Starlink replacing Sky broadband
Discussion
Fed up with the cost and slow broadband speed - under 30 mbps - with Sky so phoned their Customer Services with the intention to quit after over 20 years as a customer.
As ever, they offered a much cheaper deal and included a Sky Glass tv which was much more tempting. However, the rep then realised that the Glass tv was unlikely to work (streaming) with our s-l-o-w broadband speed so we came to a bit of a halt while he said he would speak to the Tech department.
Meanwhile, I had another look to see if anyone could offer a faster broadband and nobody could (we are in a fairly small, fairly rural village), other than Starlink. Reluctant to have anything to do with the Musk-rat but out of other options, I signed up for Starlink and removed broadband from the Sky package which actually gave a net monthly saving of a few quid (!) but we still get the Glass tv and now have broadband at between 200 and 300 mbps! Result! The upload speed is increased by over 200% as well.
We and our sons are very happy, and this is currently with the Starlink dish on a platform in the garden whilst we arrange “proper” installation on the roof together with removal of the Sky dish etc.
I haven’t had a chance to set up the Glass tv and the new Sky streaming boxes for the other TVs in the house yet but as things stand at present it looks like a win / win.
Although I know that the speeds can reduce quite significantly on Starlink, it’d have to be pretty dire to reduce to where we were and the total package is a bit cheaper even with the new TV so I’ll take that as a win!
Thought this might be useful to others out there…😊👍
As ever, they offered a much cheaper deal and included a Sky Glass tv which was much more tempting. However, the rep then realised that the Glass tv was unlikely to work (streaming) with our s-l-o-w broadband speed so we came to a bit of a halt while he said he would speak to the Tech department.
Meanwhile, I had another look to see if anyone could offer a faster broadband and nobody could (we are in a fairly small, fairly rural village), other than Starlink. Reluctant to have anything to do with the Musk-rat but out of other options, I signed up for Starlink and removed broadband from the Sky package which actually gave a net monthly saving of a few quid (!) but we still get the Glass tv and now have broadband at between 200 and 300 mbps! Result! The upload speed is increased by over 200% as well.
We and our sons are very happy, and this is currently with the Starlink dish on a platform in the garden whilst we arrange “proper” installation on the roof together with removal of the Sky dish etc.
I haven’t had a chance to set up the Glass tv and the new Sky streaming boxes for the other TVs in the house yet but as things stand at present it looks like a win / win.
Although I know that the speeds can reduce quite significantly on Starlink, it’d have to be pretty dire to reduce to where we were and the total package is a bit cheaper even with the new TV so I’ll take that as a win!
Thought this might be useful to others out there…😊👍
The Sky package - phone, broadband and TV service had crept up and up and had become silly money per month so yes, a “free” tv and a faster broadband service through Starlink for less than we were paying before.
My own fault for letting Sky charges go up so high over time. I had “re-negotiated” with them in the past but it creeps up when you’re not looking!
My own fault for letting Sky charges go up so high over time. I had “re-negotiated” with them in the past but it creeps up when you’re not looking!
30mbps should be fine for most stuff, unless there's half a dozen of you streaming at the same time. What were you struggling with?
I got Starlink a little while back and can't fault it, but we were stuck on 12mbps for a family of four, so really made of difference. If I was on 30, Im not sure it would have been noticed.
I got Starlink a little while back and can't fault it, but we were stuck on 12mbps for a family of four, so really made of difference. If I was on 30, Im not sure it would have been noticed.
BreakingBad said:
Luke, there are five of us at home, sometimes more. The youngers do stream, game etc often at the same time. If I’m watching a film on an app or something, it often stopped to buffer so we definitely did notice. 30 was also the max speed, not the norm…
That was probably you WiFi, rather the broadband speed. 30Mbps could do several HD streams. Gaming is even less demanding. BreakingBad said:
@Castrol
Hadn’t come across Airband before but just checked online and no, not available here…
Airband is just a brandname, there aren't many bits of the UK where an antenna can't get you similar service as Starlink for less money via the mobile network, although you may need a mast to get it.Hadn’t come across Airband before but just checked online and no, not available here…
In Wales the Govt refunds your £800 Starlink hardware and installation costs. It’s been a game changer for us after 1 meg ADSL tho the up/download numbers still aren’t that great. Currently 50 down and 5 up. Not sure why that should be the case in a high Welsh valley but as I say it's a big improvement on what we had before and OK for what we need.
Edited by Blackpuddin on Sunday 6th April 08:26
hidetheelephants said:
Airband is just a brandname, there aren't many bits of the UK where an antenna can't get you similar service as Starlink for less money via the mobile network, although you may need a mast to get it.
Fair enough but mobile signal here (East Anglia) is pretty flaky to poor. No idea if a mast would improve that or not but now looking forward to seeing how good the Starlink system is when properly installed on Friday.We've had terrible broadband here since we moved in 3 years ago. Max I've ever seen on a speed test is 25mb and upload pitiful. Software upgrades on even a phone took hours and I'd normally have to wait until I went to the office. Downloading documents a nightmare and Teams calls horrendous.
Watching TV was OK in the main but on the bigger TV with 4k I was forever getting the 'wheel of buffer' which was no fun.
Another pain is that we have zero mobile phone signal and even wifi calling was crap, not conducive with a stressless day of WFH anyway.
We moved offices recently into an old barn which is lovely, great place to be, until we tried to bet broadband installed for the VOIP phones/many video meetings etc so we had to go for Starlink, we get 90mb in the middle of a field surrounded by trees and it works great, perhaps once a fortnight the IP will change and our VOIP phones will drop but a 30 second call to our telecoms people and that's sorted, so not really a problem.
Decided therefore to go for Starlink at home having ordered and cancelled the order a few times in the past. It's now £75pm for a 12 month contract and the hardware is thrown in whereas previously I'm pretty sure it was £400 up front and £75 so my dithering gave us a decent saving. Wish I'd done it earlier (aside from the discount) as we now get 150mb, downloads are OK, video calls work, TV is flawless and wifi calling seems improved. V3 router plugged directly into the DECO mesh network and nothing else really changed.
Not a patch on the Virgin firbre we had in the old place but it's the perfect solution until Openreach get their act together and give us a decent FTTP connection that they've been promising since March.
Bottomline, it does work and it's a brilliant solution.
One question... do they know where the connection is? i.e. when we do get fibre could the dish and router be moved to provide somewhere else i.e. to an outhouse 300m from the main house? Or come on holiday with us?
Watching TV was OK in the main but on the bigger TV with 4k I was forever getting the 'wheel of buffer' which was no fun.
Another pain is that we have zero mobile phone signal and even wifi calling was crap, not conducive with a stressless day of WFH anyway.
We moved offices recently into an old barn which is lovely, great place to be, until we tried to bet broadband installed for the VOIP phones/many video meetings etc so we had to go for Starlink, we get 90mb in the middle of a field surrounded by trees and it works great, perhaps once a fortnight the IP will change and our VOIP phones will drop but a 30 second call to our telecoms people and that's sorted, so not really a problem.
Decided therefore to go for Starlink at home having ordered and cancelled the order a few times in the past. It's now £75pm for a 12 month contract and the hardware is thrown in whereas previously I'm pretty sure it was £400 up front and £75 so my dithering gave us a decent saving. Wish I'd done it earlier (aside from the discount) as we now get 150mb, downloads are OK, video calls work, TV is flawless and wifi calling seems improved. V3 router plugged directly into the DECO mesh network and nothing else really changed.
Not a patch on the Virgin firbre we had in the old place but it's the perfect solution until Openreach get their act together and give us a decent FTTP connection that they've been promising since March.
Bottomline, it does work and it's a brilliant solution.
One question... do they know where the connection is? i.e. when we do get fibre could the dish and router be moved to provide somewhere else i.e. to an outhouse 300m from the main house? Or come on holiday with us?
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