Starlink Direct-to-Cell Brings Satellite Connectivity to Your Smartphone Starlink Direct-to-Cell lets an ordinary smartphone connect straight to a satellite for texts and calls, with no dish required. This article explains how it works and how it compares to the satellite feature built into recent iPhones. The takeaway: the two services are built for different jobs, and Apple’s version isn’t trying … Read More
Starlink Jammer: Russia Jams Ground Terminals, Not SpaceX Starshield Satellites
Starshield: SpaceX’s Secret Satellite Constellation for Military Operations Starshield is a separate constellation of satellites SpaceX builds for the U.S. military – modified versions of its Starlink internet satellites, used for encrypted communication and surveillance. This article explains what Starshield is, how it is being deployed, and reports that Russia has tried to jam it. It also looks at the … Read More
How SpaceX Live Streams Rocket Launches: Video Sent on Two Radio Bands at Once
How SpaceX Streams Rocket Launches: The Technology Behind Space Communications SpaceX broadcasts live video from its rockets during launch – but how does a camera stream footage from a vehicle moving thousands of miles per hour through flames and open sky? This article digs into the answer, drawn from the plans SpaceX filed with the FCC. The trick: special transmitters … Read More
Internet on Cruise Ships: Why Cruise Lines Ban Passenger Starlink Dishes
Internet on Cruise Ships Is Mostly Powered by Satellites Most cruise-ship internet now comes from satellites overhead, and increasingly from SpaceX’s Starlink service in low Earth orbit. This article explains how onboard internet works, why cruise lines won’t let passengers bring their own Starlink dish, and whether that restriction is easing. If you do get to use Starlink on board, … Read More
NORAD’s Santa Tracker Explained: How Radar and Wi-Fi Share the Same Airwaves
NORAD, Radars and the Wi-Fi Connection Every December, NORAD (the North American Aerospace Defense Command, the U.S. and Canadian military command that watches North American skies) runs a Santa Tracker. In this episode of Between Two Palms, Speedify’s video series on internet technology, Alex Gizis and Brian Prodoehl use that tradition to explain how radar works and how home Wi-Fi … Read More
Starlink User Story: Joseph Cristina Kept Live Streams Online with Speedify
Testing Speedify with a Starlink Internet Connection for Speed and Reliability Joseph Cristina, a YouTube creator who uses Starlink, spent about five weeks testing Speedify against expensive routers that combine internet connections, to stop his Starlink internet connection from dropping in the middle of live streams. Starlink is fast, but short dropouts are a real problem when you work online … Read More