Starlink Internet on sailboats: Boatlife review
How to have satellite internet everywhere on a sailboat?The prospect of high-speed, unlimited internet in the most remote anchorages instantly drew us to get a Starlink internet dish for our sailboat. As liveaboards working full-time, having reasonably priced satellite internet was a dream. We ordered our first Starlink dish in Oct. 2021 in Italy, knowing we would have to wait a few months before the offshore internet service would be active in the Caribbean. Long story short, it took until Jan 2023, 2 new satellite dishes and an incredible amount of support e-mails before we could enjoy our Starlink internet. While this was no fun, we must admit the Starlink support team is fantastic, and we did not have any additional costs. In the end, was Starlink worth the wait?
In this blogpost we will talk about how to mount Starlink on a sailboat, if Starlink works from a Sailboat, the cost of Starlink Internet and if Starlink Internet is worth it on a sailboat. If you are looking for a specific answer use the menu to jump ahead.
CONS
It uses a lot of power
It might be more expensive than a single local carrier
Support is slow in answering (probably overloaded?)
Start-up can take up to 15min
You can't take it with you "on land"/"in your backpack"
PROS
Unlimited Internet
Works in remote anchorages
Cheaper than constantly changing carrier
Internet Speed compared to other Satellite Internet providers
Works offshore
Plug-and-play installation
Solution-oriented support
Starlink is a project that aims to provide fast and reliable satellite internet connectivity to the last corner of the Earth. Satellite internet is not a new development, but Starlink places satellites in orbit 60x closer to Earth than traditional satellites, improving the speed, or latency, of both up and download use.
As Sailors and cruisers, we are familiar with Satellite Internet, like Iridium Go or Garmin Inreach and their horrendous costs and limitations in speed and megabits. Starlink promises to change all that.
Covering the whole world with internet service sounds nice, but what is the reality in 2023?Starlink internet coverage has been growing at an incredible rate. The final goal is to have a "constellation" of 40.000 satellites in orbit to provide internet connectivity to every part of the world. They cover most of North America, Europe, Australia, and South America. Check out the updated Starlink map to see where Starlink works and when you can expect further expansions.
As digital sea nomads, our geographical location is "fluid" and rarely contained by political borders. So where does Starlink work for sailors? We can attest that Starlink works in most places of the Caribbean Sea. We have used it so far in Guadeloupe, Antigua, Barbuda, St Barths and all the ocean in between without ever losing the connection (last updated Feb 2023).
As our experience of Starlink Internet is limited to the Caribbean sea, we reached out to sailors worldwide to share their experiences. We will soon share Starlink cruiser experiences in the Mediterranean Sea, along the US coast, in Australia and across the Atlantic Ocean. Sign up for our newsletter to not miss it.
I knew Starlink would be our long-term solution when I looked at my phone and discovered we had been anchored in a remote anchorage for days without realising there was no cell coverage at all. We had been going about our work day "normally" covered by Starlink Internet all the time.
Starlink proved to be better than the cell phone connection we had to rely on until now. Not only in speed and costs but especially in coverage. Increased coverage opened a whole new world to us. Now we can indeed run our business from everywhere. The fact that Starlink Internet works where cell connection does not makes it a clear winner against signal-booster because no matter how strong they are, you can't boost a signal that doesn't exist.
All our experiences in this article are based on the Standard Starlink Dish. When we ordered our dish, the RV Flat High-Performance Starlink version was unavailable, and the maritime versions definitely did not fit our budget. But what are the differences?
The standard/residential dish (450-600€) is the second version of the Starlink base dish. The first version was ideated for a fixed roof installation to support internet to houses in remote areas, whereas the latest version is designed for portability. It is not made for in-motion use, but due to its easy set-up, it is meant to be carried around. It is mainly used on Sailboats because of its availability and because you can use it with an RV subscription. The RV Starlink subscription is not linked to the "RV" Dish (officially called Flat High-Performance dish) - more about the RV Starlink subscription below.
The Starlink Flat High-Performance dish (2.500€), often called the RV dish, was designed for in-motion use. According to the Starlink website, the dish has: "a wide field of view and enhanced GPS capabilities to connect to more satellites, allowing for consistent connectivity on the go. The hardware is designed for a permanent installation on vehicles and is resilient in harsh environments." This dish is currently only available in selected markets, but I can see it used on sailboats in the future.
The maritime version is meant for commercial boats or big yachts. Besides the more extensive hardware, the hefty ticket price of 10K installation and 5K monthly subscription tells you it's not meant for single households. (At least not the households we have grown up in). We have no knowledge in regard. If you are interested in the maritime version, please read it here.
Best Maritime Starlink subscription for sailboats
Besides your Starlink dish, you also need a subscription to go with the hardware. The fantastic thing about the subscription is that you can cancel it anytime, making it an excellent option for seasonal sailors or charter boats. Just switch on your subscription in the months you are on the boat and turn it off while the boat is waiting for the next sailing season.
Starlink recently released new Service Plans, which caused many sailors to get a notice from Starlink about their Ocean usage. As we used Starlink while sailing from St. Martin to the Bahamas, we got one of those e-mails. After a first few minutes of pure terror, we realized we did not need to switch to the famously expensive maritime version to be able to keep our speedy Starlink internet.
We closely examined the new Starlink service plans and figured out the best Maritime Starlink Service Plan for Sailboats.
We are opting for the Regional Mobile Service Plan, which we will enhance with optional Mobile Priority Data for +$2 / GB when we need data while sailing. It means we will keep our Starlink Internet as long as we are anchored or in a marina, and if we need Internet while sailing, we can top it up. If we intend to go on a longer crossing, we can always switch to the Mobile Priority Plan, which assures us data on the ocean. If you would like to have a closer look at the service plan options, Starlink created this comparison. Just pay attention. It's easy to switch from a cheaper plan to an expensive one but to downgrade again you need to wait for the end of the billing cycle, as Starlink does not issue refunds.
The prices of Starlink Service plans vary between countries because some countries have decided to support Starlink users with subsidies.
Starlink Internet Speed
According to social media, the first thing you do when you get a Starlink is to run a Speedtest. Honesty, Speedtest probably had an exponential increase of users on its website since Starlink launched. We obviously did the same.. and ran different Speedtests along the way. So what is our opinion?
Starlink speed test 1
Starlink speed test 2
According to the Speedtest, it's a rollercoaster. These two readings are taken 5 minutes apart. We did not move the boat. No cloud or rain came along. No additional swell between the readings. Nothing we could find changed between these two readings in our surroundings to justify the number difference.
So I guess the reality is somewhere in between. More important than numbers is our actual use of the Starlink Internet. We are running Microsoft team meetings and live streams from the boat with screen sharing or video. Does it always work perfectly? No. Is it more reliable than SIM cards? Yes. Is sitting in your own boat saloon more comfortable than searching for some flimsy open or restaurant WiFi? Yes.
If you want to take a more engineer-approach, here is a better understanding of download and upload speeds. Zoom video conferencing requires up to 6Mbps down and 2Mbps up, while live-streaming needs at least 6Mbps up. But speed isn't everything. Frequent drop-outs can make video conferencing and streaming impossible, and at the beginning of our Starlink experiences, drop-outs made our internet experience a living hell.
Starlink Internet Outages / drop-outs
Internet outages and drop-outs can occur when your Starlink dish loses connectivity with the Satellites. Outages can happen due to storm clouds, obstructions, or your boat moving. As liveaboards at anchor, we know that our boat will never be 100% stable, and movement will happen. Unfortunately, when the boat moves, the Starlink Dish usually decides to recalibrate… each recalibration causes a short drop-out. No matter how short the drop-out is for online meetings or remote-desktops, this is terrible news. To solve the problem, cruisers around the globe have disabled the engines in the Starlink using it in a flat position which causes the drop-outs almost to disappear. Doing this little hack will void any Starlink warranty; therefore, we only recommend it to cruisers relying on online meetings. If you use your Starlink mainly for entertainment, we believe there is no need to disable the engines as your Netflix movies or Instagram reels will still load perfectly.
We have decided to disable the engines as we rely on the internet for our businesses. We have seen a significant decrease in the frequency of Internet outages as you can see from the Starlink app screenshots above.
How to install Starlink Dish on a sailboat
Starlink is a plug-and-play system, but everything is always a bit more tricky on a sailboat, especially if you want a proper fixed set-up that works while sailing.
We have decided to install Starlink on our bimini structure using a fishing rod holder (see picture for details). The tricky part of installing a Starlink on a sailboat is not only the position of the Starlink but getting the cable inside. As both endings of the Starlink power and data cable have connectors, you will have to cut a pretty big whole in your deck, pull the cable through a port hole, or cut the cable, pull the cable without the connector through a deck fitting and re-attache the connector. All these options have their ups and downs and depend on your skills. We cut the cable and re-attach the connector once we found a final solution.
Ps: please test your system before cutting cables, as you will lose the warranty once you cut them. Satellite visibility on sailboats
For Starlink to work, you need a clear view of the sky. While you might struggle with this on land due to trees or buildings, this problem disappears on a boat. Unless you are in a marina, the chances are high that you will never encounter a sky visibility problem. Interestingly you can install your Starlink also below a Bimini or inside below a sky window.
As mentioned above, to reduce Starlink outages, one can disable the engines. This could impact the visibility, but so far, our "flat"-position was always able to connect with Satellites (ps: the RV dish is also flat and does never move…)
Does Starlink work while sailing?
There are currently a lot of speculations about if you can use Starlink while sailing. The situation constantly evolves and will depend heavily on where you sail. So far, we know:
the guarantee is void if you use your Starlink "standard" Dish in motion
we always maintained connectivity also when off-shore sailing in the Caribbean Sea.
Average Starlink Internet energy consumption?
Power comes at a premium for sailboat owners, and different hacks are popping up to convert your Starlink to 12V. We have not yet been able to install the conversion, so we are running our Starlink dish with 220V.
SpaceX says the rectangular Dish consumes an average of 48–74W — or 20W when idle. We do not have the equipment on board to measure the actual energy consumption, but from our experience, we have not had any problems powering Starlink with our system. We have also noticed that consumption drops drastically once you disable the engines. If you like to know more about our energy set-up you can find it all here.
Starlink to cross oceans?
Starlink RV can only be used on the same continent as your registered shipping address — something you should note if you're planning to outfit your sailboat with Starlink in the Mediterranean and plan to cross to the Caribbean. We have heard stories of sailors using their Starlink during the Atlantic crossing. While it is probably fun to be able to watch Netflix while out at sea, we would not recommend to rely on Starlink for your off-shore safety equipment.
Two prominent Starlink Boat hacks are currently being talked about. Both targeted to reduce power consumption and increase internet reliability.
Before getting our Starlink Internet, we relied heavily on local SIM cards. For 3 years, they have served us well to keep working remotely, however, once we installed our Starlink dish, we are happy to throw all our SIM cards overboard (metaphorically, obviously). There are three main reasons why Starlink wins over SIM cards
Costs: While Starlink's monthly price might be higher than local SIM cards in some places if you constantly move and have to open new "accounts" every time, the SIM-cars price quickly overstates Starlink. Besides, you do not need to search for local providers and services.
Limitless usage: most SIM cards come with a monthly limit, something that does not really exist with Starlink
Service: loving to stay in remote anchorages we often experienced poor service or no service with our local SIM cards. This a problem we have never faced so far with our Starlink. What about Signal Boosters? In some cases, it might be a solution, but you can't boost a signal that doesn't exist.
We would never compare these two systems, as Starlink is made for entertainment and work, while "classic" Satellite phones and services are made for safety and reliability. "Classic" Satellite phones cannot compete with Starlink's Internet speed. If you have ever tried to write an e-mail with your Satellite phone, you know it takes longer than writing an e-mail in the 90s. However, if we ever cross an ocean again, we would take a "classic" Satellite phone with us for safety.
For 4 years, we used a combination of e-sims, local SIM cards, signal boosters and local WiFi in restaurants to run our businesses from our sailboat. It did work, but it also caused a lot of headaches and multiple internet contracts with local providers. All that is gone thanks to Starlink Internet.
Starlink might still need improvement, but it is already the best solution on the market for digital nomads on the move regarding price, speed and usability. If you have enough energy on board to power a Starlink, we can highly recommend it, especially if you move between countries. One last wish we have for Starlink? To create a small mobile device which you can take with you to have an internet connection on your land excursions.