I installed Starlink on my Jeanneau about six months ago and I know a lot of sailors are curious about it, so here’s my honest review.
The good:
- Internet speeds are incredible. 100-200 Mbps in most areas, which is faster than any marina WiFi I’ve ever used
- Coverage across the western Mediterranean has been excellent
- I can work from the boat as if I were in a café — video calls, large file transfers, everything works
- The flat-mount marine antenna handles motion well
The bad:
- Power consumption is significant: 40-100W depending on conditions. You need decent solar or a generator
- The hardware isn’t truly waterproof despite being rated for it — I’ve added extra sealing around the cable entry
- Monthly cost is steep for the maritime plan
- The dish gets very hot in direct Mediterranean sun
The verdict: If you work remotely or you’re a liveaboard, it’s a game-changer. If you’re a weekend sailor, it’s probably overkill — just use marina WiFi or your phone.
Happy to answer specific questions about the installation.
Bookmarking this for when we eventually get a boat. We both work remotely too and this has been our biggest question — can we actually run a business from a boat? Sounds like the answer is yes!
Really useful review Marco. The power consumption is what’s holding me back. On my Hallberg-Rassy I’ve got 400W of solar and I’d worry about the drain on dark days. What’s your solar setup to support it?
This is really interesting. I work remotely and the dream is eventually to work from a boat. Do you find the connection drops when you’re actually sailing or is it only reliable at anchor?
@james_wheeler I’ve got 600W of solar plus a 2kW inverter generator as backup. On a sunny day the solar handles Starlink comfortably with battery charging. On overcast days I sometimes need the generator for a couple of hours. You’d probably be fine with your 400W in Mallorca — we get enough sun!
@sophie_turner It works while sailing — the flat-mount antenna handles the motion. It might drop briefly in a heavy heel or if you’re close to cliffs blocking the sky. But 95% of the time it’s solid, even at 6-7 knots.