Best on the road internet these days?

[Happy Camper]

New entry into the mobile Internet sweepstakes.

https://www.androidauthority.com/starlink-mini-available-3459864/

 

[rruff]

Is that dish stealable? I mean, could someone swipe it and use it, or would Starlink be able to identify the dish? Probably it could be hacked regardless...

$50/mo for 50GB isn't bad, but... $599 piece of easily stealable electronic hardware is a tough pill.

 

[Happy Camper]

It'll have easily identifiable characteristics to the system.

If it's stolen and they use it, it would be trackable by Starlink, who could probably give you that location information in real time via phone/Internet.

But yes, it's the same size as a laptop. So it can be stolen.

 

[rruff]

It'll have easily identifiable characteristics to the system.

Good to know.

Since I very much prefer to camp in places where cell signals are still in the 0-1 bar range, this might work for me. I read that if you exceed the 50GB limit, the cost is $1/GB which isn't that onerous.

 

[Jimmyflorida]

I have had the verizon home Internet for about 1.5 years I do have sticks and bricks but have taken several trips and it has worked wll enough to stream with no buffering I believe you can get it thru visible also

 

[maki2]

Is that dish stealable? I mean, could someone swipe it and use it, or would Starlink be able to identify the dish?

The reason the new mini version is going to be popular is not about the physical size of the antenna. For most van dwelling nomads its appeal has to do with requiring a lot less electrical power to run them. Meaning the true size issue is related to the size of solar panels and house batteries, not the antenna size.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Is that dish stealable? I mean, could someone swipe it and use it, or would Starlink be able to identify the dish? Probably it could be hacked regardless...

The SpaceX company can activate and deactivate the dish as requested or required.

And when I had the full size Starlink for about 7 months, there was a 'pause' and a 'cancel service' function in the app.

Generally speaking, this means that the value of the hardware to a thief is essentially zero.

Of course, if left unattended it still might disappear, but you wont be on the hook for the plan. Just deactivate it.

 

[maki2]

If a person is going to be so foolish as to leave a valuable item sitting outside and unsecured then you had better be sure to get an insurance policy coverage for theft and damage as soon as you make the purchase. That way it is covered even before delivery.

Otherwise figure out how to make it difficult to take before it arrives. Even if that means asking for advice on how to keep it securely tethered to your vehicle.

One woman in a group recently showed mounting it inside her minivan under the glass sunroof. In that location the metal of the van was not blocking the satellite signal. Might not have been the most optimal location for reception but at least it was not that visible to theives.

You will be able to figure this stuff out if you consider a lot of options and scenarios.

 

[rruff]

If a person is going to be so foolish as to leave a valuable item sitting outside and unsecured then you had better be sure to get an insurance policy coverage for theft and damage as soon as you make the purchase.

I leave my stuff outside and unsecured all the time... but the only thing worth stealing would be solar panels (which are deployable) and these are not that expensive and quite a bit heavier.

Generally speaking, this means that the value of the hardware to a thief is essentially zero.

A light little thing that costs $600 might become a popular target, I think. But if Starlink actively resists the use of stolen dishes, that would be good.

I wonder exactly how, though. Surely the dish can be bought and sold? If someone steals a dish and says they bought it, how can you prove they did not?

 

[abnorm]

The Dish is pretty useless without the "account"............If you sell a dish you need to Transfer the account with Starlink

 

[Happy Camper]

I wonder exactly how, though. Surely the dish can be bought and sold? If someone steals a dish and says they bought it, how can you prove they did not?

Starlink can't provide service to the dish unless it knows the location and Mac address of that dish, plus other clear identifying features to their system.

You'd possibly be able to connect to the system. But you wouldn't be able to use it.

Take any cable or fiber Internet service. They can remotely disconnect your service. Same thing basically. If you stole someone's cable modem and it was reported stolen, you'd have a paperweight.

 

[rruff]

The Dish is pretty useless without the "account"............If you sell a dish you need to Transfer the account with Starlink

Wouldn't the account be separate from the dish?

Surely if I bought a dish, I'd have the option of selling it if I decide I don't like it. At $600 I hope I'm not renting it! So I sell it, and the buyer contacts Starlink to set up an account.

Or... someone steals it, and contacts Starlink to set up an account. I can tell Starlink it's been stolen, although I won't be able to prove it... and then they might do "something"... maybe deny service to the thief, who will tell them they bought it or "found" it... or maybe they will not want to get involved.

 

[bullfrog !]

Wouldn't the account be separate from the dish?

Surely if I bought a dish, I'd have the option of selling it if I decide I don't like it. At $600 I hope I'm not renting it! So I sell it, and the buyer contacts Starlink to set up an account.

Or... someone steals it, and contacts Starlink to set up an account. I can tell Starlink it's been stolen, although I won't be able to prove it... and then they might do "something"... maybe deny service to the thief, who will tell them they bought it or "found" it... or maybe they will not want to get involved.

I believe it is a priority type deal. Every dish sold is tied to an account and registered. Only the owner of the dish/account can access service via the secure app. There is only one account for each dish. Starlink controls all accounts and will not open an account for a dish that is already registered. They do allow you to stop and start service with an existing account and they do allow you to transfer the account to someone else if all requirements are met. Musk marketing controls everything basically just like Tesla vehicles pretty much.

 

[tx2sturgis]

The hardware is tied to YOUR account. When you activate it with the app, there is a special code sent to the app that 'forever' ties the hardware to YOU and your installation of the app. This is all happening in the background.

Only SpaceX or YOU can undo that bond.

If its stolen you simply report it stolen thru the app that was used to set up THAT dish, and the hardware is rendered inoperative. The next time it goes online, a 'stun' or 'kill' command is sent to the dish and poof, it's a paperweight. On some of these devices (not sure about the new Starlink Mini) they include a printed scan-able QR code that acts like a safety net: you keep that code in a safe place, like in your wallet or in the original box, as a backup to re-activate the device on a new phone if you change phones or have lost yours.

If you sell the unit, you have to activate the 'I've sold this unit' function in the app, and you are given a special code number, something like 10 digits long, and you provide that to the new owner, (or if you still have the QR sticker use that) and then that is used to reactivate the dish with the new owner.

Now it's 'forever' tied to that new owner, and then the serial number and other pertinent information is also 'forever' tied to that new owner.

No one can guarantee that a really savvy thief will not be able to bypass all this, but your average crackhead thief will probably get the word on the street that a pawnshop is not interested in these.

There is probably near zero black market value in stolen Starlink hardware.

 

[Happy Camper]

Wouldn't the account be separate from the dish?

Surely if I bought a dish, I'd have the option of selling it if I decide I don't like it. At $600 I hope I'm not renting it! So I sell it, and the buyer contacts Starlink to set up an account.

The dish itself is just a gathering device for the signal. The signal then goes down a line and into a modem that uses that signal. It's the box that's tied to an account and does all the work. The dish is just a tool. In this case the box and dish are integrated, so it's useless for anyone but the owner of the associated account.

 

[maki2]

^^used equipment drops in value.