Starlink for RVs and Overlanding

starlink on an RV

Starlink? Ah yes… something to do with satellite internet and that Elon Musk guy? Exactly. It’s Musk’s SpaceX project to provide global, high-speed, satellite-based internet access at a reasonable price. Since Feb 2022 the system has become operational for fully mobile use, but not in motion. And the good news is that it will at some point in the not too distant future, be available for in motion use too. ‘Hey…‘ we thought ‘… let’s get a Starlink terminal for our truck and see how it works‘.

We’ve been using the system since April 2021 travelling full-time in our RV across Canada, USA and Mexico. Click on the links below for the geeky and not-so-geeky low-down:

  • Starlink for Overlanders – a non-geeky intro the system and our experience using Starlink on a mobile basis across Canada, USA and Mexico.
  • Modifying the Power Supply – a super-geek’s guide to saving the precious power of an RV battery by converting the power supply to run on AC and DC
  • Starlink Mobile Roaming – Starlink is no longer just a static system… we tested using our Starlink Portability for internet in our RV whilst driving.
  • Different Starlink Versions and Overlanding/Travel Use – SpaceX are now producing several different types of user terminals and accounts.  I have tried to summarise the key differences between them and considered the issues for Starlink RV use from an overlander’s perspective.
  • Starlink Power Over Ethernet (POE) Injector – If you’re a geek like me, there are several reasons why you might want to replace the standard router issued by Starlink. Here is the POE injector I designed and built.
  • Starlink 48V PSU adapter – To make converting the rectangular dish Starlink to DC easier I have designed a Starlink 48V PSU adapter PCB to install in place of the original mains power supply.

The system is super-easy to set-up/use and can provide high-speed data at a reasonable price, so it’s a potentially exciting development in the world of remote access to internet. But does it have long-term potential for overlanding use? For overlanders/van-lifers travelling in the right parts of the world, requiring large volume, high-speed internet – maybe because they’re working on the road, or maybe just because they want to do lots of vlogging, Zoom with their families or watch lots of Netflix on rainy nights – it could be the solution of the future. However, at the moment it still has some limitations and will not be attractive to everyone. Click on the links above to check-out whether it could work for you…

Here is the offical SpaceX Starlink availablity map: https://www.starlink.com/map

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