Flatfish
Newbie
Posts: 14
Registered: 3-18-2024
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Starlink Mini
Seriously considering getting a Starlink Mini. $385 for the hardware and $50/month roaming plan. The hiccup is that Starlink says “ For customers in
Japan & Mexico, in-motion use of Starlink on land is prohibited due to local regulations.” Not sure exactly what this means. Can the passenger
use it since they aren’t driving? Or is the software locked out while driving? Anyone?
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 65150
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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On Starlink Mini now as a passenger. Used it the past three days in Baja. It is a U S purchased system, however.
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StuckSucks
Super Nomad
Posts: 2342
Registered: 10-17-2013
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A month ago we made a two-week loop around the entire length of Baja and the Starlink Mini worked flawlessly the entire time.
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StuckSucks
Super Nomad
Posts: 2342
Registered: 10-17-2013
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A speed test for Starlink reveals 194MB down, 37MB up, respectable speeds for remote Baja (or anywhere).
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Timo1
Senior Nomad
Posts: 750
Registered: 11-2-2007
Location: Homeless
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Mood: Lovin every minute of it
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Pardon my ignorance but is the only advantage for the mini is to be able to use it while driving ?? Is there any other reason to own one ?? I have the
normal size Starlink and it's fine (for me)
sold out and got out !!!
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chippy
Super Nomad
Posts: 1733
Registered: 2-2-2010
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Quote: Originally posted by Timo1  | Pardon my ignorance but is the only advantage for the mini is to be able to use it while driving ?? Is there any other reason to own one ?? I have the
normal size Starlink and it's fine (for me)
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I also have a starlink gen2 and have been thinking about the mini. The advantages I see are size, no clunky remote modem and they can operate with 12v
using half the power.
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BooJumMan
Senior Nomad
Posts: 914
Registered: 8-11-2007
Location: San Diego
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| Quote: Originally posted by Timo1 | Pardon my ignorance but is the only advantage for the mini is to be able to use it while driving ?? Is there any other reason to own one ?? I have the
normal size Starlink and it's fine (for me)
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Yes, it has in-motion ability (Seems to work 90% of the time for me through Baja) and I have it wired to my LiFePO4 12V battery bank. Modem/Router is
also within the dish itself, so you just plug in the dish to a wall or a 12V input and thats it. The only apparent downside is slightly reduced
bandwidth compared to a full sized Starlink dish.
In that pre-Google Earth and social media epoch, The Code was adhered to. It was based on a simple verity: if a locale had been transformational for
you, and you had put the hard yards in to get there and to learn it, to know it, why in god�s name would you broadcast the news, thus ruining the
future experience not only for yourself, but for future adventurers?
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SFandH
Elite Nomad
Posts: 7219
Registered: 8-5-2011
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I bought a Mex mini for my place in Baja. The main reason was that it uses about half the power of the standard dish. The phone app consistently shows
about 22 watts. This is important to me because I only have solar panels and batteries for power.
The dish works fine - no buffering when watching streaming video. Plus, I like that there are only three components: the dish, the power brick, and
the cable connecting them. The modem/router is in the dish.
I don't use it in mobile situations.
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dtbushpilot
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3294
Registered: 1-11-2007
Location: Buena Vista BCS
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Mood: Tranquilo
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I have a MX based mini on the roof of my van. Been on a southwest US wander for a couple of weeks, it works great stationary and in motion in Baja and
the US. Watched a Netflix movie from a state park campsite in Cimarron NM last night.
[Edited on 5-14-2025 by dtbushpilot]
"Life is tough".....It's even tougher if you're stupid.....
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geoffff
Senior Nomad
Posts: 691
Registered: 1-15-2009
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Very cool! How sturdy is that antenna? Does it have to be mounted at a particular angle?
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dtbushpilot
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3294
Registered: 1-11-2007
Location: Buena Vista BCS
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Mood: Tranquilo
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I bought a Stargear magnetic mount on Amazon. Very strong magnets. The tilt angle is a little less than the standard mount and when I check alignment
it shows that the tilt angle is incorrect. The alignment is always incorrect as well, I would have to drive in a circle to get it correct and only
drive in that direction for it to be perfect 😅. The signal strength varies of course but always works pretty well. I’ve been road-tripping for a
couple of weeks, no issues, no way it is going to blow off the roof.
"Life is tough".....It's even tougher if you're stupid.....
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HeyMulegeScott
Senior Nomad
Posts: 714
Registered: 8-25-2009
Location: Orygone/Mulege
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Looks like you can still my the Mexican mini for the equivalent of $256 US/5000 pesos. They jacked up the roam unlimited to 2000 pesos a month though.
It does say in the terms that you can use in motion - Use in motion is permitted at speeds up to 100 mph (160 km/h), regardless of hardware.
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chippy
Super Nomad
Posts: 1733
Registered: 2-2-2010
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I just bought the mini at Home Depot Colima for 4,999 mxn. I didn't know until setup (I got the itinerante/roam) that they actually have a 50mb option
for 900 mxn . Stoked to get rid of the gen2 setup!
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HeyMulegeScott
Senior Nomad
Posts: 714
Registered: 8-25-2009
Location: Orygone/Mulege
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Yep that's 50GB which could go pretty quick depending on your data use. They say on the website you can buy extra gigs but don't have a price.
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chippy
Super Nomad
Posts: 1733
Registered: 2-2-2010
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| Quote: Originally posted by HeyMulegeScott |
Yep that's 50GB which could go pretty quick depending on your data use. They say on the website you can buy extra gigs but don't have a price.
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Yes I thought about that but I don´t really use much data. I don´t live stream much if at all plus I won´t be using it more than a couple of weeks
per month.
If I do go over I'll post up the costs.
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StuckSucks
Super Nomad
Posts: 2342
Registered: 10-17-2013
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| Quote: Originally posted by HeyMulegeScott |
Yep that's 50GB which could go pretty quick depending on your data use. They say on the website you can buy extra gigs but don't have a price.
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My US Mini is 50$ for 50GB, then 1$ per gig after that. You need to opt in for the additional data -- if not, when you hit 50GB, you are shut down for
the month.
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Salsa
Nomad
Posts: 177
Registered: 2-4-2003
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I don't need one, but I found a new one on Ebay for $356 and they warned of a $300 charge for USA costumers. I Queried and found they were for Latin
American customers (No $300).
Don
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