Is anyone using Starlink for Onshape work?

mark_a_sawyer

We are looking at a semi-rural location for our next office.  Connection options are VDSL and Starlink.  Is anyone using Starlink for Onshape access, and if so, have there been any issues?
Thanks in advance for your help.

MichaelPascoe

I have not, but I'm interested as well.
Here's a benchmark test if you end up getting it - Unofficial Onshape Benchmark

Luc_Boucher

I work remotely from home and have seen a big difference when switching ISPs. Initially getting 40Mbs down - 10Mbs up to now getting 800M/50M. It made a noticeable difference in Onshape performance (without having benchmark testing to back that up).

I recently acquired a Starlink system for my remote cottage where cellular signals are super weak and rural VDSL aren't available, that way I can work anywhere I want. So far speedtests show me getting anywhere from 30/10 to 300/200 and have not seen any issues with using Onshape in my 2 week trial period. I'll try and run some benchmarks at both locations and post numbers.

billy2

On the other end of the bandwidth spectrum, I have google fiber. It didn't speed things up. Looking at my ping rate, it's now 20% faster, but OS speed increase isn't noticeable. (my ping rate is 40ms in my office).

The ping rate OS shows by hitting control-d isn't a real ping rate. Ping rates have dedicated internet paths other than the standard data packet paths and aren't a real indicator for your internet speed to a server. OS's ping rate is the time to talk to a AWS server. This includes the time to travel to the server, routes through the load balancers and then to a server which returns the initiating time to the client. The server could gather a package and send it to your computer. Sending a large package over starlink will suffer as any poor internet connection will. Since OS uses sockets, you're always hooked to the server when you login. When communicating with OS, you don't establish a connection for each packet making communication extremely fast but large packets will take time. Sockets eliminate the time to establish a connection. OS typically sends change differences and not large packets.

Remember that OS caches your data locally and only sends the changes over the internet. OS keeps projects cached for about 2 weeks in local browser storage. If you're working on a project it's rare for a large download.

Here's what you don't want to do, open a project from 2 weeks ago. It'll do it, but it'll take time with all internet scenarios.

What you don't wanna do, get on an airplane and load a project. What you should do is load the project in the airport terminal, and then during the flight, work on the project. I do this all the time.

The wifi repeaters in your home lose %30 bandwidth through each jump. If you're running on the 3rd wifi repeater from the router that's probably worse than starlink. 

I hook up directly to the router in my office and then hookup through various wifi repeaters in my house. I honestly can't tell which I'm using when using OS.

If I have to load a large project on an airplane, which sucks up all the airplane's bandwidth, I go read my email.

Satellite internet has latency which can't be speed up. Starlinks orbits are lower than others making the latency less than traditional satellite. Socket traffic is affected by latency and you'll notice it hooking up through satellite connections. There's nothing you can do about satellite latency.

A friend has directTV and I was using OS on it. DirectTV internet will be slower the Starlink due to a longer time to travel. It wasn't bad and not much different than in my office. Did I notice it, yes? Was it a hindrance, no?

The problem with satellite internet isn't speed, it's reliability. Google fiber is better than satellite. I've used directTV for home internet and it wasn't that band. 

I did switch from satellite to some kids microwave mesh internet service. A kid built his own antennas which operated as receivers & transmitters which created the best internet service available to rural houses. I'd look for microware services before starlink, but starlink should be fine.