Starlink for RVs: A Complete Starlink Roam Review

We’ve selected Starlink Roam’s portion of those service plans and broken them down for easy reference. Read on to all Starlink plans to learn more about Starlink Mobile Priority and its in-motion options.

Starlink uses low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites to communicate with ground terminals and connect its dishes to the internet. We have tested and found that Starlink holds up most home internet speeds, allowing you to watch, play, learn, and work. 

While Starlink's Residential plan requires it to be stationary and attached to a valid address, Starlink Roam lets you access high-speed internet on the go. However, it has a more expensive monthly fee and tends to be slower than the Standard plan. Starlink's mobile plans come in several flavors, including Roam Unlimited and 50GB options. The Unlimited plan allows you to travel and use your Starlink anywhere globally where it is authorized. See where you can use Starlink here.

The Roam 50GB plan is a more affordable version of Unlimited and has all the same features, but is limited to 50GB per billing period unless you purchase data.

Be warned that Roam is meant for temporary traveling and does not replace the Standard plan. If you travel with your Roam-activated Starlink, you can't use it for more than two months outside the country where you bought and activated it. This is meant to prevent use in unauthorized countries.

Starlink Roam starts at $50 per month, providing 50GB of data, which is more than enough for a long weekend on the road or camping. For unlimited data, the monthly cost is $165. However, that’s not the only cost to get Starlink Roam up and running. You’ll also pay a one-time fee of $349 for a Standard Starlink dish or $499 for the more portable Mini dish. 

If you only use your Starlink sporadically, like for weekend trips, there is a Standby pause mode. It's $5 per month and still offers low-speed internet (0.5Mbps). You can also cancel your plan at any time for no charge and reactivate it whenever you need it again. It’s pretty convenient, considering how pricey Starlink Roam can be compared to some alternative mobile Wi-Fi options. Fortunately, depending on the length of your RV adventure, you can determine if the price tag is worth it.

Starlink offers a “trial” period of its equipment and services. After receiving your kit and activating the first month’s subscription, you can cancel within 30 days for a full refund, provided you return the Starlink equipment in an undamaged condition. There’s a retail fee penalty for damaged goods, so be extra careful with your borrowed hardware if you decide to go that route.

The Starlink Mini is an even more portable version of its dish, shrunken down to nearly half the size and weight of the Standard dish. It has a built-in Wi-Fi router, unlike the Standard dish, which requires a proprietary router. It also requires less power.

The portability comes at the cost of reduced bandwidth. It's also more expensive than the Standard dish, with a regular price of $499. 

While the Mini can be more convenient than the Standard, since it takes up less space in an RV, it's possible to run into difficulties if you set up camp in an area with lots of obstructions. With the Standard dish, you can set it up far away from the RV to a better position with better clearance. With the Mini, you're limited by the equipment's power cable, and the Wi-Fi signal will be muted if you move it far from your RV, unless you have a mesh router from Starlink. 

With a reliable, portable power source, the Mini is perfect for taking backpacking into the backcountry. 

According to Starlink’s official specifications, Roam provides download speeds of 30–100Mbps.  However, in our testing, Starlink Roam surprised us by exceeding promised speeds at times. 

Starlink Roam does offer unlimited data, but at a lower data deprioritization rate than its fixed residential plan. Customers will experience weaker coverage and even slower speeds than customers on the Priority plans. It doesn’t guarantee you will experience those slowed speeds, but it means you easily could.

If your needs merit it, you can consider investing in the more expensive tiers of Starlink Roam for higher speeds (and global coverage). However, remember that these expensive alternatives come with monthly data caps, so you must monitor your usage.

With Starlink Roam, you get all the coverage of the satellite network, including unlimited standard data and portability. However, you won't get Starlink's maximum bandwidth unless you upgrade.

Starlink Priority offers the potential for faster internet speeds than Roam through high-priority data. By investing in the high-priority data packages, you’ll be entitled to the highest quality of internet Starlink offers. At the cap of whichever data limit you invest in, you’ll need to purchase more data to continue using high-speed internet.

We recommend Priority for maritime customers, emergency responders, and businesses due to the plan’s expensive equipment and even more expensive monthly subscription packages. Local plans are only usable in the country of purchase, while Global plans can be used internationally.

Starlink Roam, on the other hand, is ideal for RV users who want to stay connected during long trips. That makes it well-positioned for full-time RVers and digital nomads who want a steady connection. However, for the average vacationer, mobile hotspot options are generally less expensive on a monthly basis. We’d recommend looking into that before committing to the up-front equipment fee.

For the ability to wander regionally or globally with internet coverage, Starlink Roam Unlimited costs $45 more per month than Starlink Residential. On Residential, you'll get faster speeds and stable connections as long as you're in a fixed location.

Every time you connect to Starlink, the system assigns you access to a specific area of Starlink’s LEO constellation. Think of it this way: Being an RV internet customer is like being a new customer every time you connect to the internet. Starlink has to cover the costs and complexity of all those little adjustments.

With more people drawing on Starlink satellites than ever before, and because Starlink prioritizes its Residential customers, Roam users will often experience slower speeds and a weaker signal.

The Starlink app makes it really easy to access your account. Of all the tools Starlink offers, we find its app to be perhaps the best. It’s extremely functional and truly necessary if you’re going to get the most out of what Starlink has to offer.

Starlink Roam draws upon a constellation of satellites engineered to provide internet service worldwide, but there are other internet options if you’re RV-bound.

T-Mobile 5G AWAY allows you to take a 5G Wi-Fi gateway on the road for $160 per month with unlimited data. It also offers a 200GB plan for $110 per month. You can pause your plan at a discounted rate of $10 during the off-season when you’re not taking your RV out.

While T-Mobile AWAY is much more expensive than a hotspot plan, there are no equipment fees, saving you from spending up to $300 for a hotspot device. Since it works off the same technology as T-Mobile’s Home Internet service, it’s also expected to provide faster, better quality service.

Like cell phone service, 5G internet depends on proximity to cell phone towers to get a signal. It won’t work well in highly remote areas, canyons, or heavily forested areas.

Both Starlink and T-Mobile offer unlimited data, but T-Mobile 5G will only connect where their network coverage is available. Starlink’s network covers 99% of the US.

Mobile hotspots through cellular carriers have been around a little longer. They have the coverage of large carriers and are less expensive than Starlink Roam. However, these hotspots do offer lower speeds and less data.

We compare each provider's 50GB data plans below:

Verizon offers the most affordable hotspot data plans, which are even cheaper if you're already a mobile customer. However, Starlink Roam is the only option that offers unlimited data.

If you’re hitting the road full-time in an RV, getting Starlink Mobile is your best bet. Vacationers and weekenders may find they’re not getting the most usage out of Roam to justify the cost, which is why a mobile hotspot might make the most sense. Alternatively, data plans are great for people who only expect to use Wi-Fi for a short vacation.

Although Starlink Roam Unlimited has considerable upfront hardware expenses and a larger monthly fee, we recommend it for full-time RVers or digital nomads who work on the road. For shorter trips, the Roam 50GB plan is much more affordable.

T-Mobile AWAY costs roughly the same, but the equipment is free with purchase, yet it doesn't nearly provide the same coverage as satellite internet, ruling it out if you plan on going very remote.

Starlink's main advantage over 5G and mobile hotspots is that it’s made to work anywhere. The alternatives require you to be in the range of a cellular tower and with a clear line of sight—you’ll run into difficulties getting a strong connection in heavily wooded areas, in the mountains, and in very remote locations.

Starlink Mobile has a speed range of 30-100Mbps. That's on par with many home internet solutions. We don’t think you should consider Starlink Roam if you predict needing upload speeds past 25Mpbs, but with what Starlink offers, you should have no issue browsing, streaming, or using a couple of devices.

Starlink is an evolving satellite internet technology that continues to grow. While it may not provide the absolute best internet service for RV users today, with continued investment from SpaceX, Starlink’s parent company, the constellation may get bigger, and the mobile internet service will, in turn, get better.

Starlink is available worldwide, including in some super remote areas like Antarctica. It’s available in international waters, but coverage in territorial areas of the world, both on land and at sea, is dependent upon government approval. Our guide will help you find where Starlink is available.