Starlink 12v Hack For Van Life and RVs WITHOUT CUTTING Wires + Flat Starmount Modification
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 พ.ค. 2024
- In episode 23 of Van Build Series 2.0, we hack the Starlink Dishy to mount it flat on the roof of the van and convert the wiring from 120v to 12v without cutting any wires. This will allow us to stay connected when we travel up to Canada, down into Mexico, and in the remote places of the US.
It's all made possible with the following components:
* Starmount - star-mountsystems.com/product...
* POE Injector - amzn.to/3NQHCsy
* Dishy Cable Adapter to RJ45 - amzn.to/3NLYfFL
* USB Pocket Router - amzn.to/3CNqMoj
* 12v to 48v Converter - amzn.to/42WnpWE
* 12v Switch - amzn.to/44ElcR5
JeepNTreetop video: • Starlink 12V Router Up...
0:00 - Intro
0:27 - Testing Out Starlink
2:56 - Cutting Starlink for Flat Mount
9:50 - Starlink 12v Wiring Conversion
15:44 - Testing Starlink Amp Draw
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* Velit 12 Volt Air Conditioner - Use code MOTM50 for $50 Off Your Order at velitcamping.com/
* Swivel Seat: alpinemechanisms.com/
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* Wheel Well Water Tank: www.nwconversions.com/product...
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* Light Bar Wiring Harness: amzn.to/3JXwIPO
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UPDATE: After 6 months are Starlink flat mount failed us. It got condensation inside and damaged the unit.
Here’s a link to the video: th-cam.com/video/l4E2QKpdBl0/w-d-xo.htmlsi=IBckg4K5pboVKcyj
Original Comment:
Thanks for watching the video!!! We really appreciate it! I will not make the “bits / bytes” mistake again haha
Also here's some more info regarding how the Starlink is performing on our Instagram reel: instagram.com/reel/Cwh_qb-o4h6/
For those who think it’s stupid to mount it flat, here’s a link describing how a phased array antenna (this is a phased array dish) wifiranger.com/how-does-starlink-work/#:~:text=As%20a%20satellite%20moves%20across,uses%20a%20%E2%80%9Cphased%20array.%E2%80%9D
Only reason I can see to tilt the antenna, is to let rain fall off. The antenna will definitely lose signal strength with any water pooling on the top, but it is flat so there wont be much.
I had a strong suspicion this was a bad idea and then saw this as the first comment.. thanks for being honest and telling people it’s not a great idea.
Would a desiccant have helped? Also how did you convert the cable to ethernet? Is that the adapter that can be purchased from starlink?
@@baliwski A desiccant would have extended the life some, but the question is how did the moisture get in to the housing in the first place. If it was because it had been raining for the 3 days during the assembly, then a desiccant pack may have been enough. If it was related to the material the housing was made of, how permiable it is, and whether there is barometric pressure change air exchanges happening that allowed the moisture in after a good (and dry) seal up, you would need to have a way to periodically replace the desiccant or have a way to heat dry it, venting the released moisture out of the housing. The comment that the housing is 3d printed doesn't give me a good feel for the housing being water tight. The Plexiglass lid very well may be, and the rubber gasket, and the glue may all have been good, but having done 3d printing for the past decade, I have a healthy respect for water's ability to infiltrate prints.
Reason: your destruction of rubber and magnets = the cable is affected by external interference
It's not a "little magnet" it's a ferrite which can improve performance in certain EMI "noisy" environments and/or reduce electromagnetic emissions of the device to bring it in compliance with FCC rules.
The Mbps means Megabits Per Second, for Megabytes Per Second you need to take the value speed-test shows you and divide it by 8, for example, your 20Mbps is 2.5MB/s and the 170-ish is 21.25MB/s.
thank you for pointing that out. It was indeed confusing him talking about bytes and while his screen is showing the values in bits.
Working in IT people do this all the time. You know how many times I hear gigabytes or megabytes per second instead of megabits or gigabits per second. So maybe that is why it is not confusing to me but the fact he was consistent when talking should have easily clued you in to megabits and not megabytes. Kind of like when you are reading and see their, there, and they’re used wrong it’s easy to see which one they should have used. Not a big deal especially since you can clearly see megabits on the screen.
@@Braddeman I am quite aware of that, biggest issue here in my country ISPs call it Megabytes or Mega, without specifying the exact type abit misleading.
The little rubber thingy (ferrite bead) stops interference from magnetic fields in the cable if I am not mistaken.
There is also a channel called everlanders on TH-cam who have also mounted their starlink on their vehicle.
Correct. Normally, ferrite coils “choke” common mode current from coming down the coaxial cable between the antenna and receiver.
There are several YT videos on the subject covered by Amateur radio operators that are familiar with antenna theory.
Really good assembly, you could say it's even better than the official option since it's 12 volts
Great, great, informative video without "over-gabbing" or becoming redundant. Hope a lot of vanlifers get this info. I'm in a cabin in eastern Arizona on the side of a mountain, off-off grid and only have "2 bar" cell service, about 3 or 4 hours a day. Having too many issues with 110 volt so this 12 volt solution is a win win.
Thank you and travel safe.
Have a look at the Mikrotik Hex Poe router. Runs on DC, can output 48v via the built in POE at/af ports. So you can do away with the 12/24v converter and the injector and end up with a much better router to boot.
But that's not wireless, right?
@@JasonParkers Damn your correct, for some reason I thought they had wireless in the hex series. I normally have a AP attached so didn't really think about it.
An informative video. Since we normally park under a ton of trees I am interested in just converting my Gen 2 dishy to 12vdc. Thanks for listing the necessary components to do that conversion.
Nice build, looks great. Thanks for sharing.
You made me comfortable in performing my own project like this to put on my atv and snowmobile when I’m out there traveling between communities in the Arctic, thanks dude. You’re the man!
you got it! Sounds like you live in a gnarly area!
DON'T DO THE MODIFICATION U WILL REGRET IT !!!!!!!
love how clean the install is
Thank you! We’re pumped how it turned out!
well done...best walk through i have watched
I love the visual details.
Great job & clean.
Thank you Jeff!
Really Cool Idea and Implementation of said Idea !
This was an awesome video with some components I had not seen yet, thank you.
You got it thanks for watching!!!
Hey dude... good on you. Pleased that you had courage to do that. Not many would. And you made it look easy
One word: Crushin’ It!
Great video 🤙🏼
Isn’t that 2 words? 😂
Really interesting!
Thank you 😊
Thanks for the content. Cheers from OZ
Didn't want to cut the cords so I never went to 12 to 48 volt conversion route. Your video was really good news for me and I've ordered all the components. Thank you. The poe injector however is going to take a month to get here, apparently they're on backorder (2/5/24)
I'm curious how the metal roof rack there would impact the transmission pattern of dishy. also being off axis could be a slight issue but they use a phase array system anyway, with out the motors moving the dish it's going to be Tx'ing off to a sat at totally the wrong angle. Super cool project, Thanks for sharing bud
Your "magnet" is an EMI ferrite filter. Pickup a split snap on type if you get noise glitchy service from noisy power supplies.
I appreciate that tip
Nice job!
Great video man, planning to work while traveling with my bike through South America and pulling energy from a small battery is crazy so power consumption is a big deal, will test it and let you know how that works out.
Having just tested my Starlink in an off-grid location in Nevada for 10 days with nights down to single digits, I will be doing the power conversion. I installed only a 3000wh battery out of 6000wh for the testing. I see a huge advantage in not having to use the inverters. The only thing I would have changed is your flat mount; I would have the option to tilt it. I see some do this with the solar panels as well. I will have to play with the snow melt settings
Man you are a genius, thanks!
I’m running the same 12v setup and router and I can tell you I hate it. I’m constantly having issue getting connected. I’ve played with boot order and timing and it just sucks. When I’ need it to work I just plug in the original setup….having said that I power it off a 24v to 115v 600w inverter. One day hopefully I get it sorted….12v saves me about 3% of power overnight vs the 24v inverter. Thanks for the video.😊
Acabei de comprar a minha Starlink e fico feliz em saber como ela é por dentro, kkkkkk, muito bom a legenda em português, obrigado.,ja me inscrevi
The first person that pronounced WiFi correctly. wi-fee is the correct prononunciation as it comes from Wireless (wi sound) fidelity (fee sound). Nice.
el guifi
Not actually the case. From Wikipedia below (the td;lr; version) (Encyclopedia Britannica & Oxford dictionary also have references. The Cambridge dictionary gets it wrong...)
"The name Wi-Fi, commercially used was coined by the brand-consulting firm Interbrand. The Wi-Fi Alliance had hired Interbrand to create a name that was "a little catchier than 'IEEE 802.11b Direct Sequence'." According to Phil Belanger, a founding member of the Wi-Fi Alliance, the term Wi-Fi was chosen from a list of ten names that Interbrand proposed. Interbrand also created the Wi-Fi logo. The yin-yang Wi-Fi logo indicates the certification of a product for interoperability.
The name Wi-Fi is not short-form for 'Wireless Fidelity',[34] although the Wi-Fi Alliance did use the advertising slogan "The Standard for Wireless Fidelity" for a short time after the brand name was created...
WiFuh
Really good
That’s is awesome wish we could have done it before our van was fully built lol
One benefit to being super delayed on the van haha
wow that looks very goood
Excellent video.
Thanks Patrick!!!
ngl, when you said Wifi satelite at like 0:50 you trigered my flight or fight responds, that could not have been more wrong xD
Hola buenas tardes amigo, me encantó tu video y necesito de tu ayuda, el mío lo quiero fijar en una base en el techo de mi casa, pero quiero poner un tornillo por debajo del botón para quitarlo de la base, la pregunta es si por debajo de ese botón que extrae la antena no hay algún chip o cable que pueda llegar a dañar
terimakasih sudah berbagi
Mounting it on my roof would not be my choice, same as my solar... that decision means you must always park in open sky AKA direct sun. Keeping it portable and easily stowed means you can park in the shade where possible and set the dish remotely where it gets signal.
Question... since you are not using the starlink router, does the starlink app no longer work as well? To see connection/obstruction and network throughput / latency tracking?
Great video as always 🙂 Just wish the mount wasn’t so expensive 😅
nice, i want one
You should run it with the Starlink router and then your travel router to see if that’s reducing speed.
This as a network specialist was my thought. The starling router is most likely optimized for the dish.
Couldn't agree more, a comparison between both, is the only way to know for sure!
I curious about this as well
I would be more suspicious of the 48v booster being the cause of the lower speed. I believe the one you used creates a lot of "noise" and interferes with the Ethernet. At least that's what I'm thinking for my conversion so I'm switching to a cleaner 48v booster.
@@dkb4x4 hi, what booster did you get in the end? Are you happy with your setup?
3 amps thats a lot for somethign that will be on 24/7 ish IMO. I would be tapping into that starlink router it will have a AC to DC board dropping it down to the voltages required it will save a huge mess of POE injectors and a router keeping the setup clean. I'm willing to bet someone has already modded the router for this application. Honestly at 3A a small 50W cheap inverter would have been similar. Also that ferrite core plays a big part in keeping noise / interference down I wouldn't have smashed that off the cable you can buy clip on ones to replace it I would. Nice install the cable glands look cool I will check them out and hopefully you look into alternative ways to get a more clean setup.
Converting AC to DC will always be more inefficient than converting 12Vdc to 48vdc for POE.
The CAT6 cable to dish is shielded so interference is negligible. I didn't bother replacing the ferrite bead.
I wonder if the 12v to 48v converter is significantly more efficient than a good 12v to 120v inverter. Note the heat sink fins on your converter to dissipate wasted energy.
The Everlanders did this about 3 months ago, a bit more involved, I think they also got the power draw down a little. Let's hope Starlink are watching and consider making a version that's more appropriate for mobile use without costing a fortune...
they already have a flat mount version, but it's $$$
They do have a mobile solution, but want to charge you a fortune. Dude has to go live on Mars, and that is not cheap.
I was thinking of getting that adapter. Good to know it works. What sort of upload speeds do you get? I need at least about 7mps for video conferences.
just use mikrotik router .... love the video!!!
Great work ! , is not a magnet is a ferrite bead.
Great video. Do you have to configure the new router before using it, like putting in a password and such? Thanks.
Now the dish can't follow the satellites 👍😅
It doesn't. Phased array handles all that. It only moves to view the most open spot in the sky.
Thanks . I think Starlink should make a customized version of this dish for vans and motor homes.
They do. It's called Starlink In-motion. It's stupidly expensive, and still requires AC power.
The max power is based on heating AND motor moving, which is up to 150w. The motor uses very little power so when it's heating which you can disable in settings, you might hit 130w w/o motor, it will spike to 80-90w during startup but only for very short time, seems to be a tiny bit random i've seen it last for 15 seconds to 2minutes, w/o the motor moving in warm 70f+ weather.
Internet police here.
Mbps = Mega BITS per second.
(Internet speed)
.
MBps = Mega BYTES per second
.
8 BITS = 1 BYTE
.
😉
Ooopsies!!! 😅
Impressive! 👏🏻👍🏻
Thank you!
Nice video, a few months ago I used a multi tool and it cut very clean….
I made my own mount on the roof in the same spot! I had a little mini inverter that plugs in a cigarette lighter power so I don’t have to turn on the main inverter…..problem was here in nj speeds were getting so slow and prices went up I paused the service and got the t-mobile home internet for $50 a month and getting so much faster speed….
I may have to turn Starlink back on when I travel in the fall…
Love it!! I’m planning on getting t-mobile after the summer! Heard great things about it but it won’t work in Canada. It’s definitely the move for domestic eastern states!
@@MathersOnTheMap yes and when I go somewhere I can always turn Starlink back on …
That’s the move!
Wasn't going to comment until 8/1... but that was before I knew you were planning a networking/engineering vlog! 🤣
Satellite Dish, wireless routers, WAN, LAN, ethernet cables, RJ45 connectors... all good stuff in the tech world...👍
Voiding the warranty was a nice touch... 👍👍
Enjoyed watching the process... 👀
Enough kudos... back to work 😅... July 🧨is almost upon us...
This little project was really fun, I enjoyed it! Lot of work to do in July!!!! Can't wait to start traveling again
This is awesome. I love how sleek the setup is. Can Starlink support a "smart home" setup in a van? Can you easily stay connected 24/7 if you have power?
Have you noticed a reduction in performance by being horizontal all of the time?
I would be more worried about that travel access point, it looks very cheap and it might be only 2.4ghz wifi so that's why he got such a low speed.
@@25566 2.4ghz is more than enough for this. I don't think starlink would bother with a motorized stand unless it improved performance.
2.4 ghz can produce 450 mbps, relax.
@@41Atatsiakonly if you have a router with a chip in it to be able to bring in an 4.5 ghz line off of cat 6E guarantee that router is a 1ghz router with 100mbs max
My first thought would have been that if it acts like a satellite dish, then it would need to be angled just like the motorised stand that moves the dish to locate and lock on to the signal. The speed that it is giving is much slower as it's always horizontal and not directly connected to the starlink LEO
"EV fm Steelmanville........Well done!
Thanks Joe!!!!
You can get a 12vdc Input Poe injector from tycon power 12 to 48 poe
Yes, but then you need to cut and re-crimp the Starlink CAT6 cables. Read the video title again.
Great dishy modification. The mounting effort not so much. First video I have watched that explains a direct 12V dishy mod. I wish you had shown more detail but I suppose it's documented on Oleg's page.
Have you worked out the Ah consumption difference between your modified setup and using the original router with something like a 150W Pure Sine inverter?
Can you advise make and model details on the RV flat unit u used to mount the cut down Starlink antenna....
Thanx
Will be interested to see if with repeated heating and cooling and rain will reveal humidity making its way into the housing and condensing on the circuit board and rendering it non-functional!
Please post an update after a year of use!
how is that a stationary dish can get the best reception when the app rotates the dish correctly? do you have keep moving the van according to the app before you finally park?
do you notice any performance trade-off for flat mounted antenna versus the original motorized tilting antenna?
Megabits/sec, not Megabytes/sec. 200 Mbps (megabits/sec) is approximately 22 Mbps (megabytes/sec).
Mb is Megabit, MB is MegaByte (By eight). The capitals are crucial here :)
The dishes are not meant to articulate and change its dish position?
Flat mount worked as the same?
Very well done, i will shamelessly copy, we do have a cellular internet system from Insty Connect and looks like I might be able to use my existing router. Any data on downland/upload speeds on the flat mount vs tilted?
Should work with any router you’ll be good 👌🏻 I haven’t really tested it to be honest
You could also use 12-volt powered routers and skip the USB Power Conversion thing
Plexiglass is adding attenuation of the signal so the system become more sensitive to the weather conditions unfortunately. I assume it will be good to make a frame around the dish front and seal it around. Also the connection is under the question as soon as the mobile setup means vibration need to secure it additionaly. IMHO
The problem with putting it on the roof is you can’t park in the shade in the summer. Good thing to do would make it so you can still easily pull it from the roof and move it. Just a thought though.
This same installation configuration, can I install it on a motorcycle using its own battery?
The gen3 will require no cutting since it''s flat?
Can I use the home link and use it as a mobile device in the vehicle?
do you think it work also good in holland and travel in europa
Will this run on a 12v 10amp circuit will snow mount disabled?
Have you had issues with condensation at all ?
Mine stopped working
But the Stand has 3 holes you could of Mounted Direct to the top of the Van? unless that isn't a good idea? gives you the Flexibility of changing the angle and suchlike?
Have you solved the issue of Wi-Fi calling not working with that router and Starlink?
What's the power draw on this. I remember the standard is meant to be 50-75W and the performance 110-150. Similar numbers running on 12v?
So you can only.camp in open spaces?? What if you camp in thick bush with no sky view, mounting it is great but it limits your campimg??
Great vid! Is it possible to connect the 12v-48v component to a 12v cigarette lighter connection?
thanks! Yes it would as long as the cigarette lighter can handle 12 amps (if you use the snow melt feature)
Depends on the country is cheaper or expensive the service. I tested. In NY 150 dollars if i order for dominican republica is $50 crazy ah!?
if would be funny if Musk put a dye that pops if someone unplug the cable after cutting into it. hahaha.
Nice work!
Hey - Can you show how the switch powers the USB?
I wonder if it was still work even with the motor and everything in tact . For example, not even cutting into the dish but everything after where the type c plugs into the POE and everything else 12 V and the 48 converter can power the motor inside the dish. I’m wondering if it will work
Yes it would 👌🏻👍🏻
What is the black component between the switch and the pocket router? Just a powered USB-C port?
Yup! Just a usb charger
How does it rotate to find the satieties if it is fixed in one position?
It doesn’t. It’s permanently compromised now.
If I wanted to use 12v power, wouldn't buying a pure sine wave inverter have been better?
That was a very informative Video. Awesome job. I need the Star Link for my Overlander DIY Camper i am building so i can work from anywhere as well as you guys. Has the Star Link been working to your expectations?? Tha k you for the video.
Thank you! Yes we've been using it non stop in Newfoundland, haven't turned it off in over a week,. Works when driving too
with this setup do you still have to pay for starlink membership while your not using the starlink router
Super nice install, looks great! Does the plexiglass cover not interfere with the signal from the dishy? Would love to see a follow up speedtest once you get it permanently installed and running!
dosnt interfere but greatly reduces speed and increases latency
@@WillBilly. If it is reducing the speed and increasing latency then it does interfere with the dishy, just would like to see a before/after speedtest to see how badly it gets reduced due to the cover.
@@ThaMonkeyClaw as in the plexiglass dosnt effect it but the stationary flat mounting does. I have one, if i have a slow week ill run some tests.
Originally the cable plugs into the dishy inside the metal pipe for extra water protection. Your port is exposed to the elements, is it water tight enough ?
🤞🏻
Friend one question, where i Can buy the kit for make it?
A super fast way to cut the back off of your dish is to use a table saw. Mount a piece of plywood (appx. 10" X 24") to the fence of a table saw. Then adjust the fence to match the Starmount. Adjust the blade height so it's just cutting through the plastic. The actual cutting part only takes a couple minutes and leaves a smooth flat surface. No sanding required.
Also, are you sure it's 3D printed? Mine was machined out of a thick piece of plastic.
Damn that’s a solid way to go, I’d be scared it catches something and just completely destroys it!
I think your right it’s solid plastic and cnc routed actually
WAN rhymes with "fan" :)
Hi. Great video! I am curious about what is the other white device, right besides the Starlink antenna in the roof of the van? Cheers.
Thanks! It’s a MaxxFan! (Roof vent fan)
@@MathersOnTheMap oh! Thanks!
the ethernet adapter by starlink original is at the moment much cheaper then the thrid party stuff, they charge up to 150€ here in germany
But doesn't let you use 12V DC
So it uses less power? How many watts tho?
One thing I'd like to point out, as it's a trigger of mine just like people referring to any and all tablets as 'ipads':
You keep talking about 'wifi'... but that's not a synonym for 'internet'.
Starlink provides internet. Your home ISP provides internet.
Just because you choose to make use of that internet via wifi that doesn't mean you can just call it wifi.
The speed of your wifi is not just limited by what your ISP can provide but also the quality of your wifi router, quality of the wifi chip & antennas in your device(s), and the distance/interference between the two.
Hey,
Have you been using this afterwise? How have your latency and upload and download speeds been?
In the video there was a significant drop but that might have been just a random coincidence.
Great! check us out on instagram made a reel about it instagram.com/reel/Cwh_qb-o4h6/?igshid=MzY1NDJmNzMyNQ==
Thanks a lot 🎉 Would you want to share the latencies as well? Or did it just affect the download speeds for you?