Posted on 11/21/2025 1:53:31 PM PST by SmokingJoe
SpaceX Starlink finally has real competition 🚀 and your internet bill may never look the same. Amazon’s new LEO network is directly challenging SpaceX, and in this video I break down what actually matters: speed, reliability, coverage, latency, and how this fight could put real money back in your pocket. You’ll see how Starlink’s upgraded low-orbit system stacks up against Amazon Leo’s fresh constellation, what this means for rural users and families, when prices could drop, and why major ISPs are quietly panicking. If you want to know how the future of satellite internet affects your wallet, performance, and options, this is the breakdown you've been looking for.
(Excerpt) Read more at youtube.com ...
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How’s the downlink during heavy rain?
Even if I wanted it, the apartment complex I am moving to next month ONLY has Spectrum :^p
Grok:
No, you do not need 2 Starlink dishes for a house with 10 people.
One single Starlink dish/router is fully sufficient in almost all cases—even for 10+ people—as long as you choose the right plan and have realistic expectations.
Can’t afford the kit, plus what I mentioned above.. the apartment I am heading to next month ONLY has Spectrum.
They won’t allow anything else.
Fun Factoid
Amazon’s Kuiper, now called LEO, had bargained, negotiated with several launch providers to place the LEO satellites in orbit. The Amazon Board decided to not even consider the least expensive and most reliable launch provider on the planet. Yes, SpaceX. The Amazon Stockholders found out and protested. SpaceX ended up launching three times for Amazon.
The latest reuse record for a Falcon 9 first stage is 31 launches.
We have dual ISPs load balanced... Spectrum Cable (1gbps symmetrical) and ATT Fiber (1gbps symmetrical)... Load balanced through a Firewalla Gold+.... Internet is always up.... Each ISP is roughly $85 a month.
Yeah.

Oh, btw, by ‘things’, I meant different PCs, tablets, and my phone.
Yes, we do. We cannot do multiple conference calls, have 2 televisions and six kids gaming at the same time with one dish. There simply isn’t enough bandwidth. Ask me how I know.
By the way, Grok is full of it. It doesn’t have any of the important variables such as actual bandwidth usage, local network speed and congestion. As I mentioned, we are a congested area and get far less than Starlink’s best speeds. It’s bad enough here that they don’t offer any residential plans except the $120/month option. But yeah, listen to Grok that makes generalized responses to insufficient information/context. Ha!
I ordered three kits as backups for my fiber connection. One came today 2 more tomorrow.
You never know what might happen these days....
You can pay 50/mo for a 50gb/mo package and after the first month you can place the system on standby mode that costs 5/mo for old timey DSL speed of 500kbps. they say the slow speed is unlimited so whatever that’s worth.. I just want a backup system I can depend upon and these may be the right choice. if a load of idiots overuse the standby option they might curtail it, who knows
I remember old DSL speed, you can web surf, you can make phone calls and even video calls at modest res, watch youtubes at 360p or 480p if the wind is right..lol
You can upgrade service instantly to better packages so if you need more ooomph you can do it for a short time and go back to snail-speed on standby..
I just feel the need for redundant comms backup...
It’s interesting that they sent out the word to the owners of the really old round dish kits to drag them out of the closet and power them on so they can get a live update to allow them to continue to function with the newest system if ever it was needed to connect them....hmmm
They are giving these mini kits away to current subscribers... seems odd... hmmmm
In other countries they are giving the kits away I heard...hmmm
In some areas they send someone out and install a system on your roof for free no equipment or install cost....hmmmm
I had the thought that if something were to happen to the communications grid in the US it would shortly follow that the Starlink system would be called upon to provide communications using any possible means...
If such a situation occurred all the existing kits could be activated at the slow speed of 500kbps without overburdening the system too much.... basic emergency comms...
hmmmm
Do you have hotspot capability with the phone?
Out in the country, only DSL or 5G.
Have T-Mobile WIFI 5G Bridge (hot spot) for an amazing $50/mo. and it’s blazing. Always almost 100mbps and sometimes 500mbps!
For a country rural home that was DSL, this is a dream.
100mbps was T-1 speed when I was VP of an internet company 25 years ago....
Then you didn’t ask the question with enough specificity to prove your point that 10+ people don’t require 2+ dishes. It is entirely possible that multiple dishes are required for 10+ people and Starlink forums highlight that I’m not the only one.
I was going to switch to Starlink but here in Dallas it is a “High Demand” area.
The deal they are offering everyone for 49.00 to start and the usual monthly... is $900.00 for me to JUST to get the equipment to the front door.
They are also sending out installers for the 49.00 deal.
When I saw how much they wanted from me ($900.00) it became clear that they are financing the 49.00 deal with all the money from the “High Demand” folks ($900.00).
I sent an email about it, got a “sorry, it’s policy.”
I replied that communism really is NOT the way to go and a LOT of folks will hear about this.
...no answer...
Why am I just totally not surprised?
.
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