Starlink

[swklucia@aol.com]

I have been using mobile Starlink now for the past several months and it is awesome. I'm looking for others to share tips, tricks and troubleshooting should the occasion arise. Also, if you use Starlink, how did you run your cable into your coach? I am contemplating drilling an access hole into the side but haven't started that project yet. Did you do this and if so how did you manage putting a cover over the drill holes?

[dajolo]

I do not have Starlink however I have added both a Wingard 4G/Wi-Fi unit and a Weboost with antenna mounted on the roof and never drilled holes in it. Most RVs have a refrigerator vent on the roof. When the cover is removed a rather large straight down hole can be seen. This is where we routed the cables and drilled holes near the bottom into the cabinets, thus avoiding any more holes in the roof. That said, there are roof cable entry plates at many RV supply stores and some home improvement store for around $5.00-$9.00 

[kenjo426]

Where did buy your starlink?

[jgallego]

I purchased starlink a few weeks ago.  I am trying it out at home and it is working great.  We are taking the motor home out later this week so I am looking forward to setting it up at an rv park.  I have the rv version as my home is wait listed.  I plan I putting the router in one of the basement compartments.  I have purchased the Mesh Wifi Router from starlink  and it is working great in the house right now.  I plan on putting it inside the motor home.  I will not have to drill any holes this way. The cell phone also working great using the wifi connection.

Edited July 18, 2022 by jgallego

[jgallego]

11 minutes ago, kenjo426 said:

Where did buy your starlink?

You can only purchase it online at starlink.com 

 

[sklass]

A challenge with any routing solution will be the connections. If you don't want to "cut the cord" so to speak, you'll have to be constantly pulling the the connectors in and out. If you do cut the cord to make a clean connection between the inside and outside of the RV, you'll need to know what you're doing.

For now, we're passing the cable through the driver side window and 'sealing' that tiny space with pipe insulation (cut a slit in the insulation and hang it over the glass) when we're stopped.

While removing the connector from the Starlink router is fairly straightforward and relatively safe, there is ample evidence to suggest that the Dishy connection should remain in place at all times to avoid bending or breaking that metal connector. The proprietary connector wasn't designed for frequent disconnections, and there are plenty or reports of Dishy being "disconnected" from the router because its connection becomes compromised by frequent connections and disconnections. So I'm aiming to just leave that connection (to Dishy) in place all the time.

So far, so good, but it would be nice to not have to bring the wire in through the window. Alternatively, I think we could bring it in through the slide, but I am concerned about the wire getting crimped when the slide is fully extended. I've seen some installations where a RJ45 connector is used … it plugs into a port on the RV from Dishy and then inside it can be connected to the router. That way, you don't have to compromise either of the connections to Dishy or Router. You just have to be confident you can make the two RJ45 connections once you've cut the cord. Not in my limited IT skill set, though I suspect I should learn how …

 

Edited August 10, 2022 by sklass

[jgallego]

I just put my router is the basement compartment.  It works great there.  I also have a starlink mesh router inside that extends the router coverage area.  It has work great and given us some fast speeds.  The basement compartment has an area where the gasket come together and that is where I run the wire into the basement.  Love having good cellular wifi so we can use our phones in the area with no cellular signal.  It is also unlimited downloads.

Edited August 10, 2022 by jgallego