Hey! has anyone ever seen or considered bringing a Starlink receiver on a plane and selling access? Is this permitted? Has anyone seen this? Asking for a friend.
Bring Starlink on airplane in carry on, sell access?
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Re: Bring Starlink on airplane in carry on, sell access?
#2Three thoughts immediately come to mind:
1. I'm sure there is some aviation related regulation that prohibits it.
2. I'm sure the airlines wouldn't be happy about the competition posed by your friend. They must be making a tidy profit on offering WiFi on flights.
3. A plane being mostly aluminum is probably like a Faraday cage and satellite signals might not get in or out well.Re: Bring Starlink on airplane in carry on, sell access?
#3My understanding is that Starlink is intolerant (in that it will occasionally lose connection when a satellite is obscured) of even light tree cover and needs line of sight to the sky over quite a wide angle. I would not expect it to work through an airplane window even if the authorities and airline permitted it.
Re: Bring Starlink on airplane in carry on, sell access?
#4Even if the signals could pass through the airplane's body, would it work when it's moving at high speed?
Re: Bring Starlink on airplane in carry on, sell access?
#5Are you able to get a signal. It takes a really long time off my balcony in SF to fix to sats and that’s with only 50% sky obscured.
Re: Bring Starlink on airplane in carry on, sell access?
#6It's not going to work through the skin of the plane. They won't service you moving at airplane speeds. Starlink sells a solution that places antennas on the exterior of the plane. How would you power it? It requires a lot of current.
Re: Bring Starlink on airplane in carry on, sell access?
#7Even if the signals could pass through the airplane's body, would it work when it's moving at high speed?
Yes, some airlines are using starlink to provide wifi
Re: Bring Starlink on airplane in carry on, sell access?
#8[deleted]
Re: Bring Starlink on airplane in carry on, sell access?
#9Doesn't it use a ton of power? I've found that power outlets on planes rarely work.
I'm also pretty sure airline staff wouldn't allow you to keep a big weird electronic device on your lap (?) for the duration of the flight.
Re: Bring Starlink on airplane in carry on, sell access?
#10"Dear HN -- I was recently assaulted by flight attendants when I tried to open the plane door at 30000 feet to get the required line of sight for my Starlink connection. I was then called a wannabe Nazi by several passengers and arrested upon arrival, although my political connections of course promptly ensured all charges to be dropped. What happened to individual freedom, and would it have helped if I had taken my gun on the flight?"