Show us your Starlink Mini setup!

Has anyone mounted a Starlink Mini on their Taco? I'd like to see how you mounted it and ran the power cable and hooked it up to your 12V. If the dish is on the roof, does the metal roof block the WIFI signal to inside the cab?

Or maybe you just setup when you are camping & can share storage options & other tips?

Right now mine is stored in the hefty box it shipped in and is powered using a

$25 BESTEK 300W Power Inverter DC 12V to 110V AC Car Inverter with 4.2A Dual USB Car Adapter

BESTEK 300W Power Inverter.

It worked perfectly for us while traveling through Yosemite last week and when we were camping in the Sierra's at 10K elevation. We were parked when we used it we don't know how well it works when driving yet.

 

That’s pretty neat how much power does it draw?

 

According to https://www.starlink.com/specifications?spec=5

25-40W

 

I just ordered one on an impulse buy lol

 

do you have one in the bed?

 

Got one just before the overland expo last week, and my wife used it for most of the drive to and from Colorado (12 hours each way). Just stuck it on the dash and used a lion energy battery to power it because we didn’t have time to do anything else. Seemed fine for ‘normal’ connectivity and tele-working. Likely will do the USB C cord and some sort of actual mount now that we know it works.

 

There are lots of mounts on Etsy but I figured there's no point in having a 3D printer if I don't use it. And I didn't see anything that was quite what I would make myself: streamlined with integrated magnetic mounts:

So rather than something like this


or this


or this


I was thinking something like this:


The base for the dish would look this this before the dish is installed.


And the bottom would have integrated magnets



Using these magnets:






I tested the dish and the Wifi signal if fine from the inside of the cab when the dish is mounted on the roof of the cab. And my canoe does not interfere with the signal. On the negative side I got this email from Starlink this morning.



So a 10% price hike because they feel like it. Ouch!


I've got a draft printed but my dish is on the roof of my house so I won't get the test it out until this weekend.

 

I wouldn’t bother with a mount. The purpose of the mini is portability so why tie it down to something? I just set mine on whatever is handy, plug in a USB-C power bank and call it good. Can’t go wrong for $30/month when I have it activated.

 

How are you getting it for $30/month? The cheapest plan I see is $50

 

If you were one of the very early starlink users it seems like you get a reduced price.

 

Well $50 is not bad, I guess. The internet at home is so unreliable that it would almost be worth it as a backup. I don't know if I would ever use it while traveling.

 

$30 month add on to the full size dish plan

 

I like the portability, but I also need it mounted on the roof of my house for a backup internet connection. And right this minute, it's on the roof of my Taco as my wife drives us down the freeway.

 

I've been thinking about getting one for backup internet and also to be able to work from campgrounds during the summer. I like that the mini is easy to use with 12vDC, but I also like the lower price of the standard kit. I doubt I would have much use for the in motion, but it's a nice feature to have. I don't like that they just raised the price of the roam unlimited.

 

I have thought about getting the mini so that my wife has some internet while at camp while the kids and I go hiking.
Also the price for the package and monthly usage price seem reasonable to me.

 

I'm now in South Lake Tahoe. I've been working for the past 4 hours without a hitch. Normally I just tether to my cell, which results in extra fees when I blow though my data plan. But there's about an hour once we enter the Sierra Nevada mountains where there's no cell coverage. The Starlink worked better than Sirius XM. And the extra hour I was able to work helps pay off this investment. So far the only problem is my wife's driving...

OK, just kidding about the wife.

 

How are you all routing the Starlink Mini cable into the cab? Trying to decide the best way to go with this when using my roof mount.

 

Open the door, put the cable in, shut the door. Or are you wanting a permanent solution?

 

This or through the rear window.

 

If a person is watching TV while camping, that person is missing out on the best that camping has to offer. To each his own.