The improved battery-powered Starlink Mini is here

My Starlink Mini has radically changed the way I live. This is the main reason I can work remotely from my converted van, providing fast and reliable internet access in places that traditional 4G and 5G data signals don’t reach. Peakdo’s latest LinkPower battery makes the smaller Starlink terminal even better by freeing it from power cables for hours.

Although this may not seem like a big deal, I can assure you that it is. For example, I can park in the shade and position the Mini far away to avoid trees and other obstacles, as long as I’m within range of its Wi-Fi signal. It even works on my dashboard without long cables to hang, providing reliable data for navigating remote mountain passes while my wife works from the passenger seat.

I’ve been testing PeakDo’s second-generation LinkPower 2 battery in recent weeks during my travels in the French and Spanish Pyrenees mountain range. The $219 price tag — up from $119 for last year’s modes — is annoying, but I also see many Starlink Mini owners paying that premium.

Like its predecessor, the LinkPower 2 battery inserts directly into the back of the Starlink Mini like a standard SpaceX mount. The connection is firm, but I wouldn’t trust it without a cage if you plan to use it on the roof of your moving vehicle. PeakDo offers a compatible suction cup mount if that’s your thing.

A short DC-DC barrel cable connects the 99Wh battery to the Starlink Mini for truly wireless Internet connectivity. The device is the same size as the original and can still be controlled remotely via Bluetooth with a web app (iPhone users need to download a special app).

In addition to USB-C, the LinkPower 2 adds a native DC barrel input that matches the Starlink Mini’s power port. This allows you to charge the battery using the power cable supplied with the Starlink dish. It can also be charged with a new detachable magnetic dongle, included in the box, which could save your Starlink Mini from a devastating fall if the charging cable is accidentally snagged.

A new battery bypass mode allows you to power the Starlink Mini directly when the LinkPower 2 is plugged into a power source. This reduces battery wear and helps keep temperatures low, without you having to remove the battery every time.

During my testing, I consistently got around 5 hours and 30 minutes of battery life from a fully charged LinkPower 2. That’s an hour longer than the original LinkPower I tested last year. And leaving the LinkPower battery – first or second generation – attached to the Starlink Mini provides many more options for keeping the antenna powered indefinitely, including from USB outlets installed in your vehicle, an old power bank or even a solar panel.

For example, on a sunny day, I was able to extend the StarLink Mini’s runtime to more than seven hours by connecting a small, foldable solar panel that produced a constant 7.3W of power to the LinkPower 2’s USB-C input. My Starlink Mini averages about 18W of power consumption in rural areas, and the USB-C outlets installed in my van produce a constant 28W of power to easily compensate for that when placed on my dashboard.

Without the LinkPower battery connected, the Starlink Mini must be plugged into an AC outlet or a powerful power bank capable of 100W (20V/5A) because “Starlink Mini will not work with USB PD ratings of 65W or less.”

By default, LinkPower 2 battery charging via USB-C reaches 65W, which requires approximately one hour and forty minutes for a full charge. You can also set the maximum charging rate to 100W in expert mode if you want to speed up charging while potentially degrading battery life. USB-C charging is the fastest, followed by 57W charging I saw on the DC barrel jack and 55W charging on the magnetic dongle. In a pinch, this two-way USB-C jack also allows the LinkPower 2 to act as a traditional power bank to charge your phone or laptop at up to 65W.

PeakDo claims to have an IP65 rating against dust and water ingress. This means it should withstand a rain shower while stationary, but not when mounted on the roof of a moving car. The classification also does not apply when charging cables expose the unit’s ports.

I like this battery so much that I’ve just left the LinkPower 2 connected to my Starlink Mini for the past few weeks, even when bypassing it with external power. The power bank adds an additional 667 g (1.47 lb) to the 1.1 kg (2.43 lb) Starlink Mini, making it sturdy, but not too heavy to handle with one hand. I also screwed a magnet I bought on Amazon into the battery tripod mount to make sure it doesn’t fly off my roof – it probably won’t, but if it did I’d be in a world of hurt without my Starlink connection.

When I reviewed the original LinkPower last summer, it cost $119, so the jump to $219 for the LinkPower 2 is certainly alarming, especially when reputable 99Wh power banks with 100W USB-C PD outputs cost less than half that. The original LinkPower 1 is still available, only now it costs $159. I recommend buying the cheaper version unless you really need that extra hour of battery life, the detachable charging dongle, or the battery bypass feature available on the LinkPower 2.

Photography by Thomas Ricker / The Verge