The new Starlink Mini Router, for what ails you!

[Snackchaser]

Starlink introduced the Mini Router in May, and it will hopefully address a shortfall in the Starlink Mini Dishy.  I had ordered one on Amazon for $99.99, but it was a month out for shipping.  I just checked the Starlink Store and wow!, they are only $40 with an estimated 3 day shipping!

The Mini Dishy has a built-in router, which is great!  However we often have to locate the Dishy further away from the trailer to get a treeless sky view.  The shortfall is that the farther away the dishy is, the weaker the WiFi signal becomes, which in turn slows down the internet speed.  Folks have addressed this in different ways, usually with a second router inside the trailer connected to the dishy with an RJ45 ethernet cable.  Others have combined them with Pepwave cellular routers to enhance data use, but that’s getting expensive.

The new Starlink Mini Router can be seamlessly connected wirelessly as a Mesh Node, or with an RJ45 cable.  It comes with a 120 volt wall wart for power, or Starlink offers the $45 Mini Car adapter to power it from a 12 volt cigarette lighter style plug.  So you can go full DC with your Starlink.

BTW, there are other cheaper ways to power the router for the DIY folks, I’ll use my Victron power supply described in the post titled “Starlink Mini Installation cracking the 12 vdc or not?”

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/10354-starlink-mini-installation-cracking-the-12-vdc-barrier-or-not/?do=findComment&comment=108891

Although I primarily bought this mini router to extend my home Starlink Gen-3 router WiFi coverage, I also plan to use on an upcoming trip with the Mini Dishy.  In all honesty, I’m not sure how effective it will be in the wireless mode.  It all depends if bandwidth will be lost in the WiFi signal boosting process.  Starlink recommends a RJ45 wired connection for best performance, so I’ll let you know how it works out.

Cheers, Geoff

[Geronimo John]

wow!

[Ronbrink]

On 6/26/2025 at 11:49 PM, Snackchaser said:

or Starlink offers the $45 Mini Car adapter to power it from a 12 volt cigarette lighter style plug. 

I bought an aftermarket Starlink Mini 12V cigarette lighter plug adapter/step up converter (12V to 36V) for about the same price.  I tested it with the kit 15m cable and measured 35.6V at distance. I’m primarily going to use it when traveling with the SLM on the TV’s dash or magnetic rooftop mount. This was an Amazon purchase, BarBaren/Stargear. The converter is in keeping with the design of the wall plug adapter that comes with the SLM kit, which steps up 12V to 30V.

EDIT: For additional savings, bundle pricing is offered wherein the subject adapter and a 16.4’ cable was acquired for an overall $18 price reduction; 12V adapter for $28.20 (reg. $38.99), cable for $18.79 (reg. $25.99). A bundle is also available for the adapter and a 6.5’ cable. I returned my initial purchase at $38.99 to take advantage of said bundle pricing. 

 

 

Edited Sunday at 02:05 PM by Ronbrink

[rideandfly]

Geoff,

Thanks for the info, look forward to your Mini Router camping report.

We were just camping where they did not have shore power. Currently use an Anker battery to power the Mini dish when away from shore power and recharge Anker during the day with a USB to USB-C cable from our 12V system since our Ollie does not have an inverter and factory installed solar, we use a solar suitcase.

Since the Mini Router has USB-C like the Anker battery, I could power it with the cable I use to recharge the Anker battery when away from shore power, if I'm understanding this correctly.

Thanks,

Bill

 

 

Edited Friday at 01:07 PM by rideandfly

[Mike and Carol]

I’m going to order one to use with our Mini.  It seems it gives a lot of flexibility to the Mini setup… if you can set your dish close to the trailer you may not need it but if you’re under trees and have to move the dish further away the router would ensure good speed.  Mike

[Snackchaser]

5 hours ago, rideandfly said:

Since the Mini Router has USB-C like the Anker battery, I could power it with the cable I use to recharge the Anker battery when away from shore power, if I'm understanding this correctly.

Bill,

Yes you can power it with a USB-C cord, but I question if your Anker charger can handle the wattage.  The router needs to be fed from a power supply rated at least 65 watts at about 20VDC.  Most USB-C power supplies, and outlets for phone chargers, cannot handle that wattage.  For example, some folks have replaced the Oliver USB outlets with USB-C outlets, but these are typically under 20 watts.

The 12vdc cigarette outlets can certainly handle the wattage, but be aware of plug-in adapters to USB-C because most are low wattage.

The Starlink power supply is good value at $45.  You would pay almost that much for an aftermarket power supply and cord, but you would not get the quality that Starlink is known for.  

For the more savvy electrical folks, there are scads of 9-20VDC boost converters under $20 that can handle the wattage.  These can be used for powering all sorts of electronics or appliances that use 120vac wall transformers.  I've even seen them for under $5 on AliExpress. 

Cheers!  Geoff

[Geronimo John]

3 hours ago, Snackchaser said:

The 12vdc cigarette outlets can certainly handle the wattage, but be aware of plug-in adapters to USB-C because most are low wattage.

True. For me it was a while anyway. 

I have a truck mounted 65 watt VHF Radio.  For a couple of years I could reliably transmit at full power.  But there after the available amp draw decreased enough to only allow me to transmit at low power.  The radio would self protect if using full power.  Research told me that cigarette lighter plugs are not advised for at this power level as they are notoriously degrade over time.  .  

I don't know if your StarLinks would be considered in the same group as VHF radio's, but for ours we have to run dedicated 12V power line to the radio fuse and unit.

GJ

[rideandfly]

Geoff,

Appreciate the information!!!!!!

I'm going to get the Starlink Mini Router 12V power supply, too.

Thanks,

Bill

 

 

Edited Friday at 10:56 PM by rideandfly

[Snackchaser]

CORRECTION!  This post was Edited to correct some miss-information, and my apologies to anyone who ordered a Starlink Mini Car adapter to power the Mini Router.  According to Google AI, the Starlink Mini Router operates on a voltage range of 12 to 48 volts, but apparently AI is confusing it with the Mini Dishy.  From looking at the actual specifications on the Router nameplate and power supply, it operates on 9 VDC, or 120VAC.   This means that the Mini Car adapter will not work for the Mini Router, but it will still work for the Mini Dishy of course!  I should know better, because it's not the first time AI has tripped me up with bad information 🫢  I'll be looking at getting a 12 to 9VDC converter, but right now were packing for a road trip.

 

The new Starlink Mini Router showed up today, just two days shipping which is unheard of where I live.

It's only shirt pocket size, just a little bigger than my phone.   I couldn’t wait to test it, so I placed the Starlink Mini Dishy on the ground 45’ away from my bench.  It's powered from one of my home made portable rechargeable power supplies as seen in the photo.  The Mini router was on the bench separated from the Dishy by a 2x6 wall.  The results were great!

• Standing next to the Dishy without the Mini Router, I got an impressive 163.9 Mbps download speed
• From my bench without the Router, I got a paltry 12.5 Mbps
• From my bench with the new Mini Router, I got a respectable 113.5 Mbps
• If the router was hardwired with RJ45 cable, I suspect it would be the same speed as standing next to the Dishy.

The Mini Router paired in about 4 minutes using the Starlink App.  It showed up as a new Mesh-2 device, the App asked a few questions, and it was immediately working.  It really couldn’t have been easier.

 

Edited Sunday at 03:01 AM by Snackchaser

[Geronimo John]

Impressive in performance and flexibility.  Just what a work from home person would find really enabling!

 

[jd1923]

6 hours ago, Snackchaser said:

• Standing next to the Dishy without the Mini Router, I got an impressive 163.9 Mbps download speed
• From my bench without the Router, I got a paltry 12.5 Mbps
• From my bench with the new Mini Router, I got a respectable 113.5 Mbps

OK, now you got my attention! A cabled solution between Starlink Mini and Mini Router is not of interest to me and your test results show the true value of the Mini Router! Thank you, Geoff.

I just ordered one through the app Shop menu. I also noticed the travel kit for $45 and got that as well.

6 hours ago, Snackchaser said:

... the Starlink Mini Router operates on a voltage range of 12 to 48 volts...

The router needs to be fed from a power supply rated at least 65 watts at about 20VDC.

I did not order a cabled power solution, as of yet. I thought you had written about a 3mm male plug but could not locate that statement tonight. Would something like this work or is it another style plug? Does it also need a waterproof version like the Mini?  https://www.amazon.com/ZEPFJHE-6-3mmx3-0mm-Connector-Replacement-Computer/dp/B0DKJN9L37/

Earlier when you had written your initial Starlink thread, this was all new to me and naively I thought it could be roof mounted. Immediately upon use, I realized the Mini is so particular to dish Alignment and Obstructions. So I ended up with a simple battery-powered solution (pic1) using the built-in Wi-Fi.

This has worked well in the two months experience we have, but it is a pain to switch between Wi-Fi signals (Pepwave to Starlink) for TV streaming, laptop use and cell phones. 

Before realizing this I jumped the gun and had installed a wired solution using a Victron 12-24 DC-DC charger like you had used in a different configuration (pic 2 and if you look closely you can see the external cabling strapped down in pic1). To date this installation has been a waste and sits idle.

Now shooting in the dark here...
Could I use my roof-top wiring, change the power plug to the correct style for the Mini Router, connect Ethernet between the Starlink Mini Router and the WAN port of my Pepwave router?

This would be so cool if possible, one Wi-Fi login and my installation would finally have purpose. I'm over my head, re whether the Ethernet port on the Mini router could be used in this manner or ONLY to connect to the Mini dish.

Edited Sunday at 05:33 AM by jd1923

[Snackchaser]

9 hours ago, jd1923 said:

I also noticed the travel kit for $45 and got that as well.

I did not order a cabled power solution, as of yet. I thought you had written about a 3mm male plug but could not locate that statement tonight. Would something like this work or is it another style plug? Does it also need a waterproof version like the Mini? 

Now shooting in the dark here...
Could I use my roof-top wiring, change the power plug to the correct style for the Mini Router, connect Ethernet between the Starlink Mini Router and the WAN port of my Pepwave router?

This would be so cool if possible, one Wi-Fi login and my installation would finally have purpose. I'm over my head, re whether the Ethernet port on the Mini router could be used in this manner or ONLY to connect to the Mini dish.

JD, perhaps you didn’t notice that I edited and corrected the power requirements for the Mini Router after receiving it.  I’ve messaged one of the Moderators to also edit the first post because it turns out that the Router specifications on the internet are different than the Routers nameplate ratings.  It’s actually 9 volts/1.6 amps (14.4 watts), so the car adapter will not work for the router, although it's still a good option for the Mini Dishy.

You will need a voltage reducer/converter (12vdc to 9vdc) to run it from your truck or trailers 12 volt system.  There are plenty of converters available and the Router takes a 3.3mm male barrel connector, and it’s not waterproof.  I haven’t done the research for a quality converter, but I think the inexpensive ones on Amazon will work fine.

Regarding your Pepwave, there are two ethernet ports on the Router, an input and output.  But I don’t think it will interface with your’e Pepwave as your’e hoping because I’m pretty sure it’s a propitiatory Mesh Node and the output is for daisy chaining two or more Starlink Routers for greater WiFi coverage.

Cheers, Geoff

[jd1923]

Love Starlink, SpaceX, Tesla and Elon, but sure wish they would use industry standards in Starlink design!

I can understand needing greater voltage, like 30V for the dish over distance.

Why in the world 9V for this mobile solution when there are 100s of millions cars, trucks and RVs running standard 12VDC systems. If it can run on 9V they could have spec’d 12V just as easily.

I’ll wait ‘til I get mine next week to figure out what will work for me. I’ll then contact MobileMustHave where I purchased our Pepwave cell system and they will know exactly if Ethernet interface is possible. Again, it would make better sense if the input was proprietary Mesh Mode and the output was the industry standard. That would have greater market appeal vs. daisy-chain one feature only to achieve greater distance. My fear from when I wrote my post last night is your answer may be correct!

Boy this mini router would be the perfect answer if it could connect to any brand router. Elon is usually for open source! We’ll soon know a definitive answer.

Thanks again Geoff for being the Oliver Community pioneer in this and many new applications! 

Edited Sunday at 04:00 PM by jd1923