FROM THE INDUSTRY
I then heard of a 4G router from SFR. It’s what they used to call a dongle a few years ago. A simple device that you put a SIM card in loaded with data credit. Picks up a signal from the nearest 4G masts. Then connect as you would do a WiFi box. In theory, you could then stream movies and sports and do anything you require the internet for. You only buy data - no calls or SMS so the packages are reasonable. Within five minutes I was sorted. I could even use a smart speaker for the first time in seven weeks. Remarkable. When I say I had Internet, it was good enough to use the computer but it wasn’t strong or fast enough to scroll through a social media reel let alone stream a movie or surf the net. Whingeing about this incessantly to whoever would listen, eventually I heard about Starlink. During the tranquillity and tedium of lockdown, we all marvelled at the trail of satellites crossing the clear night sky wondering what Elon Musk had in store for them and indeed us. Now I knew. Starlink is a pretty impressive piece of kit that essentially delivers high-speed internet wherever you may be. It’s very simple to set up too; just plug the router in, run the cable and dish outside to a clear area with as much sky available as you can, download the app and away you go. Honestly, no more than a 15-minute job.
Apart from simply bad luck, I can’t think of any cons to having a Starlink system. The initial outlay is a little pricey (though half-price deals are being promoted aggressively online), the set-up is simple and the kit is pretty, cool and futuristic. Especially when it spins and tilts around searching for the best connection for you. Once you’ve bought the kit, you aren’t tied to a contract either. You pay a monthly subscription you can cancel at any time. Radical. I seemed to spend most of my free time this winter trying to find the Internet, dealing with French bureaucracy and testing my patience. It’s been quite a journey but educational at the same time. I’m now back in the UK where I haven’t any internet either. I won’t need it for long. My travails in sourcing a suitable and possibly temporary internet connection/ solution here will be relayed soon, where I hope to compare and contrast the vagaries of French and British Internet access for your education and entertainment.
Initially designed for use in rural areas, it has a clever square dish (remember the Squarial?) that moves itself to collect as much data from as many satellites as possible. Delivering impressive speeds of between 100-200mbps, the tech has gone from strength to strength and, according to a recent article in PCMag by Brian Westover, “Now, with improvements to upload speed and reduced latency, the day-to-day experience of Starlink satellite internet is just that much better, speeding up the slowest aspects of internet use and giving you a faster, more responsive experience, whether you’re browsing, streaming, chatting or gaming.” Like a kid at Christmas, I joyfully unpacked the impressive Apple-esque packaging and ran out to the balcony to set up decent internet for the first time in two months. Apartment blocks in the Alps are designed to prevent snow falling on the deck. They therefore tend to have a huge overhang. Starlink satellite dishes are awfully clever but they need to see most of, if not all, the entire sky. Sadly my new toy couldn’t see enough sky to achieve more than a few Mb of download speed. It had to go.
Stay tuned.
Chris Keeping is a travel writer and blogger based in Brighton.
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Volume 46 No.2 MAY 2024
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