Starlink Mini - it's awesome

[awd.nv]

Hello,

Just wanted to share that I just finished our first road trip with the Starlink Mini mounted to the truck and it worked great. We went up the 15fwy from Vegas to Hurricane, UT and back without issues. Kids were gaming, wife was working on her laptop which requires her to be on a VPN into her work servers and my phone was connected as well streaming music. There are known dead spots along this route that we had ZERO issues with.

Heading home today the 15fwy south was closed due to a fatal car accident, we got a room to wait it out and my wife couldn't get a connection to the VPN tethering off our phones because speeds were too slow. Unbolted the Starlink within 5 mins and had it outside our hotel room and she had zero issues from there on.

So far the best I have seen with the Mini is about 205MBps down/20-22Mbps up. I did not speed test too much when going 80mph but still saw 190MBps when moving that fast. For $50/month, pause service anytime it seems like a no brainer if you road trip or off-road. Shoot, good for emergencies too.

I used this Amazon mount, just unscrewed the magnets and drilled 1/4 holes into the BakFlip where the magnets were mounted. Then a 1/2 hole to pass through a USB-C cable for power. Used a Bluetti AC2A unit to power it, I do wish I had a little more capacity though so I may get another or a larger capacity unit.

In the heat (106-110F) I think the battery was losing power quicker than normal, with the use mentioned I think it would be good for about 4-5hrs tops. It can charge pretty quickly in Turbo mode though.

Mount
Amazon.com: Starlink Mini Car Roof Mount, Starlink Mini Magnetic Mount for Car, 264lbs Heavy Duty Magnet, 4-Side Protection Magnetic Quick Release Sunroof Suction Cup Mounting Kit for Travel RV Accessories Black : Automotive

Bluetti
Amazon.com : BLUETTI Solar Generator AC2A, 204Wh LiFePO4 Battery Backup w/ 2 300W (600W Power Lifting) AC Outlets, Recharge from 0-80% in 45 Min., for Camping (Solar Panel Optional) : Patio, Lawn & Garden

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[Ibanezbass671]

We have a starlink unit at our work here in the Pacific (Guam). I'm getting over 400mb consitant download speeds. Never want to go back to our local ISP after using starlink....

 

[Buckbull]

I've been using starlink for 3 years now. Starlink allowed me to move to my remote hunting cabin. I'm able to work from home 4 days a week. I have zero cell service because i'm in a deep valley. Its been a huge deal for me cutting out the cost of 2 homes. There for a while i was paying rent on my place and both my kids college apartments plus the expenses on my hunting cabin. Rent alone was $4300 per month. I'm just paying on my daughters apartment now. My only gripe is text messaging going through Starlink. Sometimes I never get text messages, sometimes text messages are out of order, etc. I'm not sure if its starlink of some setting on my phone. I'm getting fiber optic ran to my house in a few months so i'll probably ditch starlink since it will be cheaper and I'm hoping my text messaging is fixed with the fiber.

 

[Goyo86]

I’ve had one on my roof rack for the entire summer it’s been the best mod for off grid travel. My wife loves it as we can keep in touch and she can see I’ve safely made it to camp. Never had an issue even in heavy tree coverage if performed well, I do want to upgrade my mount though. Ran a power cable into my cab with the gmrs antenna
Mount is off Etsy, I’d like another one with some protection. But leaving towards the Sherpa equipment mount just cause I like it all to match (unfortunately no cover)

 

[Goyo86]

Also side note: its been completely unaffected with weather, only one time I had a problem when I attempted to connect (power up star link) next to a koa by chance and it would not connect due to the high amount of usage in the area. Since then I just keep it running most of the time I’m driving (or just 30 or so minutes before getting to camp) and have never had that issue again but huge fan.
When going to meet up people at camp it also helps being that the person at camp has one also. You ALWAYS find your buddy’s now no more having to camp it out and wait for the morning

 

[OldHippy]

Hello,

Just wanted to share that I just finished our first road trip with the Starlink Mini mounted to the truck and it worked great. We went up the 15fwy from Vegas to Hurricane, UT and back without issues. Kids were gaming, wife was working on her laptop which requires her to be on a VPN into her work servers and my phone was connected as well streaming music. There are known dead spots along this route that we had ZERO issues with.

Heading home today the 15fwy south was closed due to a fatal car accident, we got a room to wait it out and my wife couldn't get a connection to the VPN tethering off our phones because speeds were too slow. Unbolted the Starlink within 5 mins and had it outside our hotel room and she had zero issues from there on.

So far the best I have seen with the Mini is about 205MBps down/20-22Mbps up. I did not speed test too much when going 80mph but still saw 190MBps when moving that fast. For $50/month, pause service anytime it seems like a no brainer if you road trip or off-road. Shoot, good for emergencies too.

I used this Amazon mount, just unscrewed the magnets and drilled 1/4 holes into the BakFlip where the magnets were mounted. Then a 1/2 hole to pass through a USB-C cable for power. Used a Bluetti AC2A unit to power it, I do wish I had a little more capacity though so I may get another or a larger capacity unit.

In the heat (106-110F) I think the battery was losing power quicker than normal, with the use mentioned I think it would be good for about 4-5hrs tops. It can charge pretty quickly in Turbo mode though.

Mount
Amazon.com: Starlink Mini Car Roof Mount, Starlink Mini Magnetic Mount for Car, 264lbs Heavy Duty Magnet, 4-Side Protection Magnetic Quick Release Sunroof Suction Cup Mounting Kit for Travel RV Accessories Black : Automotive

Bluetti
Amazon.com : BLUETTI Solar Generator AC2A, 204Wh LiFePO4 Battery Backup w/ 2 300W (600W Power Lifting) AC Outlets, Recharge from 0-80% in 45 Min., for Camping (Solar Panel Optional) : Patio, Lawn & Garden

And how much does the device and monthly service cost?

 

[Goyo86]

And how much does the device and monthly service cost?

The device is around $500 usually… service varies.. I used the $50 50 gig plan… I’d recommend a quick google search

 

[awd.nv]

Some good feedback in here from others. I have been aware of it for some years now but the Mini slipped my radar. A client told me about it actually as I was complaining that I couldn't upload a quote while trailer camping in Zion lol first world problems. The Mini is just so easy to work with.

For others, yup the Mini is about $500 but sometimes goes on sale for $400. It has everything you need and even acts as your Wi-Fi router too. Just needs power. I picked up a USB-C cable over the AC adapter.

$50/mo for 50GB, pause service anytime. Unlimited plans are like $160 or so. Just need the sky to work.

Once having it I was thinking back at all the times camping I could have used it, or even just driving on an empty hwy where it could have been handy to have internet. It was like a revelation similar to getting your firsrt smart phone lol.

 

[underwhelmed]

Thanks for posting. I’ve been considering the mini for my outa cell range trips.

 

[awd.nv]

Thanks for posting. I’ve been considering the mini for my outa cell range trips.

Best part was I walked into my local BestBuy and got it there. It was $500 and then next week went on sale, they price matched and refunded the difference.

 

[Jason B]

And how much does the device and monthly service cost?

Starlink | Service Plans

Residential Lite (Low priority, Unlimited Data) $80
Residential (Unlimited Data) $120

Roaming 50 Gig $50
Roaming Unlimited $165

I have had residential for several years now. The only time I lose connection is during a SEVERE thunderstorm and down pour. Maybe twice a year, and only for a few minutes.

 

[Granger]

I’ve had one on my roof rack for the entire summer it’s been the best mod for off grid travel. My wife loves it as we can keep in touch and she can see I’ve safely made it to camp. Never had an issue even in heavy tree coverage if performed well, I do want to upgrade my mount though. Ran a power cable into my cab with the gmrs antenna
Mount is off Etsy, I’d like another one with some protection. But leaving towards the Sherpa equipment mount just cause I like it all to match (unfortunately no cover)

Do you mind sharing any links or pics of the install? I just picked up a refurb mini and rack mount. Your setup looks perfect assuming it isn't hard to take the mini out.

 

[Goyo86]

Do you mind sharing any links or pics of the install? I just picked up a refurb mini and rack mount. Your setup looks perfect assuming it isn't hard to take the mini out.

personally I’ve only had it on the truck I never remove it. This mount has like 25 screws around the perimeter that hold the top cover on holding the dish in place. The black portion is just secured using rack hardware. It’s kinda easy to remove but wouldn’t recommend with the plastic housing it will eventually pull the threads.

I’ve been check out veritas vans mount it’s similar to mine but higher quality

 

[Illking]

The price of Starlink roam is so attractive right now. $200 + $50/mo 100gb. I mostly work in office however I do have Fridays and some flexible days I can remotely work. we do about 3-4 4 day family camping trips a year and honestly the whole point is to unplug. no games, no screens. the most technology that comes out at camp are the ICECO fridge, cameras and a Bluetooth speaker. I do use a Garmin in reach that i feel very comfortable having for emergency or just to check in with loved ones.

Its so tempting to get and think Ill take advantage of a few WFH days at camp or that it could be super useful in trip planning on the go or to use for emergency situations. However I think id still keep my In Reach for backpacking. I'm still very hesitant, the last thing I want our camping trips to turn into is everyone on there phones. Its really the deepest connections we make when were camping remote sometimes hours from a cell signal.

 

[awd.nv]

The price of Starlink roam is so attractive right now. $200 + $50/mo 100gb. I mostly work in office however I do have Fridays and some flexible days I can remotely work. we do about 3-4 4 day family camping trips a year and honestly the whole point is to unplug. no games, no screens. the most technology that comes out at camp are the ICECO fridge, cameras and a Bluetooth speaker. I do use a Garmin in reach that i feel very comfortable having for emergency or just to check in with loved ones.

Its so tempting to get and think Ill take advantage of a few WFH days at camp or that it could be super useful in trip planning on the go or to use for emergency situations. However I think id still keep my In Reach for backpacking. I'm still very hesitant, the last thing I want our camping trips to turn into is everyone on there phones. Its really the deepest connections we make when were camping remote sometimes hours from a cell signal.

Honestly, it has been awesome having. The device is now cheaper and the plan went up from 50GB to 100GB at no extra cost to me.

What is cool, you can pause the service and get unlimited 500kbps at $5/mo. That should be enough for at least emergency text messages. Since getting it though we have not paused it. I am now even using it at my kids school drive line for emails since it is a dead zone there.

My wife works while we road trip on weekdays so she doesnt need to use PTO as well. Not to mention, on some rainy days, nice to be able to stream movies and watch as a family in the RV.

When you dont want the fam on the internet, just power the device off, easy fix there too. When we camp, we rarely let the kids game on their Switch but we do allow it depending on weather.

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