How I turned the Starlink Mini into an almost perfect off-grid internet solution

If you need to be connected to the internet but there’s no Wi-Fi or cellular signal nearby, and not even an Ethernet port in sight, then you have to look up to the skies — to the satellites whooshing 340 miles above your head at dizzying speeds.

I’ve tried a number of systems, from basic messenger units like the Garmin inReach Messenger Plus and Spot X to satellite routers like the Iridium Go!, and while they have their place, they come with some pretty severe limitations (cost, data transfer speeds, and overall flexibility are high on that list). This is why I’ve been trialing the Starlink Mini a portable satellite comms unit that is a dish and Wi-Fi router all built into a small package measuring 11.75 inches by 10.2 inches and 1.45 inches thick.

Also: The best satellite phones you can buy

All you need to do is find a clear patch of sky, add power, and you’re surfing the web again (or whatever the kids say these days).

But it’s that “add power” bit that can become a bit tricky when you are miles away from a power outlet.

There are solutions

If you have a vehicle handy, then you can use the car’s 12V system to power the dish (drawbacks here are that you could run the battery flat, leaving you stranded), or haul a power station around with you.

Also: The best power banks you can buy

Don’t have a convenient vehicle and your options become more limited. A power station is the obvious choice, but hauling even the smallest one becomes tedious pretty quickly (ask me how I know), and it is overkill if all you want is a few hours of runtime.

My solution is to power the Starlink Mini dish using a power bank and a suitable USB-C to DC cable. Starlink’s own specs say the Mini dish needs a minimum of a 100W (20V/5A) power source, but goes on to say that the dish “will not work with USB PD ratings below 65W (12-48V),” suggesting that a 65W USB-C power bank will work.

This is where things get a little vague

Thanks to my work, I have many power banks, from big ones to small ones and everything in between. So imagine my surprise when I purchased a suitable cable, grabbed the nearest 100W power bank, and found that my Starlink Mini dish wouldn’t power up. Well, it would power up and then immediately turn off.

Weird.

Trying more power banks, things got a little better. I found that some power banks had no problems powering the dish, while others, for whatever reason (and I’m still investigating this), wouldn’t work despite having the appropriate power rating.

Thinking that my cable might be the problem, I purchased a few more (after all, who doesn’t need half a dozen cables to power a single satellite dish?) and found that the cables make a difference. All the cables I tested were sold as capable of delivering the 100W the dish needs, but some are better than others. Even with the right cable, it can be hit or miss, and that’s because cable length, the thickness of the cable, and the ambient air temperature that the power bank has to operate in all play a part.

Keep the cable as short as possible

The longer the cable, the more likely you will encounter problems. So, my advice is to keep the cable as short as possible.

Also: The best portable power stations you can buy

I also tried a bunch of USB-C wall chargers and had much greater success here. Every charger I tried that could output 65W or more worked fine. It seemed far less cable-dependent. While this kind of defeats the purpose of replacing the supplied wall charger with a different one, it’s good to know as a backup.

I’ve tested quite a few power banks with the Starlink Mini, and while this shouldn’t be considered a comprehensive list, I found that Anker power banks, like the 737 or Prime 27,650mAh, or the bigger, beefier SOLIX C300 DC, to be the most reliable for powering the dish. 

The best system I’ve tested for off-grid internet

If you want to build your own off-grid satellite internet system, test all your gear before you find yourself off-grid. You might have a power bank that will work just fine, or you might need to spend the money and find one that works for you.

Despite the rough edges, kinks, and speed bumps, this remains the best system I’ve tested for off-grid internet. Even if you don’t have off-grid adventures planned, having the right cable and power bank could allow you to continue accessing the internet in the event of a power cut. A power bank such as the  24,000mAh Anker 737 can give you about four hours of internet connectivity before it needs to be recharged. Smaller power banks will give you less runtime, while larger ones or power stations will give you much more.

You decide.