Compare What You’ll Actually Live With
Sticker price isn’t the real price. Download speed isn’t the whole story. Pick a Further Reach plan and see what a year actually costs.
True Cost: $102/mo vs $110/mo · Save $179 in Year 1
Further Reach — Monthly
$102/mo
$100 service + $2 electricity
Year 1 total: $1,424
Starlink — Monthly
$110/mo
$80 service + $20 electricity + $10 replacement risk
Year 1 total: $1,603
Getting started
$200Professional installation by a local team. Everything included — equipment, router, configuration.
$283$49 install + $20 shipping + $4 tax + ~$210 in accessories (roof mount, longer cable, cable routing, ethernet switch)
Electricity to run it
$2/mo — 7 watts, like a nightlight
✓ 10x less power
✓ 10x less power
$20/mo — 75 watts running 24/7That’s a desktop computer, always on
Equipment replacement
$0 — storms, lightning, salt air, power surges all coveredGear proactively replaced every ~3 years, often with upgrades✓ Full coverage
~$10/mo averaged$349 kit, not covered for weather damage. ~3-year coastal lifespan = ~$116/yrWeather not covered
Year 1
$1,424
$1,603$179 more
Year 2
$2,648
$2,923$275 more
Year 3
$3,872
$4,243$371 more
Speed & Performance
Download
Burst: 70 MbpsTypical: 25 Mbps
30–100 Mbps rangeVaries with congestion, weather, and time of day
Upload
Burst: 70 MbpsTypical: 25 Mbps — same as download, alwaysSymmetric speeds. Critical for video calls, cloud backup, working from home.✓ Symmetric uploads
10–20 MbpsA fraction of download speed, regardless of plan
Latency (responsiveness)
10–20 msSignal travels a few miles to a local tower, not to space and back.✓ Lower latency
25–50 ms, spikes higherSatellite handoffs cause brief dropouts — disruptive for video calls and remote work
Connection stability
Stable — fixed tower, no handoffs, no dropouts
✓ Rock solid
✓ Rock solid
Brief dropouts during satellite handoffs. Heavy rain causes 30–50% speed drops.
Throttling
Never have, never will.
Deprioritized during peak hours
Support
How to get help
Call, text, or email. A real local person answers.No portals. No chatbots. No tickets. Often immediate — never more than an hour.✓ Real humans, local
Support ticket through app or website.72-hour typical response. Limited phone line for outages only, weekdays 6AM–6PM CT.
Home network problems
We diagnose and fix them — remotely first, then a local tech in your home if needed.
✓ Full home support
✓ Full home support
Not supported. Starlink troubleshoots their equipment only — your router, mesh, and WiFi are your problem.
Installation
Professional installation by a local team with a decade of coastal experience. Router included and configured.
Self-install. Self-configure. Self-troubleshoot.Plus ~$210 in accessories for a proper roof mount.
Power & Storms
Power draw
7 wattsA basic battery backup keeps you online for a full day or more during outages.✓ Stays on in outages
75 wattsA UPS lasts 1–2 hours. For multi-day coastal outages, you need a generator.
Weather damage
Replaced free — storms, lightning, surges, salt air all covered.
✓ Comprehensive warranty
✓ Comprehensive warranty
Not covered. Customer pays $349 to replace.Warranty excludes fire, flood, wind, lightning, earthquake, weather.$349 if damaged
Other Things That Matter
Privacy
We don’t sell, share, or monetize your data. Period.
✓ Your data stays yours
✓ Your data stays yours
⚠ January 2026 policy change: Starlink now shares your personal data with third parties for their own purposes — and you’re opted in by default. You have to find and change the setting yourself.
Where your money goes
Locally owned. Discounted service for those in need, free service to nonprofits, free public hotspots.
No local presence, no community investment.
Which direction are things heading?
Speeds going up. Prices flat or down.
Terms trending worse — throttling introduced, deprioritization expanded, rental model, prices up.
Sources & Methodology
Starlink pricing from starlink.com for Mendocino County, CA (March 2026), standard non-promotional rates. Starlink currently offers $11/mo off for 6 months through 3/31/2026 — even with this, Further Reach comes out ahead Year 1 for all matchups.
Speed ranges from Ookla Speedtest data including peak-hour deprioritization. Electricity at PG&E Tier 2 rates ($0.35–0.45/kWh). Starlink Standard ~75W; Max ~100W; FR CPE ~7W.
Equipment replacement: $349 kit, ~3-year coastal lifespan. Warranty excludes weather/acts of nature. Accessories ~$210: pivot mount ($60), 150ft cable ($95), cable routing ($32–46), ethernet switch ($25).
Privacy policy updated Jan 15, 2026 — third-party sharing opted in by default.