SpaceX’s Starlink Still Provides Fast Internet Speeds In Bad Weather

• Users of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service have said how impressed they are with the download speeds in the snow and high-speed winds on the Reddit Starlink community.
• One user reported speeds of up to 175 Mbps in colder air, which is 20 Mbps faster than usual.
• The Starlink terminal even withstood a 175 mph user’s leaf blower.
• The terminal – or “UFO on a stick” – heats up enough to melt snow on it. But some users have said internet speeds drop as the snow accumulates.
• Visit the Business Insider homepage for more stories.

SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service provides users with fast speeds of up to 175 Mbps, even in high-speed winds, deep snow and freezing temperatures.

Users of SpaceX’s “Better Than Nothing Beta” test posted photos and videos to the Reddit Starlink community proving that the Starlink terminal always works in extreme weather conditions – and in some cases, it’s even faster.

The terminal – or “UFO on a Stick” – is part of the Starlink kit, which also includes a tripod and WiFi router for $ 499, plus $ 99 for the monthly subscription.

In an October 26 email, SpaceX said users of the public beta test – a network of nearly 900 satellites broadcasting Internet service to Earth – should expect download speeds of between 50 and 150 Mbps. .

From what users reported online last week, it appears that Starlink internet service is not significantly affected by wet and windy weather.

Users cannot reveal their identity due to a non-disclosure agreement they signed with SpaceX upon receipt of the kit.

Snow melts on Starlink terminal in freezing temperatures

One user, who lives in the northern United States, told Business Insider on Monday that their Starlink internet speed was on average 20 Mbps faster in colder air at 12 degrees Fahrenheit. “I got around 175 Mbps of download on average this morning, compared to around 150 to 160 before,” they said.

Almost every user who reported November speeds on a list compiled by Reddit’s Starlink community said they were getting download speeds over 150 Mbps.

The fastest download speed to date is 208.63 Mbps, recorded in Seattle.

Anonymous

The user also posted six thermal imaging images showing the surface of the terminal ranging from 32 to 40 degrees, which means the terminal is melting snow that lands on it.

Anonymous

Another Reddit user posted a video of them measuring the outside temperature with a Starlink terminal positioned on their roof.

The thermometer read between 24.5 and 39.3 degrees Fahrenheit outside, but the terminal “warmed up enough to keep out four inches of snow,” the user said in the video.

The user told Business Insider on Tuesday that he has dozens of devices on his home network, including six laptops, six smartphones, three Xboxes, two tablets and a PC.

They said they hadn’t noticed any variation in speed since the snow started.

But there are reports that internet service slows down when heavy snowfall begins to fall on the terminal.

One user, also in the northern United States, weighed down his Starlink tripod on his outdoor table before a 50mph snowstorm set in. The snow reached three inches in about an hour and the Starlink app showed a “bad connection,” they reported.

The user told Business Insider that download speeds initially dropped to around 20-30 Mbps, and download speeds dropped to 3-4 Mbps.

“There was definitely higher latency and slower speeds when [snow] descended hard, collected on the flat, and the winds were blowing, but picked up quickly as they slowed down. “

“I still have an average of about 100 [Mbps] download and 15 [Mbps] download, ”they said.

Reddit user

“It will be a dream for those people in the middle of nowhere who currently have no options,” they added.

The user posted on Reddit that he would rather take the terminal up to the rooftop, but said he was unsure if he would trust it with the Montana winds.

Read more: Elon Musk says Starlink’s ‘toughest technical challenge’ isn’t launching satellites – it’s dropping the cost of its ‘UFO on a stick’ devices

Starlink terminal can withstand winds of 175 mph

Despite concerns about the Starlink terminal’s survival in high winds, one user put the Starlink terminal to the ultimate test and detonated it with a 175 mph leaf blower.

Download speeds remained between 110 and 120 Mbps, based on speed tests the user performed before and after their experience.

The user has found that if the wind is blowing over the terminal, it automatically adjusts to stay aligned with the satellite.

All four reports come from the northern United States, where the Musk company began testing the service, as well as southern Canada.

In October, SpaceX agreed to provide the internet to a school district in Texas through its Starlink satellite network – the first time SpaceX’s Starlink has been offered in the southern United States.

From the start of 2021, the space company will initially provide its satellite Internet to 45 families who do not have broadband access, and to 90 other families later.