When it comes to mobile Internet, Starlink has taken the RV community by storm. Not only is Starlink affordable and fast, but setup is simple and quick. Utilizing a massive, ever-expanding low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation that now numbers over 10,000 satellites, Starlink offers reliable global coverage with an easy, DIY installation for RV owners. This means that no matter where you setup camp, you’ll most likely have connectivity. Starlink is also easy to purchase and get started. After purchasing our Starlink Mini system for $249 from Home Depot, we were up and surfing within 30 minutes.
At present, Starlink offers two data plans for mobile use: a $50 Roam plan and a $165 unlimited data plan. Of these, we opted to go with Starlink’s $50 Roam plan that provides 100 GB of high-speed data, double the previous 50 GB cap. Designed for occasional travel and camping, the Roam plan offers land-based roaming in over 150 countries, and reverts to unlimited low-speed (under 1 Mbps) data once the cap has been exceeded. Not only do the more-expensive Roam plans offer in-motion use, but you can also put your service “on hold” for only a $5.00 monthly service fee, then activate it again when you need it.
Two Starlink systems can be purchased for home and RV use: the larger, more robust Gen 3 system or the smaller, more compact Mini. For our EOG Godzilla-Kingstar Rig we opted to go with the Starlink Mini system. Why? We explained the reasoning in a recent article, but for the purposes of this review it really comes down to three reasons. First, the Starlink Mini dish is twice as small as the Gen 3 dish, making it ideal for RV use. Second, a separate router isn’t needed for Starlink Mini because the router is built-in to the Mini dish itself. Third, the Starlink Mini requires less power to operate. On average, the Starlink Mini uses 12-25 watts 12 volts DC or 9 watts DC at idle, making it ideal for 12 volt use as long as heavier gauge wire is used to reduce line loss. In contrast, Starlink Gen 3 requires a lot more power to operate with an average consumption between 48-63 watts 12 volts DC and 12 watts DC at idle.
Trio Speedmount Description and Specs
While the Starlink Mini comes with a detachable pole mount for home and RV use, many Starlink users prefer a more permanent, roof-top solution and that includes us. For our truck camper, we opted to go with Trio’s Starlink Mini Speedmount. Manufactured of UV-resistant ASA injection-molded plastic, the Speedmount weighs less than 2 pounds, is only 1.9 inches high, and comes in two colors: white and black. Assembly is easy too. Simply slide the two pieces into place around the dish and tighten the stainless steel bolts into the stainless steel nylon locknuts. What’s great about the Trio Speedmount is that it can be used either in motion or stationary at your campsite. The Trio Speedmount unit sells for $150 on Trio’s website.
Several mounting options are offered by Trio. These include rubber-coated magnets, VHB metal landing pads, suction cups, bolting kits, or a combination of the above. Having several mounting options is important because, as we all know, truck camper roofs are made of all kinds of materials such as fiberglass, aluminum, stainless steel, composites, and rubber EPDM.
Trio’s Speedmount doesn’t offer bulletproof protection for the Mini dish, but it’s darn near close. Manufactured using industrial-grade plastic, the Speedmount not only protects the Mini dish all all four sides, but with an overall height of less than 2 inches, it’s also a low profile mounting solution. For those of who like to explore far off the beaten path on heavily-forested dirt roads, this is an important consideration. Need even more protection for the dish? Trio has that covered too by offering a strong, 4.5mm polycarbonate/lexan cover to protect the face of the dish from tree branches, bird droppings, tree sap, etc.
As for the power needed to operate the Starlink Mini, you have two basic options. You can either go with Starlink’s 120 volt AC to 48 volt DC option that comes with the Starlink Mini or you can forego the OEM AC to DC conversion altogether and go with straight 12 volt DC wiring instead. Trio offers a 15-foot cable for 12 volt operation with three types of connections: bare wire leads, ring terminals, or a cigarette lighter plug (we opted to go with the bare wire leads for our install). Minimizing the length of the wiring run to your camper’s 12 volt power is important because the wire used in Starlink’s and Trio’s DC wiring is only 18 gauge (more about this later).
Trio Speedmount Starlink Installation
Truth be told, installing the Trio Speedmount to the roof of our Kingstar KRUZR 8 camper was quick and easy. As a matter of fact, it was the easiest part of the installation. Since our wood-framed camper features a stainless steel, non-magnetic roof, we elected to go with a combination of rubber coated magnets and metal pads affixed to the roof using VHB tape. Some may balk at the thought of using tape on the roof, but VHB isn’t just any old tape. VHB tape is exceptionally strong and has a long and successful track record with solar panel installations on Airstream travel trailers and fiberglass truck campers like those made by Northern Lite. Compared to the standard 100 watt or 200 watt solar panel, the Trio Speedmount is a fraction of the size and weight. Surface prep, of course, is vital when using VHB tape. To clean the surface, we simply used rubbing alcohol and a microfiber cloth.
As with any roof-top installation, finding a watertight way to get the wiring inside the camper is probably the hardest part of the installation, but for us it was rather easy. The Peplink system in our Kingstar camper already had a flue, so we simply used this as the entry point for the Starlink wiring. We simply ran the protected wires underneath a nearby solar panel into the flue itself. What made this entry point even better is that we already had a 12 volt power source in the Peplink bay. The total wiring run length from the Mini dish to the 12 volt power source was about 14 feet.
Even though the Starlink Mini doesn’t consume much power when in idle, leaving it on during the night or when in storage doesn’t make much sense. Yes, our camper has a pretty beefy Epoch 460 amp hour lithium battery, but why drain that beefy battery when you don’t have to? The battery needs to run the DC compressor refrigerator overnight, so reducing the overall load on the battery makes sense. To solve this problem, we installed a simple rocker switch which we mounted on the face of the overhead cabinet above the sofa. To protect the Starlink system itself and the associated wiring, we also installed an inline fuse.
The Verdict
The Trio Speedmount Starlink Mini is a terrific, all-in-one mounting solution for your Starlink Mini. The rugged, low-profile mount not only excels in rugged, off-road environments, but remains rock solid at 80 mph highway speeds. Another great thing about this mount is that it can be removed rather easily for use in another rig or at home because it is affixed to the roof of our camper using magnets. Overall, we’d have to classify the installation of the Trio Speedmount as pretty easy, though for some the difficulty might be a bit harder if another, more difficult way is needed to pass the wiring into the camper. Still, this particular truck camper mod isn’t that difficult, making it ideal for a weekend project that can be completed within a couple of hours.
Although I’ve had my mini for a few years it needs to be properly aligned for best reception, this mount doesn’t do that, has something changed with the mini?
No, but like you said, it must be aligned for the best reception. In our experience, being misaligned a few degrees doesn’t make a huge difference.