Amazing video. The best I have seen aboutStarlink mini and with REAL, USEFUL info. The statistics vs speedtest tip is awesome. Shout out from Panama in Central America.
Excellent video man, earned yourself a new subscriber! Looking forward to watching your other videos. Super informative and I appreciated you sharing the good and the bad. My Starlink mini gets here in a few days, and I should wrap up building my custom self designed pop up camper for my Tacoma by Labor Day weekend! Looking forward to an autumn full of chasing leaves and views while working remote on my SL Mini!
Welcome and thank you! That sounds like an awesome setup for working from the road. I love having million dollar views almost every day and the adventure time on weekends without the commute. Starlink Mini was a game changer on opening up possible camping locations. If using WiFi calling and video meetings make sure you get spots with a clear view of the sky. mountaintop meadows are my favorite.
HELL YES! This is exactly what I was lookin' for. Perfect. I was hoping to see a quick run through on the PD 100W USB-c to 5521 cable. I use my Starlink Mini with a Jackery 1000 and it has a 100W USB-c output, which is perfect for the Mini Dish! Nicely done, amigo...or Frog Man, maybe?! 🐸😉
I have not tried 12v through the cable, but I have seen plenty on videos with people trying and the voltage drop over that distance with the small wires was too much for it to work. The BlueSea website has a great wire chart showing the wire size needed for distances. Way cheaper to just boost that voltage. USB C PD does just fine though. I have been testing that cord combo with the 50’ Starlink cord from my video for over 60 hours of use now.
Thanks for the great video, it's helped me answer some questions I have. I am planning on buying a mini in a couple of weeks for use when we go camping and as an emergency backup if the need comes up. I have just purchased 2 of the Eco Flow River 2 Pro (new release) to use while camping. I use to carry a spare 12v deep cell battery and use a 300 watt portable inverter to run our TV and media player. I have tested the River 2 Pro with one of them an I can probably get 3 nights of 4 hour per night entertainment an not have to bring the battery. I figured having the 2nd one would be perfect for the Mini. On the EcoFlow, they have a 100w max USB C connection USB-C Output 5/9/12/15/20V5A, 100W Max not sure how to set it to 20v yet but I think it is standard 12v output. I figure this would be better than using the 120vac and inverter on the unit. We have a trip set up the first week of November to the Smoky Mountains and the Elkmont campground so it will be interesting if I can find some clear sky and make Wifi calls and check emails. I don't need it for streaming as I usually carry a hard drive to use with my media player with all the entertainment we will need. With the portable set up hopefully I will be able to get it working. I am guessing the 50gb will be more than enough Data for a 3 or 4 day trip. Thanks again for your video, and your comments.
Glad the video helped you out! One quick heads up on the Eco Flow power station. A buddy was trying to use his to power the mini using an Amazon USB C adapter cord and a connector bridged into the standard Starlink mini cord and it would not work. We switched him over to use a cigarette lighter setup and it did the trick. I am not sure what model Eco Flow it was, but just in case you run into that issue with the USB C 100W outlet I wanted to let you know the fix.
Hit send too soon….if it has 20/v 5a ability you should be good. It should choose automatically. 50 gig should be more than enough data. If you are doing Netflix 4k the data may go pretty quick. I would recommmend downloading some movies at home and if you end up streaming step the quality down to 720. That will save a lot of data. Starlink will send you an email when you hit the 80% data mark to remind you to opt in to go over the 50 gig point. Still way cheaper than the unlimited plan unless you fly through 165 gigs of data. When my family was with me for 5 days we only went through about 20 gigs of data.
Starlink now offers a Mini roof rack mount, $55. I ordered mine on Aug 2 and should receive it this week. It should fit my Jeep Commander roof rack, but might be tight. Wish me luck!
I have been on the fence about the mini. I run the gen 3 and the power usage caused me to buy a bluetti so I dont have to run my generator to work. I really like the portability of the mini, i could in theory, put it on the dash and work while my wife drives.
I almost got the Gen3 myself, but my wife would only allow 1 purchase. I heald out for the mini and it was worth it for the power savings. 50 gig of data goes a long way too if you limit your streaming video time too.
In the Starlink app you open settings, choose Starlink, and toggle the sleep mode. Once you go that it will let you select the time for it to sleep. Still uses power, but not as much and WiFi is cut off.
I went through how to access the sleep function in my software tutorial that just released today in case you still need help with finding it. Also hit most of the other stuff in the software.
Hello Brian awesome video. My mini just came in yesterday and excited to use it. I purchased the unlimited so I don’t have to worry about data usage. Can you please tell me what mount you used for your Jeep. Just subscribed. Thanks again.
@@OverlandCalling no for the mount you used outside but I saw you had made a video for that. lol. My apologies for jumping the gun so quickly. Thank you for your fast response.
Thanks ! Does this perform differently than a gen2 or gen3 for video conferencing and WiFi calling? Wish it was more reliable for that whilst in trees etc!
Nice job, Brian! You and I met on Reddit, where you offered your insight on the 12v-36v up converter. I ended up going with an Elfclub 12v to 48 unit. I figured if I ever needed to go with an extra long (75'+) cable, running 48 would be better than 36. So far so good, all my testing as gone well. When you did your 36v unit, what did you fuse it at? I originally spec'd a 7A fuse in my DC fuse block. It kept blowing. I put my clamp meter on it and measured a surge upon turn-on of the Elfclub of 25A+, and it would settle to zero. I then installed a 30A fuse and it worked. When playing some streaming video, the meter read a nominal 1.25-1.50 amps. My connection from DC block through the switch you suggested, to the Elfclub DC to DC is very short and I used 12awg wire. So I'm not to concerned with wire overheating when the surge is probably 1/2 a second. Just curious if you measured yours? Thx
Thanks! Here is a link to a video I did on the software that covers sleep mode in detail with power consumption differences (Starlink Mini Software Tutorial) th-cam.com/video/9zV-udWuwIs/w-d-xo.html short 12v cord seems to work well for others and I saw a note on the Starlink website that they have a 12v cord coming.
Very good and funny video !! Why you did not test the mini horizontal ? I see videos where they do that with the gen 2 placing it in a roof window. I live in Sweden with many many trees, so I hope my mini ( that I will get soon ) works as you showed it !
I am in a camp ground with heavy trees and there are a lot of cut outs. Running horizontal now in this spot since I only have a tiny sliver of the sky straight up, and it works for email. I will include a view of it in a follow up video to give you an idea. when you first start up it will tell you the preferred direction. In the USA it mostly wants to face North, but not sure of direction for other areas. I hope it works well for you!
Good video good information for Brian. What program or service are you using? Are you doing the $50 or the $150 and are they working for you as I see they are but it’s the data that concerns me the most.
I am on the $50/month plan with $1/gig after that. I already opted in before I went off grid because I heard that you could not opt in if you hit the cap and had no cell service to get to Starlink.com to opt in. Also you do get an email once you are at 80% of your data usage. I am a bit over the 50 gig right now, but I have been using it a lot and I uploaded two TH-cam videos.
I want to use Starlink for a security system in remote locations where it would be unattended and have to be operated on battery. To save power, the Starlink modem would only be switched on when an event occurred then switched off as soon as the data has been transferred - less than 100kB. Can anyone tell be how long it takes to get an IP connection from power up - as that is likely to be the largest part of the energy per event.
I mounted my mini on the ladder on the back of my small travel trailer, the only way I could get non interrupted wifi, was to be outside the trailer. Now Looking into a wifi extender.
hey Brian, do a test for me, i need to know if i plug in ethernet the wireless quits completely, i do special work that relies on a microwave / wireless free zones, would love to get this but need to know i can go completely wired with no wireless signals other than the satelite dish pointed at sky, but no wifi back at truck
I have not reached civilization to test this in person, but I did find a video covering Ethernet for you. When you plug Ethernet cable in the mini will go into bypass mode and then you use the reset button on the back of the dish to enable WiFi also. th-cam.com/video/aGcyJBjF5WY/w-d-xo.html Timestamp at the 7:50 point
I am using a ram mount system. Not for in motion of course. Took the pole adapter that comes with the mini and drilled a 1/4” hole in it. installed a ram ball, then used the ram arm and ball to mount it to the T track on the tent. It works like a champ even with fairly strong wind. I will have a video out in a few days. Going to try to film it before I break camp today. There are some other videos out for the ram mount already I think if you are tight no time.
Amazing video. The best I have seen aboutStarlink mini and with REAL, USEFUL info. The statistics vs speedtest tip is awesome. Shout out from Panama in Central America.
Thank you very much! I am glad it helped you out.
Shout out to all the Brian's putting up with Brian's antics 🫡👊
haha I have been out in the wild by myself too long
Speed tests are just satisfying to see.
Very true!
Excellent video man, earned yourself a new subscriber! Looking forward to watching your other videos. Super informative and I appreciated you sharing the good and the bad.
My Starlink mini gets here in a few days, and I should wrap up building my custom self designed pop up camper for my Tacoma by Labor Day weekend! Looking forward to an autumn full of chasing leaves and views while working remote on my SL Mini!
Welcome and thank you! That sounds like an awesome setup for working from the road. I love having million dollar views almost every day and the adventure time on weekends without the commute. Starlink Mini was a game changer on opening up possible camping locations. If using WiFi calling and video meetings make sure you get spots with a clear view of the sky. mountaintop meadows are my favorite.
More than one Brian. I am not sure the world is ready for that.😅 Great video. We'll done
I don’t think I could handle it lol
HELL YES! This is exactly what I was lookin' for. Perfect. I was hoping to see a quick run through on the PD 100W USB-c to 5521 cable. I use my Starlink Mini with a Jackery 1000 and it has a 100W USB-c output, which is perfect for the Mini Dish! Nicely done, amigo...or Frog Man, maybe?! 🐸😉
Sweet glad it helped you out!
Glad the pad worked out for you Brother. Maybe the best vid yet.
Thanks brother! That pad was a perfect fit!
Usb c is 18 volts. 12v won’t work through the 15m cable I need to test 12v through a short cable, I usually plug into the 24v port on my battery box
I have not tried 12v through the cable, but I have seen plenty on videos with people trying and the voltage drop over that distance with the small wires was too much for it to work. The BlueSea website has a great wire chart showing the wire size needed for distances. Way cheaper to just boost that voltage. USB C PD does just fine though. I have been testing that cord combo with the 50’ Starlink cord from my video for over 60 hours of use now.
Thanks for the great video, it's helped me answer some questions I have. I am planning on buying a mini in a couple of weeks for use when we go camping and as an emergency backup if the need comes up. I have just purchased 2 of the Eco Flow River 2 Pro (new release) to use while camping. I use to carry a spare 12v deep cell battery and use a 300 watt portable inverter to run our TV and media player. I have tested the River 2 Pro with one of them an I can probably get 3 nights of 4 hour per night entertainment an not have to bring the battery. I figured having the 2nd one would be perfect for the Mini. On the EcoFlow, they have a 100w max USB C connection USB-C Output 5/9/12/15/20V5A, 100W Max not sure how to set it to 20v yet but I think it is standard 12v output. I figure this would be better than using the 120vac and inverter on the unit. We have a trip set up the first week of November to the Smoky Mountains and the Elkmont campground so it will be interesting if I can find some clear sky and make Wifi calls and check emails. I don't need it for streaming as I usually carry a hard drive to use with my media player with all the entertainment we will need. With the portable set up hopefully I will be able to get it working. I am guessing the 50gb will be more than enough Data for a 3 or 4 day trip. Thanks again for your video, and your comments.
Glad the video helped you out! One quick heads up on the Eco Flow power station. A buddy was trying to use his to power the mini using an Amazon USB C adapter cord and a connector bridged into the standard Starlink mini cord and it would not work. We switched him over to use a cigarette lighter setup and it did the trick. I am not sure what model Eco Flow it was, but just in case you run into that issue with the USB C 100W outlet I wanted to let you know the fix.
Hit send too soon….if it has 20/v 5a ability you should be good. It should choose automatically. 50 gig should be more than enough data. If you are doing Netflix 4k the data may go pretty quick. I would recommmend downloading some movies at home and if you end up streaming step the quality down to 720. That will save a lot of data. Starlink will send you an email when you hit the 80% data mark to remind you to opt in to go over the 50 gig point. Still way cheaper than the unlimited plan unless you fly through 165 gigs of data. When my family was with me for 5 days we only went through about 20 gigs of data.
Starlink now offers a Mini roof rack mount, $55. I ordered mine on Aug 2 and should receive it this week. It should fit my Jeep Commander roof rack, but might be tight. Wish me luck!
sweet! you will love it for running trails. I don’t have to make sure I download Gaia map anymore and piece of mine if I break down on the trail
nice video . where did you purchase the mount for the starling to your tent?
I got it from Amazon. Ram mounts.
Great test bud.🤜🤛
thanks
So beautiful there
It was amazing. I had to leave early due to a forest fire. I have not had the heart to check to see if the fire made it to the site.
I have been on the fence about the mini. I run the gen 3 and the power usage caused me to buy a bluetti so I dont have to run my generator to work. I really like the portability of the mini, i could in theory, put it on the dash and work while my wife drives.
I almost got the Gen3 myself, but my wife would only allow 1 purchase. I heald out for the mini and it was worth it for the power savings. 50 gig of data goes a long way too if you limit your streaming video time too.
Super helpful video! Easy question: you mentioned that you put the Starlink mini to sleep at night. How do you do that?
In the Starlink app you open settings, choose Starlink, and toggle the sleep mode. Once you go that it will let you select the time for it to sleep. Still uses power, but not as much and WiFi is cut off.
I went through how to access the sleep function in my software tutorial that just released today in case you still need help with finding it. Also hit most of the other stuff in the software.
Hello Brian awesome video. My mini just came in yesterday and excited to use it. I purchased the unlimited so I don’t have to worry about data usage. Can you please tell me what mount you used for your Jeep. Just subscribed. Thanks again.
lol. Disregard you made a video on it. Watching it now. 😂😂
For in motion I strapped it to a JCR center Molle panel. Is that what you meant?
@@OverlandCalling no for the mount you used outside but I saw you had made a video for that. lol. My apologies for jumping the gun so quickly. Thank you for your fast response.
@@trevino73 ahh ok tracking now. No worries at all.
Thanks !
Does this perform differently than a gen2 or gen3 for video conferencing and WiFi calling? Wish it was more reliable for that whilst in trees etc!
This is the only model I have ever had, so not sure how it compares. It does drop Wi-Fi calls for sure if you are in heavy trees.
I did a Starlink Standard (Gen3) vs Mini speed test comparison you might find helpful th-cam.com/video/p3s8OzNBS8c/w-d-xo.html.
Beautiful sky
Good thing I filmed this before the forest fire started. last day in camp smoke started drifting in from a fire a few miles away.
Nice job, Brian! You and I met on Reddit, where you offered your insight on the 12v-36v up converter. I ended up going with an Elfclub 12v to 48 unit. I figured if I ever needed to go with an extra long (75'+) cable, running 48 would be better than 36. So far so good, all my testing as gone well. When you did your 36v unit, what did you fuse it at? I originally spec'd a 7A fuse in my DC fuse block. It kept blowing. I put my clamp meter on it and measured a surge upon turn-on of the Elfclub of 25A+, and it would settle to zero. I then installed a 30A fuse and it worked. When playing some streaming video, the meter read a nominal 1.25-1.50 amps. My connection from DC block through the switch you suggested, to the Elfclub DC to DC is very short and I used 12awg wire. So I'm not to concerned with wire overheating when the surge is probably 1/2 a second. Just curious if you measured yours? Thx
I see about 24-30 watts and about 1.5 amps when uploading videos and using heavy data. I am measuring it with a Victron shunt from my main battery.
Let me know if you’re able to see the surge draw upon switching on your 12 to 36 up converter. Tell me if yours spikes. Thx
Putting it to sleep at night? A little about that please. This is a great video. How about a short, straight 12v cord to a 5521 connector?
Thanks! Here is a link to a video I did on the software that covers sleep mode in detail with power consumption differences (Starlink Mini Software Tutorial) th-cam.com/video/9zV-udWuwIs/w-d-xo.html
short 12v cord seems to work well for others and I saw a note on the Starlink website that they have a 12v cord coming.
Very good and funny video !! Why you did not test the mini horizontal ? I see videos where they do that with the gen 2 placing it in a roof window. I live in Sweden with many many trees, so I hope my mini ( that I will get soon ) works as you showed it !
I am in a camp ground with heavy trees and there are a lot of cut outs. Running horizontal now in this spot since I only have a tiny sliver of the sky straight up, and it works for email. I will include a view of it in a follow up video to give you an idea. when you first start up it will tell you the preferred direction. In the USA it mostly wants to face North, but not sure of direction for other areas. I hope it works well for you!
@@OverlandCalling Thanks 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Thanks
you’re most welcome!
Thanks for the info!
you are most welcome and thank you for watching!
Good video!! Greetings.
Thank you very much!
Good video good information for Brian. What program or service are you using? Are you doing the $50 or the $150 and are they working for you as I see they are but it’s the data that concerns me the most.
I am on the $50/month plan with $1/gig after that. I already opted in before I went off grid because I heard that you could not opt in if you hit the cap and had no cell service to get to Starlink.com to opt in. Also you do get an email once you are at 80% of your data usage. I am a bit over the 50 gig right now, but I have been using it a lot and I uploaded two TH-cam videos.
Awesome Job! Subbed!
Thank you very much and welcome!
I want to use Starlink for a security system in remote locations where it would be unattended and have to be operated on battery. To save power, the Starlink modem would only be switched on when an event occurred then switched off as soon as the data has been transferred - less than 100kB. Can anyone tell be how long it takes to get an IP connection from power up - as that is likely to be the largest part of the energy per event.
You are the second person that asked about that exact same use. It takes about 45 seconds with clear skies. If it is obstructed it may take longer.
I mounted my mini on the ladder on the back of my small travel trailer, the only way I could get non interrupted wifi, was to be outside the trailer. Now Looking into a wifi extender.
yeah I figured going through anything hard shell would be too much for it. Too bad the WiFi will not reach inside.
Great video! Grow your channel and quit your day job. Keep up the good work.
Thanks!
hey Brian, do a test for me, i need to know if i plug in ethernet the wireless quits completely, i do special work that relies on a microwave / wireless free zones, would love to get this but need to know i can go completely wired with no wireless signals other than the satelite dish pointed at sky, but no wifi back at truck
sure thing, next time I hit town I will grab a cable. kind of wondering if I can bridge it into my cell system anyway.
I have not reached civilization to test this in person, but I did find a video covering Ethernet for you. When you plug Ethernet cable in the mini will go into bypass mode and then you use the reset button on the back of the dish to enable WiFi also.
th-cam.com/video/aGcyJBjF5WY/w-d-xo.html
Timestamp at the 7:50 point
@@OverlandCalling 👍 thanks, let me know how your test goes too
@@OverlandCalling 👍
What mount are you using on the mini?
I am using a ram mount system. Not for in motion of course. Took the pole adapter that comes with the mini and drilled a 1/4” hole in it. installed a ram ball, then used the ram arm and ball to mount it to the T track on the tent. It works like a champ even with fairly strong wind. I will have a video out in a few days. Going to try to film it before I break camp today. There are some other videos out for the ram mount already I think if you are tight no time.
I was going to ask about this, but alas someone beat me to it. This is brilliant and looks perfect. Pin this question man.
Unfortunately Starlink is having a negative impact on near space. Hubris.
It does seem like the highways up there are getting a bit busy.