Starlink Roam Mini

I borrowed one from a buddy to try it for a trip because... well... I was hesitant making the up-front investment.

Once you get it setup properly it works really well, but the key phrase is "once you get it setup properly". During my trip there were a few campsites that would have been great places to camp, but had to pass because there wasn't any place to park that had clear view of the satellite in the sky. And even when I did find a clear campsite, I found I was adjusting the entire layout of my camp around getting good reception.

There were also a few stormy days where I would have loved to have internet access to keep myself occupied during the rain, but on several of those days the speeds were just... very inconsistent. It would be fine for 5 minutes followed by 15 minutes of frustratingly slow internet. Not sure if it was the weather or just general network congestion (probably wasn't the only Starlink user huddled in their camper trying to relieve their boredom), but I ultimately gave up and did something else.

Being able to pause billing is nice. But for it to be worth it you really have to be one of those folks that spends multiple weekend a month on the road. If you camped one weekend in April to watch a 2-hour game, and then another weekend in May to watch another game, you basically spent $100 to watch two games. For me personally... not worth it. If you could just pre-pay for a bucket of data that you could use whenever you traveled that would be awesome, but it's not structured that way.

TLDR version: General works really well if your committed to the setup process, but you have to be a relatively consistent traveler (longer trips or multiple weekends a month) for it to be worth the cost.

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EDIT— Failed to mention this... but I was using the newer rectangular Starlink antenna (gen 3?? I think)... not the Mini antenna. Supposedly (according to the guy I borrowed the Starlink from), the Mini uses substantially less power in exchange for being a little slower and—obviously—smaller. But it is still fast enough for the majority of use cases.

So when we were out west in February, my buddy has a full size Starlink on both his camper, on a 30' extension pole & one mounted to the roof rack of his F350. They worked great out west. He has the power setup to be more permanent on the one for the truck. And he doesn't adjust it or anything.

I've been really considering getting a mini for in my Bronco, my biggest concern so far is mounting.
With a soft top, it really limits my options.
There's a few brackets out there that set it up behind the rear roll bar in between the speaker pods, but they're stupid expensive for what they are.
I'll probably try to fabricate my own.
The perk of working in a fab shop is having access to everything, the downside is knowing that it's complete BS to be charging $500 for about $50 of steel and less than an hour of labor.

jtgensler

So when we were out west in February, my buddy has a full size Starlink on both his camper, on a 30' extension pole & one mounted to the roof rack of his F350. They worked great out west. He has the power setup to be more permanent on the one for the truck. And he doesn't adjust it or anything.

I've been really considering getting a mini for in my Bronco, my biggest concern so far is mounting.
With a soft top, it really limits my options.
There's a few brackets out there that set it up behind the rear roll bar in between the speaker pods, but they're stupid expensive for what they are.
I'll probably try to fabricate my own.
The perk of working in a fab shop is having access to everything, the downside is knowing that it's complete BS to be charging $500 for about $50 of steel and less than an hour of labor.

They make a rack mount for it so I'd probably get it and mount it to the rack on my TigerMoth.. You can see it here in this image. It's mounted to the rack on the van..

I am kicking around the idea of getting one but there is no way that system should be $500..

RagnarKon

I borrowed one from a buddy to try it for a trip because... well... I was hesitant making the up-front investment.

Once you get it setup properly it works really well, but the key phrase is "once you get it setup properly". During my trip there were a few campsites that would have been great places to camp, but had to pass because there wasn't any place to park that had clear view of the satellite in the sky. And even when I did find a clear campsite, I found I was adjusting the entire layout of my camp around getting good reception.

There were also a few stormy days where I would have loved to have internet access to keep myself occupied during the rain, but on several of those days the speeds were just... very inconsistent. It would be fine for 5 minutes followed by 15 minutes of frustratingly slow internet. Not sure if it was the weather or just general network congestion (probably wasn't the only Starlink user huddled in their camper trying to relieve their boredom), but I ultimately gave up and did something else.

Being able to pause billing is nice. But for it to be worth it you really have to be one of those folks that spends multiple weekend a month on the road. If you camped one weekend in April to watch a 2-hour game, and then another weekend in May to watch another game, you basically spent $100 to watch two games. For me personally... not worth it. If you could just pre-pay for a bucket of data that you could use whenever you traveled that would be awesome, but it's not structured that way.

TLDR version: General works really well if your committed to the setup process, but you have to be a relatively consistent traveler (longer trips or multiple weekends a month) for it to be worth the cost.

---

EDIT— Failed to mention this... but I was using the newer rectangular Starlink antenna (gen 3?? I think)... not the Mini antenna. Supposedly (according to the guy I borrowed the Starlink from), the Mini uses substantially less power in exchange for being a little slower and—obviously—smaller. But it is still fast enough for the majority of use cases.

Thanks for the input.. I would use it for more than just watching hockey games. I am solo 90% of the time so having something to entertain me while chillin' at the camp site would be great. I listen to a lot of satellite radio as well.. Plus the bonus of being able to Wifi call and send messages through a data only messaging app is nice..

How awesome would it be to chill by the fire and watch an episode of Gilligan's Island?

My last trip was very spotty cell service. I could listen to 10 min of satellite radio then it would cut out for a while before briefly coming back only to cut out again. I watched a movie I had downloaded ahead of time but it got me thinking about Starlink..

I am not all that worried about he $50 a month for the plan as I blow that much on stupid crap every month. It's the initial layout of $500 that I find ridiculous..

Not sure if I'll end up getting one but it has sparked my interest..

raqball

They make a rack mount for it so I'd probably get it and mount it to the rack on my TigerMoth.. You can see it here in this image. It's mounted to the rack on the van..

I am kicking around the idea of getting one but there is no way that system should be $500..

If you have the power setup and space for it… maybe the non-Mini unit given the cheaper price??

And with the larger antenna, the mounting/positioning is a lot less important. Especially if you’re out west in California, Utah, Arizona, Idaho, etc. Positioning was a pain for me in heavily-wooded Vermont/New Hampshire. But if you’re out west or near the plains states, I know you can almost just randomly point it at the sky and it’ll work reasonably well.

RagnarKon

If you have the power setup and space for it… maybe the non-Mini unit given the cheaper price??

And with the larger antenna, the mounting/positioning is a lot less important. Especially if you’re out west in California, Utah, Arizona, Idaho, etc. Positioning was a pain for me in heavily-wooded Vermont/New Hampshire. But if you’re out west or near the plains states, I know you can almost just randomly point it at the sky and it’ll work reasonably well.

I thought about that but the standard has the 'dish' and a separate modem. The Mini has everything contained into the one unit.

I also have a 12V plug pretty close where I would mount it on my TigerMoth. The Standard does not have the option to use the 12V plug, only the Mini does, best I can tell.

Also, for anyone interested, here is what they say about pausing and unpausing service.

Here's a more detailed explanation:

• If you pause your service before the end of your current billing period, you will still receive service for the remainder of your billing period.
• When you un-pause your service, the monthly subscription fee will be charged immediately, on a pro-rated basis dependent on the plan monthly cost and time remaining on your pre-determined account billing cycle.

So let's say your service plan / billing cycle runs from the 1st until the 30th. If you were to pause service on the 15th after a trip, then you'd be charged for the full month.

Next month, let's say you unpause service on the 20th for a trip. You will only be charged a pro-rated amount from the 20th until the end of the billing cycle or in this case the 30th. So you'd only be charged for 10 days and the $50 monthly plan would be prorated for that 10 days..

Am I reading their pausing and unpausing correctly?

raqball

I thought about that but the standard has the 'dish' and a separate modem. The Mini has everything contained into the one unit.

I also have a 12V plug pretty close where I would mount it on my TigerMoth. The Standard does not have the option to use the 12V plug, only the Mini does, best I can tell.

Also, for anyone interested, here is what they say about pausing and unpausing service.

Here's a more detailed explanation:

• If you pause your service before the end of your current billing period, you will still receive service for the remainder of your billing period.
• When you un-pause your service, the monthly subscription fee will be charged immediately, on a pro-rated basis dependent on the plan monthly cost and time remaining on your pre-determined account billing cycle.

So let's say your service plan / bilingual cycle runs from the 1st until the 30th. If you were to pause service on the 20th then you'd be charged for the full month.

Next month, let's say you unpause service on the 20th for a trip. You will only be charged a pro-rated about from the 20th until the end of the billing cycle or in this case the 30th. So you'd only be charged for 10 days and the $50 monthly plan would be prorated for that 10 days..

Am I reading their pausing and unpausing correctly?

I believe that's correct. And my understanding is that if you exceed the 50gb of data, it automatically charges for another GB at $1/GB until the month resets. So if you ended up using 54gb in one month, you'd pay $54.

I have seen the hardware on sale a few places. A quick Google showed Wal Mart at $425

jtgensler

I believe that's correct. And my understanding is that if you exceed the 50gb of data, it automatically charges for another GB at $1/GB until the month resets. So if you ended up using 54gb in one month, you'd pay $54.

I have seen the hardware on sale a few places. A quick Google showed Wal Mart at $425

$425 is certainly better but IMO still more than what it should be.. The WalMart one wants $50 to ship it though..

I'll be the test dummy.. I ordered through Home Depot and used a 10% off discount. Total with tax was $480.

They have a 90 day return window on it so I'll have plenty of time to test it out and make sure it's going to work out..

"you can return the Starlink Kit to a Home Depot store within the 90-day return window"

I won't activate it until my next trip so it's going to sit and collect dust for a few weeks to a month..

I also have these accessories ready for checkout..

Amazon Storage Case for Starlink Mini

Amazon Starlink Mini Tripod Do not order this. It does not fit the Mini..

12V Cable for Starlink Mini (10, 20 or 30 foot lengths)

raqball

Next month, let's say you unpause service on the 20th for a trip. You will only be charged a pro-rated amount from the 20th until the end of the billing cycle or in this case the 30th. So you'd only be charged for 10 days and the $50 monthly plan would be prorated for that 10 days..

Am I reading their pausing and unpausing correctly?

Yeah I agree with @jtgensler ... seems correct to me, although that is definitely not how it worked for me.

I noticed the unlimited price is now $165/mo, and I'm pretty sure it was $150/mo. during my trip. So it seems they adjusted the plans at some point... and for the better.

RagnarKon

Yeah I agree with @jtgensler ... seems correct to me, although that is definitely not how it worked for me.

I noticed the unlimited price is now $165/mo, and I'm pretty sure it was $150/mo. during my trip. So it seems they adjusted the plans at some point... and for the better.

Yeah so probably not the full $50 a month unless you were to activate it on your 1st billing date. My last trip started on the 12th so if my billing cycle started on the 1st of the month, I would have only been charged for 18 or so days.

$50 a month on average comes out to about $1.67 per day, give or take and depending on how many days are in the month. Given the above, I would have paid about $30..

Maybe my math is a little off but I think that is about right..

Like I previously said, most of my trips are solo and while vegetating in front of the fire is great, it's also nice to have something to entertain myself. Music, podcast, movies, TV ( who does not want to watch Gilligan's Island or The Twilight Zone reruns? ) and yup, hockey games! 😀 😍

In case you are wondering since I live in the third world country of rural Texas I can have DSL at 7-8 MBPS or hotspot at 30 MBPS but for my new job I needed more so they bought me the regular Starlink now I get 180-200 MBPS. But it is large and here is the modem for size consideration. The regular satellite dish is supposed to be mobile but it is mounted to my old Hugesnet mount. So I would have to climb on the roof every time I wanted to take it with.

I am still trying to figure out if the Starlink Mini will work on my 12V DC outlet.. The exterior plug is ran to the fusebox with a 5 amp fuse. 12v times 5 amps = 60 watts..

I want to plug it in here:

raqball

I am still trying to figure out if the Starlink Mini will work on my 12V DC outlet.. The exterior plug is ran to the fusebox with a 5 amp fuse. 12v times 5 amps = 60 watts..

I want to plug it in here:

My residential one averages about 35-40 watts unless it's heating to melt snow.

Sven

My residential one averages about 35-40 watts unless it's heating to melt snow.

I am gonna try it with the 5 amp fuse and see how it does. If it's a no go or if it blows the fuse then I'll try a 10 amp fuse. If that's a no go then Home Depot can expect a return.. 😂

raqball

I am gonna try it with the 5 amp fuse and see how it does. If it's a no go or if it blows the fuse then I'll try a 10 amp fuse. If that's a no go then Home Depot can expect a return.. 😂

Dang mine averages 40 and is running at 45 now. Don’t think it has ever melted any snow. 😆 but at 120V that’s less than .5A and at 12V it’s only 3.75A I think you will be good with the mini

Trying to find info on this is painful!

What I learned is that the official Starlink cable needs 100 watts or it will not send power.. It is not a requirement of the Mini, just of their official car connection cable.. What the F? If it's not a requirement of the Mini why handcuff the actual unit like that?

So, I need to contact this place and see what the wattage requirement of their cable is.

https://veritasvans.com/product/starlink-mini-car-power-supply/

As an alternative I found this on Amazon.

Amazon Starlink Mini 12V DC Cable

There is literally no info any of this, and trying to figure it out has been massive PIA..

As far as the TigerMoth goes, I think the Amazon one would do as it's tested with a 5 amp and did fine.

All due respect...You can't cut the cord and spend some dedicated time with the family?