GeorgiAg said:

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Download ok. Upload sucks.

OTR mobile. I have 1 bar service but got a WeBoost booster. Route that into my basement into a technology closet where I get 4 to 5 bars. I have a Cradlepoint modem hooked into a Ubiquiti router setup. I am set up for Starlink but I'm not sure it will be as good.

Thoughts?

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Is ATT cellular any better there or TMO 5G? I've pulled 100mbps thru my router on ATT 4G. Do you have any carrier aggregation? I had to go selectively turn bands on/off on my modem to find the best combo for carrier aggregation. Sometimes the modems will lock on to a strong signal that had poor bandwidth. You can lock out those strong/slow bands so it favors more weak/higher bandwidth ones.

This is my SL tonight. Usually it drops to 3-5mbps in around an hour, but I wouldn't complain if it stayed above 25-30 during peak

Also, to add on to txyaloo, a cell booster will stop a hotspots ability to do MIMO (multiple in multiple out). Depending on your modem, this could be hindering the speeds. My modem has 4x4 MIMO (most have less) so I do not use it with my booster.

Also, is your booster antenna pointing at the best tower and what type of antenna and what's the line of sight like (clear/trees/water)? This website can help you try out different cell towers.
https://www.cellmapper.net/map

I had HughesNet at the ranch outside of Goliad and it was complete trash. I requested Starlink a few months back and got the equipment about a month ago. Finally hardwired it in last night and it is the bomb!

Highly recommend it if it is available in your areas.

I have to use the booster. ATT mobile is terrible here. When I search on the map I see no towers nearby. My GF has to stand on the back porch to make a call (or go down near the tech closet in the basement to pick up the booster.) Verizon is a little better but no towers nearby. T-Mobile has the closest tower.

The map is helpful. I need to point my antenna due west. I live in a very hilly area called the Chattahoochee Hill Country. The drop from the highest elevation to the lowest on my property is a 120 foot drop. Fortunately my house is near the top. It is very heavily wooded and oaks and pines here can get up to ~ 100 ft high. I guess ideally I need to mount the antenna on a tower pointed due west. Right now it is a directional antenna on the NW corner of the house pointed north. The verizon tower is north but T-Mobile is west, so I need to move it so it points West.

I have a Cradlepoint CBA850. I am unfamiliar with aggregation or MIMO. That's over my pay grade!

Roughly think of carrier aggregation like you have 4 different internet providers at home and your PC has 4 wifi cards that can connect to each provider independently and combine the bandwidth from all the ISPs. Carrier aggregation is similar in that if the tower allows it, the a modem can connect to multiple towers/channels at once combining their bandwidth. Without CA, speeds are typically pretty slow. MIMI is multiple in/multiple out which works with CA.

Cradlepoint CBA850 is the router. The modem is what you plug into it. It can be a variety of modems. I think Cradlepoints are not easy to change the IEMI on, but it is doable with some of their modems.

With how far you are from the towers, you may want to consider a really nice antenna like this:
https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/antennas/outdoor/outdoor-cellular/od-parabolic/the-magnum-600-6500mhz-parabolic-grid-26dbi-wifi-cellular-4g-5g-directional-antenna-bundle/

or this if you want cheaper:
https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/antennas/outdoor/outdoor-cellular/directional-panel/high-beam/

Thanks for all the info. I'll PM you guys if I need to do the wireless option. I will probably try the fixed wireless first. It is relatively inexpensive.

I am on an ATT family unlimited plan now so I guess I would only be out the new equipment costs. Just not real sure about the signal strength in Runnels county

I doubt Starlink density out there will be as bad as around me. I have 6 RV parks w/in 2 miles. I suspect that is contributing to my congestion/slow speeds.

I'd take a chance on Starlink RV service out there vs dropping $600+ on a cell modem and external antennas. I know Verizon service for me in Coke/Runnels counties is pretty bad. You have 30 days to return the Starlink if it isn't decent.

Rise Broadband Fixed wireless is currently $55-$65 per month with free install. I will probably give it a shot. I think it has a newer tower on the road to the house.

If it sucks I will try for the Starlink

HughesNet sucked and was expensive.

I went to Verizon and a phone hotspot.

Directional antenna and signal booster made the difference.

Looks like they've introduced data caps in France now for Starlink. I imagine this will come to the US eventually

https://www.reddit.com/r/Starlink/comments/wfdose/starlink_250gbmo_soft_cap_in_france/

250gb priority data then deprioritized in congested areas. $10 for another 100gb of "high speed" data

For now, I'm gonna go with the "if it ain't broke" theory. But it's a question of when, not if, so I like to stay on top of what you guys suggest. My download speed is fine, it's my upload that's terrible.

And when my Starlink email comes, I'll give that a shot.

ShinerDunk93 said:

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Rise Broadband Fixed wireless is currently $55-$65 per month with free install. I will probably give it a shot. I think it has a newer tower on the road to the house.

If it sucks I will try for the Starlink

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I dropped Rise for StarLink. It was actually pretty dang good. I was paying for 25 down, but saw up to 50 at times. It did have quite a bit of packet loss when gaming, but was better than StarLink so far. The ping was 15ish ms. I would have cancelled StarLink if I didn't have plans to travel and use it at the tailgate.

I'll keep you posted. Probably install in the next month or two. House is not ready yet