Starlink for RVs Service is Officially Launched
It’s official – Starlink has a new page on their website specifically for RV service, quietly launched today, along with an update to their terms and conditions.
We would say it has been “announced” since it’s now on their website but uhhhh… it hasn’t been. Maybe we’ll see some news come out shortly, or maybe they are just allowing people to find it on their own. Anyway, the point is –
SpaceX is officially offering Starlink as an internet service for RVers!
I am currently publishing this update thanks to Starlink. I am camped in an area with ZERO cell service!
This new RV Service is different from the recent updates over the past few months where roaming was enabled, and then Portability was offered as an additional service for $25/month. It seemed they were slowly preparing to offer Starlink satellite internet as an option for travelers, and now their updated website shows they officially intend to do so.
Here, we’ll aim to keep the RV-specific service information up to date, and explain the difference between regularly “Portability” – which is simply an addon to residential service – and the actual/separate RV service.
Timeline to RV Service
Back in March of this year (2022), Starlink began allowing users to “roam”, meaning that their service worked away from home. Shortly after this, “Portability” was announced
Early May “Portability” was officially launched (and a fee started to be charged). This guaranteed they would allow us to travel with our current hardware and accounts.
As of today (May 23, 2022), Starlink has a dedicated RV link now on their main landing page!
How Is The RV Plan Different From Portability?
Given the current (and, as usual…vague to not clearly defined) information, there are a few distinct differences between the current “Portability” add-on feature and the new, RV-specific, plan. Let’s take a look and compare.
First of all, the pricing is exactly the same ($135/mo) for the “RV Plan” as it is for the standard plan plus Portability. That being said, Portability as a $25/mo add-on feature can be turned off if, say, you end up staying somewhere for months on end or have a home address and are not full-time. The RV Plan will always be $135/mo no matter what, but you can “pause/unpause” service with this account type.
Is the RV account type lower priority on the network?! According to Starlink’s current wording, it kinda sounds like it is. Here’s what they say on that subject in their Pre-order Agreement:
Best Effort Service for RV Users. Network resources are always deprioritized for Starlink RVs users compared to other Starlink Services, resulting in degraded service and slower speeds in congested areas and during peak hours. Stated speeds and uninterrupted use of the Service are not guaranteed. Service degradation will occur most often in “Waitlist” areas designated on the Starlink Availability Map during peak usage hours. See the Starlink Specifications for expected performance of the Starlink for RV Services.
Maybe the regular plan with Portability is the way to go for now until this is clarified? I personally won’t be changing mine for now, but they might force us all to at some point…who knows.
The hardware at this time is the same, so no changes there.
Ordering address: Previously, you have to find an available service address via their availability map to order service, but now with Starlink RV, you don’t have to worry about that. All they ask for now is a shipping address, so it doesn’t matter where you are!
In-motion use is still prohibited with all accounts.
Is Starlink for RVs available right now?
Yes, they actually have a full page available on their website specifically for RVers now. It’s also one of the main options on their homepage (alongside Residential, Business, and RV.)
The update is brand new, so we don’t know all of the details, but we will keep this updated as much as possible as we find out new information and confirm details with support.
