I wrote this on my laptop up on the land yesterday. I went up to test the Starlink, since Kaitlin probably won’t be back until next year.
The kit had arrived in time for them to set it up on the ground while they were here, and they decided how they want to mount it on the roof. But there was no way to get the supports here before they left. So we decided to keep it in the house and put it outside when I came up to use it.
But, big surprise! Who would have guessed? When you leave it on inside without a signal it thinks it is covered with snow. In the default mode the Starlink turns on a heater to melt the snow, and the antenna got hot. So Andy unplugged it Friday and I went up yesterday to make sure it worked all right when he took it outside and plugged it back in.
Life is one adventure after another.
September 24, 2023
gadgets of today are vastly different to the ones you used to control with a plug and on an on/off switch.
last night before the clocks were to spring forward this morning, I found my phone had decided it was sleep time…even though the settings didn’t say that!
but how cute that inside it must be snowing 🙂
This antenna/dish isn’t passive, it moves to try to find the nearest satellite. That means it’s best to unplug it when it can’t find a signal, like when it’s inside.
Now we have a smarter than us STARLINK… wow, who would have know this. glad it did not burn or hurt it and wow, internet on top of the mountain. i looked up the star link, did not know they exist. is there a monthly fee with starlink?
Yes, there is a monthly fee. You can get a subscription that costs more per month, but it lets you pause it when you’re not using it. The downside is you get lower priority and it’s less reliable. Kaitlin needs it for work when she’s here so she’s paying every month. It’s an experiment so we will see how it goes.
Good grief! So what now?
We will unplug it when it’s inside the house and only use it when we test it. When Kaitlin and Torben come next they’ll install it on the roof.
It’s certainly more compact than I would have guessed.
How fortunate you were able to catch that heating feature before any harm came to it or the cabin!
Thank goodness Andy touched it! I had found the articles saying it turns on a heater when it thinks the signal is blocked by snow, so that was clearly the explanation.
Glad it arrived. That is something about the fact that you can’t keep it in the house. Glad you figured that out before something bad happened.
We can keep in in the house as long as we unplug it. Who would have guessed?
In that picture of Andy, he appears to be giving you a message about how you tried to burn the house down! 😀
He was trying to be careful getting it through the door. 🙂
Who would have guessed that it would have thought it was covered in snow. Good thing it didn’t sit too long like that.
Yes, it was lucky that Andy felt it.