On April 16th, American space exploration technology company SpaceX unveiled its Starlink Early Access program to the public six months ago. In the first few months, the number of users of the satellite Internet service grew to more than 10,000.

So what about Star chain Internet? the US media interviewed more than 50 users who have been using the service all the time. These users are distributed in 13 states in Canada and the United States. In addition, most of these users are located in rural or remote areas, such as farms, with limited options for using terrestrial broadband. There are also a few people who do not have access to the Internet at all.

A user in Montana said: "I want to keep the star chain for a long time. The beta price of this service is more reasonable than any other option we offer, and the performance of those options is worse." As long as the Starlink Internet is still available, it is the only broadband option I have left. "

Star chain Internet Service Antenna tested in the Field

Star chain is SpaceX's capital-intensive project to build a space-based satellite Internet network of thousands of satellites known as constellations in the aerospace industry to provide high-speed Internet services to consumers anywhere on the planet.

SpaceX launched the "Better than Nothing Beta" Starlink Internet public test program to the public in October last year, and most of the users surveyed received invitations to join between November and February this year. In the United States, the beta version of the service is priced at $99 a month, and the upfront cost of hardware for customers to connect to the network is $499, plus taxes, freight and accessories for installing antennas.

The survey included total cost, installation process, their views on SpaceX devices, network speed, service reliability, their service alternatives, customer service experience, their concerns, and their overall impression. Here are the views of early users:

01. Pricing

SpaceX pricing user equipment is much lower than its actual cost, and the company currently bears about 2/3 of customer equipment costs. Upfront costs for users range from $550 to $800, depending on taxes, transportation costs, and additional equipment required (such as roof installations or third-party projects).

Most users believe that the service price of $99 per month is fair and often cheaper than other satellite broadband services and terrestrial options, especially given the average speed of star chain Internet services. Gwen Schottwell (Gwynne Shotwell), president of SpaceX, said last week that the company had no plans to increase "tiered pricing" to consumers and stressed that it wanted to "keep it as simple and transparent as possible".

02. Equipment

Customer-oriented Starlink Internet kit, which includes satellite antennas, brackets, power supplies, and WiFi routers

The Star chain Kit sent to the customer consists of four important parts: the user terminal (also known as the antenna), the tripod, the Wi-Fi router, and the power supply. SpaceX also offers roof installation options, but at an extra cost. Users are impressed by the quality of the equipment, especially the antenna. In the SpaceX guide, it is nicknamed "Dishy McFlatface". "unless there is a wide range of hail, I can't see how much this thing will be hurt," said one user. "

A small number of users were disappointed with the quality of the Wi-Fi router provided by SpaceX, and several users chose a third-party router. One Montana user described it as "a brick with a WiFi signal" and said it was fast to set up, but lacked configuration options in addition to setting a network password. "I chose to use my own router and plug directly into the port to which their router should be connected," the Montana user said. "

03. Installation

A star chain user terminal installed on the roof of a building in Canada

Users provide the broadest advice on the installation process of the star chain equipment, because many people find it a very simple process, mainly for those who have installed roof equipment before. others take hours to get the antenna to work. One Colorado user said: "the hardest part is to climb up to the roof, install an antenna, and then connect the wires from outside to inside." "

For users who install the antenna, the sky view of the antenna is blocked, thus not connecting to the satellite overhead is the most common problem. A mobile app for Starlink Internet users includes augmented reality to check for obstacles and help find the right location to install antennas. One Oregon user said: "my tree is really tall. I underestimated the star chain obstacle detection application, which is really necessary." "

04. Network speed

Washington Department of Emergency Management

SpaceX told the Federal Communications Commission in February that the download speed of the (FCC), Star chain Internet service "exceeded" 100Mbps, the upload speed exceeded 20Mbps, and the delay was "no more than 31 milliseconds". Delay is the amount of delay in the network, which refers to how long it takes for a signal to travel back and forth from its destination. Latency and download speed are key indicators for measuring Internet service providers.

The company's report to the Federal Communications Commission is consistent with user reviews, with most downloading speeds between 60Mbps and 150Mbps, and some even reporting peak speeds close to 200Mbps. Latency is also expected, as most users report a delay of about 30 milliseconds, some as low as 20 milliseconds.

Musk promised earlier this year that the performance of the Starlink Internet would continue to improve as SpaceX launches more satellites. Later this year, the speed will double to about 300 Mbps, and the delay will remain more stable within 20 milliseconds, he said.

SpaceX warns that users may experience service degradation during the beta, given that the company does not have enough satellites in orbit. Within 24 hours, the downtime of most users is between 3 and 5 minutes. Sometimes the time is as short as 20 seconds, while a small number of users report that the downtime is between 10 and 20 minutes. The Star chain app also provides users with a countdown to when the next satellite is expected to reconnect to the service.

A user in Maine said: "this service is quite reliable and occasionally fails several times." We mainly use it to look at Netflix, Hulu and YouTube. We also use it to play games without any problems. "

Users interviewed said that their use of multiple devices had no impact on service quality or speed. "We are online all day and have meetings every day," said a Minnesota user. The star chain service is easy to maintain. We also use streaming services. With my in-laws, we have at least 25 devices (including smartphones, laptops, desktops, iPad, smart TVs, smart home devices, etc.). "

In addition to the reliability of the Star chain Internet service itself, users said that the performance of its supporting hardware equipment is also very good. Users reported that the antenna of the star chain could continue to work in high winds, rain and snowstorms. In addition, because some users live in remote areas and ask them to keep a close eye on power consumption, they find that the star chain device does not consume much power. "its power consumption is roughly the same as the floodlights that illuminate our driveway," said one user in California. "

05. Switch to star chain

Users reported that they had used a variety of Internet services before the launch of Starlink, from other satellite broadband companies to low-speed cable networks to cellular hotspots, some of which had no Internet access at all.

There are three most common reasons for users to switch to star-link networks: price, speed, and data restrictions. One user in Ohio said they paid $180 a month to a local service provider that claimed it was faster, but found that the average speed of Starlink Internet was faster. One user in California, who had previously used satellite services, said the satellite Internet was "slightly more reliable" in terms of outages, but the download speed was only 1Mbps, with a delay of about 1000 milliseconds.

A user in Montana said: "I've been asking my local telecom technicians if a fiber-optic network will be laid in my town. Every time they say, 'five years from now, it won't even be laid'. "

One user in Canada said that there are two local "high-speed" Internet service providers in their area, but by comparison, the cost is too high. "both require a lot of investment in hardware towers, wires and other hardware, both have very strict data caps, and there is no guarantee of speed," the user said. In short, their services are terrible. "

06. Customer service

On January 20, 2021, the Falcon 9 rocket launched the star chain satellite.

So far, SpaceX's core business has always been to launch rockets, so it has become an Internet service provider and is a novice in providing customer service. Only a few users contacted about the issue, but everyone was satisfied with SpaceX's response.

One user in Oregon said they were "unable to connect at first" when setting up the star chain service. "I opened a support case, and they responded and called me within hours," the user said. They had to adjust something, and the problem was solved that afternoon. "

"the support response has been good," said another user in Minnesota. SpaceX "usually responds within 1-2 hours," he said.

07. Worry

The biggest concerns expressed by respondents focused on the possibility of SpaceX introducing data restrictions in the future. Some people think that such restrictions will be inevitable, and one user said that if there were any data caps, they would not hesitate to cancel the service immediately. When asked what limits they thought were acceptable, users said they would be satisfied with the monthly data limit of 750 gigabytes to 1TB.

The installation process and the apparent "lack of lightning grounding" in the equipment worried one user in California. "connecting cables to homes may not be easy for the general public," the user said. The user also said that because of the above concerns, they did not integrate star chain devices into their home network, adding, "I do not want a wrong blow to destroy all my network devices and servers. "

The California user added: "I think SpaceX has thought about this, but it doesn't seem to be mentioned anywhere in the documentation." So in order to minimize the risk, I now set everything separately from the star chain device. "

08. General impression

After the 17th SpaceX launch mission, 60 star chain satellites were deployed into orbit

The overall impression of Starchain Internet users on the service is quite good, and almost everyone hopes to use the service for a long time. A user in Maine said: "the experience is great, the support from Starlink is great, and updates are constantly being pushed to Starlink applications." I am very satisfied with everything. "

Users also highlighted a key point that SpaceX itself said, that the service is a major benefit for people in rural areas, but can not replace the existing Internet services for urban people. "it changes the rules of the game in rural America," said a user in Montana. I think there are a lot of people who can choose to work remotely because the COVID-19 epidemic will prompt us to make use of this service. "

Although SpaceX has begun accepting subscriptions for Starlink's Internet service, and more services are expected to be available in the southern United States in the coming year, the company does not have a timetable for when Starchain will end its beta and begin to provide full commercial services. Shottwell said earlier this month that the company still has a lot of work to do to make the network more reliable, a fact highlighted by a user in Wyoming. "get ready, it's just a beta," he said. Network outages are to be expected, and technical support may be slow. "

For now, many users are excited to be able to use a new high-speed service, even if there are restrictions on the Starlink Internet service. "after 14 years of living without the Internet, I'm really excited," said a user in Oregon. I can watch the full program without having to worry about whether the traffic reaches the limit. I can download a new game when I want instead of taking my laptop to a friend's house. This has changed people's way of life to some extent. "