Starlink Mini

[marcusnilsson]

I've only had my Starlink Mini for 3 weeks and I'm completely delighted with it. Here in the south of France, the mobile phone network is so bad in some areas that I couldn't use the internet. The Starlink is mounted inside a roof window and is not orientated. It always delivers between 130 and 170 MBit, even when travelling at 100 km/h. It's simply a joy! I can highly recommend it.

Just curious; which plan did you choose?

The pricing seem to vary a lot depending on if you choose private / business, and also the different plan options within seem to change frequently in terms of geographical coverage and priority.

 

[rovie]

Just curious; which plan did you choose?

The pricing seem to vary a lot depending on if you choose private / business, and also the different plan options within seem to change frequently in terms of geographical coverage and priority.

We have chosen the ROAM UNLIMITED tariff. However, prices vary considerably from country to country. For example, the price in the US is probably more than twice as expensive as here. Our tariff is currently valid worldwide. However, it does not apply at sea or on large lakes.

 

[marcusnilsson]

We have chosen the ROAM UNLIMITED tariff. However, prices vary considerably from country to country. For example, the price in the US is probably more than twice as expensive as here. Our tariff is currently valid worldwide. However, it does not apply at sea or on large lakes.

Interesting. The price for Starlink Roam Unlimited in Sweden is 817kr / ~75 EUR per month.

 

[DVA Mechanics]

We released 2 new versions of our Starlink Mini mount recently, which include an anti-theft version of the kickstand. One version mounts directly to the side roof rail (same as our 1st generation, but now includes the kick stand) and we've also released a version with mounting hardware for the most popular roof racks.

Starlink Accessories | Reliable Mounts & Power Solutions

Enhance your Starlink setup with durable accessories, including mounts, power solutions, and cables for seamless connectivity anywhere.

dvamechanics.com

 

[globalgregors]

Thank you very much for the description - I understand what I'm seeing more now. And you leave it on all the time? No worries about theft or hitting it with a tree branch?

Not so far. It’s not noticeable from ground level and only rises slightly above the perimeter of the rack. Cable is retained with several zip ties, again this hasn’t snagged anything to date.

We leave it on with the ignition, but it will operate several hours on battery if necessary. I’ve held on to it’s original cable, so if necessary I can run an extension cord and operate it direct from ‘shore’ power. Tend to avoid this though as it’s a bit of a fiddle to access the DC input.

We also carry a 10A Noco battery charger which can theoretically offset the StarLink consumption (peak ~5A).

On the theft front, we’re cautious with where we park the vehicle as it’s obviously an attractive target.
We make this a criteria when selecting accomodation etc.

 

[JordanGuss]

Overland Gear Guy has their Starlink Safari Window Mounting Bags on the market.

Starlink Safari Window Mount Bag

Introducing the Starlink Safari Mount Bag—custom-built to mount your Starlink Mini securely to the Safari windows of the INEOS Grenadier. Designed for overlanders who rely on connectivity in the wild, this USA-made pouch offers unbeatable stability, sleek organization, and top-tier signal...

overlandgearguy.com

Nice product as it doubles as a storage bag when not installed. I have a USB outlet being installed in my overhead console run off the INT circuit in the footwell, so the Starlink can be powered on when the wagon is off, and the power cable from the Starlink will have a very short run.

Rob does nice work so thought I would share here in case it has been shared elsewhere on the forum.

 

[etbandit]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1822306061988069873

View: https://x.com/DVAMechanics/status/1822306061988069873


This is how I did it a few weeks ago. I will make up a few extra cables and post them on our website.

This is a great idea!

Do you see voltages drop while using this cable to connect the starlink mini to the Grenadier roof top DTP plugs? I have read that the starlink mini drops out if not receiving 12V or higher.

 

[globalgregors]

This is a great idea!

Do you see voltages drop while using this cable to connect the starlink mini to the Grenadier roof top DTP plugs? I have read that the starlink mini drops out if not receiving 12V or higher.

We’ve been using the previous DVA Starlink Mini cable off the rooftop outlet for the last 6 months or so. Works great!

 

[artschool]

I got this off amazon. it either goes on the inside of the safari window or on the roof.

 

[Born_ in_a_tent]

Hi All
We are on our first trip with our new starlink mini. It is set up on an owl magnetic mount on the roof. We have tried a couple of power options. Plugging the adapter into a 350w inverter on our camper trailer seems to give good results, but this is only viable when we are stationary. We bought a 1m cable from owl with DTP plug for powering of the roof. We have tried it plugged into the roof outlet on the left rear side of the vehicle.

Unfortunately this option keeps cutting out. Any ideas as to why or what we can do to try and rectify the situation?

 

[grenhulk]

Hi All
We are on our first trip with our new starlink mini. It is set up on an owl magnetic mount on the roof. We have tried a couple of power options. Plugging the adapter into a 350w inverter on our camper trailer seems to give good results, but this is only viable when we are stationary. We bought a 1m cable from owl with DTP plug for powering of the roof. We have tried it plugged into the roof outlet on the left rear side of the vehicle.
View attachment 7901170

Unfortunately this option keeps cutting out. Any ideas as to why or what we can do to try and rectify the situation?

Assuming you have a solid physical connection, it is almost certainly voltage drop. Mini requires 12Vdc at minimum and through the relatively thin/long DTP wiring is likely receiving a value lower than needed from the EGM battery, particularly when under load. I think I saw someone report that the dedicated 25A circuit (driver-side front) has a heavier gauge wire, which could help. You could switch on both circuits and check each DTP voltage with a multimeter to see if there is any difference under no-load conditions.

Alternatively, you could pull the conductors from the auxiliary fuse block and wire them in-line with a 12-48V boost converter (with a small conversion penalty) on a separate distribution block, but you would lose the overhead switching and would want to add a switch of your own.

Haven’t done it myself (yet), but am halfway considering this to wire in two solar panels into a secondary LFP battery without dropping the headliner and squeezing another set of conductors through the grommet. That being said, I need to run cat6 into the cab to bypass the mini’s stock router anyway so it might be better to do them both and keep the ext switches and relays intact.

The other option is to run Starlink’s USB-C to C cable (weatherproofed) through the grommet and plug it into a PD power supply capable of 20V output.

 

[globalgregors]

Unfortunately this option keeps cutting out. Any ideas as to why or what we can do to try and rectify the situation?

We run ours off the 25A outlet, as @grenhulk has suggested above. Do you have other items running off the roof outlets?

 

[Tenac]

Hi All
We are on our first trip with our new starlink mini. It is set up on an owl magnetic mount on the roof. We have tried a couple of power options. Plugging the adapter into a 350w inverter on our camper trailer seems to give good results, but this is only viable when we are stationary. We bought a 1m cable from owl with DTP plug for powering of the roof. We have tried it plugged into the roof outlet on the left rear side of the vehicle.

Unfortunately this option keeps cutting out. Any ideas as to why or what we can do to try and rectify the situation?

I basically have this same setup: Owl Mag mount and the 1m cable. However I plugged mine into the single roof outlet number 1. I have had zero issues with anything cutting out. I use mine almost every day while in travel or stopped, even with engine off so basically any method you can think of. I'm wondering if you just got a bad 1m cable honestly..... I'd see if they are willing to swap out or send a replacement cable.

 

[etbandit]

I basically have this same setup: Owl Mag mount and the 1m cable. However I plugged mine into the single roof outlet number 1. I have had zero issues with anything cutting out. I use mine almost every day while in travel or stopped, even with engine off so basically any method you can think of. I'm wondering if you just got a bad 1m cable honestly..... I'd see if they are willing to swap out or send a replacement cable.

Was yours plugged into the 10A or was it the 25A roof outlet as others on here have suggested to try?

 

[Tenac]

Was yours plugged into the 10A or was it the 25A roof outlet as others on here have suggested to try?

25A the single just above the passenger door on the US model. 25Amp EXT2

 

[etbandit]

25A the single just above the passenger door on the US model. 25Amp EXT2

Looks like the consensus is to use the starlink Mini with the 25A roof outlet to reduce voltage drop and avoid starlink outages.

That's was my concern so thanks all for the feedback.

 

[Tenac]

Looks like the consensus is to use the starlink Mini with the 25A roof outlet to reduce voltage drop and avoid starlink outages.

That's was my concern so thanks all for the feedback.

I'm really curious why though..... The Mini only draws 2-5amps at 12v.

 

[anand]

Is the wiring to the roof outlet any larger for the 25A rated outlet? That may be enough to save the voltage drop. Or if the overall wire run is shorter.

It may also be worth it to add a small 12v->24v (or 36v) converter with the dish; as this will get rid of any of the voltage drop problems. Specifically on both the Grenadier and our Sprinter I did 12v->24v converters before the 5m cable run to the dish because of numerous posts (not on this forum) about people running into issues at 12.2-14.2v with cable lengths >2m

 

[Tenac]

Is the wiring to the roof outlet any larger for the 25A rated outlet? That may be enough to save the voltage drop. Or if the overall wire run is shorter.

It may also be worth it to add a small 12v->24v (or 36v) converter with the dish; as this will get rid of any of the voltage drop problems. Specifically on both the Grenadier and our Sprinter I did 12v->24v converters before the 5m cable run to the dish because of numerous posts (not on this forum) about people running into issues at 12.2-14.2v with cable lengths >2m

I'm not sure about this thought, the OEM cable it comes with seems to be about 18-20AWG and about 15m (50'). I believe the 25amp is 12AWG.

 

[anand]

I'm not sure about this thought, the OEM cable it comes with seems to be about 18-20AWG and about 15m (50'). I believe the 25amp is 12AWG.

The OEM cable the Mini comes with is intended to be used with the AC power adapter which outputs 30 volt DC. 60W @ 30V is only 2A, but is 5A at 12V. This is what causes issues with the OEM cable (or cables longer than 2m or so) at "12v" (12-14.5v)