The BEST Starlink RV Upgrade: Install a Quick Connect

TODAY'S VIDEO
In today's video, we'll be exploring an innovative solution to make the setup and takedown of your Starlink RV dish easier and more convenient. By cutting your Starlink cable in half, you'll be able to add a quick connect fitting, which will allow you to quickly plug or unplug the dish each time you set up camp. The goal of this upgrade is to eliminate the need to run the Starlink dish cable through a door or window, which can be time-consuming and inconvenient.
Previously, we ran the cable through the walls and out the bottom of our van, which provided some level of convenience, but also meant that the cable was always attached to the van and needed to be coiled up and strapped down each time we moved. With the new quick connect fitting, we can now simply disconnect the Starlink cable, coil it up, and store it in a storage tub with the dish. This setup will not save you time, but will also help the van clutter-free.
To perform this upgrade, you will need to follow a specific order for connecting the wires. You can refer to the Everlanders, who have done an even more custom installation of their dish (link below), for additional ideas. They provide a detailed installation video for a fixed installation of their Starlink dish, as well as the wiring configuration, extra devices and pin out they used.
Since making the upgrade, we have seen no performance issues, and the Starlink dish is working great. This simple, yet effective solution is guaranteed to make your Starlink experience easier and more enjoyable. So, if you're looking for a way to simplify your RV setup, this is an upgrade you don't want to miss. Check out the video to learn more!
Items used to perform this upgrade:
Quick connect used in this video amzn.to/3yi5wo4
RJ45 cable ends amzn.to/3IOQ3kA
Cable end tool amzn.to/3IU8Pa0
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Everlanders custom Starlink Install and wiring configuration: • DIY Starlink Flat Moun...
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Welcome to This Mobile Life. We are a family of 4 that travels full time in our RV. With "Alice", our Airstream Interstate Class B motorhome van; we work, live, and explore all over the US; stopping in a new city almost every week. #vanlife
Welcome to This Mobile Life! We are a dynamic family of four that is always on the move, exploring the beauty of the United States from the comfort of our RV. Our Airstream Interstate Class B motorhome van, "Alice", serves as our mobile home and office as we work, live, and discover new places on a weekly basis. Join us on our journey as we share our experiences, tips, and adventures from the road. Subscribe and like our videos to stay up-to-date on all things related to full-time RV living with kids. #vanlife #rvlife #rvlifewithkids #rvlife #fulltimerv #fulltimerv
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[@SpikedVanlife]

why not flat mount it too? they also started making 12v power adapter. and also heard you can replace the main box with a better router with better wifi signal too

[@this-mobile-life]

Hello! Great questions....we decided not to flat mount or mount the dish at all the to RV as there are often times the RV is in a spot that has trees blocking the sky. By setting the dish in its stand on the ground, we can place the dish wherever we need to in order to avoid obstructions between the dish and the satellites. This has worked great for us. Regarding the 12V power supply, there are a couple of good options out there and we plan to upgrade to one of these so we don't have to run our inverter to power the dish when on batteries. For the router, you have to "use" the router with the rectangle dish as this version of the dish has a proprietary connector to power the dish. However, you don't have to use the wifi or router functions and can bypass the router and use your own router and wifi. We actually do both depending on where we are and how good the signals are.

[@charminbaer2323]

@@this-mobile-life You DON'T have to use the Starlink router at all. There are many examples of people who use a power over ethernet adapter and use whatever router they want. There's even an all-in-one roof mount where ALL the components are inside the antenna mount, including the router, power-over-ethernet, power supply. All you then have to do is run a 12V power and ground wire to the mount for the cleanest install.

[@this-mobile-life]

Totally agree! That's our long term plan. When we last looked, solid reliable power convertors and POE adapters were pretty hard to come by. Now that the dish has been out longer, I suspect there are many more companies making reliable parts.

[@stepanmordukoff3142]

I use this outside the window in Kyiv! God save America and Americans! Thank you sincerely for your help in the fight against the Russian invaders!

[@this-mobile-life]

Thank you for watching Stepan! Stay safe! Our prayers and support are with you!

[@ltvnit3878]

Just purchased one from your link!! Thanks just what I was looking for.

[@this-mobile-life]

Awesome! Thanks for supporting our channel! It’s been working great for us and we haven’t had a singe issue with it since installing it.

[@kathy-quilts-university]

That is what I wondered. Thanks

[@this-mobile-life]

You bet! Glad to help!

[@sandywelch5042]

Awesome!

[@this-mobile-life]

Thanks!

[@kathy-quilts-university]

thanks for your help!

[@this-mobile-life]

You're welcome!

[@infmsram]

Clever stuff! 🙌🏻

[@this-mobile-life]

Thanks so much! We appreciate the feedback!

[@malimish]

If you are just cutting and coupling the cable back together, you don't need to do the wiring diagram. Just follow the standard crimping layout is fine. The custom wire order is only if you want to use it with a 12v POE injector.

[@this-mobile-life]

Great call out! We wired ours following the POE injector wiring in case we switch over from the Starlink power supply to a 12V POE power supply. Its been working great ever since the upgrade, and we're ready to make the switch when we get a POE power supply. Know of any good ones?

[@malimish]

@@this-mobile-life on my other channel I have a video on the complete conversion to 12v. If you can get one, I recommend the Dishy Dualie. Been using one for about 6 months and it's great. But there are some things you need to be aware of which I'm in the process of doing a follow up video for. Btw, you only need the custom wiring if you use a poe injector that isn't specifically designed for starlink like the popular Tycon unit. Otherwise standard wiring is still what you want like the Dishy Dualie, the YaoSheng or any other POE that is made specifically for Starlink. Be careful because you can fry the dish if 48v power is sent down the wrong wire. kzbin.info/www/bejne/i6nFgYqtnZyXp9U

[@this-mobile-life]

Thanks for the heads up! Much appreciated 😄

[@rdrose61]

Thanks... looks like you could have encased the undercarriage portion in a piece of PVC for better protection. Still possible.

[@this-mobile-life]

Thanks for the idea! We sealed ours up with a ton of silicone and have a spare with us just in case we need to replace it. Your suggestion would make a great follow up video if our seal doesn’t hold. Much appreciated!

[@ThisNomadicIdea]

How’s it holding up? Connector still working?

[@this-mobile-life]

Hey! It’s been working great! We are full time and use this every day, as well as move and disconnect and reconnect sometimes multiple times per week. We’ve been in heavy rain, high winds, freezing weather, and lots of Colorado hail and we’ve never had a problem.

[@tjnak]

thanks

[@this-mobile-life]

Welcome!

[@AndyJaw]

Nice video! On the end inside the van, is it just connected to the router and running on AC power?

[@this-mobile-life]

Hey Andy, thanks for the feedback! Yes, at the moment the cable is connected to the main Starlink Wifi/power box. I have the Starlink box in bypass mode and am using my own router. Next step will be to convert the system to run off my RV’s battery system rather than AC power, but still need to get the hardware to do that.

[@kathy-quilts-university]

On that RJ 45 plug do you break the tab off it so that you can unplug the connector while traveling?

[@this-mobile-life]

Hi Kathy! Removing the tab is not needed. The connector we used holds it down when it’s inserted. The connector itself has its own latching mechanism to hold it in place when connected. Hope this helps 😁

[@savageoutdoors474]

Did you use pass through connectors for your RJ45? How do you keep the connection at the bumper clean?

[@this-mobile-life]

Hey John! The part we installed in the bumper is a shielded past though coupler. When we disconnect the cable, there is a rubber plug that came with the coupler that covers the opening on the outside of the bumper The backside was not enclosed so we sealed it off with a ton of silicone, covering the port, cable, jackets, and bumper opening.

[@RunawayRinaldis]

What about the ground wire that's in the cable? I didn't see that you attached that to the cat 6 connector. Thanks.

[@this-mobile-life]

So...I wrapped it around the main cable and made sure it was pinched against the metal casing of the connector on the end of the cable. It might not have been the right way, not sure, but it's been working perfectly fine for us. I've have this setup running for the past 1.5 years almost full time and have not seen any issues...Hope that helps!

[@RunawayRinaldis]

@@this-mobile-life that's good news. We added the connect on the outside but haven't tested it yet.

[@this-mobile-life]

Nice! Hope it works great for you. We just upgraded from our Airstream van to a Brinkley 5th wheel and added a new connection ourselves. We'll be putting out an update video showing where we installed this one as well :-)

[@vivnme2]

I love your video and how you connected it. I also bought my Starlink in Mexico and roam. My question to you is how do you keep from getting so many things on emails, internet etc in Spanish. When I am in US I’m guessing the IP address is from Mexico.

[@this-mobile-life]

Hey, we've never used ours outside of the US, so not 100% sure. Assuming you'd get a US IP address, which might help? If traveling, you might want to look at a VPN solution so you can connect as if you were in the US.

[@cozysouth]

My cable is very difficult to unplug from the female plug mounted into the RV bumper. Is there a trick to getting this to unplug easily?

[@this-mobile-life]

Hello @RTRay. I find it is easiest to push the connector forward (as if you were plugging it in) with one hand, then slide the collar back with the other hand. Then pull back to unplug. The connector has a nice solid lock which is good to keep it connected and water and dust out, but can make it a little stiffer to disconnect. Hope that helps!

[@RainyDayRedfield]

I followed your guide, but you didn't go far into detail for the pinout of the other end. It's identical, right? OW-O-BW-G-GW-B-BrW-Br ... I don't need to reverse them? I followed the guide. It'll power up, but I have no data... Just says "Offline." Thanks for the insight. (same bumper connector you purchased and passthrough ends)

[@this-mobile-life]

Did you get this working?

[@LowPriceEdition]

Have you tested it out in heavy rain?

[@this-mobile-life]

Yes! We've been in some heavy rainstorms since the upgrade and have had no issues with the connection, either at the back of the van or under the van. Of course, heavy rain will block some of the Starlink signal, but the inside of the connection remained bone dry and signal went back to normal as soon as the rain stopped.

[@aboutsean]

The only difficult part of this is fitting those wires into the fitting and you didn't show it.

[@this-mobile-life]

Thanks for the feedback! We weren’t trying to make a how-to video, but rather show a potential upgrade for RVs. We’ll keep this in mind for future videos. Hope you got the wire sorted out. 😄

[@marcoaverono6323]

Surely your gonna put the cable in something underneath ?? 😳

[@this-mobile-life]

Hey! So we zip tied the cable up to the frame and have not had any issues with the cable being under the van. We've taking the van down some crazy "roads" (if you could even call them that) while out boondocking many times and never had any issues. We also siliconed the back of the plug to help with any water intrusion. It's been rock solid for us since we installed it.

[@TheMowogman]

You should really put a protective cover over that cable under the van.

[@this-mobile-life]

Hello! Are you suggesting we protect the cable itself, or the connection point to the coupler under the van?

[@TheMowogman]

@@this-mobile-life Any cable or connection under the van should be protected. That area would collect a lot of stones and road debris

[@this-mobile-life]

For sure! We didn't show this in the video, trying not make the video too long, but we have our main cable run tucked up pretty tight and pretty well protected by the support members under the floor. The connection to the coupler is not water tight on the back side like it is on the outside. We opted to coat the entire backside of the connector, fittings, and a good portion of the cable going into the connector with a ton of silicone to keep out the water, rocks, and dust.

[@TheMowogman]

@@this-mobile-life The problem is you are showing your audience an unprotected cable install and people are likely to follow your lead here.

[@this-mobile-life]

For anyone following this thread, we recently traded in that RV for a new one, but never had any issues with the cable under the van. We spent 2 years in that RV traveling the country and boondocking extensively and the install remained solid. Thanks for the original poster sharing concerns/feedback. We always welcome it. 😄

[@NomadSurvivor]

it's Ridiculous how everyone overthinks an entry point and ends up wasting money and time to achieve a RV or Van solution. On my Van I have the Pivot Mount base on the rear corner of my van and use a 5 Oceans waterproof cable clam gland ( $12 ) and run my Factory Dishy connector thru it. Fast & Easy & No spending silly money. When I setup or break down I put the Dishy in her mount. DONE.

[@this-mobile-life]

Awesome! Glad you found a solution that works well for you!

[@stavrock4995]

Crap video - showed us nothing

[@this-mobile-life]

Sorry you feel that way. Our goal was not to put out a step by step install video, but rather to show something we did that has worked very well for our internet connection needs.

[@raulcaraza3568]

Well, thank you. Next time you "do" (if it can be called do) one of these "glamour" and "sensationalist" videos for your own personal gain of getting You Tube people to click on your video, why don't you take your time to go step by step in the assembly of your cable and NOT on the destruction of your worthless Van. YOU will be "surprised" in the double amount of clicks in your video as a result..

[@this-mobile-life]

Glad you found our video interesting enough to watch and provide feedback. Thanks so much. Much appreciated.