Starlink Mini Roam $50.00 a month

[Patriot]

2 hours ago, Boudicca908 said:

I'm frugal! But I still might be forced into the much more expensive Unlimited plan, once I'm really out in the boonies.

Like you, we really gave the 50GB a month “frugal” try, and quickly realized it was a no go for us while on extended trips. The unlimited roaming plan works best for us now and then we pause service when we arrive back home. 

Edited May 23 by Patriot

[Boudicca908]

22 hours ago, jd1923 said:

In the picture you can see my fancy wired installation

I'm using the KISS method; I plug it into an outlet on my Oliver and let the tiny cord go through a window, choosing the window that best fits for open skies (changes depending on where I am parked). I don't use it at all when I'm driving, but I DO carry it with me (even when Oliver stays in the cg) because if I get stuck somewhere with my truck, I can still reach out via cell phone using Starlink.  All in all -- Starlink is a great service. 

[jd1923]

24 minutes ago, Boudicca908 said:

I'm using the KISS method; I plug it into an outlet on my Oliver and let the tiny cord go through a window, choosing the window that best fits for open skies (changes depending on where I am parked). I don't use it at all when I'm driving, but I DO carry it with me (even when Oliver stays in the cg) because if I get stuck somewhere with my truck, I can still reach out via cell phone using Starlink.  All in all -- Starlink is a great service. 

I'm not much for out the window solutions in vehicles. Why not use the outdoor 110V outlet? We still have the included 50 ft wire and charger kit in the box. Over time and weather use of the long cord may become painful. It's nice to carry dish and battery and not worry about extending a cord and winding it up to leave. I just place the dish on an upside-down milk crate, always have a couple in the back of the truck.

The battery solution can be expensive if purchasing outright, but we've had the DeWalt tools for years and I would not have had to buy more if one had not go bad last time out. Found an open-box 10 Ah 2-pack on eBay and these and a couple small ones will power up the Starlink and all the other tools we use. You also need the larger Ah for the leaf blower which cleans dirt-road dust of of the Oliver in seconds, clears debris from campsites and I use it every so often on outdoor rug. Nice to have!

But I get it, the cable and 30V power adapter is in the kit, no additional expense, yes KISS! Best wishes, JD

[Boudicca908]

1 hour ago, jd1923 said:

Why not use the outdoor 110V outlet?

Because then I would need to buy a box to keep the router dry... but to each his own. This method works well for me. :)

[jd1923]

2 hours ago, Boudicca908 said:

Because then I would need to buy a box to keep the router dry... but to each his own. This method works well for me. 🙂

OK, I think I understand. You run power and Ethernet (or POE) cables to the Mini and connect to your internal router. Nice!

[Boudicca908]

On 5/24/2025 at 5:33 PM, jd1923 said:

You run power and Ethernet (or POE) cables to the Mini and connect to your internal router. Nice!

Actually... I was thinking of the original Starlink (the big one with the separate router) and now I have the Mini with the built-in router (and I better read up on how much wet weather it can take) and I could just plug it in on the outdoor outlet! 

[jd1923]

2 hours ago, Boudicca908 said:

Actually... I was thinking of the original Starlink… 

It can take a pouring thunderstorm, also rated for 100 MPH winds to be roof mounted. Just as long as you use cables with the waterproof seals which they supply anyway, you’re good to plug in outdoors.

[Patriot]

2 hours ago, Boudicca908 said:

I better read up on how much wet weather it can take) and I could just plug it in on the outdoor outlet! 

 

It has water proof plugs. Our Mini has gone through a serious rain and even a hail storm had zero issues. The custom case adds a little weight to the Mini and does a good job of keeping in grounded during light wind conditions. With high winds I will use a bungee to secure it to a table or just place it on the ground.

I run an extension cord from the Oliver exterior outlet into the bed of my TV. I have a camper shell so water is not a concern when I plug in the Mini and our Truma cooler in during bad weather. Just how we roll. 😊

Here is a pic of a chilly 28 degree morning while camped in Yellowstone at Fishing Bridge last fall. Our Mini was working great. It has a built in heating element (you must go into your IPhone app to turn it on) to keep ice or snow from collecting on the dish. 

We love cold weather camping! 🇺🇸🇺🇸

Edited May 26 by Patriot

[Jason Foster]

12 hours ago, Patriot said:

 

It has water proof plugs. Our Mini has gone through a serious rain and even a hail storm had zero issues. The custom case adds a little weight to the Mini and does a good job of keeping in grounded during light wind conditions. With high winds I will use a bungee to secure it to a table or just place it on the ground.

I run an extension cord from the Oliver exterior outlet into the bed of my TV. I have a camper shell so water is not a concern when I plug in the Mini and our Truma cooler in during bad weather. Just how we roll. 😊

Here is a pic of a chilly 28 degree morning while camped in Yellowstone at Fishing Bridge last fall. Our Mini was working great. It has a built in heating element (you must go into your IPhone app to turn it on) to keep ice or snow from collecting on the dish. 

We love cold weather camping! 🇺🇸🇺🇸

Seems such a tempting target for thieves. How do you secure it?

[Patriot]

3 hours ago, Jason Foster said:

Seems such a tempting target for thieves. How do you secure it?

Great question.

My SL Mini is tied to my account. If  stolen it becomes a useless brick of no value. As the owner I can advise SL that it was stolen and they deactivate the account completely. After 48 days out west last fall, we never had a concern about our dish being stolen. When we leave our site to go XPLOR, we temporarily store it in our Oliver until we return and then redeploy. So far zero issues.

The portability of the Mini is awesome, I will likely never permanently mount it for many reasons.

If we are in a CG that I feel like I need to lock the Mini down with a cable, we have probably picked the wrong CG and will move on. We vet CG’s pretty hard when traveling and like gated SPs, and privately owned CG’s. Never had any issues with theft the entire time we have owned our Oliver. I always carry an extra cable lock, I find it much easier to just secure the dish in the Oliver if we leave.

Edited May 26 by Patriot

[Jason Foster]

15 minutes ago, Patriot said:

My SL Mini is tied to my account. If  stolen it becomes a useless brick of no value. As the owner I can advise SL that it was stolen and they deactivate the account completely. After 48 days out west last fall, we never had a concern about our dish being stolen. When we leave our site to go XPLOR, we temporarily store it in our Oliver until we return and then redeploy. So far zero issues.

The portability of the Mini is awesome, I will likely never permanently mount it for many reasons.

If we are in a CG that I feel like I need to lock the Mini down with a cable, we have probably picked the wrong CG and will move on. We vet CG’s pretty hard when traveling and like gated SPs, and privately owned CG’s. Never had any issues with theft the entire time we have owned our Oliver.

While I agree with everything you said and do, I have some campgrounds I love that occasionally have issues with some interesting people. It happens in almost every CG I have visited. That said, most thieves are not only stupid but opportunists. They see something of value, they grab it, not realizing it can’t be used because it is tied to your account. They grab, try to pawn for drug money or such, get nothing and do it again.  It is ridiculous, makes no sense, but it is human nature in its most basic sense.  I leave nothing to chance on valuable items. 

[jd1923]

Last time out, we stayed one night... Let's call it a shady campground and I don't mean the fact that it was up in the woods! Too many homeless today living out of cars and vans! Last year we drove into a city park in central NM and as soon as we pulled down into it, we headed right back out! No way Chris and I would have spent a night there. It was like one of those refugee scenes from a disaster movie!

I worried about the Mini since I had to place it a distance away from the Oliver to get clear sky. I fell asleep that night leaving it out there and in the morning I quickly looked out the dinette window to thankfully see it where I had left it.

If they take our Mini, there goes the $450 plus tax we paid, $20 for the wiring kit and another $140 for my 10Ah DeWalt battery! All brand new stuff and they would probably even take the milk crate that I use to prop up the Mini above ground! The next loss is continuing the rest of your trip without satellite connection, and bummed re the loss. There is no way simple way to lock down a Mini. Lock it to what? Stretch out 50' of cable with a 50' chain? 🤣 We just have to be careful.

[Jason Foster]

2 hours ago, jd1923 said:

Last time out, we stayed one night... Let's call it a shady campground and I don't mean the fact that it was up in the woods! Too many homeless today living out of cars and vans! Last year we drove into a city park in central NM and as soon as we pulled down into it, we headed right back out! No way Chris and I would have spent a night there. It was like one of those refugee scenes from a disaster movie!

I worried about the Mini since I had to place it a distance away from the Oliver to get clear sky. I fell asleep that night leaving it out there and in the morning I quickly looked out the dinette window to thankfully see it where I had left it.

If they take our Mini, there goes the $450 plus tax we paid, $20 for the wiring kit and another $140 for my 10Ah DeWalt battery! All brand new stuff and they would probably even take the milk crate that I use to prop up the Mini above ground! The next loss is continuing the rest of your trip without satellite connection, and bummed re the loss. There is no way simple way to lock down a Mini. Lock it to what? Stretch out 50' of cable with a 50' chain? 🤣 We just have to be careful.

Wire it to this?

https://fithops.com/products/fithops-camp-safe-12-gauge-perimeter-trip-rescue-alarm?variant=41448589459523&utm_campaign=1872547140&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=69485715785&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=1872547140&gclid=Cj0KCQjwotDBBhCQARIsAG5pinN8D3_ApmbpWX1uKkqAQuYFJpSrlq0JsbLG3ESk-hcciu7hNo8Mn8gaAkd1EALw_wcB

[Jps190]

For anyone with the harbor freight flagpole and the Starlink mini,  a 1 1/4 inch PVC union works perfectly with the mount that comes with the starlink.  You just need to drill new holes for the clear support ring a little lower down to make room for the PVC.

Edited June 3 by Jps190

[bugeyedriver]

I purchased my StarLink Mini in the spring during a great sale at Home Depot, and now,.  Bosker and I have been on the road from San Antonio for about a month and a half.  So far we've had decent broadband connectivity through Verizon utilizing our iPhone's hotspot or a Verizon Jetpack for our internet.   We're now staying overnight at Clark Canyon Reservoir, in southwestern Montana, where nary a Verizon signal will reach.   

No problem.  Attatched the 90° flagpole mount to the hitch receiver, snugged the Mini antenna / router onto a 12 ft pool cleaning rod and ran the connector cable to a 100W DC outlet on the curbside of the trailer --- And POOF! Bob's your Uncle,  we are connected to the internet.  Easy Peasy

Love this gadget!

Update:  Downloadspeed  - 242 mbps / Upload speed 4.97 mbps

Edited Sunday at 01:22 AM by bugeyedriver

[Ronbrink]

I purchased my SLM in May and since encased it in a Veritas Vans mount with an optional handle and magnets for securement on top of the Savana van when underway. I also bought a 12’ (three 4’ sections) pole with suction cup mounts from FlagPole Buddy for alternative use on the Oliver. Although these angled suction cup mounts are primarily marketed for Airstreams, they similarly fit the Oliver. Pole (two 4’ sections) shown mocked up in COW Barn. 

 

Edited Sunday at 04:15 PM by Ronbrink

[Patriot]

@Ronbrink

Ron, I like everything about this SLM mod! It’s seamless, clean and neat it appears and easily deployed. I also like that you can locate it in different walls on your Oliver, vs the flag pole stationary flag pole mount on the front cargo box. 

Have you had any field experience with this yet? How well do the suction cups hold on? Do they have to be checked periodically? 

Well thought out and executed! 

Thanks!

David 

Edited Sunday at 07:27 PM by Patriot

[Ronbrink]

1 hour ago, Patriot said:

Have you had any field experience with this yet? How well do the suction cups hold on? Do they have to be checked periodically? 

No experience with this SL pole setup, but years of using the same suction cup mounts on an actual 16’ fiberglass flagpole from the same company; a WeBoost antenna was also mounted at its top. I never had a suction cup loose grip. Yes, they do require a daily check and a couple strokes of the integral pump to maintain adequate suction; a visual indicator on the pump is used to ensure optimum suction. 

If there is too much obstruction at the Oliver, I like that the SLM can be mounted on the van with magnets while parked in close enough proximity to the campsite for Wi-Fi reception in the trailer. That said, I have parked at the COW Barn several times in like manner and been able to operate the Atmos via the Cielo and steam movies. 

Edited Sunday at 09:02 PM by Ronbrink