Speedify Helps Enhance Starlink Internet
Getting reliable internet at Burning Man is hard: tens of thousands of people share the same cellular towers, and even Starlink can slow or drop in the desert.
Speedify is an app that combines multiple internet connections at once, so you can run Starlink and 4G/5G cellular together for faster, steadier internet that stays online when one connection struggles. This guide covers your internet options at Burning Man and how Speedify helps.
Starlink disconnects all the time for ALL Starlink users. The Speedify Starlink Index report found that Starlink connections are down for an average of ~33 min per day. Plus, all Starlink dishes experience small drops and packet loss every 15 seconds, when the moving Starlink satellites hand off the connection to the next satellite overhead.
The best way to fix Starlink's connection drops is to combine your Starlink connection with another internet connection, such as 4G/5G cellular, cable, fiber, DSL, or another Starlink connection. Speedify makes this possible with channel bonding.
Most Starlink users already run a second connection.
From a sample of 6,228 Starlink users on Speedify, 71% ran at least one other internet connection while using Starlink. Cellular is the most common choice of backup connection.
What they pair with
The Internet Reality at Burning Man
Gone are the days when Burning Man meant complete digital detox. Cell service has reached the remote parts of the Nevada desert, with cellular reception becoming increasingly reliable over the years. However, with over 70,000 participants all trying to connect simultaneously, traditional cellular networks quickly become overwhelmed, resulting in slow speeds and dropped connections.
The introduction of satellite internet solutions like Starlink has revolutionized connectivity at the event. Starlink terminals are now providing internet access at camps throughout the festival, offering a more stable alternative to congested cellular networks. This shift has fundamentally changed how participants experience the festival, though not without controversy among traditionalists who value the event’s original emphasis on digital disconnection.
Available Internet Options at Burning Man
Cellular Networks
Major carriers like Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile provide coverage in the Black Rock Desert, but expect severely degraded performance during peak hours. Data speeds can crawl to a near standstill, especially during popular events and evening activities when usage spikes.
Starlink Satellite Internet
Starlink has emerged as the game-changer for Burning Man connectivity. With its low-earth orbit satellites, Starlink bypasses the cellular congestion issues entirely. Many camps now set up Starlink terminals to provide Wi-Fi access for their members and visitors. The service offers significantly better speeds and reliability compared to cellular during peak usage times.
Portable Hotspots and Routers
Some burners bring dedicated mobile hotspot devices or portable LTE routers to create their own mini networks. While these still rely on cellular towers, they can sometimes provide better performance than built-in phone hotspots.
Supercharge Your Connection with Speedify
While having multiple internet options is great, the real magic happens when you combine them. This is where Speedify’s channel bonding technology becomes invaluable for Burning Man participants.
How Speedify Works
Speedify seamlessly combines all of your connections, including WiFi, 4G, 5G, Ethernet, and Starlink, into one stronger connection. Instead of being limited to a single connection’s speed and reliability, you can leverage multiple sources simultaneously for enhanced performance.
The app’s intelligent channel bonding technology ensures that if one connection drops or slows down, your internet session continues uninterrupted using your other available connections. This redundancy is crucial in the challenging networking environment of the playa, where connection quality can vary dramatically throughout the day.
Maximizing Your Burning Man Setup
For optimal performance at Burning Man, consider combining:
- A camp’s Starlink Wi-Fi
- Your phone’s cellular connection
- A portable hotspot device
- Any other available Wi-Fi networks
- A second portable Starlink.
Speedify automatically detects and utilizes all available connections, giving you the combined bandwidth and reliability of multiple internet sources.
Peer-to-Peer Cellular Sharing for the Win
One of Speedify’s most powerful features for group settings like Burning Man camps is its cellular sharing functionality, called Pair & Share. This feature works like a turbocharged personal hotspot, but instead of just one device sharing its connection with another, once paired, both devices can share and receive each other’s connections simultaneously.
The more devices you pair with, the more connections you’ll have access to. This means if your campmate has a Verizon connection and you have AT&T, you can both benefit from the combined strength of both networks. The cellular connections on other devices on your Wi-Fi network become additional network connections that Speedify can use for bonding and seamless failover.
This collaborative approach to internet sharing is perfect for Burning Man camps where multiple people want to pool their connectivity resources. Instead of fighting over who gets to use the single best connection, everyone benefits from the combined power of all available connections.
Speedify
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📶 Stability
Automatic failover in under a second when any connection drops.
🔒 Security
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