Starlink RV vs Residential: Which is Better?

Starlink RV and Residential are the two popular service plans for high-speed satellite internet. The company has gained much fame in the last few years, owing to its faster speeds, stability, and reliability.

If you are indecisive about choosing between RV and Residential plans, then worry not. In this article, I shall compare both service packages over multiple aspects and help you choose the right one.

Note: Starlink has changed the RV plan’s name to Roam.

Starlink RV vs Residential: Quick Comparison

Starlink RV (Roam) vs Residential: Detailed Comparison

I have been using Starlink’s Residential and RV for the last two months. During this period, I thoroughly observed their performance against several parameters, including, speeds, consistency, dependability, ease of use & management, and more.

In the subsequent sections, you will find my honest views and experience in using both.

Internet Speeds

According to Starlink’s website, these are the respective figures for both internet plans:

Starlink RV (Roam): 5-50 Mbps download speed & 2-10 Mbps upload speed, latency/ping <99ms

Starlink Residential: 20-100 Mbps download speed & 5-15 Mbps upload speed, latency/ping 25-50ms, with a data cap of 1TB.

To determine the real-life speeds, I paired the TP-Link AXE75 WiFi 6E router with Gigabit speed capability and recorded the speeds on my iPhone 13 & Samsung Galaxy S21 FE simultaneously.

As mentioned in my dedicated review of the Starlink RV plan, I was constantly experiencing around 140 Mbps of download and 30-35 upload speed. Residential service, on the other hand, could reach over 200 Mbps in download and over 50 Mbps in upload.

Please note, the speed test results were taken on the testing devices kept around 25 feet away from the router. This suggests that near or far, the residential Starlink plan stays way ahead of the RV plan, thereby accommodating more devices at a time.

Performance & Reliability

With identical hardware, the performance of both RV and residential should be the same, especially in terms of consistency. But with both plans operating in the same area, the users of the latter should get the bandwidth priority over others.

It means RV users would experience a bit of degraded performance compared to residential users, which was evident from the speed values.

Now residential users with an active portability feature should experience the same with RV when traveling, thereby demonstrating an almost similar performance.

Irrespective of the speed values, I tried staying active on multiple tasks to determine how these translate in real life. I started with playing games on my iPhone 13 & Samsung S21 FE active on respective residential and RV plans.

A large latency value with the latter was quite reflective of its gaming performance, as it only could manage light games with minimal frame rates. The other performed comparatively well and ran PUBG at 21fps but high-bandwidth games like Apex Legends or Call of Duty: Mobile had a few network bottlenecks here and there.

Other than that, light tasks like sending emails, browsing the web, and streaming music seemed like a piece of cake for the residential plan, but its counterpart could still manage to undertake these.

Availability and Coverage

The coverage map below shows Starlink’s ever-expanding footprint of internet coverage.

Starlink Residential was the earliest plan on offer to the customers, and since then had established its presence in 54 countries across the world, counting more than 1 million customers.

But Starlink for RV, a satellite internet service for moving vehicles is available from December 2022, and as of now is only available in limited cities.

To get to know if you are lucky or not, visit Starlink’s official website and put your shipping address, and it will show the accessibility of the RV plan in your area.

Irrespective of its availability, there is a certain capacity in each area for Starlink residential which is slowly expanding with time. So, if you want to install Starlink in your home, you have to stay on the waitlist to get to order your kit. But that’s not the case with RV, as you can order it immediately without enrolling on the waitlist.

Pricing & Early Termination Policy

Subscribed to the Starlink RV plan, you’re free to move around the continent without worrying about blacking out of the network service.

Starlink Residential also has the option for that, but you first have to enable its portability service by paying $25, which brings the total monthly service fee to $135.

But the thing is, with portability enabled, you can roam anywhere for two billing cycles and you must return to your registered address or change it to a new location.

Moving on, Starlink allows Roam customers to pause and reactivate the service anytime. So you can turn it off for a few weeks when you are in an area where it’s inaccessible and switch it on when available.

It’s also beneficial for users who want to use Starlink services for a few months in a year. On the other hand, there is no pausing option in the Starlink residential plan. You can only cancel the services.

Installation & Setup

With similar setup and hardware involved for both plans, installing and setting up Starlink is more or less similar. The set of equipment is the same, i.e., an antenna, router, and cables. Here are a few simple steps you must follow:

• Start with plugging the cable into the antenna followed by inserting it into the mount.

• Insert the other end of your cable into the bottom of your router. Then, insert the power plug into the router, and power it on.

• Once it boots up, install the Starlink app on your smartphone and log in using the credentials mentioned on the router. As you get in, search for an optimal installing location by accessing the “check for obstruction” feature, and check for results.

• The blue areas show the safe spot to point your antenna, and the red display the obstructions. Then, move on to screw the satellite on the roof of your house or RV, and keep the router at a central location. That’s it.

With either of the services, you get the ISP-supplied Starlink router (reviewed here), which misses out on the latest features like Wi-Fi 6, QoS, and tri-band support. But the good part is you can bypass the Starlink router and use your own device.

Here’s a complete guide on using a third-party router with Starlink. In case you’re wondering about compatibility, any third-party device would work. However, I’ve tested a bunch of them and recommended those that performed excellently:

For the best experience, you can choose from:

• best wireless routers for Starlink ~ Suitable for small-medium sized houses
• best mesh WiFi systems for Starlink ~ Suitable for large multi-story houses

Pros & Cons of Starlink RV

Pros

• Can run on the go
• Can pause the internet at any time
• Excellent range
• Easy to install

Cons

• Expensive hardware

Pros & Cons of Starlink Residential

Pros

• Decent speeds
• Cheaper than RV (if excluding the portability feature)
• Great range
• Easy to install

Cons

• Cannot be paused (only cancel)

Customer Service Experience

To reach Starlink customer service, you can try any of the below options:

• Starlink App: Access the free-to-download Starlink app to access the customer support feature. It has a built-in chat feature that lets you speak with customer service representatives directly.
• Email: You can share your problems with Starlink by sending an email to support@starlink.com
• Phone: Starlink currently don’t have any calling number available, but you can request a call by filling out a form on their website.
• Social Media: You can also reach Starlink representatives by contacting them on their social media handles like Facebook or Twitter.
• Community Forums: Starlink also has a few community forums where you can ask questions and get solutions from Starlink tech support.

I tried contacting Starlink one or two times and found them pretty responsive and proactive in helping me with the queries or issues I have. And based on several customer reviews and feedback, their experience has not been any different.

Starlink RV User Reviews

Here’s what Starlink Roam subscribers have to say about their service experience:

I being a nomad mostly stay out of my house moving here and there with my RV, so this plan by Starlink fascinated me. Now I could stay in contact with my friends and family all the time and don’t have to wait to reach the campground. Starlink RV is a good one to have, but is it perfect? No, most plans aren’t.

Paul M Grey

I find Starlink Roam worth it with, thanks to decent speeds, range, and no contracts or hidden cancellation fees. It had some downsides, especially the signal drop you encounter with major obstructions, but it’s worth getting for anybody in the available countries.

John K Adams

I was among the few lucky ones to experience Starlink RV since it was in beta mode. I already had used their residential services, but it comes with multiple setbacks that this plan mitigates well. Besides, I never am bored during my days of travel.

Hazel V Moore

Starlink Residential User Reviews

Here’s what Starlink Residential subscribers have to say about their service experience:

Over my use for an entire month, I can confirm that the service is awesome and is the best satellite connection available to you. The speeds were amazing and the issues of frequent network dropouts are now almost gone.

Zoey P Baker

The speeds, network, and everything about Starlink Residential is great, just that I find their price a bit high. Also, support is average as it took them almost 5 days to reply to my queries. But the rest is good.

Anthony K Hall

Despite costing around $135 per month, the Starlink residential is worth every penny. It got to me after 3 days of order and installation was a breeze with the provided instructions. Besides, my family can now stream and play games without any lags or latencies.

Everly P Sanchez

Also Read: Starlink vs HughesNet

Frequently Asked Questions

Overall, both Starlink RV and Residential are good choices for users with varying requirements, and overpower the other in one aspect or another.

So go for Starlink RV if you stay outside for more than 2 months and are okay with reduced speed during peak hours. And Starlink Residential if you stay at a single location with occasional travel and need the best performance throughout the day.