Starlink Internet in the Dominican Republic Update …

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I just changed mine today

We;ll see if it goes thru next month

Is there no worry about the equipment being stolen? (of course this can happen anywhere). And I know no nothing about installing this nor would I have the tools and equipment to install, never mind not even knowing the stability of the structure or rules on installing the equipment myself onto an apartment building. Pardon my questions if they seem...to anyone, but it's a new country to me, and I know things are different and I have nothing setup yet or established etc., 1st trip so..... be kind;). Plus this starlink is brand new to me as well, seems cool.

I hope you all are safe and unaffected from.the current storm out there. Hope your families are all good as well.

Starlink is made to be as easy to set up as possible, and it is easy based on our experience.

A thief would have to steal  both the dish and the router for it to be used. Once you report the equipment stolen Starlink just turns it off, rendering it useless. Of course, whether a thief, most of whom are pretty stupid, understands this is another matter.

@RockyM

And what then would be thw replacement options thereafter?

Using Starlink in an apartment would only work if you have a clear view of the northern sky - from a balcony, through a window, etc. If you are in the city and surrounded by other buildings, it's not going to work!

   The only negative about Starlink is its customer service. There is no way to call or email them...        -@ddmcghee

An amazing FU gesture to its customers by Starlink!

FWIW, YouTube has some useful videos with precise info on how to get through StarLink's deny-customers-the-support-they-deserve barrier. A guy named JCristina has some of the best!

Quick heads up!

You only get a 50' cable with the Standard dish you order on the Dominican Starlink site.

Also, it's worth it to shop Amazon for any accessories that you want to order for your new dish. Even with paying the package forwarding fees, you will get it sooner and likely save $$$. I paid $49.99 plus $5 package forwarding vs. Startlink's RD4,000 for a Startling Ethernet adapter.

And, I got it delivered to the DR in 4 days. I ordered one from Starlink and, 20 days later, have yet to receive it.  Cheaper and way faster ain't a bad deal at all!

@crabelramble

Great heads up! Thank you.

Ours is up and running!

As everyone has said, installation is a breeze as long as you have a location without obstructions. You plunk it down pointing in about the right direction, plug it in, and about 6 hours later, after it's figured out where it is,  it's up and running.

The good news is that I'm getting 188 Mbps Down, 10.9 Up. for 1100 DOP more a month than I was paying for a service that sometimes disconnected 50 times a day and got 15Mbsp on those days that hell froze over.

The bad news is that the router, when faced with a typical concrete block Dominican house, rolled over and pissed itself. It doesn't penetrate the concrete block walls worth a damn.

Thank god for mesh routers!

Does anyone here use powerline (wifi) extenders?

I use them in my concrete house in the EU to create a mesh network, I wonder how well they work here with the typical electrical installation and fluctuating current.

-Powerline adapters plug in ac wall outlets and use the existing electrical wires as a wired connection, somewhat comparable to a wired ethernet connection without adding extra cables..

I use aero and it works - need a few

@crabelramble

Thank you for sharing. I'll have to check what the install steps are and get a visual. The money is a bit much right now though, but I will be able to at least hold off until next trip now. So That's good.

@dbhford

Need a few to get proper signal support/strength?? Doesn't affect electricity bill much for Dominicans does it???

    @dbhford
Need a few to get proper signal support/strength?? Doesn't affect electricity bill much for Dominicans does it???
   

    -@Shestheone

As always, the answer is, "It depends!"

Each unit uses electricity, probably less than 10 watts. That's not much. But you will need more than one, and each one is running 24 hours a day. And power in the DR is expensive. And you're probably paying 0.26 USD per kWh.

The bottom line is that each one will cost you a buck or two a month to run.

Number of  extenders will depend on size and layout of  the  place as well as where the main router is located! 

Great info you all. Thanks.

Starlink has dropped equipment cost in some USA areas by 50% , but even better for us in the D.R. the price has dropped to DOP$20,600.00 for equipment. monthly still the same. I know this is old thread but good news for anyone needing reliable internet in D.R. specially in rural and mountain areas.

@Alfonso Ayala

I saw that the equipment price was dropping in parts of the US, but I didn't realize it was getting cheaper here, too!  We've had StarLInk for about 18 months and are very pleased! We do lose service when the cloud cover gets really thick!