I tried connecting the supplied power cord directly to 12V and it doesn't work; the cord is too thin and voltage drop is excessive. I made a 12V cigarette adapter plug from a 5' run of 12 AWG wire and it booted right up. FYI, it's a 5.5 x 2.1 mm barrel plug to connect DC power to the terminal.
It fits on the exterior table very nicely but this will only work if the van is parked in the right direction. The terminal likes to be oriented to the north at our house, with a clear view of the sky. The Starlink app helps you align it quickly. It gets surprisingly good download speeds, even partially obstructed on the side of the house:
It does make a quiet buzzing noise but I can't hear it when I'm inside the van. Power fluctuates between 15-25W (I haven't tried it yet with the supplied AC adapter connected to the inverter). I've used this much data in a day just messing around doing speed tests and reading the Facebook. The total time on was probably about an hour.
The data plan definitely isn't a good fit for a RV lifer but it will probably work for an occasional week or two camping, assuming you just check emails/texts and you resist the urge to run Speedtests. Streaming videos will break the bank quick! An old laptop messenger bag makes a good carrying case. I've got 30 days to make up my mind about keeping it but I probably will. I'm gambling that they'll roll out a new data plan in 6 months or so after the novelty wears off....
Bruce
