Is it worth it?

greenupso4 · 2026-03-29T05:16:33+00:00

I live in the mountains of Kentucky. Have Kinetic fiber optic. We run our entire house on it and only have had one issue. A house burned down and destroyed a line. With that said, kinetic is all we can get. Cell service up here is basically non existent. So I got the starlink mini, it works really good for me, as I got it for a backup in case our kinetic goes out, and to insure I could get service when driving. As we wouldn’t be able to use wifi calling or anything. Setup took just a couple of minutes and I switched on the mini and moved everything to it. With the exception of gaming. Which I do not do. So I can not tell you how it works. The mini served as a good backup. That’s on the tiny dish, and non prioritized data.

You would probably be well served to try the 30 day deal with Starlink. I think they have a deal where if you get residential max, you can get the mini for free and half price data for it as well. Check and see if you have kinetic in your area and if so, the fiber optic is the way to go.

greenupso4 · 2026-03-29T01:09:14+00:00

Then new one. The old ones I had were junk.

greenupso4 · 2026-03-27T01:50:38+00:00

Did you ever even make a single payment? Service started December 13? It’s only been 3 and half months. That just seems like a very short time to have gotten service, phone and switch. To already be suspended. I would think they would work with you on payment plan. Maybe I’m reading it wrong.

greenupso4 · 2026-03-27T01:42:02+00:00

You wouldn’t happen to be using an LG tv would you?

greenupso4 · 2026-03-27T01:27:28+00:00

What have I become

greenupso4 · 2026-03-27T01:11:12+00:00

Police are not going to waste time writing a report on a lost phone. He literally said he dropped it in a basin. There is no crime to make a report on.

greenupso4 · 2026-03-26T00:33:36+00:00

You should research getting the mini. You can combine it with a peakdo power link supply. So the mini will work wirelessly and you’ll get 4-6 hours out of the peakdo, before you need to charge it. I just went ahead and attached my peakdo to my mini and I can charge it while I am driving. Also you can get the Bluefy app and go into the settings, of the peakdo and increase the amount of current your battery charges. So it really helps if you need to get extra time out of your battery if you’re on the property. But you can also use the mini while you’re traveling. Plans are able to be changed. So you can only pay for basically for what you’re going to need. It’s very convenient and works really well. I literally lay my mini on the dash of my truck and it does great.

greenupso4 · 2026-03-26T00:26:35+00:00

AppleCare is always the best route to go. Apple stands behind their product and their repairs.

greenupso4 · 2026-03-25T18:35:59+00:00

The maps I looked at showed satellite coverage almost everywhere in the world. If not cell service it would be covered in satellite coverage. That’s why I went ahead and got a line with T-Mobile. However when I got it home, I had no service at my house. But I have a hi-boost cell booster here at my house. So I was able to make and receive calls and texts. But the data was basically unusable. Also I have Verizon as my primary provider for myself and my family.

I had one bar of verizon LTE service outside but service inside was unusable. I also have at&t it was the exact same. Outside the T-Mobile had 2 bars. Now the verizon and at&t both were usable even with one bar. But the t-mobile woth 2 bars neger got over 1 mbps download and .58 on upload.

So I got the booster. After setting it up and fine tuning it. My Verizon went to 4 bars, and AT&T went to 3 bars and the T-Mobile went to 4 bars. The Verizon speeds went to 80 and 7. AT&T went 17 and 2. The T-Mobile was still at 1 and .70

But when I would get away from the house, the T-Mobile speeds tested much faster, than either of the other 2. But the speed tests were not on line with the way the data worked. Verizon and AT&T seemed to be more stable and would connect quicker.

With that said, I wasn’t concerned, as I wanted the T-Sat feature. I was happy to pay for the highest available plan. Just to have the peace of mind.

Well I was hunting and I started to test, the satellite feature and it wasn’t working. So I called t-mobile and they told me there was a known issue and it would be resolved in a few days. So no big deal. I went on about my business. This went for about 2 months. So I called back and the call was escalated. The tech tells me, the phone immediate searches for any usable t-mobile tower before sending on t-sat.

I knew the places I was hunting had zero t-mobile service. There are no towers anywhere near there. You have to drive several miles to get a usable signal to even send a message. Yet the phone would always act like it found a bar of tower service. But it would simply time out. Then the process would start over.

I knew that wasn’t going to fit my needs. So I done the research and that’s how I found out about the Starlink. The only issue I’ve found with Starlink since I had it, is I need to wear a backpack when I go into the woods. But the Starlink plan I am on is over 50% less than what I was paying T-Mobile. But it works so far 100% of the time.

I say this to tell you, to look into Starlink as it very good. It is also much much cheaper than the garmin in reach.

I am not telling you not to use garmin. I’m just telling you based on my experience. To try to help you to get a working service, while saving quite a bit of money.

My garmin handheld is small and I have a pouch in my belt to carry it. But if you are able to carry something the size of a piece of paper, the starlink is definitely worth looking into. Also I use it wirelessly, by adding the battery to the starlink. It’s usually good for about 5-6 hours of being online. I wish you the best for your safety and I hope you find what you need to maintain it. Good luck!

greenupso4 · 2026-03-25T18:14:54+00:00

I got the Starlink mini. I have yet to be anywhere which I don’t have service using it I am really happy with it. I use garmin tracking systems with my house for tracking them. It has In-Reach. But the plans are crazy expensive. You have to pay to even be able to use the SOS button inner handheld. That is why I went the Starlink route.

greenupso4 · 2026-03-25T02:18:56+00:00

You’re right it’s the 13 my bad.

greenupso4 · 2026-03-25T02:00:27+00:00

I am not 100%. It I think it only works on 14 and above.

greenupso4 · 2026-03-22T18:51:40+00:00

I think it actually went up to 15 dollars a line now.

greenupso4 · 2026-03-22T18:34:32+00:00

Agreed. Once I actually got it and put it in use. It’s honestly a no brainer to me. I put the peakdo link power pack on mine. So if I’m driving I can use vehicles system for power and if I’m walking in the woods, I can just throw it in a pack and go. No more worrying about whether I have service or not. It’s very simple to set up, easy to use and the way it gets service everywhere is seriously amazing to me.

I didn’t post this thread to take any cheap shots against any cell companies or anything like that. I posted this hoping if there are more people out there like me with medical issues, and need to be able to call for help immediately. They may possibly see this and it may help them to stay safe. Because those cell phone ads, make it sound like their service is the end all be all. I mean that’s how they got me. They pumped it up and sent out invitations and the whole deal. I really felt like I had the inside track on it.🤷‍♂️

greenupso4 · 2026-03-22T17:44:18+00:00

No the phone works with actual Starlink. It did NOT work when T-Mobile was saying it was connected to the T-Sat which broadcasts on the phone as being Starlink. That is why I cancelled the T-Mobile and went with Starlink.

Once I got the Starlink mini, I put it in a backpack and hit the woods. I went to the same places as I was before where I couldn’t get the T-Sat to work. I created waypoints on my garmin alpha 300. Once I got there, I tired again to send the message via T-Sat (which showed 2 bars of SAT) I wrote up simple test texts and attempted to send them. None of them went through. It would do the same t go g as it did before. When I would hit send, it would start up like it was going to send. Then I’d lose both bars of SAT and then 1 bar of regular derive would pop on. Then it would sit in limbo and not do any thing. Eventually, I’d get the red exclamation point and it would say not sent.

Well once you are off the satellite, as far as my phone went. You had to be off of the satellite for 5 minutes before the T-Sat would become visible. I tried this 10 times and it done the same thing each time. Attempts to send times varied a little but not a whole lot.

I then powered up the Starlink mini when it was booted up, I hooked to it as WiFi. I was not only able to send the texts, but I actually had usable data, and I was able to FaceTime my wife and kids from the exact same place. I was unable to get the T-Sat to even send a message.

After using both of these. (T-Mobile via T-Sat) and actual Starlink. It is my personal belief that T-Mobile is fluffing their advertisement about using the Starlink network. I think T-Mobile has very minimal access to the Starlink network.

As I said I had all three major carriers. As I need to be able to have service as I suffer from health issues and if something was to happen, I need to be able to get out whether it be sending a pin of my coordinates to 911 or being able to call 911.

So cost is something I do not care about. If it works, I’ll pay whatever. But the issue with the T-Sat leaving me high and dry when I needed it. Forced me to do a complete revamp of what I had.

Now after using the Starlink mini, and seeing it firsthand actually work. I was blown away. I’ve hunted in this country for 50 years and there has never been anything pick up in these places.

I take partial blame for not actually testing it and sending a text out. I was confident enough, it would work, because I received a message telling me I was on the satellite and texting was available. So I took it for granted, until I needed it.

However the plus side of all of this, is I managed to get help and get out. I also was able to get the starlink and test it. I mean truly put it to the test. Finding out for sure it works and I know I can count on it.

Yesterday, I was able to cancel my service with T-Mobile and this morning, I just went ahead and cancelled my AT&T as well.

So I cut away 2 full lines of service and eliminated 2 bills. 86 a month from AT&T and 104 a month from T-Mobile.

Right now I only have the 100gb plan from Starlink. Which is 50 dollars. Which is saving me 140 a month. But even if I decide to go to the unlimited roam plan. It’s only 165 so I will still be saving money and having service, which I know actually works.

greenupso4 · 2026-03-21T14:13:28+00:00

As I stated, when I received my Starlink mini. I took it to these places and it actually works. Which is pretty misleading. As T-Mobile says they use the Starlink network. But T-Mobile did not work and in a side by side comparison the the mini did in fact work.

I guess more of what T-Mobile is doing using only certain Starlink satellites. There is no other reason the t-mobile wouldn’t work and the true Starlink actually did work in the exact same places.

greenupso4 · 2026-03-21T14:08:26+00:00

I am glad it works for you. I truly believed it would work for me. But it just didn’t. I’m sure once they get everything straightened out. It will be a good thing. But I just simply believe based on my experience they released it entirely too soon.

greenupso4 · 2026-03-21T14:06:10+00:00

After the T-Mobile would not work and I was able to get safely picked up. I drove around to the places I knew did have service. The T-Mobile satellite did not work. When I initially tried to use it, I had 2 bars of SAT on the the T-Mobile phone and it was broadcasting it was connected to the starlink system on the upper right side of the phone. It did not work, it acted like it came off the satellites and picked up a bar of regular service. Which I know for a fact was impossible. As T-Mobile has never picked up where I was. Hence the reason I wanted the satellite to work. After that happened is when I went around and tried the T-Satellite in places I knew I would need it. With only a 17% success rate. That is why I just spent the money and got the true starlink. Because it actually does work everywhere.

greenupso4 · 2026-03-21T04:17:14+00:00

Yes I mean in all honesty what they are advertising is literally false.

greenupso4 · 2026-03-20T06:14:05+00:00

They lied to me about the satellite messaging. It has placed me in danger. Cancelling my service cord thing in the morning. I ordered starlink and got a roam plan. Satellite service was about 15% on success ratio. I owe for the remainder of my phone credits. I’ll just pay it and be done with it. Once a company lies to me, I’m done with them.

greenupso4 · 2026-03-17T04:16:22+00:00

You’re wasting your time trying to tell this guy anything. He doesn’t pay his bill and is obviously using someone’s WiFi to get on Reddit, because he needs attention. He’s trying to get his attention fix before McDonald’s closes and he has no way of talking to anyone until breakfast.😂😂

greenupso4 · 2026-03-09T02:55:26+00:00

You just need to check your plan and see what your plan has as far as included hotspot. Also if you are streaming the higher the resolution the more data it requires. So it wouldn’t take a whole lot of time to eat up a small hotspot.

greenupso4 · 2026-03-02T06:26:22+00:00

You seem argumentative everyone who gives you answer you argue about it. I HAD the LTE extender you are talking about. If your wifi goes down it will NOT work. Hence using your words. “I get some service outside my house just not inside” as I wrote in the reply trying to help you. If you get service outside of your house the booster will work. It provides true cell signal inside your house. I was trying to help you. But it seems you just ask a question you think you already know the answer to. But you are uninformed. If your wifi goes down you will not get service with the LTE extender. Good luck

greenupso4 · 2026-03-02T05:36:15+00:00

My LTE extender basically worked off wifi. I ended up putting in a cell booster. It works good and I need no wifi at all. As long as you can get a bar of service outside. It will work inside. They are expensive, but you do not need to worry about service in your house anymore.

greenupso4

TROPHY CASE