Starlink internet live on Celebrity Edge 11/11/22

[goodoldan]

I learned a few days before boarding that our 11/11/22 trip on the Celebrity Edge would be the first "go live" sailing using SpaceX Starlink internet connectivity instead of older satellite systems. As a sort of geek, this was a real feature of this cruise for me and I was pretty excited to see how it worked out.

 

A bit of background first. Until recently, internet connectivity on ships at sea was typically accomplished via geosynchronous satellites orbiting about the Earth at an altitude of about 25,000 miles. That altitude allowed a very large area of coverage on the earth from a single satellite, but required complex antennas on the ship and, more importantly as relates to internet and other data, introduces delay (known as latency) due to the time it takes radio signals to make that 50,000 mile trip to the satellite and back to earth (more on this in a minute). That system is also dependent on that one satellite to continue operating correctly.

 

Starlink on the other hand uses multiple (as in thousands) of satellites in low Earth orbit (aka LEO), only about 150-200 miles above the Earth. Since the satellites are SO much closer, the latency is similar to terrestrial data circuits on the Earth. Antennas are much smaller and simpler, and the failure of a single satellite is of little consequence since the many remaining satellites carry on seamlessly. A single LEO Starlink satellite is "in view" from a given point on the ground for a relatively short time as it flies overheard, but then another comes into view and continues to provide service. Think of it like a cell phone network in reverse... one in which you remain stationary (or relatively so) while the cell towers move quickly by you.

 

The latency, or time the data signal is delayed in transport, can produce undesirable effects like "lag" in games, unnatural delays in voice communications, freezing video, etc if it becomes excessive. Keeping this latency to a minimum is important for data integrity and user satisfaction, and for a space-based system Starlink does this very well since the distance to the satellites is relatively small.

 

So... what does all this mean to us folks out there on a cruise somewhere? It means that your internet experience will be very much more like what you might experience in your home or office. I took advantage of this first Starlink cruise on Celebrity to put it through it's paces.

 

I did purchase the "Xtreme" streaming internet package for this cruise which does not promise higher speeds, but does allow streaming video, fle uploads, etc. The Edge-class ships have ubiquitous WiFi throughout (with an access point in each cabin and throughout the ship), so your phone and the Celebrity app become an important part of the cruise experience. Celebrity has provided ample support resources to help folks get the app installed.

 

I tried a few tests that I knew could be challenging. The first were some VoIP (voice over IP) phone calls, using Google Voice from my cell phone ("airplane mode" on to prevent cell phone use/charges, with WiFi enabled). The calls were natural-sounding and effortless. I raised the bar by making a call to another phone on the ship, with each of us using Google Voice but with the call now making two trips through the StarLink connection. Still sounded good. The next test was to watch a HDTV show I had recorded back on my Xfinity X1 cable box at home, using the Xfinity app on my phone. This worked just fine too, without and freezing or pixelating.

 

Since you are sharing the StarLink connection with your shipmates, don't expect the blazing fast internet speed tests you might get on your fiber-connected home internet. To quote Mick Jagger... "You can't always get what you want, but you get what you need". The shipboard network does allocate you enough speed (but no more) on the limited StarLink resource so that it's useful for everyone. The "basic" internet package is likely further "throttled" than was my "premium" package. So... below are what you geeks have been waiting for... actual internet speed and ping tests using Starlink via the shipboard WiFi on the Celebrity Edge:

 

 

 

[goodoldan]

This makes the StarLink connection (at least using the "premium" package) roughly comparable to a normal 4G cellular data connection with good signal.

[someguyfl]

Thanks for sharing. 
 

I’ll be on the next sailing of Edge, so I was looking forward to some review of the launch of starlink on it. 
 

with that said, that speed test is much much much lower than I would have expected. On other threads where people are discussing it from other ships, speeds were like 50Mbps+. 
 

are the speeds consistently in the low single digits, or is it better on odd hours?

 

 

[RealBatman]

Interesting and well done report! Thanks. I'm looking forward to experiencing Edge in January.

 

I have been with Starlink for almost 2 years now (located in the remote area of south eastern BC) and just did a test a minute ago (151 Mbps down/11.37 Mbps up, latency 57 ms) so I'm also surprised at the slower speeds in your review! Any ideas as to why?

[Ben100014]

Interesting, I guess this would at least somewhat be consistent with the original Starlink rollout schedule that was floating around here last month that showed the Edge getting Starlink on the 11th. Does that also mean the Apex got upgraded today as it was originally scheduled, I wonder?

[TommyD3]

I was on Beyond Oct 26 sailing with the new Starlink.

With the Zenith premium internet I got consistently about 2.5 mb/s down.

Maybe due to the ship throttling but have seen higher on S class ships with the old internet (up to 4 mb/s). Still VERY slow. Takes minutes per app to download updates. Switched to cellular when we arrived in Ft Lauderdale (600+ mb/s) and app update download was instantaneous !!!

 

[awhcruiser]