Starlink Connectivity for Cars
Thread Starter
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 26,026
Likes: 4,321
From: Alberta
Starlink Connectivity for Cars
This flew under my radar had not heard about it until today. SpaceX has come up with a satellite that emulates cell towers the goal being enable cell service anywhere on the planet. Musk has confirmed connectivity will be coming to Tesla cars, and I'm speculating but likely other brands in the future.
Speeds are lacking you won't be watching Youtube all day but it's fast enough for basic communication. This has far reaching implications for safety, people that get lost in the outback somewhere or anywhere there is no cell service can call for help. Also very valuable for people that do true off roading or any situation where you get stranded and would normally have no way to reach out.
edit - don't think I made it clear, this connectivity requires no dish or additional hardware all you need is a cell phone or like device. I didn't think this was possible at least not for a few years when more satellites were deployed.
Tesla premium connectivity through Starlink V2 confirmed
By Simon Alvarez
Posted on August 26, 2022
In the past, Elon Musk had generally waved off questions about the possibility of Starlink being used to connect Tesla’s electric vehicles to the internet. That’s not the case anymore, at least after SpaceX and T-Mobile announced a partnership that would utilize Starlink V2 satellites that are capable of transmitting directly to mobile devices.
With the partnership in place, Starlink V2 could usher in an era of connectivity with no dead zones worldwide. This immediately prompted questions from Tesla owners who inquired if the technology could be used for their cars as part of their premium connectivity package or for emergency calls and texts. Musk answered in the affirmative.
While Musk has confirmed that Starlink V2’s direct-to-mobile connection would be coming to Teslas, it remains to be seen if the service would result in additional charges for customers or if it would require a retrofit for existing vehicles. T-Mobile US chief executive Mike Sievert did mention that T-Mobile is planning on offering Starlink V2’s services to users on most of its existing plans for free, so Tesla may also implement something similar.
That being said, Elon Musk set some expectations on Twitter when he was discussing the capabilities of Starlink V2 satellites. According to the CEO, the next-generation satellite internet system could indeed eliminate dead zones worldwide, but connectivity would be around 2-4 Mbits per cell zone. This would make Starlink V2’s direct-to-mobile connections great for calls and texts but not enough for bandwidth-intensive tasks like streaming videos.
By Simon Alvarez
Posted on August 26, 2022
In the past, Elon Musk had generally waved off questions about the possibility of Starlink being used to connect Tesla’s electric vehicles to the internet. That’s not the case anymore, at least after SpaceX and T-Mobile announced a partnership that would utilize Starlink V2 satellites that are capable of transmitting directly to mobile devices.
With the partnership in place, Starlink V2 could usher in an era of connectivity with no dead zones worldwide. This immediately prompted questions from Tesla owners who inquired if the technology could be used for their cars as part of their premium connectivity package or for emergency calls and texts. Musk answered in the affirmative.
While Musk has confirmed that Starlink V2’s direct-to-mobile connection would be coming to Teslas, it remains to be seen if the service would result in additional charges for customers or if it would require a retrofit for existing vehicles. T-Mobile US chief executive Mike Sievert did mention that T-Mobile is planning on offering Starlink V2’s services to users on most of its existing plans for free, so Tesla may also implement something similar.
That being said, Elon Musk set some expectations on Twitter when he was discussing the capabilities of Starlink V2 satellites. According to the CEO, the next-generation satellite internet system could indeed eliminate dead zones worldwide, but connectivity would be around 2-4 Mbits per cell zone. This would make Starlink V2’s direct-to-mobile connections great for calls and texts but not enough for bandwidth-intensive tasks like streaming videos.
edit - don't think I made it clear, this connectivity requires no dish or additional hardware all you need is a cell phone or like device. I didn't think this was possible at least not for a few years when more satellites were deployed.
Last edited by LeX2K; Aug 26, 2022 at 09:33 PM.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 11,252
Likes: 1,598
From: FL
This is something I haven't looked into at all and have no idea how it works at the tehnical level.
It amazes me they can do it to be honest.
I'm not a fan of 5g radiation but not sure if this is better or not yet.
It amazes me they can do it to be honest.
I'm not a fan of 5g radiation but not sure if this is better or not yet.
Thread Starter
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 26,026
Likes: 4,321
From: Alberta
This is a cool graphic, look at how little of the spectrum we can actually see
there's not a single v2 satellite in the sky yet, so this is years away.
in related news though, spacex just did it's biggest falcon 9 launch of starlink (v1) satellites... 54 at once, a nearly 17 metric ton payload.
in related news though, spacex just did it's biggest falcon 9 launch of starlink (v1) satellites... 54 at once, a nearly 17 metric ton payload.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Hoovey689
Car Chat
3
Nov 30, 2017 05:00 PM
Curated Content Editor
Car Chat
17
Jan 25, 2017 08:10 PM
Extreme Dimensions
CL of Southern California
5
Jan 24, 2013 04:54 PM