How To Skip The Starlink Waitlist In 2023

Since the public beta launch of Starlink in late 2020, access to the service has been extremely limited. Starlink uses a satellite constellation to communicate between user terminals and ground stations, so the user capacity is tied to how many satellites and ground stations are deployed. New satellites are being deployed regularly, but it will be several more years until the constellation is completed.

As a result, many people who want Starlink simply can’t get it. If your service area is already at capacity, all you can do is put down a deposit and be added to the waitlist. But what if you don’t want to wait? Plenty of folks have no other broadband options. How can you skip the waitlist and order your Starlink kit right now? There are two ways to get a Starlink dish now, and avoid the waitlist. In this guide, we’ll show you how each method works.

Best Effort

In August 2022, Starlink launched a new line of service called Best Effort. Best Effort is for select pre-order customers only. Those eligible will receive an email from Starlink. Best Effort allows those on the waitlist to order a dish, and receive “best effort” service at their address only.

Best Effort is very similar to Roam (formerly RV), in that it can be paused, and also Best Effort traffic is deprioritized on the network.

For those that receive the Best Effort offer, it is currently the best way to “skip” the waitlist. The major benefit over Starlink Roam is the cheaper price, $120/month vs $150/month. Another advantage is that Best Effort automatically converts to Residential when capacity opens up at your address.

If you don’t have access to Best Effort, read on…

Starlink Roam

If you aren’t eligible for Best Effort, the only other way to skip the Starlink waitlist is to order Starlink Roam. Starlink Roam is available to ship anywhere, and doesn’t have a waitlist. The service works anywhere with active Starlink coverage. See Starlink coverage on the Starlink coverage map.

The major downside to Starlink Roam is the deprioritized service. During peak usage hours, such as in the evenings, Residential users in your area will have bandwidth priority. You may see your speeds crawl to single digits. You might also see more outages and higher latency, which can mean interrupted video calls or online gaming sessions.

The other downside to Roam is the price. It costs $150 per month. The good news, though, is that Starlink Roam can be paused, so it’s appropriate for seasonal usage.

If you buy Roam, and Residential capacity opens up at your address in the future, you can simply transfer and activate your Roam dish to a Residential plan. You won’t have to purchase additional hardware to use Residential.

Final Thoughts

Best Effort and Roam are two good ways to skip the Starlink waitlist. Anyone can buy Starlink Roam right now, although there are some downsides. I think it’s safe to say, though, that most people willing to go this route don’t have many internet options. Deprioritized service is better than nothing!

We want to stress again that you need to use these methods at your own risk. At any time, without warning, Starlink could change their policies. Any number of things could happen that would render this guide invalid. But at the same time, we know many of our readers have no internet options. Many people are desperate for Starlink, and this is one way to get it quickly.

See Also: How Long Is The Waitlist For Starlink?