Thank you for all of this. I will check out those links. I would like to have a mount up there that I could just leave and have power run up there permanently and when I wanna pop the unit up there I can. I wonāt need it up there seven days a week, but I just want an easy solution thatās not going to let it get stolen and itās going to be secure.You would check this link, there are several suggestions.
A few of those are easy removable.
https://www.4runner6g.com/forum/threads/starlink-roam-mounting-options.9026/#post-109912
Another good option is the Sherpa mount, expensive and maybe not the best option if you need easy removal, but sturdy.
https://sherpaec.com/products/sherpa-starlink-mini-flush-mounts
Iām still using my custom 3D printed enclosure designed to mount on a 8020 frame rack. Best option for a permanent mount in my opinion. The mounting concept is similar to Sherpa and Strikerfab and even in case of loss of torque, still keeps the enclosure mechanically locked in place.
I recently went to a trip with a rental car so I mounted it with magnetic mounts. Regardless of what other people say about magnetic mounts, they worked flawlessly driving at 80 mph completely exposed to air flow and wind gusts. So sturdy that I needed prying tools to remove them from the roof.
Iām attaching a few picture so you get a sense of how low you can go without the risk of scratching the roof. The total depth is 55 mm.
Other options are suction cups, better if piston operated. I tend not to trust those anyway, long term they leak air so you are constantly wondering if they need checking. It is a good option for slow driving, camping, quasi static use.
I really like this magnetic mount. Where can I find it?You would check this link, there are several suggestions.
A few of those are easy removable.
https://www.4runner6g.com/forum/threads/starlink-roam-mounting-options.9026/#post-109912
Another good option is the Sherpa mount, expensive and maybe not the best option if you need easy removal, but sturdy.
https://sherpaec.com/products/sherpa-starlink-mini-flush-mounts
Iām still using my custom 3D printed enclosure designed to mount on a 8020 frame rack. Best option for a permanent mount in my opinion. The mounting concept is similar to Sherpa and Strikerfab and even in case of loss of torque, still keeps the enclosure mechanically locked in place.
I recently went to a trip with a rental car so I mounted it with magnetic mounts. Regardless of what other people say about magnetic mounts, they worked flawlessly driving at 80 mph completely exposed to air flow and wind gusts. So sturdy that I needed prying tools to remove them from the roof.
Iām attaching a few picture so you get a sense of how low you can go without the risk of scratching the roof. The total depth is 55 mm.
Other options are suction cups, better if piston operated. I tend not to trust those anyway, long term they leak air so you are constantly wondering if they need checking. It is a good option for slow driving, camping, quasi static use.
Thanks for the reminder that 30w wasn't enough juice; I'll have to find an outlet with more than 30w. That's a bummer because those were going to fit that spot perfectly.Hi @bobholthaus a few thoughts:
Why using a full enclosure if the Mini is already waterproof (IP67)? In my opinion, the limited benefit you get for the additional protection (hail is the selling proposition) is easily offset by worst cooling since the jacket is a sort of heat insulation. I would rather use an open-design enclosure but, of course it depends on your use case. I like visiting southwestern desert outdoors, so heat build-up is a concern.
The no-drill plates are overpriced, $50 for two metal plates and some 3M VHB tape is insane. Anyway the issue I see from the pictures (I donāt own the VV mount so Iām just guessing) is that the whole assembly concept is bolting from bottom to the top. Means that when you have the enclosure and the plates assembled and stuck to the roof, you donāt have anymore access to those bolts. Nice for theft prevention but very unpractical when you need to remove the Mini.
The roof entry gland is what I really donāt understand: do you want to permanently damage your roof by drilling a hole in it? There are better ways to get power to the roof. My car came equipped with the pre-wired auxiliary switches: if you are so lucky, just get power from a pre-wired connector and run a cable from there. If you donāt, you can can use a grommet on the passenger side firewall that you can use to pass a cable from the interior of the vehicle to the engine bay and then up to the roof. Last option, what I did to get additional cabling to my roof rack, behind the rear lights there are grommets you can use to get cables from the rear side panels, exactly where the battery is sitting, to the exterior and then up to the roof. All these options are, in my opinion, way less invasive and easy to restore than damaging your roof.
USB port: 12 volt is usually fine but, depending on the cable length and quality, the voltage drop can prevent the Mini from properly booting up. Also 30W is not adequate: during boot-up or heavy-duty usage, the Mini can consume up to 60W. The Starlink official power supply is 30V 2A, if I remember well. My suggestion is to use a voltage step-up converter to get 24V output and at least 60W power output. Mini accepts from 12V to 48V so 30V or 36V works as well. There are several options on Amazon or other major retailers.
Hope this all makes sense for you and help you refine your project. If you need pictures of the different ways to run a cable to the roof, let me know and Iāll take some and post. Just reiterating: please, please, please, donāt drill a hole in your beautiful 4Runner roof
After your advice, I found exactly that, a voltage lifter thing that buys directly to the battery. And has the same port on it that the Starlink does. So I'm just gonna put a little in-line switch right there outside the battery bay with an in-line fuse and wire it directly to the battery. Thank you for that advice. It is spot on. I haven't found a cool illuminated Starlink switch that is two colors that I will use.
