The Mini dish is extremely versatile due to its size, but also because it can be powered in a variety of ways. Unlike previous Starlink’s, the Mini can run directly from a DC power source. The DC input jack supports 12V-48V, making it compatible with a variety of battery systems, power stations, and power banks.
I have a really fun project to share with you in this post. When the Mini was announced, I saw several social media comments suggesting it would be perfect for emergency backup internet, like during power outages or natural disasters. So I picked up a few products to create what I call the Starlink Emergency Kit.Table of Contents
- The goal
- Kit components
- Deploying the Starlink Emergency Kit
- How long will the battery last?
- How fast is the Mini?
- Final thoughts
The goal
The purpose of this Starlink Emergency Kit is to enable critical communication when the grid goes down or you travel outside of cell phone range. This is not a kit that allows you to stream movies for 3 days during a power outage. You’ll need a big battery and solar for that. Instead, this kit is designed to give you several hours of internet in an emergency situation, when basic Wifi calling, texting, and internet are necessary to stay safe.
Imagine for a moment you are driving on a remote 4×4 trail. You suffer a mechanical failure that can’t be repaired. You can’t get a cell phone signal. Thankfully, you have the Starlink Emergency Kit tucked away in your rig. You pull out the case, plug in the dish, and you have Wifi calling within minutes.
I wanted this kit to be ultra-portable, extremely simple, and lightweight. It’s the kind of gear you pack away, hoping to never need. The kit can be carried on an airplane, stored in an RV or vehicle, or even stowed in a backpack.
Kit components
When the Mini came out, I thought it would be perfect for this kit. It doesn’t use very much power and it’s extremely small. Since it can run off USB-C, a portable power bank would be an easy battery solution to power the Mini for several hours. I also chose a tough storage case that would protect all the gear during storage and transport. Here is what I used:
- Starlink Mini – You won’t need the entire Starlink Mini kit. You can ditch the included DC power cord, AC wall adapter, and pipe adapter. All you need is the dish itself. Starlink Mini can be ordered directly from Starlink, or from 3rd party retailers. It’s currently selling at Home Depot for $599.
- Power Bank – Providing power for the Mini is the Anker Prime 20,000mAh power bank. This Anker Prime power bank supports the USB-C PD requirements of the Mini. It can output up to 100 watts through either of the USB-C ports, plenty for the 60 watts max input of the Mini. With 20,000mAh of capacity, it can power a Starlink Mini for about 3-5 hours.
- USB-C Power Cable – To use a USB-C port to power the Mini, you need a DC55211 to USB-C adapter cable. The power port on the Mini is DC5521, so I found a cable that goes from that to USB-C. The cable is only a few feet long, but you can pick up an extension cable if you think you need additional length.
- Storage Case – To keep everything organized and protected, I chose the Pelican 1470 case. It’s just big enough to accommodate the components of this Starlink Emergency Kit. It includes foam that is actually the perfect size to cushion the Mini and other gear. I didn’t have to cut or modify anything.
Deploying the Starlink Emergency Kit
In an emergency situation, simplicity is key. Deploying the Mini and this kit is quick and easy:
- Open the case
- Plug the power cable into the Mini dish and point it towards open sky
- Plug the power cable into one of the USB-C ports on the Anker power bank
- Everything turns on automatically. Give the Mini several minutes to boot up
- Once fully booted, connect to the Mini’s Wifi network
If you prefer to keep your service plan paused until needed, you’ll have one extra step. After the Mini boots up, open the Starlink app to activate your subscription. After that, you’ll be online within a few minutes.
How long will the battery last?
The Anker Prime 20,000mAh power bank I chose for the kit will power the Starlink Mini for 3-5 hours, depending on several factors. If you are using a lot of data, especially uploading, it will use more power. If you don’t have open sky above, or there is precipitation, the Mini will use more power to get a better signal.
3-5 hours is enough to provide basic communication through your cell phone’s internet functions. You can even charge your cell phone from the extra ports on the power bank. This emergency backup kit isn’t designed to keep you online for days, just enough to get connected so you can establish basic communication. If used intermittently on an as-needed basis, this kit can provide power for several days.
If you think you need more capacity, Anker makes a 27,650mAh power bank. You can also plan to recharge or supplement with solar or vehicle power.
How fast is the Mini?
In my testing, this emergency kit with the Starlink Mini was able to download above 100 Mbps and upload over 10 Mbps, at around 25 ms latency. That’s incredible when you really think about it. A few years ago, before Starlink, I would have killed for 100/10 Mbps internet at my home. Now I have that kind of connection self-contained in a tiny case, easily deployable virtually anywhere on the planet!
To learn more about the Mini’s performance, check out my full Starlink Mini review.
Final thoughts
I hope you found this as interesting as I did. The Starlink Mini dish is an incredible device, useful in many different applications. This Starlink Emergency Kit is just one example, so I hope you can take some of these components and ideas to create something for your own situation.
Let me know what you think in the comments below. I’m open to suggestions so that we can improve this kit further. If this inspires you to create your own kit, I’d love to hear about it.
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