Adding Starlink Inlet Port

[Sak]

This project is to create an inlet port for Starlink cable into the attic where I put the Starlink router. I decided to repurpose one of those TV/Sat ports.

Below are the pictures of the Furrion coax inlets. The left picture is the original and the right one is modified by drilling a big hole using hole saw.

This is the waterproof RJ45 inlet port I got from Amazon.

Next steps are removing old Furrion and enlarge the cable hole. To my surprise, I found a nice gift from the factory hidden under the seal. No big deal, I can add a little bit of 3M sealant to patch that up.

 

Then install the RJ45 connector, left picture is from the outside, right is from the inside.

 

This is what it looks like after putting back the cover.

Next is to fish the cable from attic down to the belly near the furnace and pull it along the back and plug into the RJ45 inside port.

You will have to cut the cable and install RJ45 male connectors. There are a few video on YouTube about this.

 

Then plug it in at the RJ45 female at the inside of the inlet. The cable end from the dish will be on the outside.

 

Plug the router in and enjoy fast Internet!

[John E Davies]

Nice writeup, thanks for posting all the pics! Cracked or broken gelcoat is due to an undersized hole or not heavily countersinking it before driving in the screw. Both are due to sloppy work….. Another option for access is to remove either of the two round red reflectors that are just above the ends of the sewer compartment. They aren't very visible anyway. I ran wires for my rear bike rack aux lighting that way. Some of the factory wiring is a little unsightly, isn’t it?😢

John Davies

Spokane WA

[Sak]

I finished the roof mount over the weekend. Luckily, it was super easy than I thought. The 2 holes of the Starlink short wall mount fit perfectly into the existing awning screws on my Girard.

I am not very tall, 5'4", and need a ladder or climb the rear bumper to connect/disconnect the dish. I always take the dish downs when towing.

Question: should I be worried about galvanic corrosion. I don't know what kind of metal the mount is but the awning bracket looks like a stainless steel? The installation manual, Short_Wall_Mount_Guide_Rectangular.pdf.pdf, doesn't say much about the mount itself.

 

[John E Davies]

The Ollie bracket is structural aluminum, probably 6061T6 or similar, the same stuff used in the frame and steps. You can tell by how very thick the plates are and by the welds, they are big and sloppy looking compared to steel welds. Those particular welds are a little nasty, but they are fine in terms of strength.

I suspect your Starlink mount is powder coated aluminum. You could email SL to ask. But since you didn’t have to disturb the coating (drill new holes) it should be fine. The shipping weight is 1.4 pounds, it can’t be a steel part:

From your pics it appears that you live in a dry climate. If you lived in a wet one, I would recommend sealing the bracket really well. Corrosion can occur even when the materials are similar. I can’t tell from the images, it appears that the tube is wide open at the bottom. If not you need to drill a drain hole. Nice mod, I quite like it. It is clean and highly professional looking.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[Sak]

1 hour ago, John E Davies said:

From your pics it appears that you live in a dry climate. If you lived in a wet one, I would recommend sealing the bracket really well. Corrosion can occur even when the materials are similar. I can’t tell from the images, it appears that the tube is wide open at the bottom. If not you need to drill a drain hole. Nice mod, I quite like it. It is clean and highly professional looking.

Thank you John. I am not too far from you in Ellensburg. You're right. The tube is wide open at the bottom. There is a plastic cover plate for cable management but I don't use it. I think it's mostly for permanent mounting option.

[Going]

Thanks for posting.  My question is what type cable connects the TV from the router?  And since you didn’t connect to the Furrion radio, are you able to play over the 4 speakers.  Using Starlink are you able to stream from different channels same as a Roku or Apple or do you still need one of those devices?  I have tried to connect my Apple TV to the HDMI port on the TV where the Furrion radio connects but the TV doesn’t read it.  And there is only one rear HDMI on the Furrion.  The newer replacement Furrion has an HDMI port on the front but I am unsure if it would work or not.  I am looking into getting Starlink but still researching.  Any answers much appreciated.

[Sak]

On 8/25/2022 at 5:54 AM, Going said:

what type cable connects the TV from the router?

I am not using cable to connect my TV to the router. I am using WiFi. My setup is very simple. Starlink provides WiFi access to TV and phones. For Netflix, I am using Netflix app in the TV itself to stream. For anything else, I am using my iPhone and connect it to the existing HDMI port in the back of the TV. This way, I can also get audio out to all speakers if I select "Optical" audio input at the Furrion. Please let me know if you have any questions. Hope this helps.

[Sak]

Another excellent option for waterproof RJ45 port from Neutrik.

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01L46SRCQ

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B019LPMOTY

[DavidG]

This looks like a great setup you have created.  I have decided to follow you lead and do the same.  I was wondering if you cut your cable and installed the RJ45 connector prior to fishing it from the attic down to the basement compartment and, if so, what length of cable did you cut it to?  Or, if you routed the entire 75 ft. down between the shells and then cut the cable to suit and then installed the RJ45 connector?  Either way, I am curious as to how much of a hassle you experienced fishing that cable down between the shells?

[AlbertNTerri]

Is the Starlink cable just a regular RJ45 cable?

albert

[Sak]

On 12/25/2022 at 1:33 PM, DavidG said:

This looks like a great setup you have created.  I have decided to follow you lead and do the same.  I was wondering if you cut your cable and installed the RJ45 connector prior to fishing it from the attic down to the basement compartment and, if so, what length of cable did you cut it to?  Or, if you routed the entire 75 ft. down between the shells and then cut the cable to suit and then installed the RJ45 connector?  Either way, I am curious as to how much of a hassle you experienced fishing that cable down between the shells?

I did cut the cable. For the length, I measured the distant from ceiling to the bottom of the trailer plus the width of the trailer and gave it about a few feet of slack. It wasn't too bad fishing the cable down. I basically followed the existing satellite coax cable. I imaging it would be very easy if I used one of those fish tape but I didn't.

[Sak]

On 12/26/2022 at 1:17 AM, AlbertNTerri said:

Is the Starlink cable just a regular RJ45 cable?

albert

It looks to be standard shielded Cat 5e cable.

[PapaBiker]

My understanding is that the cables and connectors on the current Starlink equipment is proprietary.  Is this true of the RV dish as well?

[scott-andrea]

On 12/28/2022 at 11:22 PM, Sak said:

I did cut the cable. For the length, I measured the distant from ceiling to the bottom of the trailer plus the width of the trailer and gave it about a few feet of slack. It wasn't too bad fishing the cable down. I basically followed the existing satellite coax cable. I imaging it would be very easy if I used one of those fish tape but I didn't.

I'm somewhat fearful of cutting the Starlink cable, but I feel better that others here have already made that leap.   I really need this setup to work for me, so I'm going to give it a shot.   My sincere thanks to those who have shared their experience.  

Do I need any special tools for the RJ45?  Is it easy to identify the order of the wires in the RJ45 connector, and to put them together?  Last question (at least for now...):  Is there anything worrisome or difficult about making this work?

Thank you!

[Sak]

On 2/18/2023 at 9:58 AM, PapaBiker said:

My understanding is that the cables and connectors on the current Starlink equipment is proprietary.  Is this true of the RV dish as well?

I have the RV dish and the cable appears to be a normal Cat 5e. I used regular RJ45 connectors ordered from Amazon and they work without any problems.

[Sak]

On 2/27/2023 at 11:51 AM, scott-andrea said:

Do I need any special tools for the RJ45?  Is it easy to identify the order of the wires in the RJ45 connector, and to put them together?  Last question (at least for now...):  Is there anything worrisome or difficult about making this work?

I was using this tool ordered from Amazon.

The order of wires is actually on the tool itself, easy to identify. I'd recommend buying extra Cat 5 and RJ45 connectors and practicing on those first before cutting the actual Starlink cable. That what I did and I had no experience with this before. There are lots of videos on YouTube. The difficulty for me was fishing the cable through the attic space due to tight space but it wasn't that bad. Good luck!

[Going]

On 7/25/2022 at 12:52 PM, John E Davies said:

The Ollie bracket is structural aluminum, probably 6061T6 or similar, the same stuff used in the frame and steps. You can tell by how very thick the plates are and by the welds, they are big and sloppy looking compared to steel welds. Those particular welds are a little nasty, but they are fine in terms of strength.

John Davies

Spokane WA

I believe your bracket is like mine in that it is L shaped and does not have the added structural brace welded in the middle.  I am hull 246, 2017.  I am wondering if that matters.  I know Oliver strengthened the brackets and I think the mounts in the fiberglass to handle the self supporting awning.  Mine is the Girard with the fold out supports that connect to the lower trailer.  If the dish is supported equally from the center of gravity, then it would be fine which I think it is.  I just received mine a few days ago and it weighs 9.2 lbs.  I do not see any cantilever issues but would like a second opinion.  Wouldn't want it pulling away from the trailer over time.  Thanks.

 

[Going]

On 7/6/2022 at 3:47 PM, Sak said:

This project is to create an inlet port for Starlink cable into the attic where I put the Starlink router. I decided to repurpose one of those TV/Sat ports.

Below are the pictures of the Furrion coax inlets. The left picture is the original and the right one is modified by drilling a big hole using hole saw.

This is the waterproof RJ45 inlet port I got from Amazon.

 

 

 

Then plug it in at the RJ45 female at the inside of the inlet. The cable end from the dish will be on the outside.

 

Plug the router in and enjoy fast Internet!

I, - ~

Curious, what is plugged into the 12 volt outlet?

[Going]

On 7/9/2022 at 12:21 AM, John E Davies said:

Another option for access is to remove either of the two round red reflectors that are just above the ends of the sewer compartment. They aren't very visible anyway. I ran wires for my rear bike rack aux lighting that way. Some of the factory wiring is a little unsightly, isn’t it?😢

John Davies

Spokane WA

I

Was there a hole behind the reflector plate or did you cut one?  My reflector plate appears to just be stuck on the outside with no hole behind it.  My coax cable port is located much lower in a hard to get to place behind a piece of white pvc tubing.  Is that the AC drain line?  Anyway looking for another location but if I have to cut a hole might as well be a new one.  Your picture above is different then mine.

 

[John E Davies]

Going, the reflector is stuck onto a flat surface, see this thread.

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/6892-how-to-connect-a-standard-sae-4-pin-harness-or-4-pin-with-backup-lights-to-your-oliver-factory-7-pin-wires/

John Davies

Spokane WA

[Sak]

2 hours ago, Going said:

Curious, what is plugged into the 12 volt outlet?

It's a charger for my Spot Trace satellite tracker.

 

[ZLarryb]

Hey Sak or others who might have done this.  First, I must say running a new cable is not fun but I will get there.

 

My question is did it work?  I have read there are requirements for the rj45 connector - they should be metal and shielded.  Did the connection device from the outside of the camper to the inside present any problems because it is not metal and shielded.  Just looking to see if there were any issues with connection.  Thanks!

 

 

[Sak]

On 3/3/2024 at 4:07 PM, ZLarryb said:

My question is did it work?  I have read there are requirements for the rj45 connector - they should be metal and shielded.  Did the connection device from the outside of the camper to the inside present any problems because it is not metal and shielded.

Yes, it works and has been working well for me. My RJ45 connectors are plastic but they are shielded. I can see aluminium tinfoil and small metal plate hat carry over the grounding signal. So far, I have no problem at all.

However, you might want to check if you still need to splice the cable. I've heard that newer Starlink don't use proprietary connection anymore.

[ZLarryb]

You are correct, Generation 3 uses RJ45 connectors and I have confirmed that everything must be shielded.  While I am thinking about it, for others .......  I first tried a hole drill on the outside connection but had good success with a router blade for my Dremel, very easy.  One other thing for those considering this.  I want my Starlink to be powered by 12 V and there is now a relatively inexpensive device that means you don't have to cobble together different devices -- https://www.trioflatmount.com/shop/p/gen3-12vconversion, the company claims it used 4.5 amps.  So, all my stuff is due today so I will see if I can get it to work, thanks for answering.

[rich.dev]

On 3/6/2024 at 2:35 PM, ZLarryb said:

You are correct, Generation 3 uses RJ45 connectors and I have confirmed that everything must be shielded.  While I am thinking about it, for others .......  I first tried a hole drill on the outside connection but had good success with a router blade for my Dremel, very easy.  One other thing for those considering this.  I want my Starlink to be powered by 12 V and there is now a relatively inexpensive device that means you don't have to cobble together different devices -- https://www.trioflatmount.com/shop/p/gen3-12vconversion, the company claims it used 4.5 amps.  So, all my stuff is due today so I will see if I can get it to work, thanks for answering.

Larry, any updates for us, how is the TRIO GEN 3 12V POWER SUPPLY working for you?