1. Introduction
Starlink has been a game-changer, especially for areas that were not covered by cellular networks, fibre optic cables, or the internet solutions popular in urban areas. This leaves people in remote areas with little to no internet solutions. With the coming of Starlink, these areas that were previously left out can now enjoy high-speed internet solutions.
Being in remote areas also often means there is no power from the grid. With this in mind, many people start asking if Starlink can be run off-grid. The good news is yes, Starlink can be run off-grid but there are some considerations you need to make.
This article will help you understand how you can run Starlink off-grid.
2. How Much Power Does Starlink Actually Use?
To be able to use your Starlink kit off-grid, we need to be aware of how much power Starlink uses and its power consumption.
2.1 Starlink Dish Power Consumption
Currently, at the time of writing this article, we have six types of Starlink kits:
- Starlink mini/ mini X
40W
- Starnadar kit
100W
- Standark kit V2 or Actuated
100W
- Enterprise
100W
- Performance Gen 3
100W
- Performance Gen 2
150W
3. What These Power Numbers Mean for an Off-Grid Setup
Its important to know which kit you have and to know how much power it uses. This is important in offgrid systems as it helps you know how big a system you will need. This is how big the batteries, the solar power. How to correctly size the generator or which mobile power station to use.
Skipping this step will lead to choosing a oversize system or a system that is too small and lead to frequent power and internet outages
Daily Energy Requirements
- Watts vs watt-hours explained simply
- Typical 24-hour energy usage
3. Can Starlink Run 100% on offgrid?
Yes it is possible to run starlink 100% on solar energy, infact I have been using starlink mini for the last 6 month and my entire household runs offgrid (solar). The most important thing you need to consider is the size of your system and what other appliencies you are running and for how long.
4. Setup
5.1 DC power
DC stands for Direct Current, which is the power that comes straight from your car cigarette lighter or your battery.
Starlink Standard kits come equipped with the capability to run on DC directly. You will need to purchase a standard DC-to-DC power supply from the Starlink store.
Starlink Mini kits do not support DC directly. There are other unofficial hacks you can use, but I would recommend using other alternatives.
mobile power station
To run your starlink kit on your mobile power station you will need to connect the power adaptor of the starlink to the AC output of your power station.
How long you can run the kit depends mainly on the battery capacity of the power station and the power consumption of your starlink model
Example
Starlink mini draws 40W
If your mobile power station is rated 500Wh then the time you can run the starlink without charging the power station is
500WH ÷ 40 ≈ 12.5 hours
If an additional appliance is run together with the starlink
100W laptop
500WH ÷ (40+100)≈ 3.5 hours
5.2 Generator
You can run your starlink directly on your generator given your generator is an Inveter generator and produces pure sin wave. If you are not sure read the specifications of your generator look for phrases “pure sine wave” or “inveter generator”. Other generators tend to produce dirty energy and are not suitable to use with your starlink.
Second consideration is the rating of the generator and the total load you are running. The general rule is the total load should not exceed 75% of the generator rating
Example
You are running the following
Starlink mini kit 40W
5 laptop computers 500W
The total being 600W
Generator rating 800W and 80% of 600 = 640W which is the maximum power you can draw safely.
- Official vs third-party options
- Voltage requirements
- Safety considerations
5.3 Solar power
To run your kit on solar power, we wil lassume your solar system is already setup and you only need to plug your power adapter to the output of your inverter or wall sockets