A list of essential Starlink Mini accessories

Flat white Starlink receivers are beginning to sprout like dandelions in RV parks and at rallies. Everybody wants to stay online, and after years of unreliable campground WiFi, it's no wonder that frequent travelers prefer to "roll their own" solution.

I've written in the past about the pros and cons of Starlink (both the Standard and Mini variants), and in short, it's great if you need it. If you don't, you can do pretty well with an ordinary cellular hotspot.

In other words, Starlink is not for everyone, but if you think it's for you, we've got a little advice to share.

Before we get into it, let me say that we are NOT Amazon affiliates and don't make a penny when we provide links to products on other websites. This is just friendly advice, and the items I'm talking about are not AIR GEAR products. So, as with other hacks I've mentioned in this blog, follow these suggestions at your own risk.

A recent trip had us deep down into west Texas and Big Bend National Park. This is an area that is well-known for having spotty cellular service. I knew from previous trips that we'd be mostly cut off, which usually suits me fine. But this time, we had some reasons to stay connected, so it was a chance to try out our Starlink Mini gear.

There are three major challenges for RV & Starlink users:

1. How to get a clear view of the sky, so the Starlink can connect to satellites
2. How to provide power to the Starlink
3. How to store everything

As a result, hundreds of manufacturers have been selling accessories to solve those problems. In my experience, most of them are pretty bad. Here are a few that I think are decent and which make sense for RV travelers.

Clear view of the sky

Many times you can just drop your Starlink onto a picnic table and it will find satellites just fine. But when there's a tall RV next to you, or trees blocking the sky, a really tall pole can help a lot.

I tried a few pole options and found most of them to be disappointing—hard to assemble, not very tall, clunky, overly expensive.

Here's one that works well, for $59: Telescoping carbon fiber swimming pool pole. This pole telescopes from about 4.5 feet to 15 feet very easily.  At its highest, this pole will give your Starlink a good view even when parked next to the biggest Class A motorhome.

What I like about this pole:

• Very lightweight, just 1.5 pounds
• Comes with a neat neoprene protective sleeve
• Fits in my short bed pickup truck
• Quick & quiet setup (unlike some steel screw-together poles I tried)
• Super tough, rustproof, and elegant

To mount the pole, I use a simple $29 Flag pole holder for receiver hitches. We had a rear receiver put on our Airstream years ago, and it's perfect for the flag pole holder. Since most trailer owners don't have a receiver, I suggest a similar flag pole mount that attaches to the trailer frame. It does the same thing. 

One warning about carbon fiber poles: don't clamp them too tightly, or they can be crushed. It's OK if the pole sways a little in the mount—it won't affect the Starlink's ability to stay connected.

Providing power

The Starlink Mini comes with a 50-foot long cable, which is all I've ever needed. There are two easy options for getting power:

1. An AC power outlet on the RV or on a power station. Using Starlink's AC adapter is the easiest option if you have AC power available.
   
   
2. The solar plug that is often provided on RVs. (See photo at right.) Airstreams made since 2018 have the solar plug. It is usually wired directly to the batteries, which makes it a handy 12V power outlet.

To connect to the solar power plug, you'll need three things:

1. An adapter, like this Extension cable with Solar Port plug. This connects the Starlink plug to the solar plug found on many RVs.
2. In most cases, you'll need a SAE polarity reversing plug. The polarity on the Airstream and many other RV solar ports is not wired the way the Starlink needs it. 
3. You'll probably need a step-up DC-DC voltage converter. The long, thin 50-foot Starlink cable causes a significant drop in voltage, which can be below the tolerance level of the Starlnk. This gives the Starlink fits: it either won't power on, or it will reboot a lot. The step-up converter ensures that the Starlink gets the voltage it likes.

There are many inexpensive DC-DC converters for this purpose. I got this one, and cut off the ring terminals it came with. I replaced those with a SAE plug so it can connect directly to the solar port.

If you do this, be sure to double-check the polarity of the power coming out of your solar port! Reversed polarity will kill the DC-DC adapter. Don't assume you know the correct polarity, and don't trust any advice you read on Reddit, forums, Facebook, etc. Check it yourself with a voltmeter, or ask someone who understands this stuff to do it.

What happens to Starlink if you have reversed polarity? It won't kill it, but the Starlink won't turn on.

Need to go even further?

As I said before, 50 feet of cable has always been plenty for our needs. But just in case we run into a tough situation with a lot of tree cover, I've got a backup, in the form of an additional 15 feet of power cable. You can find lots of options for extension cables on Amazon and other sites, in varying lengths. 

Storage

Winding up 50 feet of cable is a nuisance. These cheap Christmas light wire winders are great for quickly wrapping up the cord without making a tangled mess.

And finally, where to put it all? I looked at many hard-sided cases with foam padding, and concluded that I didn't want a suitcase.

So I chose this padded carry bag for Starlink Mini and accessories. It neatly handles the Starlink Mini, the 50-foot cable on the Christmas light winder, the DC-DC adapter, the Starlink AC adapter, and a few other small items. It's small enough to fit in an under-bed bin, a closet, or the backseat of the truck.