps. So, as I've maintained all along, I'm seeing 5-10% of the speeds that most people are regularly reporting. As for encouraging better response times from SL support, I've sent them my speed test histories back to the end of APril when this all started. They still take a week to respond. I've tried pinging tickets every day to see if that helps... it still takes a week. I have had a couple of anomalies in the last few days. Sunday, Ookla Speedtest reported first 120Mbps and then 200Mbps(!) from my iPhone 13. Then, I couldn't reproduce the result on any other device... or again on my iPhone. What happened? Where did that download speed go? On Monday morning, I downloaded the macOS 12.5 update -- a 2.7Gb image on my MBP. For 15 minutes at the start of that download, I was getting 35-70Mbps download speed. Then, suddenly, the speed dropped to less than 1Mbps where it remained for the two hours it took to download the last 25% of the image. So, what's going on here? I don't have a clue. I know that with the WISP I had before Starlink, I could regularly reach 30-50Mbps download speed across numerous devices... when they weren't down. The slow speeds I'm experiencing with SL are also manifested on multiple devices (as are the "anomalies"). So, I'll postulate -- with great confidence -- that the issue(s) here are not on my devices. What's different? The (W)ISP and the WiFI router.

Oh... Vernon, UT, too...