Starlink For RV is Now ROAM – Is Starlink Roam Worth It?

It feels like the Starlink plans are changing as fast as their rockets. And lucky for you the best Starlink for RV plan just got a whole lot simpler, or did it?

Let’s have a look at Starlink’s newest plan designed for the nomad life, RV’ers, and Vanlife internet.

Furthermore, for those that already have an RV or Portability plan what does this mean for you? Is making the switch to Roam worth?

Or should you keep your RV or Portability plan?…….and yes they did slow the internet speeds down!!!

Unless you just crawled out from under a rock you’ve likely heard of Starlink. It’s been around for years now and offers a game-changing solution for RV enthusiasts seeking high-speed, low-latency connectivity on the go.

With its expansive network of satellites orbiting Earth, Starlink internet ensures you stay connected to the digital world, whether you’re parked at a picturesque campsite or exploring the most remote corners of the world.

The Starlink program has gone through several different iterations of plans for RV or mobile use – Starlink Portable, Starlink RV, and now Starlink Roam.

Starlink Roam has replaced these previous plans which are not available to new customers.

Starlink Roam which has replaced the Starlink RV and Portability plans is their newest plan aimed at RV’ers and remote workers where fast internet and portability is a must.

The Roam Plans actually simplify things and will hopefully put an end to the RV Vs Residential with Portability Plan debate. The roam plans come in two forms, Regional and Global.

The regional plan offers service across the continent of your choice for the price of $150 per month. The service can be used with the standard dish or the high performance flat dish. The high performance dish can be used in motion with this plan.

For comparison, the old RV plan and residential with Portability came to $135 per month. Existing customers can “upgrade” to the Roam plan with a simple click of a button, but is Starlink Roam worth it?

The Global Plan takes it up a notch and offers service anywhere in the world where Starlink works. This plan comes in at $200 per month.

The plan can also be used with the standard dish or the high performance dish except it is not approved for in motion use. I’m guessing that has to do with countries where in-motion use has not been approved yet.

Why yes you can! This previously was only available in the Starlink RV plan and is not available in the Residential plan.

Both the Starlink Roam Global and Roam Regional plans are billed month-to-month and allow for pausing of the service. This is a big perk for folks that don’t need service year-round.

In addition to the portability of the different plans Starlink is now throttling the plans differently! This is the first time we’ve seen Starlink do this with their plans.

If you don’t know what throttling is, it’s basically capping the internet speed to a set rate. So once again the decision gets a bit more tricky.

In addition to the monthly fees there is an initial one-time purchase for the equipment. The Residential plan you’ll just have one choice and that’s the Standard Dish which will run you a one-time cost of $599. This dish is the one you’re likely familiar with. It sits up on a pedestal and automatically turns and tilts to get a signal.

On both of the Roam plans you’ll have the option of the Standard Dish or the High Performance Dish. The High Performance Dish is designed to be flat mounted so it does not turn or tilt making it an ideal choice for RV or mobile applications.

To compensate for the dish not being able to “point” in a particular direction they’ve increased its field of view. Basically, even though its sitting flat it can still see most of the sky. The High Performance Dish also has a better GPS antenna which improves it’s ability to stay connected while in motion. Lastly, the High Performance Dish is the only dish approved for In Motion Use.

The price for Starlink continues to creep up but it still is well priced in comparison to the other satellite internet providers out there. I can also attest to how durable that dish is. It’s been bouncing around on top of our truck 24-7 for years now and hasn’t let us down once.

The Starlink 12 volt conversion has also been huge for us and saves some valuable energy while on the road.

The Starlink Roam speeds have been throttled significantly and while those speeds are likely good for most this could pose a problem for some heavy users. We often see 100Mbps speeds so that would mean a 50% reduction in speeds.

At a recent Vanlife gathering we reached out to some fellow campervan folks to get their thoughts about the reduction in speed.

About half agreed it probably wouldn’t matter for them but some of the heavy content creators and YouTube folks were a bit more concerned.

Does Starlink Have Unlimited Data?

Both of the Roam plans have unlimited data. The Residential and grandfathered RV plans have 1TB of data. Additional data can be purchased for $0.25 per GB.

You may be asking what Starlink Priority Access is?

When an area gets congested with too many Starlink users it will give Priority Access to those that have Residential plans. This could result in throttling of the speeds for mobile users.

How Do I Order Starlink?

To order Starlink head to Starlink.com and along the top banner you’ll see the different plans. Select your plan and continue to fill in and answer the questions. The questions will vary based on the plan selected.

Once finished your plan will start automatic billing 14 days after your Starlink ships. You have up to 30 days to return your Starlink for a full refund.

It’s also worth noting that if you spend more than two months in a foreign country, Starlink requires you to transfer your account to that country.

We haven’t personally pushed this one too far as we’ve only been out of the country for 3 months with our Starlink but so far things are still working fine for us without making this switch.

Short answer is NO! This is the plan that we have and we definitely won’t be switching to roam anytime soon.

It’s been working great for us and we see speeds of 100Mbps all the time and I would hate to see that cut in half. In addition, it’s also $15 les per month.

The only advantage I see with switching to Roam would be the ability to pause your service when you’re not using it. For some folks this could be a great feature that could save some money for travel.

Again I’m gonna go with NO for the same reasons above. And remember, the RV plan does allow you to pause your plan so that isn’t even a benefit for you with the Roam plan. Until Starlink forces us down this road I plan to stay put where we are.

Another VERY IMPORTANT thing worth noting is that if you switch to Starlink Roam from one of these older plans, you CAN NOT switch back!

Starlink is changing the world as we know it and creating amazing opportunities for nomadic life, Vanlife, RV life…whatever you want to call it. Ultimately, Starlink has unlocked new possibilities for remote work, making it a powerful tool for those who dare to embrace a life of adventure and freedom.

For us we will continue with our old grandfathered Starlink Plans but if we were just starting today we still think Roam is the best Starlink for RV plan available.

Check out our Starlink Setup Guide for a better idea on how the system works.

Hello! My name is August, and I’m a devoted traveler and travel blogger living full-time on the road. I made the decision to leave my 9-to-5 job and pursue a nomadic lifestyle, and it’s been an incredible journey. My passion for experiencing new cultures is what drives me, and I aim to motivate others to embark on their own adventures through my stories, photos, and advice. When I’m not discovering the wonders of the world, I indulge in skiing, mountain biking, and savoring the unique flavors of different places.