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4. Starlink in Canada – Review of cost, speeds & coverage
STARLINK IN CANADA – REVIEW OF COST, SPEEDS & COVERAGE
Alex Wideman
Updated March 9, 2023
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The following is an in-depth review and analysis of Starlink user experiences
written on various online forums and social media websites to summarize how well
the service is performing in Canada and who stands to benefit most from it.
BOTTOM LINE
Even in its early stages, Starlink is much, much ‘better than nothing’ in Canada
and provides considerably better speeds and latencies than its traditional
satellite internet and LTE wireless internet competitors for a reasonable, if
somewhat elevated, price.
However, outages have been a challenge for some customers, so if having an
internet connection at all times is vital (eg. working from home, home security,
etc.), it is recommended that you have a backup (failover) ISP connection in
place to handle this downtime.
*
Ease of installation
*
Ease of use
*
Performance
*
Reliability
*
Support
4
Summary
Even in it’s early state, Starlink is much, much ‘better than nothing’ in Canada
and provides considerably better speeds and latencies than its traditional
satellite internet and LTE wireless internet competitors for a reasonable, if
somewhat elevated, price.
PROS
* Unbelievably high upload and download speeds for rural areas
* Low latencies that allow for video calling and gaming
* No bandwidth cap (unlimited)
* Competitive pricing
CONS
* Some users experience regular connection drops due to system maintenance,
coverage gaps
* Subject to weather-based performance reduction (eg. storms, snow, ice) like
traditional satellite internet
* Can’t beat the performance and consistency of a cable or fibre connection
* Unclear as to how network will be managed in the future (eg. data caps,
throttling and price increases)
STARLINK FEATURES
FeatureDetailPrice$759 (was $649), $65 for shippingPrice for deposit holders$699
(was $649)Monthly cost$140 (was $129)Download speed (Mbps)50 to 150Upload speed
(Mbps)15 to 20Monthly usageUnlimitedLatency (ms)20 to 40UptimePoor to Good
Prices of the kit and monthly plan were increased in March 2022 due to
“excessive levels of inflation”. You can cancel your service and return your
hardware within 30 days of receiving it for a full refund, or at any time in the
first year for a partial refund of $200 USD.
CONTENTS
* Starlink features
* What is Starlink?
* How is it better?
* Who is Starlink for?
* How much does Starlink Canada cost?
* Starlink availability and coverage in Canada
* ‘Better than nothing’
* How fast is Starlink internet?
* Latency
* Uptime
* Installation
* Ease of use
* Reliability
* Support
* Compare Starlink to traditional satellite, LTE & DSL
* Is Starlink right for you?
* Starlink FAQ
* Contact Starlink
* Customer reviews
WHAT IS STARLINK?
Starlink is a low earth orbit satellite internet service provider that offers
internet access to a large part of Canada. It’s goal is to provide high-speed,
low latency broadband internet access anywhere in the world using a network of
900 (and growing) low earth orbit satellites with plans to launch 12,000 in the
next 5 years into the constellation (or network).
Visualization of the constellation.
The satellites are launched by SpaceX and circle the earth in 53-degree inclined
orbits which means their path does an arc-swing over the middle of Canada,
spending more time and providing more coverage than in most other areas. They
complete an orbit every 90 to 120 minutes.
You can track Starlink satellites live and see ground station locations here:
satellitemap.space
The estimated cost of deploying the Starlink constellation of satellites is at
least $10 billion USD. As of February 2021, Starlink has more than 10,000
subscribers.
HOW IS IT BETTER?
The satellites used by existing internet services (Xplornet) orbit at 35,000 km
above the earth, where latencies (round trip data time) are around 700 ms while
Starlink’s low orbit constellation is only 550 km above the earth – over 60
times closer. At this altitude, it takes much less energy to launch them into
orbit.
In addition to physical proximity, the signals are sent through the vacuum of
space which is 47% faster than through the glass in fibre optic cable (300
million metres per second compared to 204 million) which allows for much lower
latencies of 20 to 40 ms.
As additional, upgraded versions of satellites are added to the constellation
and hundreds of them are repositioned to optimize coverage, the service will
continue to improve.
WHO IS STARLINK FOR?
The primary target market is Canadians living in rural and remote areas that
have been consistently underserved by existing internet service providers across
Canada and where internet access is unreliable or unavailable. The 41% of rural
households who do not have access to 50/10 Mbps or better and the households who
have “access” to those advertised speeds but in reality get low single-digits.
Some urban customers may be able to get the service, but since the system’s
bandwidth is limited in each designated geographic area (or “cell”), they can’t
accept too many customers in densely populated areas. The service is not
intended to compete in areas with fibre internet and 5G.
HOW MUCH DOES STARLINK CANADA COST?
In Canada, the cost of Starlink is $759 plus $65 shipping upfront for the
hardware (total of $824 plus tax) and then $140 per month (no contract) for
unlimited internet. The Starlink Kit includes all of the necessary hardware
including dish, tripod, wifi router, power supply and cables.
Starlink Kit Credit: Wandering Coder
For comparison, a traditional satellite internet provider such as Xplornet
charges $100 to $120 per month for a 25/5 Mbps connection near Erin, ON
(population of a little over 10,000) and while there is no cap, you must sign up
for a 1 to 2 year term.
* $115/m for 25/1 Xplornet in Frederickton, NB
* $200/m for 25/5 Xplornet in northern MB
* $120/m 25/5 Xplornet outside of London, ON
In more remote areas such as southern Labrador the difference is even larger.
For example, Bell is charging $120 per month for a DSL and the maximum you can
receive is 6 down and 0.45 up.
STARLINK AVAILABILITY AND COVERAGE IN CANADA
“Starlink is available to a limited number of users per coverage area at this
time. Orders will be fulfilled on a first-come, first-served basis.”
So they appear to only be approving orders if a) you’re in an area with coverage
and b) the area isn’t over-subscribed based on the current capabilities of their
network. Approving too many would cause congestion and lower speeds.
Starlink can provide internet service in a very specific range: between 44.9 and
51.8 degrees latitude (Minneapolis to Saskatoon). At this time, orders have not
been filled for customers in Newfoundlan, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, PEI,
Quebec or Yukon.
To find your latitude, lookup your location in Google Maps and right-click. The
first number is your latitude.
ProvinceLatitudes (°N)Alberta49.0 – 51.5British Columbia48.4 – 51.7Manitoba49.0
– 51.1New Brunswick45.3 – 47.6Newfoundland and LabradorTBANorthwest
TerritoriesTBANova Scotia45.0 – 46.0NunavutTBAOntario43.1 – 51.0Prince Edward
IslandTBAQuebecTBASaskatchewan49.6 – 50.7YukonTBA
The dish can be placed on the roof, ground or almost anywhere in-between, but
requires a clear view of the northern sky. It has motors to self-orient to an
optimal viewing angle. Once mounted, all you have to do is plug it in and point
it at the sky.
Starlink’s Basic International Telecommunications Services (BITS) licence was
approved by the CRTC on October 15, 2020. On November 6, 2020, they were given
fixed-satellite services (FSS) regulatory approval.
‘BETTER THAN NOTHING’
“By design, the experience will be imperfect. Our goal is to incorporate
feedback from a variety of users to ensure we build the best satellite broadband
internet system possible.”
“When connected, your service quality will be high, but your connection will not
be consistent. This means it may support streaming video with some buffering,
but likely is not suitable for gaming or work purposes.”
HOW FAST IS STARLINK INTERNET?
Claim: Starlink provides internet speeds of 50 to 150 Mbps.
DOWNLOAD
Starlink is indeed as fast as some of the fastest fibre internet plans offered
by Canada’s major players Bell, Rogers and Telus. Typical reported download
speeds range from 40 to 80 Mbps.
UPLOAD
Typical reported upload speeds range from 15 to 20 Mbps.
There have been some reports of lower speeds 10 to 30 Mbps down and 1 to 5 Mpbs
up in the late afternoon and evenings.
GROUND STATIONS
The satellites currently do not have the ability to communicate with each other.
Instead, they send data back and forth to ground stations in order to connect to
the internet’s fibre optic ‘backbone’ and send and receive data across the
internet. Some cellular towers of some mobile service providers may also use
Starlink’s system to connect to the core network.
SpaceX only has 1 ground station licensed in Canada located at Eastlink’s Duffy
Place location in St. John’s, NL but it is for demonstration purposes only at
this time.
St. John’s, NL Canada Starlink Gateway. Credit: andrew867
Canadian users’ data is currently being routed through US ground stations in
Maine, New York, Minnesota, Montana and Washington.
Getting approval for and getting ground stations online in Canada will help
improve network performance and expand Starlink’s coverage area as terminals
must be within 941 km of one.
LATENCY
Claim: Starlink’s latency will be 20 to 40 ms to start and drop to below 10 ms
as more satellites are added to the network.
In addition to speed, latency is what Starlink has been able to deliver on,
especially when compared to the 600 to 700 ms of latency inherent to traditional
satellite internet services.
UPTIME
Claim: Starlink does not guarantee uptime.
The Starlink app’s statistics page lists 2 types of downtime: Obstructed and No
Satellites:
User with an abnormally poor connection
WHAT IS OBSTRUCTED DOWNTIME?
Any obstruction such as a tree, pole, etc. – anything that blocks the direct
line of sight between the satellite and dish will cause full loss of
connectivity. Obstructions to the North need to be at least 2.5x further away
than they are taller than the dish. So, if a tree to the North of your install
location extends 20 ft above your dish, then it needs to be at least 50 ft away
from your dish.
Obstructions to the East and West should be 1.5x away and to the South, 0.5x
away. Some solve this issue by installing their own tower. Even a 2% obstruction
can mean frequent, short connection drops.
Even with no obstructions detected by the system, multiple disconnects an hour
have been reported, but most users report one hiccup or full disconnect every 1
to 3 hours. Some users have managed this downtime by keeping a backup internet
service and installing a multi-WAN router to balance loads between the two
connections.
WHAT IS NO SATELLITES DOWNTIME?
If ping success is 0%, no obstructions are registered and downtime is not
“Scheduled,” the downtime is counted as “No Satellites” in the app, meaning
there is no satellite in position to provide a signal. The dish knows when each
satellite is due to be in view and will show a “Next satellite in XX Seconds”
countdown.
INSTALLATION
Installing the Starlink Terminal (or ‘Dishy McFlatface’ as per the official
installation guidelines) can be a straightforward DIY project – no contractor
required. If you would rather not do it yourself and want a professional quality
permanent installation, any contractor experienced with satellite TV, TV antenna
or cell phone booster installation should be able to do it.
The dish is 11.6 lbs and about 19” in diameter. Its mast is 1.41″ outside
diameter and has a 1/2″ hole about 2 inches up from the bottom of the pole. The
100 ft cable provided is hardwired into the dish for waterproofing purposes, but
this can make running the cable challenging. The cable has a ferrite ring on it
to reduce electromagnetic interference that’s 3/4” thick.
STEPS
Use the app to find a place where it will have line of sight to the northern sky
with no obstructions.
Plan a route for the 100 ft cable to enter your home. Here are a few options:
1. Through an existing hole.
2. If you have roof vents, go up the roof vent. Ensure water cannot travel down
the wire into the vent. Only go upwards into the vent with the cable.
3. Through the soffit into the attic. Ensure you protect the cable from the
sharp soffit if metal.
4. Travel down the wall to the nearest point you can go through an existing
hole in the wall.
5. Drill a hole in the wall.
Note: If you’re in an area with rodents or birds who might chew through the
cable or damage the cable, consider running it through a conduit or cable
channel/protector.
GROUND MOUNT
Ground Mount Credit: Wandering Coder
The quickest way to get up and running and can take a little as 5 minutes.
Simply attach the dish to the tripod, place it down and connect the cable to the
power supply and the power supply to the router. The dish will then self-orient
to an optimal viewing angle and connect to the network.
If you’re in an area surrounded by trees, poles and other obstructions or that
experiences inclement weather, you’ll probably want a more permanent location
for your dish.
VOLCANO MOUNT
Roof mounting will take another 1 to 2 hours if youIf you live in an area with
high winds, you may want the unit to be affixed to a structure. It involves
drilling holes in your roof, so it should ideally be installed on an overhang in
case of a leak
As per the Volcano Mount Guide, you’ll need a Volcano Roof Mount which is sold
separately for $24 USD as well as a ½” socket wrench, 5/32” drill bit, stud
finder and drill.
1. Use a stud finder to find a stud (joist) on the roof.
2. Place the mount over the stud and mark the 6 holes on the roof.
3. Drill pilot holes into the marks.
4. Place the sealing (mastic) tape over the holes.
5. Place the mount over the holes and use the socket wrench to tighten lag
bolts.
6. Place the mast into the mount.
RIDGELINE MOUNT
If you’re hesitant to drill holes in your roof, simply weighing down the unit
might work.
Ridgeline Mount Credit: K7JPH
As per the Ridgeline Mount Guide, the Ridgeline Roof Mount which is sold
separately for $99 USD and 16 standard bricks or 4 concrete blocks.
1. Place mat on ridgeline.
2. Unlock mount and place over mat.
3. Add 40 lbs. of ballast to each side.
4. Place the mast into the center of the mount.
PIPE MOUNT (J MOUNT)
For a good combination of security and invasiveness it can be attached to a pipe
or pole which is secured to the eaves, a deck railing or mounted to fascia.
J Mount onto fascia.
With Starlink’s pipe adapter kit (sold separately for $24 USD) you can attach
the dish to any pole up to 2.5” in diameter. If you do not have an existing pole
to mount it on, you can use a satellite antenna mount such as the Winegard
DS-2000 universal mount.
RUNNING CABLE AND CONNECTING
Running the cable into your home will take another 1 to 2 hours.
1. Route the other end of the cable into your home.
2. Connect the cable to the power supply.
3. Use wall clips to fasten the cable to the wall along its route.
4. Connect the router to the power supply.
5. Plug in the power supply.
6. Wait up to 30 minutes for Starlink to self-adjust and connect to the
internet.
7. Connect to the Starlink’s wifi network using your phone, tablet or computer.
Tips
* The ferrite choke is ¾” in diameter, so conduit should be 1”
* Leave a drip loop
EASE OF USE
APPS
The Google Play and App Store apps provide step-by-step setup instructions
including identifying an install location that has a clear view of the sky,
checking for obstructions, verifying your wifi connection and troubleshooting
connection issues. Both are rated over 4.2 stars.
ROUTER
Starlink comes with its own router that supports 802.11ac wifi 2.4GHz and 5GHz
(up to 866.7 Mbps) on both for your home, but its functionality is limited. It
does not support mesh networks so wifi extenders aren’t compatible. If you want
to do more than just plug in, change your password and start using wifi, its
recommended that you replace it with your own router. Doing so will mean you
lose your stats in the app unless you play with the settings of your new router.
The terminal will still receive updates.
Provided router. Credit: Wandering Coder
RELIABILITY
HARDWARE
There are a handful of troubleshooting posts written every day on the Starlink
subreddit including not infrequent cases where the dish stopped working. In
almost all of these cases the user reported that the issue was either resolved
or the unit was replaced by Starlink.
WHAT ABOUT SNOW AND ICE BUILD UP ON THE DISH IN WINTER?
Ice and snow build-up
Inclement weather including heavy rain, snow and ice build up can have an impact
on performance leading to slower speeds and outages in extreme cases. Starlink
should be installed in a location where snow will not build-up around it and
obstruct its field of view.
The dish has a hydrophobic coating to allow water to shed off fast. The heat the
dish generates while transmitting signals helps melt the snow off and was
updated with a Snow Melt Mode in December 2020 to generate more heat than usual
to minimize the impact of snow build-up. Icicles on the edge or underside should
not have any significant impact.
If you live in an area that gets very heavy snowfall, you’ll want to install the
dish within reach of a broom or roof rake just like for a traditional satellite
dish.
Terminal melting snow around it. Credit: Jay911
SUPPORT
There is no phone number for support. You must be a customer and have signed up
for an account on their website or through the app to access their email and
online ticketing system. You may also be able to get help with general and
pre-sale questions from other owners on the Starlink Support subreddit.
RESPONSE TIMES
Their response times depend on the nature and complexity of the issue. Most
tickets receive a response within 2 to 3 days, but can take upwards of 1 week.
CANCELLATIONS AND RETURNS
The service is paid month-to-month (no contracts) and cancellation is easy and
no hassle.
You can return your Starlink Kit within 30 days of shipment for a full refund of
your hardware payment if you decide this service is not a good fit for you.
COMPARE STARLINK TO TRADITIONAL SATELLITE, LTE & DSL
STARLINK VS. STANDARD SATELLITE INTERNET
Starlink InternetStandard Satellite InternetAvg. (actual) speed75/15 Mbps5/1
MbpsAvg. latency40 to 100 ms600 msUptimePoor to GoodPoor to
AverageCapUnlimited100 GBPrice/month$129$100 to $200
STARLINK VS. LTE DATA VS. DSL INTERNET
Starlink InternetLTEDSLAvg. (actual) speed75/15 Mbps50/3 Mbps6/1 MbpsAvg.
latency40 to 100 ms80 to 200 ms 50 to 100 msUptimeOkay to GoodGood to GreatGreat
to ExcellentCapUnlimited350 GB + $4/GB or throttled
speedUnlimitedPrice/month$129$100 to $150$80 to $100
POPULARITY VS PERFORMANCE
A significant unknown about the future of Starlink is how SpaceX will manage its
network – specifically how they will balance the number of subscribers accepted
and overall capacity of the network.
They have not made any firm commitments regarding the use of data caps, speed
throttling, network traffic shaping, cost increases and tier structures used by
other ISPs to manage their networks and maximize profits.
For example, when other ISPs such as Xplornet and Bell first offered their fixed
wireless LTE services, the quality of the service was great and was passed
quickly via word of mouth. After many switched over to the new service, the
towers became oversubscribed and performance dropped considerably.
STARLINK LEO COMPETITORS
While no similar services are available in Canada yet, there are many other low
earth orbit constellations in development and many more in the planning stages.
The most notable are the following:
* OneWeb – 648 Gen 1 satellite fleet by end of 2022 with plans to start selling
services in 2020 in Alaska. Plans of up to 1980 LEO and 2560 MEO Gen 3+
satellites total. Owned by UK Gov., Bharti Enterprises, SoftBank and Hughes
Network Systems
* Kuiper – 3,236 satellites in LEO over the next 10 years at a cost of
approximately $10 billion. Owned by Amazon.
IS STARLINK RIGHT FOR YOU?
BEST FOR THOSE WITH 1 OR NO INTERNET OPTIONS AND:
* Are paying an arm and a leg for single-digit Mbps satellite, LTE or DSL
service.
* Want the freedom to work from home.
* Want to watch YouTube and Netflix without having to wait 5 minutes for
buffering.
* Want to vote with your wallet against the incumbent providers.
* Want to be able to download large video game files quickly.
NOT RECOMMENDED FOR:
* Consumers in urban areas and cities.
* Individuals working from home who need near-perfect availability (VOIP
calls).
* Properties that are covered with tall, dense forest.
* Competitive online gamers.
STARLINK FAQ
CAN IT REPLACE MY CELL PHONE, BE USED ON A VEHICLE (EG. RV) OR BOAT OR MOVED TO
A DIFFERENT ADDRESS?
While the dish is physically small and portable, it cannot be used on-the-go,
for travelling or at a different location at this time. It must operate from a
predetermined fixed location at an address you register with the company.
To communicate with the satellite, the antenna must maintain a narrow, direct
line of sight beam to it from a specific area on the ground (or “cell”) that is
assigned to your dish on a set schedule. The signal frequency it transmits on
does not penetrate walls or roofs.
If the unit is moved outside of its designated cell, it will not be on the
schedule to receive internet and therefore won’t work.
However, they are working toward making this possible filed with the FCC to get
the go-ahead on producing Earth Stations in Motion (eg. for mounting on RVs),
but have yet to mention a date this functionality will be available.
IS STARLINK GOOD FOR STREAMING VIDEO (YOUTUBE, NETFLIX)?
YOUTUBE
Yes. YouTube recommends bandwidth of 1 to 10 Mbps to stream 1080p video. They
buffer well ahead of the viewer, so latency and short connection drops are not
really a concern.
NETFLIX
Yes. Netflix recommends bandwidth of 0.5 to 25 Mbps to stream in HD. They buffer
well ahead of the viewer, so latency and short connection drops are not really a
concern.
IS STARLINK GOOD FOR GAMING?
At times and mostly for casual gamers. For online gaming, a latency (or ping) of
100 ms or less is considered acceptable for gaming, but the lower the better
which based on reports should be attainable for most users.
Online games actually use very little bandwidth (100 to 300 MB per hour), so it
is unlikely that speeds will be an issue.
However, the intermittent unexpected connection losses of even 10 to 15 seconds
can be frustrating and enough to disconnect you from your game – especially in
the case of trying to play competitive online games like COD: Warzone, Apex
Legends or League of Legends. It may be stable for days at a time, but it can
change in an instant. For the time being, it is probably best to stick to
playing casual online games.
IS STARLINK GOOD FOR VIDEO CALLS (ZOOM, MEET)?
At times. Zoom and Meet recommend that bandwidth should be around 1 to 3 mbps
for 2 callers and 2 to 4 mbps for group calls. Latency should be less than 100
ms and ideally 50 ms. Starlink is able to meet these requirements, but as above,
momentary connection drops may cause jitteriness and those longer than a few
seconds may cut the call off entirely.
WHAT ARE THE CONCERNS ABOUT STARLINK’S CONSTELLATION?
Low earth orbit (LEO) satellites only have a small field of view to the surface
of the earth, so a large network (constellation) is required to provide
continuous coverage. They also fall out of orbit slowly due to atmospheric drag
and must be deorbited (reentering earth’s atmosphere) and replaced with new
units.
SPACE DEBRIS
Space debris can be a hazard to satellites and spacecraft.
Starlink satellites have ion thrusters powered by their solar panels to maneuver
in space and deorbit at the end of their lives – which are designed to be
shorter so that they can still be maneuvered before the point of failure. To
deorbit, they use their thrusters to slowly lower their orbit until they are
broken up and destroyed by the heat of reentry, keeping debris out of space.
However, about 3% of Starlink satellites have failed so far meaning they are not
responding and cannot be maneuvered. These are expected to deorbit naturally
within 5 years, but pose a small collision risk in the meantime. They are
travelling at 28,080 km/h (7800 m/s) and if they collide with another object
would cause a catastrophic breakup and the resulting debris could cascade into
other collisions (Kessler syndrome).
The FCC’s rules regarding mitigation of orbital debris were updated April 2020
for the first time in 15 years to require satellite operators to disclose
exactly how and to what extent each craft is uniquely identifiable, trackable
and controllable and how they plan to share adjustments and maneuvers with
spacecraft tracking authorities.
All satellites in orbit above the International Space Station (includes
Starlink’s) must be equipped to perform collision avoidance maneuvers. They also
have to estimate the likelihood of collision with large and small objects, the
possibility that the satellite will fail and what risk that creates for anyone
on the surface.
DEBRIS FALLING TO EARTH
Satellites being deorbited pose a risk to people on the ground.
In December 2018, NASA’s Debris Assessment Software found that once the entire
constellation was in orbit, there would be a 45% chance that one of the
satellites would injure or kill someone about every 6 years.
In March 2019, SpaceX stated that the majority of its satellites will no longer
contain dense metallic components that could survive reentry and endanger people
on the ground and “No components of…the satellite will survive atmospheric
reentry, reducing casualty risk to zero,”
“The components of each satellite are fully demisable and are expected to
quickly burn up in the earth’s atmosphere – a measure that exceeds all current
safety standards.”
LIGHT POLLUTION AND RADIO FREQUENCY INTERFERENCE (RFI)
Astronomers have also raised concerns about the constellation interfering with
ground-based astronomy as the satellites will outnumber visible stars and that
their brightness in both optical and radio wavelengths will severely impact
scientific observations.
According to SpaceX, satellites will be visible at sunrise and sunset for a
fraction of starlink’s 90 minute orbit and they’re experimenting on how to make
them less bright.
CONTACT STARLINK
To contact Starlink, cancel an order, request a refund or cancel the service,
log into your account.
To pre-order, go to Starlink.com.
CUSTOMER REVIEWS
WRITE A REVIEW
3.5
Rated 3.5 out of 5
3.5 out of 5 stars (based on 30 reviews)
Excellent53%
Very good7%
Average3%
Poor10%
Terrible27%
FORGOTTEN CANADIANS
Rated 5 out of 5
April 11, 2023
We are very fortunate to have Starlink as our internet provider, yes it is a bit
expensive but after having it for over 2 years we are just plain grateful. The
Canadian government has done nothing and I mean nothing for rural subscribers
and future plans are not given out for public consumption, which means they
remain useless and very quiet. You might not be an Elon Musk fan but I sure am
and I am very grateful.Show more
Mike Germa
RELEASE FROM LONG STANDING MISERY
Rated 5 out of 5
April 3, 2023
Starlink works amazing. Any faults I will experience or have experienced pale in
comparison to my negative experiences with Telus and Xplore. Telus is a bit of a
mystery and was on a trajectory to being useable in a decade. Xplore on the
other hand does not care about its users and only about getting their money.
They will load balance and deny people service at a whim (probably network
reasons) and blame it on topography and then have their sales people talk you
into paying for nothing just a bit longer. Thank you for releasing me from this
misery Starlink. In my case, the last straw to switch was when investigating an
external Telus modem, it required ‘professional’ installation. No thanks to
clowns dancing on my roof again, I installed Starlink the way I wanted. The
resources for Starlink are readily available while the others hide behind human
obfuscation. After a week of wasted time on the phone with Telus and Xplore over
the past two years, I was ready for a self install and bot support 😀Show more
Len S.
EXORBITANT PRICE.
Rated 3 out of 5
March 14, 2023
The overall system works excellent in rural Ontario although that took several
months. The added satellites seem to have increased speeds to where I can now
expect an average of 90 mbp download but that fluctuates considerably.
I would give them 4 stars if they had better support and 5 if they had
reasonable pricing. The price went up while I was waiting for dishy to arrive,
once again in three months later and I haven’t even had the service for a full
year. Now Mar of 2023. Canadians continue to get fleeced for the cost of
internet internet services. $158 a month, Wow!Show more
Irish
POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE
Rated 1 out of 5
February 21, 2023
We ordered starlink almost 2 years ago. It still hasn’t arrived and the only
thing we get is a message saying the delivery date has been pushed back.
Meanwhile many of my friends and neighbours have ordered it and it has arrived
in a few months. Almost seems that since I ordered it before the rate increase
they are going to force me to cancel and reorder at the higher rate.Show more
Dean
PRICE CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE
Rated 1 out of 5
December 8, 2022
I signed up at one price and was charged a higher price a month before I
received the equipment. I also signed up for a monthly cost that they increased
on my first payment. Complaints go through with a robot response. There are no
human customer supports in place. Last try, I had a question about my router and
no response on that to date. Terrible to non existent service. I would have
rated less stars but that isn’t working either. Just another terrible provider
charging too much moneyShow more
Nancy Horricks
LEAVE A REVIEW
If you have a Starlink we’re interested to know your thoughts. How long have you
been with them and what do you think about their fees, rates and customer
service? Let us know by leaving a review below!
Your review
Your overall rating Select a Rating5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star
Title of your review
Your review
Your name
Your email
This review is based on my own experience and is my genuine opinion. I am
eligible to leave this review, and have not been offered any incentive or
payment to leave a review for this company.
Submit your review
SOURCES
* Starlink Subreddit
* Why SpaceX is Making Starlink – RealEngineering (video)
* How Will Elon Musk’s Starlink Deliver Internet Around the Globe? (video)
* Starlink Mission (video)
OVER TO YOU
Are you considering getting Starlink? Do you live in an area with poor/no
internet? Who is your current provider and what kind of service do you get? Let
us know by leaving a comment below!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alex Wideman
Alex Wideman is a consumer rights advocate, serial entrepreneur and the
editor-in-chief of Cansumer. He has a bachelor's degree in electrical
engineering from Queen's University. He is passionate about helping others save
time and money and has been creating consumer-focused online resources for over
10 years. More about Cansumer Read more
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LEAVE A COMMENT CANCEL REPLY
Comment
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Δ
39 COMMENTS
1. Len S
March 30, 2023 at 8:41 pm
Finally.
Since moving to this acreage in 2008, I’ve had the local internet provider
which lately sold out and never upgraded their equipment from spotting 5/1
MB/s. I’ve also had 3 Telus hubs, 1 Bell Hub and Xplore. Bell and Telus
oversell and under deliver their services which I would say averaged 20%
‘as advertised’, 60% sketchy and 20% unusable. As bad as they were and
their customer service practically speaking, I would say my worst
experience was Xplore. I believe they could have in the end given me 25/5
MB/s service, they chose to limit me to 10/1 MB/s because the best tower
was a heavily loaded one, their service had the feel of a old vacuum
cleaner salesman in that they had no concern about the utility of their
service, only getting money. I would say I’ve spent a good week of my time
over the past number of years in fruitless conversations with them about a
number of issues and have studied, intervened and purchased unsupported
add-ons which at times helped. For instance, before moving to higher
frequencies, a booster did help one of my Telus services. Another time, I
actually got an Xplore technician who new something and talked to them
about my tower map and pointing the antenna.
The biggest reason I decided to go to Starlink was the external Telus
Antenna required ‘professional installation’, something I have not
witnessed, especially watching the Xplore techs pound around on my roof.
Also, after doing a bit of investigation, thought it best to change
technology. Now that I’ve installed it as I’d like, the Starlink has been
awesome and now I’m worried about the 1 TB limit 😀 although I still have
basic satellite and other services using the limited cell network, so
useage should come in line.
Reply
2. Irish
March 13, 2023 at 1:37 pm
Price is $158 a month in Ontario.
This is outrageous yet keeps getting promoted as prices being reasonable.
The price was advertised as $120 a month when I ordered and when it finally
arrived one year ago, Mar 2022, my first charge was $146 and three months
later it went to $158. I don’t think I am the only one feeling fleeced by
Starlink.
Reply
3. Thy
February 3, 2023 at 12:34 pm
Starlink is absolutely available on PEI. We joined the beta and are using
it since then. Works like a charm and we’ve seen some others on the island
having it now as well.
Reply
4. Lance Day White
February 2, 2023 at 12:02 pm
We currently have a cable service in western Canada. However, we would like
to have one service for a boat in Mexico, our home in Edmonton and on our
RV. Can I buy the Starlink equipment and service in Mexico and then move it
back and forth to Edmonton?
Reply
5. MA D
January 29, 2023 at 9:28 am
Very poor service! No customer support! Refunds not received! Stay away
from Starlink!
Reply
6. Nancy C
January 8, 2023 at 6:34 pm
I’m currently with xplornet, experiencing problems with streaming – like
Netflix and zoom at a seasonal use cottage. I am considering the RV
Starlink that costs more per month but allows for no charge service
suspension. However I have seen information about the RV service being
de-prioritized with throttling speeds of upload and download. Do you know
if this is true? And what is the downside (penalty) of suspending the
regular residential service?
Reply
7. B Jackson
August 15, 2022 at 6:39 am
Best review to date on Starlink in Canada. So glad I stumbled on this link.
Very complete — cost, speeds, support and installation — and super helpful
when choosing between Starlink/Xplornet/Bell for rural customers. Keep up
the good work!
Reply
* Aaron
August 18, 2022 at 4:28 pm
Unfortunately, the review is no longer accurate as the performance has
significantly degraded since publishing. While the service was originally
great, we now often have single digit download speeds, regularly dropped
connection, and unloaded ping times that are rarely below 100ms. Loaded
ping times are pushing a half second. Support just defers to future
system improvements and blames it on congestion. We round dish owners are
now locked out of transferring to a new owner, so the dishes would become
paper weights if we would move to a different ISP. Honestly, if you can
get a service that provides consistent 25 Mbps+ for the same price, I
would suggest staying away from Starlink.
8. Tracey Grexton
July 23, 2022 at 10:54 am
Do you just make a deposit then pay when it comes, how does it work. How
long will it take to receive.
Reply
9. Garth
May 28, 2022 at 3:29 pm
Are you able to put Starlink on vacation mode for a lesser monthly payment
as we are seasonal users at our cabin
Reply
10. Bobbie
April 26, 2022 at 9:50 pm
Had Starlink for 2 weeks now on the Bruce Peninsula. Xplornet was a joke
(lucky to get 2 Mbps download speed and couldn’t even watch Netflix, let
alone other streaming services). Figured if I was going to throw money away
to Xplornet, I might as well give it to Rogers, so we relied on a Rocket
Hub for over a year. With COVID, we streamed more, and (this is the honest
truth) several bills nearing $600 (for approx. 320 Gb), I was so excited to
finally receive our dishy. We hired a professional, because we’re older and
arthritic and not wanting to be climbing up to our roof, and because it was
a unique installation in terms of placement. Dishy immediately kicked into
action and moved to almost straight up. However, could not obtain anything
from the router after trying everything we could find online to resolve.
Always a blinking white light followed by red. Finally, I tried plugging my
own router into the brick – still no signal showing on my phone app. So I
connected a laptop to the router via ethernet cable, and bang, everything
popped up. So, defective router. After a very long wait in help tickets (2
weeks), they apologized for the delay, gave us a rebate (I never asked for
that, so that was nice), ordered us a new router, and told us the old one
was ours to keep. I had read one post advising not to piecemeal a
replacement (i.e., don’t skimp and replace the entire install, dishy,
cables and router), because Starlink would brick the original stuff (dishy
and router), and you would be back at Square 1. I specifically asked about
that and was told by support that this would not happen – I would receive
uninterrupted continuance of service, whether I chose to remain with my own
router, or switch to the new Starlink router. Since my router offers much
more flexibility (and just as much info on stats), I may just stay with it,
since it’s working almost flawlessly since it was hooked up, and we have
coverage throughout the house and patio and deck.
We’ve had one hiccup where we lost connection for maybe 10 seconds while
streaming TV, but no big deal, compared to what we were used to. Our speeds
fluctuate constantly, but never below 50 Mbps. Average is 150, and I’ve
seen as high as 300+. So keeping the rocket hub as a backup (but it’s
disconnected), because if something did happen, it could literally take up
to 2 weeks to get a response (I believe they are just overwhelmed and
understaffed from all the new customers in similar situations as us, where
we’re rural, miles from our next neighbour, no landline, no hydro on our
road (we had to run it 1/2 km from the barn to the house, yada yada), and
no other options but Rogers and Xplornet. Believe me, I spoke to every
company in existence and we had no other option, but to pay the local
service company to run DSL 1/2 km piggybacking on our private hydro poles,
to the house, only to receive below-desired speeds. We were actually
considering this (about $4,000) before we heard that Starlink was coming.
We’re pensioners and on fixed incomes, but the money was bleeding out
monthly to Rogers, so we would have made that amount up in a year. We
jumped on the waiting list for Starlink, and waited over a year before it
was shipped. Just loving the service (but obviously not loving the long
wait for response to tickets, but it is what it is). Hoping it never
changes. We’ll never see fiber or cable where we are (not enough population
density – all farmland), but man, you should see the projects popping up in
the small villages nearby (broadband cable and fiber optics being strung),
so Starlink has the usual suspects worried for sure.
Reply
11. Robert Scebenski
April 8, 2022 at 12:47 pm
Does anyone know if Starlink will work around the Preeceville Saskatchewan
area. When you check what they say with the longitude it shows not but yet
i know people north of saskatoon with similiar longitutudes and there
starlink works great. also being the preeceville mailing address is Rural
Route no box number or street it seems the starlink site will not except
that. Any advice on either of these?
Reply
12. Ted lachapelle
March 25, 2022 at 8:48 pm
I have bell internet that connects to the cell towers and its unbeleivably
fast and never had a single problem with it….dont understand why anyone
would need a faster internet unless they illegally downloading and illegaly
streaming live sports events
Reply
13. Mike Dezoete
March 23, 2022 at 10:26 pm
Definitely considering Starlink – thx for the article. Currently have Bell
DSL in North Augusta, ON. Getting about 4.5 Mbps until the evening hours
when user load must be high and streaming becomes almost completely
unavailable. Used to have Cable at our last house with 120 Mbps so we know
what we’re missing! 😥
Reply
14. Lori
March 22, 2022 at 5:02 pm
I’m considering getting this for my cabin in the Whiteshell. Question is,
can it be paused over the winter since we do not visit the cabin very much
during the winter. I don’t want to be paying an extra $130/month for 5-6
months.
Reply
15. Joel Runtz
March 11, 2022 at 10:13 pm
I found this to be a very helpful and well written article. Thank you very
much.
Reply
16. Doug Fuoco
March 5, 2022 at 9:57 am
out of curiosity why don’t you include silicone gaskets for the roof mount
so if someone does install it in an area not over an overhang that it won’t
leak through the hole in the shingle, if you gave silicone tipped screws
and a silicone gasket as a washer and you put in the instructions to drill
the holes first you could completely avoid leakages
Reply
17. Salim
February 15, 2022 at 5:00 pm
Thanks for the detailed review Alex. This is very helpful. I see you
mentioned about Erin, ON, does that mean you are based out of Erin, ON? If
yes, I am excited to hear that as we are moving in the next couple of
months to Erin as well.
Reply
18. Jim Rule
January 9, 2022 at 8:26 pm
I have a question…we live in Middlesex County, province of Ontario…is
Starlink providing service in this area in the near future?
Thanks,
Jim Rule
Reply
19. Colin
December 28, 2021 at 11:05 pm
We’ve had Starlink since last spring and it’s been a fantastic service. We
live in Rural Manitoba, about an hour and a half north from WPG. So
internet options are limited and pricey. The price point for Starlink
seemed steep at first but a lot of directional LTE services usually require
the installation of a tall tower that usually ranges in the 1000’s so the
$800 bux cdn vs the price of a tower installation was a no brainer. The
144per mth we pay for Starlink also seemed high but the best available out
here *(aside from Starlink) out here 120+tax for 25mb download, which we
were paying and that service was never consistent. Starlink since it came
out the box consistently been at 150-200 down everyday with little to no
down time. The down time was noticeable when we first got it, now our down
times have been averaging under 2seconds over a 12hr span. I’m assuming the
launch of more satellites have decreased the outage times? Latency tends to
fluctuate but so far I don’t hear too many frustrations from the 3 gamers
in the house.
Covid lockdowns brought with it all three of our kids doing on line
learning. In spite of there being a lot of reviews that says the internet
doesn’t handle it well, there was very little lag in with the kids on line
learning. My wife was also viewing zoom meetings in that time for her
schooling, and I was also having zoom meetings while working from home and
again I didn’t notice any significant lag even with all 5 of us streaming
either live presentations or streaming from different streaming services.
Inclement weather be it snow, rain or high winds may bring our speeds down
slightly but there again it’s so marginal we are still able to carry on
with all of our internet needs.
So far I’m very impressed but because we are still in Beta I have no idea
if there will be adjustments in price point, data limitations or speed
caps. So far there has been no mention of what or if there will be a change
to the payment structure. Our family averages 500GB per month with all the
streaming, gaming, video conferencing. I can’t see any advantages to having
this setup in a city with more options like fiber available. Obviously
fiber would be better all around, but if you are in a Rural setting with
little to no options and the initial cost and the 144 per month doesn’t
discourage you, I would highly recommend this service. You won’t regret it.
Reply
20. Elizabeth Teasdale
December 22, 2021 at 11:53 am
Was really hoping to have the kit in time for Christmas. All I have is an
account number, but no way to talk to anyone. Our property is rural with
terrible internet, so we had our hopes on Starlink. We are on the 46th
parallel in Cape Breton Nova Scotia. The lack of communication is what is
frustrating. Not sure if Santa is going to show up regarding this internet
solution or not. We sure hope so.
Reply
21. Pascal
December 20, 2021 at 9:01 am
Not impressed with my starlink internet, having around 7 to 20 max when we
were supposed having 100-200….I do regret spending almost 800$ for that
crap…..Ontario Canada.
Reply
* Jennifer
January 10, 2022 at 7:02 pm
You have 30 days to return the unit if not satisfied, to get you 699.00
back., Have you tried that..
22. Mandy Harding
December 2, 2021 at 4:22 pm
Hi I live in Tides Brook, Newfoundland, I just saw a topic that a couple
here on Little Bay Islands installed the Starlink! While i am not near
where they live I am interested to see if its available in my area! My
Latitude is 47.127260 and longitude is -55.257156. I would also like to
know the speeds i would receive if it was available here. I have two lines
of internet at the moment to keep the 4 of us going. I have a line with
Bell Internet (I won’t start with the horrible experience i have had with
them the last 6 months) and a customer for at least 13 years. I also have
xplornet which is “ok” but still not what i would like to get for speed. I
kind of had to keep the Bell for my son, he has an xbox and plays online,
The xplornet wont run it. its not only me in this area having lots of
internet issues so if its a bit costly to start and you gets the speeds you
want there could be lots of interest in this area. Thanks for your time
Reply
23. Lorne Brown
November 12, 2021 at 1:58 pm
Hello!
I live in British Columbia.
50.50 N Lat
I live in a floating home that is anchored, but still moves a bit Will the
system adjust for that?
Thanks very much!
Lorne
Reply
24. AL JOHNSON
November 3, 2021 at 10:25 am
I am planning on spending the next 5 years or more visiting all regions of
Canada. I need a system that will give me internet access all over with
minimal setup time. Will starlink ever be able to satisy my needs ?
Reply
* Cansumer Staff
November 3, 2021 at 11:31 am
Hi Al, at this time, you have to register it at a specific address and
can only access from there. However, they are working toward the use case
you describe – they recently filed with the FCC to give them the go-ahead
on producing Earth Stations in Motion (eg. for mounting on RVs), but have
yet to mention a date this will be available. See:
https://camperreport.com/starlink-internet/
25. Delia
October 8, 2021 at 4:25 pm
I live in northern Saskatchewan (53.3 degrees lat) and currently have
Xplornet LTE. I am moving 1 mile down the road and have no internet service
there from any of the surrounding towers. I was told by the technician that
I am moving to a low spot, so the terrain is the issue and not the many
trees surrounding my house. They have hooked me up with their satellite
service for now. He also mentioned to look into Starlink as a possible
alternative. I work from home and use Microsoft Teams as my communication
tool as I have co-workers all across Canada from Nova Scotia to BC. It is
imperative that my internet is stable and consistent or I will be required
to be in the office (a 2 hour drive from where I live) or quit my job. I am
on the fence about whether I stay with Xplornet satellite service or switch
to Starlink. Any feedback from anyone in Northern SK with experience with
both satellite providers would be much appreciated!
Reply
26. Andy Brauer
September 23, 2021 at 4:42 pm
do you have service available in Kitsault, BC yet?
Reply
27. Ron Girard
September 2, 2021 at 3:27 pm
Can we get 2 dish system and for 1 monthly fee? I would like a system for
my motor home so when I am travelling I would have the system without
having to remove the one on my roof to bring with me.
Reply
28. Elizabeth K
July 4, 2021 at 8:17 pm
I live in rural ontario for 6 months and in Az for 6 months.When do you
think starlink will be portable for someone like myself?
Reply
29. Peter Lown
June 25, 2021 at 11:51 am
We have a smart hub with Telus. There is considerable congestion on the
towers and often we cannot stream and sometimes can’t even run a speedtest.
The speed is often below 3 MBS download. After hours on the phone with tech
service and customer service, there is still no plan to build another tower
to relieve the congestion, and no indication of any intention to do so.
we live in a log home with in floor heating, so WiFi coverage throughout
the home is a problem. We use apple Airport and Apple Extreme extenders (
which I don’t think will work with Starlink? )We are in a summer village,
and our previous provider, Explorenet, declared us unserviceable due to
line of sight difficulties to towers close by but obscured by trees. We
mount the dish on the top of our house and have clear sight to the north.
This is a dilemma – wait for telus or take a chance on Starlink beta. We
have Shaw satellite TV – the original promise from Star Choice was that
they would provide satellite internet but that never materialized even
though we have had the Shaw/Starchoice since the late 80’s.
I enjoyed your review and have subscribed. Good work.
Reply
30. David Rasmussen
May 7, 2021 at 5:23 pm
Hopefully soon.
Reply
31. Rockin Rog
April 27, 2021 at 8:14 am
I have had this service since mid December in North-Mid-Ontario (Sault
Ontario Area) so my unbiased review is yes it’s really getting a lot better
with the disconnects as promised. Yesterday I had 1 disconnect for 15
seconds or less and that’s been pretty much the standard if any at all
lately. A month ago I’d see several a day and sometimes one after another
while using Teams for school.
As for speed, yes it’s an internet service you just use till you forget
that you have internet these days. By that I mean you can pretty much click
on anything, download any large file etc without the old feeling of “boy I
better not click on that”! Now with that said if you run speed tests (at
least for me) you will see speeds like a roller coaster. One test to the
next for me is at the lowest 50 then the next is 130 and back to 50 then up
to 100. It’s apparently more stable in other areas of the world like in the
UK where a guy talks and just keeps hitting the “Start Test” button and he
is always above 200?
So my guess is that in order for Canada to be able to see the really high
stable speed we likely need ground stations which supposedly we only have 1
(demo) in Nova Scotia and I think we know why that is..(CRTC-BELL-ROGERS
cough). So for us we have to connect through US stations which for me are
far away and the GEO-Location is also placing me as being local in
Winnipeg? I’m around 1300km’s away from there?
If you don’t know what GEO Location does it sets you location to this
location when you use services like shopping online for example, if you go
to HomeDepot etc it’ll select the closest store to show you if a product is
in stock so you have to manually always enter your actual location to see
if products are in stock at your store.
This minor nuances aside the service is far superior by leaps and bounds to
anything rural where I am! The freedom to not have to count the data clock
and pay overage fee’s, the ability to watch anything on streaming services
glitch free and full HD without fail etc are beyond belief!
My dish is installed high on my roof on my farm with 100 percent clear
sight to the Northern Sky, I have my own router installed 100 percent of
the time as I keep the Starlink router in a box incase mine breaks down. I
game online quite extensively and manage to play 90 percent of the time
without a hiccup in games that are latency sensitive.
My hope is that Starlink becomes less dependent on ground stations and more
in line with their priority where the data passes between each air borne
satellite to increase stability, speed and latency like they are touting!
Reply
32. Robin & Dave Bailey
April 19, 2021 at 3:14 pm
hi, I have signed up and paid my deposit for my house, we also have a cabin
and am wondering if there is a second location deal?
Reply
33. Janet Dauphinee
April 11, 2021 at 5:34 pm
Are there any customers in Truro or Shortts Lake area in Nova Scotia?
We live in Shortts Lake and interested if anyone Subscribes to your service
if this area.
Reply
34. To
March 28, 2021 at 10:12 pm
Thank you for this in-depth review. Very helpful to me a lot and maybe to a
lot of people. Appreciated and keep on the good work.
Reply
* Cansumer Staff
March 29, 2021 at 3:11 pm
Hey To, thanks for the kind words and for taking the time to comment! It
keeps us motivated! Sharing this post with anyone you know who could
benefit from Starlink would be very much appreciated.
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