Internet Anywhere: Usage for Offroad & Convoys

[Zed]

With Starlink Satellite Internet now officially available & approved for use in UAE (previously you had to go to Oman to activate and use the roaming feature in UAE), what do the Gadget Afficionados @Frederic @Luke K P @ChrisW think of using it for?

My overlanding friend who installed it on his sunroof has used it for Work Anywhere (especially in this Work-from-Home times) and watching live football while camping in Al Quaa or Liwa (both in areas with no cell coverage).

Satellite Phone is not included yet, but I'm guessing using VOIP approved app like Botim + Satellite Internet, you can potentially make phone calls from anywhere...

List of use cases related to Offroading & Convoy Management:

• If Lead has Starlink, he can make VOIP calls using Botim to call another Lead or Support for advice, help or relay emergency call to 999.
• Unlimited Map Coverage: yes we know we can download offline maps, but having constant Internet means goodbye to downloading offline maps 24 hours before driving  
• If management uses MS-Teams or Slack as backbone of communication platform, potentially can have MS-Teams & Slack conference calls during breaks or after setting up tents for group updates.
• Live Streaming of drives via YouTube / TikTok / Instagram. *tongue in cheek 😜
• Other use case?  

[Frederic]

Interesting topic @Zed! and i have been following up on the recent launch of Starlink. A colleague of mine installed the home version this week for around 1800dhs and a monthly subscription of around 300dhs. Interesting and if this works fine i might be inclined to ditch my home internet subscription.

For mobile purposes, the areas where we have no cell cover are quite limited. (Liwa, Al Quoa, and perhaps some areas like Ghayati, Al Razeen, etc..) But not convincing enough for me to purchase the mobile edition.  I find Garmin Inreach still having the upper hand when it comes to calling for help or two-way messaging for only 7.99USD per month. 

For navigation purposes i am used to downloading the offline maps on my Garmin and phone as well. Very simple and straightforward. 

Entertainment wise, yeah it might be cool to watch sports games or stream movies in the desert (whenever the climate and geopolitical situation allows 🫢)

 

[Zed]

Hi @Frederic don’t ditch your home Internet yet, the Starlink speed is still 200 Mbps compared to your home fiber of 1000 Mbps 😅  But for business like construction or temporary setup, it works well rather than applying for business Internet everytime work site changes 👍

[Luke K P]

Best use case: work from desert when camping. 

I use inreach for comms when out in desert for sending and receiving messages... And that's good enough for me unless camping during weekdays.

Starlink works great for me in Aus and JP.  (Wife's dad uses it on his rural off-grid property in Aus going through 100's GBS a month and it never skips a beat.) 

[Frederic]

2 minutes ago, Zed said:

Hi @Frederic don’t ditch your home Internet yet, the Starlink speed is still 200 Mbps compared to your home fiber of 1000 Mbps 😅  But for business like construction or temporary setup, it works well rather than applying for business Internet everytime work site changes 👍

1000Mbps might be what they are advertising but definitely not what i am getting  

[Luke K P]

2 minutes ago, Zed said:

Hi @Frederic don’t ditch your home Internet yet, the Starlink speed is still 200 Mbps compared to your home fiber of 1000 Mbps 😅  But for business like construction or temporary setup, it works well rather than applying for business Internet everytime work site changes 👍

You must have amazing internet at home @Zed I never get fast links. Occasional bursts but never get above 125mbps

[Zed]

6 minutes ago, Luke K P said:

You must have amazing internet at home @Zed I never get fast links. Occasional bursts but never get above 125mbps

Yes i’ll take a screenshot of speedtest once back at home, but the key is to install your own 10-in-1 switch after the fiber box. The gaming PCs are connected to the walls, while living room gets Wifi 7 Router.  Pro tip: if you have the Triple Pay Package, use the TV port from fiber to your internet, sometimes the TV has faster internet for 4K & 8K streaming ✌️

[Luke K P]

My most data usage application is zoom and ms teams.

25-50ms latency from starlink at home would be perfect for me except I don't have a balcony to mount it on 

 

[ChrisW]

Well, as you know @Zed I am a massive gadget geek…so I finished installing a Starlink Mini terminal in my Jeep last night 😂

Step 1: Remove roof, install Molle panel between the roll bars and place terminal

 

 

 

Step 2: Reinstall roof…

It fits quite nicely - the antenna face is about 10 mm clear of the roof liner. The Jeep roof is composite, and seems to be quite transmissive for this wavelength.

Step 3: Test 

I’ve been very impressed. 
 

A few thoughts:

1.) I am using the Roam package. You get 100Gb a month which can be used from any geographic position. 
 

2.) Data service while in-motion is currently restricted in the UAE. I did manage to get the device transferring at around 100 Mbps whilst moving slowly, but as soon as it notices you’re on the move it stops the data service. As soon as you stop it’s there again (minimal activation time). 
 

3.) In terms of use case…nothing desperately essential, but a few major ones come to mind…backup in case home connectivity goes down, ease of communication when out in the desert (and elsewhere), and very occasionally I’ve needed connectivity to enable some apps to work for eg extended ODB features if faced with a car problem. 
 

For long range drives across eg Liwa there are some more obvious benefits. 
 

I’m happy enough to experiment for now. You can quite easily pause subscriptions. 

[Zed]

On 3/26/2026 at 4:07 PM, Luke K P said:

You must have amazing internet at home @Zed I never get fast links. Occasional bursts but never get above 125mbps

Here’s the speed & setup: fiber box > Ubiquiti Edge Router > split to multiple wall sockets with priority speed to my room first then kids rooms 😅