I have some very remote stations without cellular service. I was tempted to switch out the modem on these units for iridium but it sounds like that may be cost prohibitive and a bit crippling because only 434 data transfer occurs.
Starlink seems viable but may also be quite pricey. Is anyone using either of these options and if so, what are the data costs?
Levi
You may also wish to look at the power requirements for satellite receiving stations for solar powered remote sites. We looked at satellite internet but the power required meant a lot of increased expenditure on solar which could not be justified.
Levi,
From what I can find online, it looks like your best option would be to set up a dedicated Starlink network for the station. (https://api.starlink.com/public-files/Starlink%20Service%20Plans.pdf)
It looks like if you can get the residential option, you would pay ~$600 for the equipment, than between $90 and $120/month for the service. At that point, you’d simply connect the station to the router either via Wireless or via ethernet cable. You might have to go with the “Mobile” option, which would run ~$150/month, but this still would be much cheaper than Iridium (and also allow for Lotek data transfer), and could still be cheaper than sending a technician back to the site to pull data a couple times a year.
I have not set up a dedicated Starlink network for any station, but I have connected to Starlink that exists at several sites. Connecting to it is exactly the same as any local WiFi.
Hope this helps!
Matt