What you need to know
- SpaceX has a new version of Starlink for RVs that lets you stay online while in motion.
- The new service makes use of a $2,500 "Flat High Performance" dish, with the service itself costing $135 per month.
- It will be available in December, but only in certain areas will it guarantee "high-speed, low-latency" internet.
SpaceX introduced Starlink for RVs earlier this year in order to beam internet to vehicles, but it was only limited to vehicles at rest. The company is now taking things to a whole new level with a new version of the service that lets you stay connected even while in motion.
The Starlink for RVs will soon be available to moving vehicles courtesy of a new "Flat High Performance" dish that costs $2,500, plus a $135 monthly fee for the service itself (via The Verge). This is nearly five times the cost of the standard Starlink RV service, which employs SpaceX's $599 satellite dish.
Nonetheless, you can choose to pause and un-pause service at any time, so you only pay for the months in which you use it. Customers will be able to purchase it beginning in December, and preorders are now open.
While the new service promises "high-speed, low latency" connection while you're driving in areas not easily reached by the best carriers in the U.S., there are limitations. For example, in-motion use of Starlink is only available to customers with designated in-motion hardware and residing in the United States. As it stands, there are now more than 2,300 Starlink satellites in low-Earth orbit.
The company says the hardware is designed to be permanently installed at the top of your vehicle "and is resilient in harsh environments." Meanwhile, the standard version can only be placed on the ground.
SpaceX also promises consistent connectivity on the fly with the Flat High Performance Starlink's wide field of view and enhanced GPS capabilities, but the service tends to degrade in congested areas and during peak hours. That's because "network resources are always de-prioritized for Starlink for RVs users compared to other Starlink services," the company states.
