Starlink Mini

[StG58]

So, the wife and I are heading out for some serious boondocking here in a few months...she has 10 more Mondays in her working life...and I've been working on ways to communicate.

Finally bought a Starlink mini the other day. The hardest part of the setup was selecting the correct address from the drop down list. Had it up and running in about 15 minutes.

Good throughput and almost universal access. My phone's cell over wifi works well, as does my secure VPN. The Onion router works well.

The whole system runs off my DC power in the trailer with minimal drag on the lithium batteries.

Pretty excited about getting out and giving this a test run in the wild...

 

[CMBD]

I recently got the mini for our motorhome. Have goofed off with it at the house and its really good. Campground WIFI nearly always sucks and I need to be able to do business stuff on the road. Made a ladder mount for it.

And since I have it anyway, might as well make a mount for under the hard top on the Jeep Going to see how it does off my Jackery 240 this weekend. Jackery recommends using their 300 to power the mini, but my use way off the grid would be minimal so the 240 might be fine running the fridge and the mini in the Jeep.

 

[KennethS]

So, the wife and I are heading out for some serious boondocking

I don’t follow why you are getting away from the world, but want to stay connected to the world. When I’m out, I am out.

 

[LukesfirstJeep]

My current motor home has Starlink installed. It works great. Since the antennae is permanently installed, I have to keep overhead obstructions (tree branches and leaves) in mind when I setting up. The phone app measures obstructions.

With the roam plan, you can choose between the unlimited (most expensive), the 50 gig/month, or 10gig per month. The extra charge per gig is $1 for the 50 gig plan, and $2 for the 10 gig plan.

We found the 50 gig plan works best for us. We typically do a multi day trip every month, plus spend a few evenings per month in the camper while it's parked at a seasonal site. Streaming a movie before bedtime is nice, but having streaming services or internet available on a rainy day is awesome.

 

[lBasket]

I don’t follow why you are getting away from the world, but want to stay connected to the world. When I’m out, I am out.

How else are you gonna read the forum when you're bored?

 

[Chris]

We have Starlink in our rural home here in Wyoming. Had it for a year and it's been flawless. I love it!

 

[Mr. Bills]

I don’t follow why you are getting away from the world, but want to stay connected to the world. When I’m out, I am out.

An acquaintance was recently camped on a deserted beach in Baja - free from cell service and free from the world. Life was bliss.

Then he suffered an accidental fall and a life threatening injury.

Without the cell service provided by his Starlink WiFi he would have been unable to summon help.

In his case being out would have been literal.

And permanent.


Do you follow now?


.

 

[KennethS]

An acquaintance was recently camped on a deserted beach in Baja - free from cell service and free from the world. Life was bliss.

Then he suffered an accidental fall and a life threatening injury.

Without the cell service provided by his Starlink WiFi he would have been unable to summon help.

In his case being out would have been literal.

And permanent.


Do you follow now?


.

SPOT

https://www.findmespot.com/en-us/su...MIpenZ3sqUjgMVOJ7uAR0PlikiEAAYASAAEgLKa_D_BwE

 

[Mr. Bills]

SPOT

You questioned why someone wanting to get away from the world would want to remain connected to the world, yet apparently you have no problem carrying a text-only device for connectivity.

What principled distinction is there between carrying Spot for connectivity vs. being connected to the world via Starlink?

 

[KennethS]

You mentioned someone who was injured and needed assistance. That is why SPOT exists. It is small so can be carried while hiking or other activities away from the main campsite. I don’t see how Starlink is going to be of use if you’re hours into a hike, 4WD trail, etc away from the RV in which it installed.

That was my point.

 

[StG58]

I don’t follow why you are getting away from the world, but want to stay connected to the world. When I’m out, I am out.

We full time in a 27' Airstream. That is our home. Wherever it is, is where we live.

The Starlink allows us to perform many of the useful and important tasks in life that require communications essentially wherever we are. Make reservations, search out spots, download maps, keep in touch with family and friends...etc.

It's nice, because it doesn't have to run all the time. Just when we need it to.

 

[Wildman]

We full time in a 27' Airstream. That is our home. Wherever it is, is where we live.

The Starlink allows us to perform many of the useful and important tasks in life that require communications essentially wherever we are. Make reservations, search out spots, download maps, keep in touch with family and friends...etc.

It's nice, because it doesn't have to run all the time. Just when we need it to.

I've got an OLD Gen 2 that I bought 2 years ago and still haven't ever turned on... I need to get it setup at my house and use it for my home since my wireless internet here SUCKS... And Starlink is only $13 more per month than what I'm currently paying.

And I totally get wanting to have internet capability while camping...I got rid of my satellite dish off the roof since I figured I'd have a StarLink instead and would just stream my connection when I wanted TV. Or if I want to surf the WWW... And as you pointed out when you don't want/need it just turn it off...
And with the Roaming option you don't have to have a permanent address.. While the driving feature doesn't matter to me I know folks who use it while traveling.

Not everyone want/needs it but I for one am glad it's available.

 

[StG58]

I've got an OLD Gen 2 that I bought 2 years ago and still haven't ever turned on... I need to get it setup at my house and use it for my home since my wireless internet here SUCKS... And Starlink is only $13 more per month than what I'm currently paying.

And I totally get wanting to have internet capability while camping...I got rid of my satellite dish off the roof since I figured I'd have a StarLink instead and would just stream my connection when I wanted TV. Or if I want to surf the WWW... And as you pointed out when you don't want/need it just turn it off...
And with the Roaming option you don't have to have a permanent address.. While the driving feature doesn't matter to me I know folks who use it while traveling.

Not everyone want/needs it but I for one am glad it's available.

Exactly. It's a very viable option for connectivity.

 

[LukesfirstJeep]

And with the Roaming option you don't have to have a permanent address.. While the driving feature doesn't matter to me I know folks who use it while traveling.

I've been really pleased with my Starlink while traveling. On my RV, I need to plug into shore power or generator power for Starlink to work. Once plugged in, everything fires up seamlessly. My only limitation is direct line of sight to the sky. Partially blocked by tress is OK.

 

[Wildman]

I've been really pleased with my Starlink while traveling. On my RV, I need to plug into shore power or generator power for Starlink to work. Once plugged in, everything fires up seamlessly. My only limitation is direct line of sight to the sky. Partially blocked by tress is OK.

Why do you need shore power or generator? There are kits for DC power for the other versions.

 

[Wildman]

Exactly. It's a very viable option for connectivity.

Some folks just aren't interested and that's their option... Like you I'm planning on full timing or at least 8-9 months out of the year living in my RV so having a viable option for internet is a high priority.

 

[StG58]

Some folks just aren't interested and that's their option... Like you I'm planning on full timing or at least 8-9 months out of the year living in my RV so having a viable option for internet is a high priority.

We've been full timing for 5-1/2 years now. The hardest part has been getting a domicile address. No domicile - no voting or firearms transactions. Other than that, it's been pretty easy-peasy.

Out boondocking we often set up under the trees. Getting enough clear sky to connect is probably going to be an issue. To solve that, I'm eyeing an adapter to run the mini off of a 20volt Max Dewalt battery, Grab the mini, my laptop, a lawn chair, and head to the lake or other open area, Do my business, shut down. Head home. Again, easy.

We ordered our 27' Globetrotter from the factory. Modified the systems for boondocking. It's even got more lift than my TJ does, and it's getting a set of KO3's this fall. We're ready. All the trips we've made so far have been great. We only need to run the generator every four days or so, for about five hours. We make potable water from any reasonably clean water source. The limiting factor is the black tank. That can last about a week to ten days.

Oh man, we are so ready.

 

[Wildman]

We've been full timing for 5-1/2 years now. The hardest part has been getting a domicile address. No domicile - no voting or firearms transactions. Other than that, it's been pretty easy-peasy.

Out boondocking we often set up under the trees. Getting enough clear sky to connect is probably going to be an issue. To solve that, I'm eyeing an adapter to run the mini off of a 20volt Max Dewalt battery, Grab the mini, my laptop, a lawn chair, and head to the lake or other open area, Do my business, shut down. Head home. Again, easy.

We ordered our 27' Globetrotter from the factory. Modified the systems for boondocking. It's even got more lift than my TJ does, and it's getting a set of KO3's this fall. We're ready. All the trips we've made so far have been great. We only need to run the generator every four days or so, for about five hours. We make potable water from any reasonably clean water source. The limiting factor is the black tank. That can last about a week to ten days.

Oh man, we are so ready.

If I can ever get the Jeep to where it's reliable and these last few bugs worked out in the motorhome & I'll be ready.

Then I'll have to sell a LOT of stuff & throw a LOT more out as I clean out my house so I can sell it.

 

[LukesfirstJeep]

Why do you need shore power or generator? There are kits for DC power for the other versions.

I think it just how my RV is wired. I have 200W of solar panels, a 2000Watt inverter, and a decent amount of house battery capacity. Neither the TV or starlink power up without 120 VAC input.

 

[Wildman]

I think it just how my RV is wired. I have 200W of solar panels, a 2000Watt inverter, and a decent amount of house battery capacity. Neither the TV or starlink power up without 120 VAC input.

DC Conversion Kits for StarLink

https://xtar-link.com/collections/dc-conversion