Starlink for RVs: Which Dish, Which Plan, How to Power It

For most recreational vehicles (RVs), the answer is a Starlink Mini on a Roam plan. The Mini kit starts at $149 on Starlink’s US page as of October 13, 2026. Roam service costs $55 a month for 100 gigabytes (GB) of data, $80 for 300GB, or $175 for unlimited data. A home plan will not travel with you. Starlink’s help page on Residential plans says: “A roam plan is required to use the service at a different address or while traveling.”

The dish you pick also decides how much of your battery the internet uses. The Mini averages 25 to 40 watts and the larger Standard 4 X averages 75 to 100 watts. Left on around the clock, that works out to 50 to 80 amp-hours a day from a 12-volt battery for the Mini and 150 to 200 for the Standard. The steps behind those numbers are in the power section below.

If you live and work in the rig full time, the Standard 4 X is the bigger dish, the one Starlink recommends for “high-demand everyday internet applications.” It was listed at $349 with Roam service in a July 2026 report from Mobile Internet Resource Center. That report shows how fast this moves: it listed the Mini at $199, and it said the outlet had reported on July 1 that Starlink removed the Standard dish from new Roam orders, with the dish back less than a month later. The Next Web counted changes to Starlink’s pricing, plan structure or feature availability “at least five times in 2026 alone.” Treat every figure here as dated, confirm the dish you want is offered with Roam, and check Starlink’s service plans page before you order. If this page and Starlink disagree, Starlink is right.

The short answer

The 100GB and 300GB rows follow Starlink’s own descriptions of those plans, quoted in the plan section. The Unlimited row is this page’s recommendation. The battery column is computed from Starlink’s published averages. Not sure which row is you? The Starlink picker asks six questions and suggests a kit, a plan and accessories.

Which Starlink dish is best for an RV?

Three dishes are worth comparing for a vehicle. Starlink describes the Mini as “recommended for basic internet applications” and the Standard 4 X as “recommended for high-demand everyday internet applications.” The Performance (Gen 3) is the rugged, expensive one.

W means watts. AC is alternating current, the kind a wall outlet or an inverter supplies. DC is direct current, the kind a battery supplies. Field of view is how much sky the dish can see.

Pick the Mini if you want the smallest dish and the lowest power draw. The dish weighs 1.10 kg, has Wi-Fi built in, and takes 12 to 48 volts DC. Starlink sells a car adapter for it that plugs into a 12-to-24-volt vehicle outlet.

Pick the Standard 4 X if several people share the connection all day. Its Router 3 covers up to 297 m², against 112 m² for the Mini’s built-in Wi-Fi. The costs are a dish more than twice the Mini’s weight and a draw of 75 to 100 watts.

Pick the Performance only if the dish will be bolted to a roof that sees rough roads and bad weather. Starlink’s sheet says it is designed for settings that include “in-motion usage” and lists a survivable wind speed of 280 kph+ (174 mph+) in its spec table; the highlights on the same sheet say 270+ kph. Check the price before you plan around it. The $1,999 comes from a launch report that quotes Roam Unlimited at $165 a month, and The Next Web reported in May 2026 that the plan had moved from $165 to $175, so the report predates that increase. Starlink’s shop also files the Performance (Gen 3) under Business, so confirm Starlink will sell it to you with a Roam plan.

Two dishes to skip. The new V5 home dish is out: “Starlink V5 is not intended for in-motion use.” It also cannot be paused, because “Standby Mode is not available for V5 hardware.” Older dishes with motors are a poor fit for a moving vehicle: “Actuated Starlink models (with motors) are not recommended for in-motion use due to safety risks.” If you bought a used dish and are not sure which one it is, the Starlink dish decoder identifies it by shape.

Which Starlink plan do you need for an RV?

Roam is the plan Starlink labels “Best for RVs, nomads, and campers, and working on the go.” There are three Roam tiers, plus Standby Mode for the months the rig is parked.

The monthly prices are US prices from Starlink’s service plans page on October 13, 2026. The Standby price is the exception. Starlink’s own pages only call it “a small monthly fee.” The $10 figure comes from The Next Web, which reported in May 2026 that SpaceX was “doubling the cost of its budget Standby Mode from $5 to $10.”

What low-speed data means. On the two capped plans, Starlink says: “If you exceed your plan’s data allowance, service automatically switches to low-speed unlimited data.” It adds that “Low-speed supports email, calls, and texts,” while streaming, large downloads and video calls “will be limited.” Starlink does not put a speed on it there. For scale, Starlink says Standby Mode, “where available, offers speeds up to 500 Kbps download and upload,” which is half a megabit per second. Starlink does not say the two speeds are the same.

You pay by the month. Starlink says Roam “Billing is in one-month increments,” and that you can pause and un-pause at any time with Standby Mode. That is what makes part-time RV use affordable. Six months of Roam 100GB and six months of Standby comes to $390 for the year: six times $55 is $330, and six times $10 is $60. Twelve months of Roam Unlimited comes to $2,100. The Starlink Mini cost guide works through more trip patterns and compares buying with renting.

Standby has limits. Starlink offers it on Roam plans “excluding promotional offerings and select kit rentals,” so if you bought the kit on a promotion, confirm the pause option shows in your account before you count on it. It is “not intended for in-motion use.” Starlink also says that customers who stay on Standby for more than 12 months in a row may, at its discretion, be required to pay a fee or upgrade to a different plan, or be limited to reaching their Starlink account.

Crossing a border. Roam 100GB and 300GB are for the US and Canada. Starlink says “International use requires upgrading to Roam Unlimited or a Priority plan,” and Roam Unlimited covers “up to 30 days of service outside your registered home country at a time.” Starlink also requires Travel Registration before you use the dish outside your home country, and that includes a passport or other government photo ID. The US and Canada count as one region for Roam, so a trip between them is not international travel.

One fee to look for at checkout. Starlink says that “In applicable markets, the Standard Starlink Kit has an associated one-time charge to enable portable capabilities for our Roam service plans.” The charge is refundable if you return the kit within 30 days. Starlink’s page does not name the markets or the amount, so read your order summary before you pay.

Starlink also offers a 30-day trial: “Try Starlink for 30 days and if not satisfied, get a full refund.”

Can you use Residential Starlink in an RV?

No. Starlink says “Residential service does not support roaming,” and that “In-motion use is not supported on Residential plans.” A Residential plan is “intended for use at the registered service address in your account.”

The hardware is a different story. Starlink says: “As you change service plans, you are currently allowed to bring your existing hardware with you.” It adds that “Starlink Kits are allowed to access most Starlink service plans,” which is most and not all. So a Standard dish you own at home may be able to move to a Roam plan for a trip. Confirm it in your account first, and weigh these cautions before you switch a home line:

• Residential 100 Mbps and 200 Mbps plans “are only available in select areas.” Ask Starlink whether you can get the same home plan back before you leave it.
• At the same $55 a month, the Residential 100 Mbps plan lists unlimited data, while Roam 100GB switches to low-speed data after its allowance.
• Coming back can cost money in a busy area. Starlink’s pausing page says of a return from Standby to a Residential plan: “If the address is in a high demand area, a demand surcharge order is created immediately.” The page does not say whether the same applies when you return from Roam, so ask.
• A Standard kit that moves to Roam may also meet the one-time Roam activation charge described above.

A rented dish is a separate question. Starlink’s Residential page advertises “No upfront hardware cost in select areas,” and Mobile Internet Resource Center reported in July 2026 that new Residential customers “now rent their Starlink hardware for $10/month, and the equipment remains owned by Starlink unless the customer later purchases it.” Starlink’s pausing page adds that “Standby Mode is not available for select rental customers.” If your home dish is a rental, ask Starlink what it is allowed to do before you take it on the road.

If you want Starlink at home and in the RV at the same time, Starlink’s Residential page has an offer for its top home plan: “As a Residential Max customer, you’re eligible for an additional, optional Starlink Mini Kit for portable connectivity,” with what it calls “flexible, discounted Roam plans.” The page gives no price for those plans. Residential Max is $130 a month.

A note on the name: the plan was sold as Starlink for RVs when it launched in May 2022, and Mobile Internet Resource Center later reported that “Starlink for RVs has been rebranded to Starlink Roam.” If a forum post talks about the Starlink RV plan, it means Roam.

Does Starlink work while you drive?

Yes, on a Roam plan. Starlink says Roam plans “support in-motion use up to 100 mph (160 km/h) in authorized locations.” Its list of supported hardware is Starlink Performance (Gen 3), Starlink Performance (Gen 2), Standard 4, Standard 4 X and Starlink Mini.

Three rules come with it:

1. Not on a home plan. “In-motion use is not permitted on any Residential plan, per the Fair Use Policy.”
2. Not on Standby. “Pausing your service with Standby Mode is not intended for in-motion use.”
3. Mount it properly. Starlink warns that “Improper installation or use may cause injury, property damage, or void your warranty if the equipment is damaged while moving.” A dish propped on its kickstand on the roof is not a vehicle mount.

Heading south for the winter? Mexico is on both of Starlink’s lists of places where using the dish in motion on land is prohibited. The two lists do not match each other: the in-motion page names twelve countries and the Roam plans page names five. Canada is on neither.

How much battery does Starlink use in an RV?

This is the number that decides whether a dish fits your rig. Start with three terms. Watts (W) measure how fast a device uses power. Watt-hours (Wh) are watts multiplied by hours, the total energy used. Amp-hours (Ah) are how RV batteries are rated. To turn watt-hours into amp-hours, divide by the battery voltage, which is 12 on a 12-volt house battery.

Here is one row worked through. A Mini at its 40-watt high figure, running 24 hours, uses 960 watt-hours. Divide 960 by 12 volts and you get 80 amp-hours.

The average-draw column is Starlink’s. The other three are computed from it. Three things to know about these figures:

• Starlink’s help page says its figures are AC averages. That page lists the same 75 to 100 W for the Standard 4 and Standard 4 X, and says its figures “include the Starlink, WiFi router, power supply, and cables” and that “the specs are based on AC input power averages.” The spec sheets behind the Mini and Performance rows do not say how their averages were measured, and the help page has no figure for the Performance (Gen 3). None of the Starlink pages cited here gives a separate figure for DC power, so treat the table as a planning number.
• Starlink’s pages do not all agree. The same power page lists the Mini at 20 to 40 W, where the Mini’s spec sheet says 25 to 40 W. For the Performance, Mobile Internet Resource Center’s launch report gave an average of 70 W, under the 75 to 100 W on Starlink’s sheet. Plan on the higher end.
• Idle is not zero. Starlink lists idle power at 15 W for the Mini and 20 W for the Standard 4 and Standard 4 X. The page does not define idle. Plan on a plugged-in dish using power all day, and unplug it when you do not need it. The 8-hour column shows what running it for only part of the day costs.

What that means for your battery. Compare the table with your battery’s usable amp-hours, not the number on its label. As one example, Battle Born, which sells lithium batteries for RVs, lists its 100Ah battery with a “Usable Depth of Discharge” of 100%. Against that battery, a Mini left on all day takes 50% to 80% of the capacity, and a Standard dish left on all day needs 150% to 200% of it. Battle Born also claims its battery provides “more usable energy than traditional lead-acid batteries,” so if your rig has lead-acid batteries, check their maker’s sheet for the usable figure.

What that means for solar. Take the daily watt-hours and divide by the hours of full sun your panels get. As an illustration only, at five full-sun hours a day, replacing a Mini’s 600 to 960 watt-hours takes 120 to 192 watts of panel output, and a Standard’s 1,800 to 2,400 takes 360 to 480. Sun hours change with season and place, so run it again with your own number.

How to power each dish from a battery

Mini. The Mini accepts 12 to 48 volts DC at up to 60 W. Starlink’s Mini Car Adapter “can be used with any standard automotive 12-24V auxiliary power outlet” and was listed at $45 in Starlink’s shop on October 13, 2026. Starlink says the adapter is “currently only available in select markets.” Keep the adapter inside the vehicle: Starlink says “The USB-C end of the cable and Mini Car Adapter should not be exposed to outdoor environments.” A USB-C power bank can also run the Mini through Starlink’s USB-C cable, a separate purchase listed at $31 in the shop, but it needs a strong one. USB Power Delivery (PD) is the standard that lets a USB-C port supply higher power. Starlink’s help page says you need a 100W source for the Mini “to operate optimally” and that it “will not work with USB PD ratings below 65W”; the spec sheet lists 100W as the minimum with that cable. One caution from Starlink: it “only guarantees performance with the included Starlink power supply and cable.” The Starlink Mini accessories guide covers adapters, cables and power banks.

Standard 4 and Standard 4 X. The Standard 4 X’s power supply in the box takes 100 to 240 volts AC, which means shore power, a generator or an inverter. Starlink sells a way around that. Its DC-DC Power Supply lets you power the dish “directly from a DC power source, removing the need for an inverter when powered from your RV, car, boat, or battery pack.” It was listed at $110 in Starlink’s shop on October 13, 2026. Three cautions. Starlink’s documents disagree on which dish it fits: the help page says the Standard 4 and Standard 4 X, while the shop listing and the accessories guide name only the Standard 4 X. The help page says it is “Available only in select markets.” And none of those three pages states the input voltage it accepts, so read Starlink’s DC Power Supply specification sheet against your battery system before you buy. The other route is the Advanced Power Supply, $200 in the shop and listed there for the Standard 4 and Standard 4 X, which takes AC or DC input. With a Standard 4 X, Starlink notes that “the Router 3 needs a separate Starlink cable for power.”

Performance (Gen 3). Its Advanced Power Supply accepts 12 to 56 volts DC as it ships.

Running the dish from a portable power station instead of the house battery? The Starlink power outage guide has runtime tables for that. It uses Starlink’s help-page figure of 20 to 40 W for the Mini, so its Mini rows start a little lower than the table above.

Where do you mount Starlink on an RV?

Starlink does not make an RV mount for its smaller dishes. Its help page says the Standard 4, Standard 4 X and Mini do “not have mounts specific for RVs” and points you to the shop. What the shop has are general vehicle mounts. Prices are from Starlink’s shop on October 13, 2026. The Performance kit is the exception on price: Starlink says that kit “includes your choice of mount.”

Bolted down. Starlink says its Mobility Mount for the Standard dish is “designed to create a waterproof seal and protect against water ingress when permanently mounting to wood, fiberglass, metal, plastic and slotted rails on vehicle racks.” It is the permanent option, for a dish that stays on the roof. Starlink describes the Performance Wedge Mount as a vehicle mount, “designed to attach to a variety of vehicles, including cars, boats and RVs.” The Performance Flat Mount has a 2-degree tilt, which Starlink says “is less optimal for maintaining a strong connection if stationary during wet weather than the 8 deg tilt of the Wedge Mount.”

On roof rack bars. Check the bar shape first. The Mini version’s guide warns that it is “NOT INTENDED TO BE MOUNTED TO ROUND PROFILE BARS.”

On a pole. The Mini kit includes a pipe adapter “designed to attach to any existing pole with a diameter between 31 mm (1.25 in) and 50 mm (2 in).” The Standard pipe adapter is sold without a pipe, and Starlink’s guides say both it and the Performance adapter are “ONLY INTENDED TO BE USED WITH METAL PIPES, NOT PVC AND PLASTIC PIPES.”

On the ground. Both the Mini and the Standard 4 X come with a kickstand and a 15 m (49.2 ft) cable. That lets you park in the shade and set the dish in the open.

Third-party mounts. Starlink allows them, with a disclaimer: “we cannot guarantee performance or compatibility with non-Starlink hardware.” It warns that “third-party metal mounts that wrap around the terminal’s base enclosure, or placing the terminal directly on metal, may interfere with GPS performance and are not supported.” GPS is the Global Positioning System. The same page adds: “For optimal performance, we recommend using the Starlink mobility mount.” Look at where a mount puts metal before you buy it.

The Starlink mounts guide has sizes and limits for the mounts in the table.

Will Starlink work at a campground with trees?

Only if the dish can see the sky. Trees are the usual problem at a wooded site, and a roof-mounted dish cannot move away from them. Starlink’s fix for an obstruction is to use the “Check for Obstructions” tool in the Starlink app to find a clear spot, then move the dish there. That is the case for carrying a ground setup even if you have a roof mount.

Speeds can also drop at busy times. Starlink says the Roam speeds it advertises “are not guaranteed, and will be slower during times of congestion.”

If the app shows an alert once you are set up, the Starlink troubleshooting guide explains what each one means.

Frequently asked questions

How much is Starlink for an RV per month?

Roam is $55 a month for 100GB, $80 for 300GB and $175 for unlimited data, as of October 13, 2026. In months you do not travel, Standby Mode keeps the line open for $10, according to a May 2026 report.

Is Starlink for RVs unlimited data?

Only on Roam Unlimited. People on the 100GB and 300GB plans “receive an allotment of high-speed data, then unlimited low-speed data.”

Is Starlink RV equipment the same as residential?

Often, yes. Starlink says its Residential Max plan comes with a Standard Starlink and a Router 3 in most markets, the Standard 4 X has also been sold with Roam, and Starlink lets you bring existing hardware with you when you change plans. One exception is the V5 home dish, which is not meant for use in motion. A rented home kit may be another; see the Residential section above.

Can you use a Starlink Roam plan at home?

Nothing on Starlink’s Roam pages limits where in the US and Canada you use the plan. Starlink says that with Roam 100GB or Roam 300GB you can “travel anywhere in the US and Canada.” None of the pages cited here addresses using Roam as a permanent home service, so ask Starlink if that is your plan. One catch is the data limit: at $55 a month, the Residential 100 Mbps plan lists unlimited data and Roam 100GB does not.

Does the Starlink Mini work while driving?

Yes. The Mini is on Starlink’s list of hardware supported for in-motion use, on a Roam plan, at up to 100 mph in authorized locations.

What to buy

Start with the Mini and Roam 100GB unless you already know you need more. It is the lowest-priced kit in the table above at the dates shown, it draws roughly a third to two-fifths of what the Standard draws, and Starlink’s 30-day trial lets you test it on a real trip. Move up to the Standard 4 X and Roam Unlimited if the rig is your office, and budget the battery and the DC power supply along with it. Then pick a mount for how you camp: bolted down if you want internet on the highway, on the ground if you park under trees. If you are wondering whether to wait for a newer Mini, the dish decoder tracks what Starlink has and has not announced.

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