RV FEATURE
The kit comes with everything you need to convert your Starlink to 12V .
Then , in July last year , we bit the bullet and purchased Starlink , the Space X satellite internet service . Without a word of exaggeration , it changed our lives . We could finally get fast , reliable , unlimited internet access anywhere in the country for the same monthly cost as our previous mobile broadband service .
That said , one issue with Starlink was a constant frustration . The hardware is reliant on 240V mains power . What ’ s more , peculiarities in the hardware cabling meant we had to run the system outside , which wasn ’ t good for security or if the weather turned nasty . If I ran the router inside the van , I had to run the cable to the dish through an open window . Again , not ideal . I wanted to find a way to simplify the setup to negate these issues and a 12V conversion appeared to be the way to go .
CAN ’ T YOU JUST USE A SMALL INVERTER ?
The answer to that is yes but it doesn ’ t solve any of the problems we encountered . We still had to keep the router outside or run the cable through a window . Plus , there was an efficiency issue to consider .
The Starlink system uses 56V DC to power the dish . It does this using a protocol called Power Over Ethernet ( POE ). When you use the Starlink router powered from 240V , it converts the power to suit the dish . There are efficiencies in this process and you can tell that by the heat generated by the router . Put simply , it gets hot . That may not be a huge problem if you ’ re at a caravan park plugged into 240V mains power but , if you ’ re free-camping , that energy loss is eating into your batteries .
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