Starlink Mini

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Are you using the cord supplied with the unit? Did you cut it? That is supposed to be 15m, reluctant to cut it off, but after market power cords with the seal have yet to appear on the market. With a 6' run you could get away with some small gage wire, I will need to go perhaps 15 or 20' on my boat.
 
DDW said:
Are you using the cord supplied with the unit? Did you cut it? That is supposed to be 15m, reluctant to cut it off, but after market power cords with the seal have yet to appear on the market. With a 6' run you could get away with some small gage wire, I will need to go perhaps 15 or 20' on my boat.
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I cut the factory cord. Interesting design, it is an insulated center conductor with a wire braid shield that is used as the negative conductor.
 
Bob Cofer said:
I cut the factory cord. Interesting design, it is an insulated center conductor with a wire braid shield that is used as the negative conductor.
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are you describing a cable like VHF radio has, single center wire and braid shield. I expected several small wires. The newer one is said to have CAT 6 wires
 
Bob Cofer said:
I cut the factory cord. Interesting design, it is an insulated center conductor with a wire braid shield that is used as the negative conductor.
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So you cut the chord and attached the 2 pin 12v male plug then? How difficult was that if you were having to connect the braid to the negative terminal?
 
The mini may be somewhat unique in that the power cable is just power, nothing else. Using coax for it eliminates most radiated EMI, also makes a nice round cable.

Any guess as to the gage of the center conductor? The braided shield can probably carry a fair amount of current. I'd think terminating it to some 12V plug would be easy, unbraid the shield for an inch or so, twist it into a cable, put shrink tubing over it, solder or crimp to your plug, put bigger shrink over the whole cable to protect the termination of the jacket. Pretty standard stuff.
 
DDW said:
The mini may be somewhat unique in that the power cable is just power, nothing else. Using coax for it eliminates most radiated EMI, also makes a nice round cable.

Any guess as to the gage of the center conductor? The braided shield can probably carry a fair amount of current. I'd think terminating it to some 12V plug would be easy, unbraid the shield for an inch or so, twist it into a cable, put shrink tubing over it, solder or crimp to your plug, put bigger shrink over the whole cable to protect the termination of the jacket. Pretty standard stuff.
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Standard for you maybe. I'm an idiot so I can turn even the most simple things into a complete disaster. :)
 
Bob - I see that Starlink is running a sale on the mini. ($299) If you don't have Starlink home it looks like it is $50 per month for 50 gigs and then $1 per gig over that. I'm currently paying that for a hotspot. If you are using over 150 gigs per month you can switch to RV Roam for $150 per month. I like that you can shut the service when you are not using it which for us is probably 7 months out of the year. I also like that the wifi router is built into the antenna and not a separate box.

Have you had some real use with it out in the islands? Does it work fine when laid flat? I don't see us out moving the antenna around while drifting at anchor.
 
NWSeadog said:
Bob - I see that Starlink is running a sale on the mini. ($299) If you don't have Starlink home it looks like it is $50 per month for 50 gigs and then $1 per gig over that. I'm currently paying that for a hotspot. If you are using over 150 gigs per month you can switch to RV Roam for $150 per month. I like that you can shut the service when you are not using it which for us is probably 7 months out of the year. I also like that the wifi router is built into the antenna and not a separate box.

Have you had some real use with it out in the islands? Does it work fine when laid flat? I don't see us out moving the antenna around while drifting at anchor.
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We just got back from a cruise up the the islands and it worked quite well. I just set it on the upper helm and never touched it again. It would pop up and say it was misaligned but it did not seem to affect the performance.
 
I noticed some interesting accessories for the mini. First there is rail grip available allowing you to attach it to any rail on your boat. Next I noticed a cigarette adapter allowing you to just plug directly to DC. I think the mini is going to the preferred unit for boats under 50’.

My only concern for larger boats would be the ability of the router to penetrate several decks. It may not be an issue but until some tries it we won’t know.
 
tiltrider1 said:
I noticed some interesting accessories for the mini. First there is rail grip available allowing you to attach it to any rail on your boat. Next I noticed a cigarette adapter allowing you to just plug directly to DC. I think the mini is going to the preferred unit for boats under 50’.

My only concern for larger boats would be the ability of the router to penetrate several decks. It may not be an issue but until some tries it we won’t know.
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The Wi-Fi is pretty decent, I can pick it up from shoreside.
 
The starlink Mini has a built in WiFi router, so size of boat is a non issue. It also has independent service plans now, so you don't require the residential package now either. Unlimited data is KEY to it being useful.

Screenshot_20240809-160217.png
 
Bob Cofer said:
The Wi-Fi is pretty decent, I can pick it up from shoreside.
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I will agree that the WiFi signal has tremendous range line of sight. I have noticed that if there is a boat between me and my SL router the connection is often unacceptable.

My concern is the mini’s ability to penetrate the flybridge hardtop, then the saloon ceiling and finally the saloon floor to reach the master bedroom.

Not saying it isn’t strong enough to do that, just that I have concerns and i would like to see proof before I am willing to advise some to purchase the mini for a 50’ or larger boat.

My current SL router lives in the center of the boat and I have no dead spots. I also have friends rafted to me that are connected to my router as well. I wouldn’t be surprised if the mini can do the same.
 
CaptainKrunch said:
The starlink Mini has a built in WiFi router, so size of boat is a non issue. It also has independent service plans now, so you don't require the residential package now either. Unlimited data is KEY to it being useful.

View attachment 157171
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Both Mini and Regular have WiFi but the difference is where the WiFi router goes.

If I understand correctly, for the Mini the WiFi is part of the main receiver unit. Thus the WiFi broadcasts from outside the boat (if that's where you put the dish). The question is how far that will penetrate into a larger vessel. It also depends on where it is mounted. Generally if it is mounted somewhere midships (e g. on a mast) then I would expect no problem. But if it were far aft on a large vessel, there might be forward areas of the boat it doesn't reach. Just like WiFi in a house. It would depend on details, the number of bulkheads, wiring, etc.

For the "regular" dishes, unlike the mini, the router is a separate unit that would typically be inside the vessel. A cable runs up to the dish and it doesn't really matter (as fast as WiFi goes) where the dish is located. In that case, the WiFi is inside the boat and doesn't have to penetrate from outside. Thus it often will reach more of the vessel's interior ... but again would depend on details.

Worst case, a WiFi repeater could extend the range (among other options). I would be surprised if a midships router placement is not good enough for almost any vessel under 60 feet or thereabouts.
 
sjisailor said:
Both Mini and Regular have WiFi but the difference is where the WiFi router goes.

If I understand correctly, for the Mini the WiFi is part of the main receiver unit. Thus the WiFi broadcasts from outside the boat (if that's where you put the dish). The question is how far that will penetrate into a larger vessel. It also depends on where it is mounted. Generally if it is mounted somewhere midships (e g. on a mast) then I would expect no problem. But if it were far aft on a large vessel, there might be forward areas of the boat it doesn't reach. Just like WiFi in a house. It would depend on details, the number of bulkheads, wiring, etc.

For the "regular" dishes, unlike the mini, the router is a separate unit that would typically be inside the vessel. A cable runs up to the dish and it doesn't really matter (as fast as WiFi goes) where the dish is located. In that case, the WiFi is inside the boat and doesn't have to penetrate from outside. Thus it often will reach more of the vessel's interior ... but again would depend on details.

Worst case, a WiFi repeater could extend the range (among other options). I would be surprised if a midships router placement is not good enough for almost any vessel under 60 feet or thereabouts.
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I would agree with you. I just want to see more real world experience before I start telling people to buy the mini for a larger boat.
 
You can split the Mini to broadcast 5 and 2.4 as seperate WiFi. Then choose the 2.4 for the ones further away from the Mini. This should allow you further range and more penetration.

We cut the cord, weird for Starlink to make both ends the same, which is nice. Shortened to around 13 feet and connected it. My Fluke 325 says 1.5-2 A (around 13v). Wire gauge is at least 18, maybe 16. Not as thin as it looks due to design mentioned above.
 
I ran a bunch of tests powering the Mini through the factory cord. At the factory voltage (30V) it draws about 1A at startup, but after a short period the current waveform looks like a square wave bouncing between 0.5 and 1.5A. Not sure what they are doing in there.
Transient4.jpg


It would not boot from a cheap DC-DC off of Amazon, I think due to the poor transient response (the converter was more than capable of delivering the current). It would not boot run from 13V either, too much voltage drop. Would boot fine on a very short cable from 13V. You either need a higher quality DC-DC, or a larger/shorter cable.
 
Another thing I've discovered is it seems to have a tilt sensor in it. If you lay it flat, it will complain that the tilt is off. The complaint is instant, so it isn't inferred from satellite reception.
 
Now using the Mini up towards Desolation Sound in Canada. When first turned on it knew it was in Canada and encouraged me to reach the Canadian terms of service. I've found that laying it flat causes the app to complain, and the data rate can be substantially lower, but still pretty fast.

Also, I now have it wired to a Victron 12/24-5 converter, set up to 30V. Working very well. The draw from 12V is about 2A, measured by a clamp ammeter (didn't bring the o'scope on the cruise). Victron converter is barely warm, and I am using the uncut factory power cable.
 
There is a new mini accessory that allows the mini to run off a DeWalt 24v battery. Very convenient for those who just want to temporarily place it on the boat.
 
If you have a short cord you can just clip it to a 12V battery. It works fine. Does not work through the long, light gage factory cord though.
 
Bob Cofer said:
  • It comes with a kickstand bracket and also a bracket to mount on a pipe, I will take some more photos.
  • The plan is a $30 add on to my home service, now my total for both is $150 per month.
  • The price of admission seems a bit high at $599 for this system but I will be using it in multiple locations and it makes my wife happy.
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Bob, I'm doing the same thing. I use SL gen 2 at my house and also on the boat. I also will use it with the RV. Maybe not the cheapest setup, but checks a lot of boxes.
 
tiltrider1 said:
I will agree that the WiFi signal has tremendous range line of sight. I have noticed that if there is a boat between me and my SL router the connection is often unacceptable.

My concern is the mini’s ability to penetrate the flybridge hardtop, then the saloon ceiling and finally the saloon floor to reach the master bedroom.

Not saying it isn’t strong enough to do that, just that I have concerns and i would like to see proof before I am willing to advise some to purchase the mini for a 50’ or larger boat.

My current SL router lives in the center of the boat and I have no dead spots. I also have friends rafted to me that are connected to my router as well. I wouldn’t be surprised if the mini can do the same.
Click to expand...
Nothing prevent you to use wifi range extender in area you see signal drop.

L
 
SteveK said:
The GEN 2 & 3 lay flat and work well. The mini appears to need to be tilted for max performance.
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The Mini works quite well laid flat. Also it will operate on 12v whereas the G2&3 require 120v.
 
Let’s get back on track. I think the mini is a great option. I am only hesitant to recommend it on bigger boats until its WiFi penetration is proven. I am not suggesting that it isn’t worth the gamble on bigger boats and it certainly is a better option on smaller boats.

Power consumption is a non issue on boats with 1000ah battery banks.

The mini is marketed as a camping accessory. In all the advertising there is clear line of sight between the mini and the user. We know it’s more powerful and can penetrate glass decks. The only unknown is how many obstacles it can penetrate.
 
Personally, I'm looking at the mini as an option. I couldn't care less about its wifi performance, as I wouldn't use it. I'd have it connected to a Pepwave router to also have cellular data available as a source, so wifi would be handed separately from the Starlink dish regardless.
 
tiltrider1 said:
Let’s get back on track. I think the mini is a great option. I am only hesitant to recommend it on bigger boats until its WiFi penetration is proven. I am not suggesting that it isn’t worth the gamble on bigger boats and it certainly is a better option on smaller boats.

Power consumption is a non issue on boats with 1000ah battery banks.

The mini is marketed as a camping accessory. In all the advertising there is clear line of sight between the mini and the user. We know it’s more powerful and can penetrate glass decks. The only unknown is how many obstacles it can penetrate.
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I have it mounted on the flybridge and it works in all areas of my boat. It's not a big boat but it goes through two decks and a bulkhead just fine.
 
SteveK said:
The GEN 2 & 3 lay flat and work well. The mini appears to need to be tilted for max performance.
Click to expand...
The Mini complains about not being tilted, however the worst I have seen from it is about 30 mb/s (when flat). If you have several 4K video streams coming at once, that is a problem. Otherwise, you won't know the difference between than an 100 mb/s.
 
It's now a month later.
Does anyone have real world Mini unit experience on multi-deck 50-60 foot trawlers like Aquabelle, a 59 foot flushdeck Ocean Alexander Mark 1?
Is the wifi powerful enough to penetrate decks and bulkheads?
The Mini dish would give me a whole set of easier mounting options than the Standard dish and a lower power demand.
 
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