Starlink Best Effort Service Explained: Is it Good?

Starlink's Best Effort Service is one concept that not a lot of folks don't seem to understand at first glance.

Starlink's website also does not paint a clear picture as to what it does and what its implications are unless you dig deep.

Starlink's Best Effort Service plans are for those who are on the waiting list for Starlink Residential and want to immediately start using a Starlink connection. Best Effort Service connections use the same Starlink hardware as Starlink Residential, but the service is deprioritized compared to Starlink Residential.

What is Starlink's Best Effort Service?

Starlink is known for two things: great satellite internet service that provides reliable speeds and their terribly long waiting list.

Sure, there are questionable workarounds for skipping through the waiting list, but the fact remains that plenty of people who have pre-ordered are yet to get their hands on the service.

This is often considered a major disadvantage of Starlink by many.

To counter this dilemma Starlink introduced the Best Effort Service, aiming to provide a Starlink connection for pre-order customers but with a decreased priority of service.

With this, you can immediately gain access to a 'Best Effort Service' Starlink connection with all the Starlink hardware readily available without having to wait through the list.

But users of Starlink Residential in your area will be given a higher priority of the Starlink service compared to your Best Effort Service tier Starlink connection.

This effectively results in slower speeds when Starlink Residential users are using the Starlink bandwidth in your area.

Starlink Residential vs Best Effort vs RV

Given below is a brief comparison of Starlink's Best Effort plan when compared to the regular Starlink Residential and Starlink RV plans:

	Starlink Residential	Starlink Best Effort Service	Starlink RV
Download Speeds	50-200 Mbps	5-100 Mbps	50-200 Mbps 5-100 Mbps during heavy congestion
Upload Speeds	10-20 Mbps	1-10 Mbps	10-20 Mbps 1-10 Mbps during heavy congestion
Data caps	No cap	Deprioritized service after 1 TB per month	No cap
Latency	20-40 ms	20-40 ms	20-40 ms
Monthly fee	$90 or $120	$110	$135
Hardware fee	$599 (one time)	$599 (one time)	$599 (one time)

Immediately, it is noticeable that the Best Effort Service takes a hit when it comes to speeds.

The latency is rated to be similar, so that should be a huge cause of concern. But expect more stability of latency in Starlink Residential.

Despite the major hit, Starlink still asks for $110 monthly compared to the base price of $90 for Starlink Residential, souring the deal even further.

But there is a silver lining to all this too.

For one, your name is still on the waiting list, so you can technically consider this a temporary solution for your remote internet needs.

Also, the service can be paused when not in use, like Starlink RV.

Starlink also stated they will have a soft data cap for all their plans including Starlink Residential, where they will cap priority data to only 1 TB per month.

After your 1 TB cap, you will be shifted to the deprioritized network for the rest of the month, very similar to the Best Effort Service.

But when you bring Starlink RV into the picture, things get a lot clearer.

Despite both having completely different usage scenarios, people often debate as to which one provides the best bang for your buck.

Starlink RV is also served under the Best Effort Service program, so you are bound to notice a fluctuation in speed when approaching areas with high congestion.

The primary difference is that the Best Effort Service follows the same rules as the Residential plan in that you need the service to be stationed under your preferred service address.

On the other hand, Starlink RV is portable from the get-go.

You will also have to pay up a higher fee of $135 per month if you opt for Starlink RV, which might not be ideal for many.

In short, the Best Effort Service essentially enables you to access Starlink's internet with all its hardware and support while being on its waiting list for Starlink Residential.

Why Does Starlink Have a Long Waiting List?

Starlink has shifted the tides of satellite internet, from being an essential service for remote locations to being an alternate method of commercial internet connectivity for the masses.

Starlink's boom in popularity has resulted in a lot of users wanting a Starlink connection for their homes, despite them having easy access to a fiber connection.

Starlink's waiting list primarily depends on how congested your area is of customers utilizing the Starlink network.

This congestion is especially prevalent in the eastern states of America, where there are users who are yet to get their hands on Starlink even after a year on the waiting list.

A Starlink constellation up in the sky can handle only multiple connections at once, and it is bound to deteriorate its performance.

This is the main reason why Starlink is still launching satellites to space, so as to increase coverage and ease the burden of existing satellite constellations.

Benefits of Best Effort Service

Despite all the shortcomings of the Best Effort Service compared to other Starlink plans, it still has quite a lot of benefits to fall back into.

For one, it has helped a lot of users in remote areas where Starlink connections are their only hope for a decent internet connection.

Competing satellite internet solutions like Hughesnet and Viasat are yet to provide similar speeds as compared to even the Best Effort Service.

Even other upcoming solutions such as Project Kuiper and wireless standards such as 5G will take their sweet time in establishing coverage to remote locations.

Final Thoughts

If you have further queries regarding Starlink's Best Effort Service, you can contact Starlink support.

I hope my article on Starlink's Best Effort Service has been informative and has been a worthwhile read.

Have a good day!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Will canceling Best effort service cancel the place in line for Starlink Residential?

Cancelling Best Effort Service will delete your listing on the waiting list for Starlink Residential.

It is recommended to pause the Best Effort Service instead so as to make sure your place on the waiting list is unaffected.

Can Best Effort Service plans of Starlink be used to stream 4K?

Starlink's Best Effort Plans may not be able to stream 4K content or play games properly if the area is experiencing heavy congestion as speeds would be severely affected.

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