If you own a Starlink and use it in an RV or a remote application, you will know that it consumes a lot of power every hour. Assuming you are relying on batteries to provide that power, a running Starlink can quickly use up your stored battery power, especially if you do not have a way to replenish your batteries. In this review, I test the XTAR-Link EL6 all-in-one DC power supply for Starlink Standard (Gen3) to see if it is a more economical way to run your Starlink.
XTAR-Link EL6 Starlink power supply review
How do you power Starlink out of the box?
I recently reviewed the latest V3 Starlink available in Australia, a real game changer for affordable high-speed internet anywhere in Australia. This model and the previous model ship with a 240-volt router/power supply, which powers the dish. There’s also the Starlink Mini in the USA, which will run from a 100w USB PD, but this is not yet available in Australia and is not as fast.
The dish requires 56 volts DC to run, and the included 240-volt solution converts the power to make the whole solution work, assuming you have a source of 240 volts. For travellers like me, I have achieved this using an inverter that converts my 12-volt battery power to 240 volts.
Why use an XTAR-Link EL6 All-in-one DC power supply?
Suppose you are relying on batteries to power electrical equipment. In that case, the process of converting Direct Current (DC) from a battery to Alternating Current (AC) via an alternator means that you will lose around 20% of your power to heat loss. This heat loss results from the use of transformers to convert the power.
With a Starlink setup powered from batteries through an inverter, the modem power supply duplicates this power usage, taking the 240 volts back to 56 volts, with a potential further 20% power loss.
This means you could lose 40% of your power to heat as part of this process, which is a lot of power to lose when Starlink consumes around 100 watts per hour (100Wh).
For perspective, a car battery has a capacity of around 750Wh, and a 100Ah Lithium battery has around 1200Wh. Realistically, you could power Starlink and nothing else with a 100Ah Lithium battery for about 10 hours without any input power, such as solar.
What does the XTAR-Link EL6 do?
The XTAR-Link EL6 is a ready-to-go plug-and-play solution to power your Starlink V3 (V4 dish) from a 12-volt supply such as a battery.
XTAR-Link quotes the unit as water-resistant and shockproof, with built-in fuses.
This professionally made unit can be attached to your 12-volt source by the supplied cigarette lighter plug or direct battery connection cable. The existing Starlink dish antenna cable plugs into an ethernet socket, which will provide the required 56 volts.
A small on-off switch and LED indicator light allow you to turn the whole solution, including the Starlink antenna, on and off. Note that all the Starlink smarts are in the antenna. The supplied router from Starlink is purely a Wi-Fi router and a 56-volt power solution, which the Xtar product replaces.
The EL6 also has a WAN ethernet socket and a 12-volt output socket. You could connect a PC directly via ethernet cable to the LAN port. However, you will most likely connect a 12-volt Wi-Fi router to that port to share the internet with many devices.
XTAR-Link has the option on its store to bundle a Wi-Fi 4 or 6 router into a bundle. This bundle includes a power cable that powers the router from the EL6. I recommend the Wi-Fi 6 router to take advantage of the latest Wi-Fi technologies, including speed security and a greater number of devices you can connect.
The price of the EL6 is similar to the cost of Starlink when on special, which seems a little high.
XTAR-Link EL6 specifications
| Input power | 12-30 volts 15Amp |
| Ports | 1x PoE Port 1x WAN Port 1x 12V DC Port (DC5521) |
| Dimensions | 4cm x 8.5cm x 19cm |
| Price (RRP) | Approximately $270 AUD |
| Website | XTAR-Link |
| Weight | Approx 1kg |
| Warranty | 12 months |
Using the XTAR-Link EL6 Starlink 12-volt power supply
I have been testing the EL6 over the last month as I tour the remote northwestern coastline of Western Australia to power my Starlink.
On their website, XTAR-Link recommends directly connecting the EL6 to a battery that can supply 15 Amps rather than using the cigarette lighter cable (10 amps). I found the cigarette cable worked well for an hour and then stopped working. Although not as convenient, changing to a direct connection resolved this issue. The cigarette cable is still useful if you want to power up your Starlink temporarily away from your car or van using a portable power station such as the Bluetti units I use.
The Starlink’s real-life power consumption is 80-120 watts per hour, using 240 volts via an inverter.
Using the XTAR-Link EL6 All-in-one DC Power Supply, I found that the power usage was 32-37 watts per hour. Note this does not include a Wi-Fi router.
I am using a constantly switched-on Netgear M6 5G Wi-Fi router. I connect the M6 to the EL6 via an ethernet cable. With this setup, I have configured the M6 to use the internet from Starlink if it is available.
The net result of my setup is that I have mobile internet anytime there is Telstra coverage via a Boost mobile SIM and high-speed unlimited Starlink Broadband whenever Starlink is powered on. Note that the Starlink plan I use does not allow connections above 16km/hr. For my setup, I am saving 80 watts an hour, which is a lot of power saved over a 10-hour Starlink day (800 Wh or 65Ah).
A Bluetti AC200 Max power station and solar panels power my solution. If you want to turn Starlink off from your bed, a third-party Bluetooth 12v control unit will allow you to switch power on and off remotely—something I will investigate.
Who is the XTAR-Link EL6 Starlink power supply for?
The XTAR-Link EL6 is for any Gen 3 Starlink user who wants to power their Starlink from 12 volts. This could be from your car’s cigarette lighter socket or a full-blown 12-volt off-grid solution.
The power savings from not converting backwards and forwards from AC power are significant, and they mean that you do not need to invest in more batteries or solar to power your Starlink.
This plug-and-play solution comes with all cables, and no assembly is required beyond plugging in existing cables and powering the unit on (although you may want to seek help to hardwire the 12-volt).
Compared to many DIY assemble-yourself solutions, the EL6 makes a lot of sense to ensure reliable 12-volt power for your Starlink.
GadgetGuy occasionally uses affiliate links and may receive a small commission from purchased products.
The post XTAR-Link EL6 Starlink power supply review: efficient conversion appeared first on GadgetGuy.
0 comments:
Post a Comment