Accessing Internet While on the Road

[Shadowcatche]

I sought advice a number of years back from folks that have a clue. On their advice I purchased a WeBoost Drive Sleek. It cradles my cell on hot spot. External omni or directional antenna. Have yet to not get a usable signal, I do however look up locations of cell towers.

 

[Capebuild]

Checking out the "Ford Transit Forum" link Bruce posted. The more I read about the Starlink Mini, this set up will most likely be what I purchase. Have to figure out which option to use for powering it and whether or not to fix it to the tow vehicle's roof. If fixed to roof the unit can plug into to the vehicle's power, but while on "land" I may invest in a Jackery (or like) or see if the Halo Bolt Jump Starter I have may work. Thanks Bruce for posting that link.
John

 

[Tony Latham]

Have to figure out which option to use for powering

I'm going to use a cable with a 12-volt plug.

Amazon.com

But maybe one with a voltage booster:

Amazon.com


Tony

 

[bdosborn-SMB]

I've been eyeballing these, and I'm going to watch for sales. Where did you get yours? Direct from Starlink?

Tony

Yeah, I got mine directly from Starlink when they first came out in a limited pre-release to existing customers. I have seen a few people have issues setting them up from other vendors but haven't seen any lately. I'd be very tempted to buy direct from Starlink just because you don't have any way to troubleshoot issues other than by filing a trouble ticket on the Starlink web site or app (no phone support). That being said I've only filed one trouble ticket and that was for my brother-in-law when a tornado blew his dish away. Starlink responded in hours and sent a new dish out. We just used the Mini on a 5 day camping trip in the boonies and it was a real luxury to be able to check email and stuff. PM me if you have questions.
Bruce

 

[bdosborn-SMB]

If you don't have a big battery, I'd try using a tool battery for power before I upgraded anything. We don't turn the mini on very long, maybe 15 minutes or so and then shut it down so we're not distracted from camping. I got around 3 hours of use out a 5 amp-hr, 18V Milwaukee battery using this brand specific adapter:
Tool Battery Adapter
It would give you a better idea of how much battery capacity you really need to accommodate your usage.
Bruce

 

[bdosborn-SMB]

Last post, this accessory from Starlink is awesome for use with a 12V cigarette lighter plug:

Bruce

 

[Tony Latham]

and that was for my brother-in-law when a tornado blew his dish away.

Sheeeesh. Thanks.

I've got a step-up converter coming that I'll hardwire into the camper.

Tony

 

[Tony Latham]

If you don't have a big battery

I've got a 100-amp lithium, so I'm juiced.

And... Starlink put the damn Minis on sale, so I pushed the button. $300.

Tony

 

[TwilaR]

I've got a 100-amp lithium, so I'm juiced.

And... Starlink put the damn Minis on sale, so I pushed the button. $300.

Tony

I've been waiting for this! Home Depot has the standard size, so a few months ago I bought one to try out. It's huge, but answered the question about service in the dead spot I'm in. Up and running lickety split. Returned it and waited on a sale.

Doing the happy dance - got a Mini coming!

 

[Tony Latham]

got a Mini coming!

Mine showed up today. Three days. It's smoking fast.

Tony

 

[TwilaR]

Mine showed up today too. Will be testing it out at first light.

 

[Tony Latham]

Playing around. Works like a champ.

 

[TwilaR]

Really happy with how fast and portable this setup is. Now just waiting for a sale for a solar panel.

 

[bdosborn-SMB]

That's a great price for the hardware, I paid full price when they first came out. My mini is going into Standby Mode on 11/7. I'm curious to see what kind of internet experience I get with the 5mbs standby speed.
Bruce
P.S. I'm trying the Residential Lite plan for our cabin to see if the de-prioritized speed bothers me.

 

[bdosborn-SMB]

P.S. Don't drop the dish, they're not very sturdy. I dropped mine in the driveway and it has a crack in the back now.
Bruce

 

[Tony Latham]

P.S. Don't drop the dish

Good to know. I bought a silicone case for mine.

Tony

 

[featherliteCT1]

P.S. Don't drop the dish, they're not very sturdy. I dropped mine in the driveway and it has a crack in the back now.
Bruce

Bummer!

 

[Brumasterm01]

That's a great price for the hardware, I paid full price when they first came out. My mini is going into Standby Mode on 11/7. I'm curious to see what kind of internet experience I get with the 5mbs standby speed.
Bruce
P.S. I'm trying the Residential Lite plan for our cabin to see if the de-prioritized speed bothers me.

I've been not so patiently waiting as well. Mine came in last weekend and will be putting Standby mode mid November.

Very curious about your thoughts on the residential light plan. Now that my kids our out of the house, I am looking to cut the cable and the Residential lite plan looks attractive.

 

[bdosborn-SMB]

I've been not so patiently waiting as well. Mine came in last weekend and will be putting Standby mode mid November.

Very curious about your thoughts on the residential light plan. Now that my kids our out of the house, I am looking to cut the cable and the Residential lite plan looks attractive.

I think it the lite versus regular plan depends on how you are using your Starlink:
Key differences include:

• Residential Lite has lower network priority, so speeds can drop during peak hours, whereas Residential offers higher priority and more consistent speeds.
• Typical Residential speeds range 150-250 Mbps down and 11-50 Mbps up, while Residential Lite speeds are roughly 50-100 Mbps down and 5-25 Mbps up.
• Both have unlimited data with no caps but the Lite plan's deprioritized data can lead to slower performance under heavy network load.
• The hardware for both plans is the same.
• You can upgrade from Lite to Residential at any time easily.

If you're using your Starlink for zoom meetings and phone calls then lite might not be for you due to the network deprioritizing. Streaming 4K movies might also buffer more during peak hours. We close down our cabin in the winter so our usage is limited to just door monitoring devices and video cameras. I'll probably convert the lite back to the regular plan in the spring.
Bruce

 

[Capebuild]

Just revisiting this thread. I had been still researching the best way to connect when traveling in areas that have no service and seems like the StarLink Mini is the way to go. Ready to purchase the unit (especially now that the price has dropped to $300). Also getting a Bluetti Elite 30 to power the mini (when not driving). I spent some time going back and forth between the Elite 30 and Elite 100. While the 100 would provide power for a much longer time, I like the size, weight and portability of the 30. It seems the mini can be powered by the 30 for around 6 hours so while around the campsite that seems like it'll work for us. Planning a 6 week trip to Newfoundland where there's little to no internet service (at least that's what I hear)..... so want to be prepared. Also trying to figure out how to attach the mini to either the Subaru's roof or to the teardrop's roof. And not sure how the mini will provide connectivity while the car is traveling in all sorts of geographic directions. Would be interested to hear other's experiences with that issue.
John