Starlink 12V Conversion and Router Replace for RV/Boondocking
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 พ.ค. 2024
- Welcome to our How-To Video on converting your Starlink system to run off 12V DC power so you don't need your inverter on constantly. In this video we will replace the Starlink provided Router/Power supply with a 12 volt system we build from common components, and use our low-power travel router to perform the routing function. See parts/tools links (amazon affiliate) following the Table of contents:
DISCLAIMER:
The following video provides information on converting Starlink to 12-volt (12V) power for specific applications. Please be aware that working with electrical components and modifying equipment may pose risks if not done correctly.
Safety First: Always prioritize safety when working with electrical equipment. Ensure you are knowledgeable and comfortable with electrical work, or consult a professional if you are unsure.
Voiding Warranty: Modifying your Starlink equipment as described in this video may void the manufacturer's warranty. Proceed at your own risk, and consider the potential consequences.
Specific Use Case: This video is intended for educational purposes and is focused on a specific use case, such as using Starlink in off-grid or remote locations. It may not be suitable for all scenarios.
Compatibility: The modifications outlined in this video are based on the equipment and specifications available as of September 2023. Future updates or changes in equipment may affect the compatibility of this conversion.
Legal Considerations: Ensure that any modifications you make comply with local laws and regulations. Unauthorized modification of equipment may result in legal consequences.
Expertise Required: The information provided in this video assumes a certain level of technical expertise. If you are not comfortable with the procedures outlined, it is recommended that you seek assistance from a qualified professional.
Risk of Damage: Incorrect modifications can damage your equipment, rendering it unusable. The creator of this video and any associated parties are not responsible for any damage that may occur during or after attempting the conversion.
No Guarantee of Results: The success of the conversion may vary depending on individual circumstances, and there is no guarantee that your Starlink equipment will work as intended after the modification.
Proceed with Caution: Before attempting any modifications, thoroughly review the entire video and consider all potential risks. It is your responsibility to make an informed decision about whether to proceed.
By watching and following the instructions in this video, you acknowledge and accept these disclaimers. The creator of this video and any associated parties cannot be held responsible for any actions taken by viewers based on the content provided. Always exercise caution and prioritize safety when working with electrical equipment.
Contents:
0:00 - Introduction and background
3:45 - Review Starlink Components
6:30 - Other Parts You Will Need
13:50 - Tools required
15:15 - System Diagram Review
16:42 - POE Review Standard vs Dishy
19:15 - System Build
35:30 - Making Custom Cables
43:10 - Cable Testing
44:21 - Attaching Cables
45:40 - Testing POE
47:46 - System Test and Replacing POE to 56v
57:10 - Install in RV
58:38 - Wrap up
Below you will find amazon affiliate links for some of the components and tools used in this video. If you purchase from these links we will earn a small commision, but it will not cost you any additional money.
All of the following can also be found on our Amazon Storefront at www.amazon.com/shop/bobanddan...
Parts:
- Dishy RJ45 Adapter : amzn.to/3PYYFZb
- POE Injector: amzn.to/3Q0D2b9
- 12v to 56v DC Step-up Transformer: amzn.to/3PVnGEF
- 12v Switch: amzn.to/3RV8gD6
- Beryl Router: amzn.to/3S0emSP
(You can choose any router that will run on DC voltage)
- 14 Ft. Cat 6 Shielded Ethernet Cable: amzn.to/3M1N0HT
(These work, but not my favorite - any shielded cable should be fine)
- RJ45 Shielded Pass-through Connectors: amzn.to/3QlFgU0
- 16 Gage Silicon Wire: amzn.to/3QhAypZ
(Figure out what wire you need - I had this from other projects)
- Automotive Style Fuse Holders: amzn.to/3LXPrev
- Assorted Closed end Crimp Connectors: amzn.to/3Ff4jBL
- Flush Mount 12v USB Power Outlet: amzn.to/3S30SFI
(Shown at the end of video but not shown during install)
Tools:
- RJ45 pass-through Ethernet Crimper Tool: amzn.to/3RV8TfX
- Chanel Lock Crimping Tool: amzn.to/46wRIWn
- Klein Wire Strippers: amzn.to/3rLp0lI
- Thin probes For Multi-meter: amzn.to/45yvEcA
(Check these will fit your multimeter - they fit my Fluke well)
- RJ45 Crimper and Tester Kit amzn.to/3LYYa08.
(I Only used the tester in the video, Crimper is not for pass-through connectors) - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
Great first "how to..." video. Well done.
Thanks so much for the feedback - we really appreciate it. That was perhaps a bit ambitious for the first one - I should have done a few smaller 'warm-ups', but hopefully it will help a few folks out . Thanks again for watching and leaving a comment!
This is an awesome walk-through tutorial Bob! Super helpful and 12V is a great option for always on power.
Also excellent selections but I might shoot for an Orbi router for slightly faster Wifi...overall very impressed by the work you have done here!
Thanks so much for the support, really appreciate it. The orbi router is probably a better solution - I just happened to have the Beryl around and was familiar with it. Thanks again!
Re: DC voltage drop due to long cables, a capacitor across the 48 volts may help.
@@joselito7776 thanks for the suggestion, i did not try that but you are right - it should work.
Excellent instructions for DYI’s
Thanks for the comment. I think we might have tackled a slightly simpler project for our first DIY - but we learned a lot in the process. Very much appreciate your support!
One day we will get Starlink..thanks for the info
Thanks for the comment. I suspect things will get a lot easier in the future for this kind of thing. I bet there will be more turnkey parts available so you don't have to do the cable modifications. So with luck when you decide to get one of these starlink it will be easy-peasy! Thanks again for dropping by and safe travels to you guys!
awesome work
Thanks, glad you liked it and much appreciate the comment!
I need to put this project on our list. Lol
Thanks for the comment - we really appreciate it :). This was not that difficult of a conversion - if memory serves from your last video you will be looking at flat mounting the Starlink - if so you may have even more options for power - That will be interesting to see - looking forward to that video ! Thanks again and safe travels - where there is no cellular signal ! :)
@@bobanddangsjourney we will post the flat mount Starlink video next week. So far we are loving it
Good stuff Bob... Way to conserve amp hours sir. Dishy & Router does suck up some power.. But it sure works good.
Hey thanks for the comment! We do appreciate it. Being our first how-to we learned a few things in the production of this and the next how-to should be a lot more polished. Really appreciate you dropping by!
Why do you have to modify the data cabe between the POE injector and the Starlink cable adapter since the adapter will convert the Starlink cable to a regular ethernet cable connector? The YAOSHENG Rectangular Dishy Cable Adapter to RJ45 should have come with a new regular ethernet cable as well? I'm a bit confused.
It is because Starlink does not use standard PoE pinouts, so unless you do this, the power will not get to Dishy and in fact could damage it. Thanks for the question!
Another question I have completely done all the steps but I cannot get my Netgear R7500 router running even with static routes. Did you have to change something on the Beryl Router or is it just put the cable in the WAN port and towards the POE injector and ready. I know my cable towards dishy from the POE injector are working I have tested and I see them online. I think the netgear r7500 is not suitable for using with the dishy.
The beryl has an option you choose for how to connect - it can be to another wifi, to a usb , or to the wan port. I just chose wan port and it worked out of the box. However later i did discover i needed to turn off the wifi rescanning because it was dropping the wifi network every few minutes when it did that (this would be specific to the beryl). I think you can go direct to a laptop too (for testing) and that might open up more diagnostics capabilities for you. Might ask on the facebook group about that model of router - i know there have been some with reported issues
just set the WAN to DHCP
The netgear 7500 was broken
@chrisboer7698 frustrating! Glad you got it figured out...
Thanks for making this great video. Since I only have the 75ft cable I was going to go with the 12v to 48v converter. How many watts do you recommend I get? I see the 56v one you used is 168w, would I match something close to that in a 48v variant?
Hi - thanks for the feedback! The max draw i observed in my testing was 8.5 amps @13v for a very short time right after powering on. I think if you can get a 120w it would be fine. I bet you could get a very precise answer if you checked the starlinkhacks facebook group. Good luck with your build! Mine is still working just great 😃
Did you have to put the Starlink router in by-pass mode? Did you have to setup WAN side of the router (DHCP or Static)?
No, I did not do anything with the router - its not used at all. I just use the dishy and my own router. My Router gets a dhcp address (2, actually -the first short lived and then another longer duration a short while after) from Dishy. I think the first one is probably a very basic DHCP server on dishy itself, and the second one is probably coming from the network - but I do not actually know that to be fact. At any rate it works just fine without the starlink router and that is the purpose of doing this mod.
Hi great video but quick question is this the Starlink Dishy Gen2 the rectangle one or the Gen1 the round one ?
Thanks for the question - this is for the gen2 / rectangular dishy
Thanks for the video. I have done similar mod convering my starlink to run of 12 volts charged by a 330watt solar pannel. It works very well except the speed is much slower using the 3rd party router..only around 10 mpbs. The starlink app says that it has a clear unobstructed view of the sky, and no issues reported. Any ideas what would cause the speed drop? When inwas using the original router it was averaging between 40 and 70 mbps.
Can you check on your router and see what link was negotiated? Could it have negotiated a slower link speed? Ours is fast, have measured speeds up to 100Mps through the router.
One more thing - i have not done this but you should be able to plug the rj45 directly into a pc/laptop and you can better see what the link has negotiated. You have a better assortment of diagnostics there than on a router. Might need a crossover cable though. Good luck!
hello, can you send me a guid sir that you use on how to cremping the cat 6 cable, please
For the crimping, I don't have a guide but I think this video does a good job of showing it:
th-cam.com/video/NWhoJp8UQpo/w-d-xo.htmlsi=EaVPcYvfBss_SlXX
In terms of the cable pinouts, the best I have are the images in the video -I think you can probably pause it at that point to see how they need to be wired (non-standard). I hope this helps you. If not let me know and Maybe I can find something. Thanks for the comment!
Did you have to configure any special settings on your 3rd party router. I’m not able to connect to dishy in my setup.
I only had to set the router to use the wired connection (vs being a wifi repeater or teathered connection) other than that it took care of the rest - got the dhcp address and just worked). When you plug in does dishy come alive and try to position itself? If not i would look at the poe and cable wiring into and out of the injector. Measure the voltage if you can. You may check out the facebook group starlink hacks - there are a lot of knowledgeable people there. I have heard there are some routers that dont work well with dishy but i don't have first hand experience. Thanks for watching and good luck.
Bob, thank you very much for your great video and response. I figured out that my dc power station was not providing the proper power. I decided to use my jackery cigarette lighter input instead and low and behold, all is well. I was pulling my hair out for the last few days trying to understand what was going on. Keep up the excellent videos!
@@tonyg7184 very happy you got it worked out! Thanks for letting me know :)
Does this work on new gen 3 model?
I honestly don't know but I don't think so. As i recall they moved to standard rj45 on that so perhaps the job is a lot easier and does not require the proprietary connector. Thanks for the question and good luck :)
you could test the speed ?
When I was building this, I did not have my starlink plan activated because I wasn't traveling, and I was not able to test the speed at that time. However I have since been out a several times and have done various speed tests and had good results - in some locations well about 100 mbits which is well above my needs. That said, I have not done a comparison where I test the speed on the system I built, then revert to the stock router and test the speed again to compare them. I doubt there is much difference but then again that Beryl router is not the fastest thing out there (but it is enough for my needs). Thanks for watching and for leaving a comment!