Did you know your Starlink can brick—completely lock up and fail to work—if you don’t let it see the sky occasionally and allow it to download the latest firmware and updates? Yeah, me neither. I learned it by watching the video linked at the bottom of this post, and I confirmed it through other resources.
Apparently, this is a security feature. Starlink antennas are more than a rectangular dish. They contain sophisticated computers and need tightly synchronized security certifications and up-to-date communication protocols to handshake, or connect, with the Starlink satellites. If your antenna sits in its box for too long (six to twelve months), it gets out of sync and can no longer connect.
So this weekend, on a sunny but cold day, I got my “backup” Starlink Mini out of the box and set it up outside. Being less than two months old, it connected just fine. I’ll leave it up and running for 48 hours and then pack it away until we need it because we’re going mobile or it’s an emergency.
If I don’t use the Mini in the next few months, I’ll take it out in April or May and let it sync up again. Just one more maintenance prep I’ll have to do, along with things like recharging batteries, running the generator, and oiling gun barrels. In fact, I’m going to make a point of doing it every time I start the generator.
No Plan Needed
The good news is that your Starlink system will connect and download new firmware updates even if you are not paying for a Starlink plan. The update is free, but it requires your unit to be plugged in, turned on, and pointed in the right direction. Sitting in your closet won’t do it. Your antenna needs a clear view of the sky.
If you want “normal” communications during an emergency or don’t want to fool around with HAM radio frequencies and special antennas, Starlink is your best bet. I’m not saying it will solve all your communications problems or that it is not without risks, but it is easy to use and familiar.
Just remember, for this backup comms plan to work, there has to be someone to talk to—which in a disaster covering a large geographic area means someone else with electricity and a Starlink. It also requires satellites. In a space war, an EMP strike, or in the event of a coronal mass ejection, all or part of the Starlink fleet may get wiped out. This is why you need a Plan B and a Plan C.
Standby Mode for Survival
Both our antennas are on the Starlink Standby plan, which costs me $5 each per month. We recently activated our primary antenna when our fiber optics went down, but now that the fiber has recovered, we are back in Standby Mode.
This low-speed (bandwidth is throttled to between 500 Kbps as opposed to up to 300 Mbps) is sufficient for emergency communications via phone or text, but not for streaming or using too many devices. You can use some apps and do your email, but you won’t be able to use video-intensive websites. The YouTube video at the end of this post gives more details, and I’ve written more about it—and how Standby Mode compares to the old days of dial-up:
The RV Trap: Why Seasonal Use is a Risk
Some RV users have been hit with this problem, especially if they don’t use their RV for months at a time. They winterize their vehicle in September and then they hit the road in June and wonder why their Starlink is dead.
The most recent Starlink antennas have provisions allowing them to be updated via cell phone, but you need an active cell signal. We don’t have one here, and you may not if you are in a survival situation. So be warned: keep your Starlink equipment up to date.
We know many people who moved to Starlink after Helene but have since gone to cheaper ground-based alternatives. I’m telling everyone I know to make sure they don’t get bricked, or the next time they need to use their Starlink in an emergency, they might not be able to.
Copper is Yesterday, Fiber is Today, and Satellite is Tomorrow
In the next decade, I expect more and more of the Internet will move away from ground-based system and the signals will be beaming through space. Sooner than that, we’ll all have satellite-capable phones in our pockets. I also expect my Starlink account will give me the ability to make calls on my cell phone from anywhere I can see the sky.
This will have advantages for people like us who live well off the beaten track, and it will make it easier for rangers, farmers, backpackers, and people at sea to make phone calls. But it won’t be perfect. For example, have you ever noticed how SiriusXM cuts out when you drive through the mountains? Expect that to happen with satellite phones. It took a while for cellular technology to mature; it will take a while for the next wave of satellite communications to mature.
For now, Starlink is a good choice for when the cell towers go down or you are in the middle of nowhere, even if you have to haul around a mini dish the size of a three-ring binder. By this time next year, it should be faster. And before long, smaller. Before you know it, it will be everywhere.
Video of the Day
Here’s the video I mentioned above on how to get the most out of Standby Mode. You will note the video says Standby Mode is one megabyte per second, but I have never achieved that download speed. We’re usually 400 to 500 kilobytes per second, about half that fast.
