Starlink Mount

[dbsb3233]

Wow, you've done a lot of work for this. lol. Do you really need it to be mounted inside all the time? I guess for work or kids in bacK?

I just used mine all Summer in a ton of places. I have the Mini and throw it on a light stand...it only takes 2 minutes and obviously gives you more flexibility in moving it to find the best spot, even if your car is under trees in shade. I also have the PeakDo battery on there so no cable is even needed if under 3-4 hours of use. Most of the time, I'd just plug it in anyways so I could use overnight and not worry about the battery dying. Unlimited StarLink @ $175/month is a lot but was worth every penny considering no cell connection in many places out West.

(By the way, ONE TIME I used it without the stand in Northern California. I just put it in the grass. It worked fine. But thankfully I looked at it when I picked it up as a bunch of little bugs had crawled between the PeakDo battery & Starlink...assuming for the warmth. There were many and I'm SO SO happy I saw them before throwing the bug-infested device on my bed in back of the car. lol)

I'm sure your use case is different but thought I'd mention this in case others are considering the pluses/minuses of mounting vs a stand. I was going to mount (and have one un-used) and decided against it.

Need to be mounted outside on the roof, you mean? That's the only time we use it - during a road trip drive. It won't work from the inside thru the Gravity roof glass.

I guess I could just leave it on the roof when we're not on a road trip but I really don't need the Starlink when just driving around near home. We have good-enough cell service around home (via the phone for AA), and don't set up the TV for those short drives. Just the long road trip days. I'd rather take it down when we're not on a road trip, both in case someone tries to steal it, and because it looks kinda goofy on the roof. Worth it for a road trip drive day though.

 

[raleighone]

Sorry, I was unclear. I don't mount mine to the car. See my photo here on far right side. The PeakDo battery on there has a mounting point for a cheap light stand.

I will add you can close the back hatch on the cable at the top and it will not break the cable. I did this nearly every time camping...plugging into my power bank or the rear AC outlet.

 

[dbsb3233]

Sorry, I was unclear. I don't mount mine to the car. See my photo here on far right side. The PeakDo battery on there has a mounting point for a cheap light stand.

Ah, yes, much easier if just using it when parked. Can pretty much just set it anywhere.

If I were camping like that, I might just set it on the roof anyway, then just plug into the outlet and close the liftgate on the cord (I'm doing that now and it doesn't seem to have an issue running the cord through the liftgate gap). I looked at batteries but yeah, they only seem to hold 3-4 hours and I need 10+ for a drive day. But the outlet can stay on indefinitely even when the car is off (I think... not sure if there's a time-out but I think people have said they've left them on all night).

 

[drno]

So consensus is that starlink can work (with mixed success) if mounted to one of the rear windows or windshield (if not tinted?).

 

[bicycleguy]

So consensus is that starlink can work (with mixed success) if mounted to one of the rear windows or windshield (if not tinted?).

No on the windshield, tinted or not.

 

[dbsb3233]

Got back this week from a 3400 mile road trip (CO-TX-MS-TN) with the dish frequently mounted on the roof (outside). Worked like a champ. Very few signal drop-outs. I didn't have it mounted every day, but probably for 2000 miles of it. Only noticed 2 short drop-outs. Definitely better than the success rate of mounting it on the inside 2nd row window. That would probably still be fine if only using it for spot connections, but not for streaming video where frequent drop-outs ruin the experience.

The magnet feet and permanently sticking on the metal pads to the roof glass worked like a charm. Those things are so strong that there's no concern about the dish coming loose on it's own. It's even unlikely that anyone could figure out how to steal it, but I still took it down each night just in case. Between the Starlink and the VeritasVans mount, it would be $500 to replace. As I noted above, the easiest way I found to pry the magnet feet loose is carry a stick (I'm using a 1x2 furring strip that's about 30" long). I anchor one end on a front foot and leverage upward near a rear corner to break that foot loose, then do the same for the 2nd rear foot. Once the rear 2 are up, it's easy to angle the whole mount upward and forward to break the front 2 feet loose.

The metal disks stay on the roof glass permanently. They're noticeable if you're tall but not a big eyesore. Those sticky pads seem to be way stronger than the strong magnets, so I don't think there's much risk of me pulling them off when I pry the magnet feet up. We'll see if weathering affects that in a few years but I doubt it. I can always order more to replace them if needed.

Overall, it worked great.

 

[drno]

Got back this week from a 3400 mile road trip (CO-TX-MS-TN) with the dish frequently mounted on the roof (outside). Worked like a champ. Very few signal drop-outs. I didn't have it mounted every day, but probably for 2000 miles of it. Only noticed 2 short drop-outs. Definitely better than the success rate of mounting it on the inside 2nd row window. That would probably still be fine if only using it for spot connections, but not for streaming video where frequent drop-outs ruin the experience.

The magnet feet and permanently sticking on the metal pads to the roof glass worked like a charm. Those things are so strong that there's no concern about the dish coming loose on it's own. It's even unlikely that anyone could figure out how to steal it, but I still took it down each night just in case. Between the Starlink and the VeritasVans mount, it would be $500 to replace. As I noted above, the easiest way I found to pry the magnet feet loose is carry a stick (I'm using a 1x2 furring strip that's about 30" long). I anchor one end on a front foot and leverage upward near a rear corner to break that foot loose, then do the same for the 2nd rear foot. Once the rear 2 are up, it's easy to angle the whole mount upward and forward to break the front 2 feet loose.

The metal disks stay on the roof glass permanently. They're noticeable if you're tall but not a big eyesore. Those sticky pads seem to be way stronger than the strong magnets, so I don't think there's much risk of me pulling them off when I pry the magnet feet up. We'll see if weathering affects that in a few years but I doubt it. I can always order more to replace them if needed.

Overall, it worked great.

Have tried the suction cup option with the mount at all?

 

[RajD]

Are you sure your suction mount on the side window would not fit on the rear window of the GRavity? I have successfully gotten signal through that window with my Starlink angled like yours, but haven't done the clever mounting strategy you devised to have it there more permanently. It would be nice to not occupy a openable window with the starlink.

 

[drno]

Are you sure your suction mount on the side window would not fit on the rear window of the GRavity? I have successfully gotten signal through that window with my Starlink angled like yours, but haven't done the clever mounting strategy you devised to have it there more permanently. It would be nice to not occupy a openable window with the starlink.

Would you mind sharing a photo of your setup?

 

[dbsb3233]

Have tried the suction cup option with the mount at all?

Only briefly. I ordered both the suction cups and the magnet feet (it was only $10 more to get the combo, although the metal disks cost extra). At first I tried the suction cups, which are high quality and strong. But I only tried it around the neighborhood and a few miles on the interstate before deciding just to switch to the magnets. The suction cups probably hold just fine. There was no slippage or anything, just a little flex since they're rubber. But you do wanna clean the roof glass each time to ensure good suction, and I'd always have just a little doubt in my mind with those. Although the frame is strong and rigid so locking down all 4 corners is a lot of overkill. Even if 1 or 2 were to fail, the rest would keep it all pressed down tight, so the odds of lost suction is probably very tiny.

But once I played with the magnets and disks, it was like "holy crap, these aren't going anywhere!", and that sold me. In fact the challenge is getting them loose. Super easy to put the dish back on (line it up and let it drop down), but getting it off took some doing. The leverage stick works pretty well though.

Anyway, the suction cups are probably just fine. I just chose to go for maximum security. Also, the suction cups would make it easy for someone to steal the dish while just charging while we're inside eating or something. Unlikely as that is, it was another of my considerations.

 

[dbsb3233]

Are you sure your suction mount on the side window would not fit on the rear window of the GRavity? I have successfully gotten signal through that window with my Starlink angled like yours, but haven't done the clever mounting strategy you devised to have it there more permanently. It would be nice to not occupy a openable window with the starlink.

I tried it on the liftgate window but couldn't get a signal. Not sure if that glass is also coated, or the ice melt wires interfere. I remember trying it twice with no success. Plus, it really blocks the (already bad) view out the back which I wasn't comfortable with even if it did work.

And those triangle windows in the 3rd row are just tooo small. Maybe one could get a partial signal through those but it would surely be weak - far worse than the 2nd row side window - because you're blocking half the dish and severely limiting the field of view to the satellites in the sky. I was already getting some cutouts from the far better 2nd row window, so I assumes that little triangle window would be WAY worse. Plus I couldn't see an easy way to mount it there anyway. The dish is too big just to sit in that tray slot and see out much of the window. I think I tried that months ago and found it just didn't work. I can't remember for sure but I might have gotten a very weak signal while in my driveway, but the problem is when driving around you need a strong signal to maintain it while it switches from satellite to satellite in the sky. Starlink says it needs 100 degrees of viewing angle for roaming to work. Probably be lucky to get 30 degrees out that triangle window, with half the dish blocked at that.

 

[RajD]

I tried it on the liftgate window but couldn't get a signal. Not sure if that glass is also coated, or the ice melt wires interfere. I remember trying it twice with no success. Plus, it really blocks the (already bad) view out the back which I wasn't comfortable with even if it did work.

And those triangle windows in the 3rd row are just tooo small. Maybe one could get a partial signal through those but it would surely be weak - far worse than the 2nd row side window - because you're blocking half the dish and severely limiting the field of view to the satellites in the sky. I was already getting some cutouts from the far better 2nd row window, so I assumes that little triangle window would be WAY worse. Plus I couldn't see an easy way to mount it there anyway. The dish is too big just to sit in that tray slot and see out much of the window. I think I tried that months ago and found it just didn't work. I can't remember for sure but I might have gotten a very weak signal while in my driveway, but the problem is when driving around you need a strong signal to maintain it while it switches from satellite to satellite in the sky. Starlink says it needs 100 degrees of viewing angle for roaming to work. Probably be lucky to get 30 degrees out that triangle window, with half the dish blocked at that.

OK, that makes sense. thanks. I did get good signal at times thru that smaller window but it was variable for sure. I don't need super strong signal, but consistent signal, even if weak, might be a problem. It would be so nice and simple if the sunroof got signal through it. oh well.

 

[dbsb3233]

OK, that makes sense. thanks. I did get good signal at times thru that smaller window but it was variable for sure. I don't need super strong signal, but consistent signal, even if weak, might be a problem. It would be so nice and simple if the sunroof got signal through it. oh well.

Yeah, frustrating that it won't work through the roof glass like it does on our Macan EV. So simple, and safe. With the roof glass reaching even further back in the Gravity it would be totally out of the way, and perfect. But alas.

I have the same problem at most hotels. We stay at a lot of hotel casino resorts and every one I've tried so far seems to have the window coating that prevents a signal getting through.