When the first images of the StarLink mini popped up in social media I was a bit sceptic if this really could be the ultimate road warrior kit. Pretty small dish size (smaller as my 16″ MacBook Pro). Also would it be available in Germany anytime soon? Surprisingly it was almost on day zero. So upcoming summer holiday was planned. What would it take to make it work – everywhere – even on the beach. After a bit of googling and YouTube research it became clear it requires only two additional things:
Additional accessories needed
- USB-C power source (ideally small size power bank
- USB-C PD trigger cable to barral jack adapter
The StarLink mini includes a small WiFi router build right into the dish and consumes only about 30-40 Watt, so I opted for an Anker 737 USB-C power bank with 24.000mAh. How long that will last I will publish in the second part, but not a real surprise pretty close to what you would calculate.
The USB-C to barrel jack adapter cable was a bit more tricky as the correct size was not that easy to find but I found a connector that works together with the supplied USB-C cable from my Anker power bank. StarLink is already mentioning a USB-C to barrel jack cable on their support site but is not yet available.
First real life testing
Putting everything together for a first test at my mums in Berlin. I was positively surprised about the easy to use set-up with the StarLink App. It makes sure you position the StarLink mini dish correctly. After a dozen updates finally I was able to achieve pretty impressive speeds of 145MBit/s down and 22MBit/s up. How will that compare to a bit more remote connection at a beach in the north of Germany. Is this really the ultimate road warrior kit – StarLink mini – let’s find it out in the 2nd part soon!
Below are some additional pictures of the StarLink unboxing and the testing rig set-up. Enjoy! /AlexJ
StarLink mini – Road Warrior gallery
