Internet

There are probably countless videos and articles on the internet about getting access to the internet while travelling with a van/campervan/motorhome. We watched some of those and came to the conclusion there is not “best” solution. Most end in the “recommendation” to have both a cellular antenna and router as well as Starlink if you truly want coverage and connectivity anywhere*.

That seems both a bit overkill and quite expensive. At the time of writing a proper cellular router and antenna go for ~1000 € in Germany. That is without installation - which you can dor yourself and save money, but we don’t dare to drill holes intou our van just yet.

At the same time, Starlink cost (at the time of writing) about 400 € in hardware and a running cost of 72 € / month for the European travel plan.

It’s true, unless you mount the Starlink dish permanently to your van you have to set it up and pack it away every time you travel. But let’s be real here folks, we are talking about 1-2 Minutes of “effort”.

In comparison every time you change country you need to obain a new SIM card with a sufficient plan which requires some research.

We figured that for us Starlink and only Starlink for now is the best option. First we want to see what our actual internet usage is while on the move before going in with even more €€€.

Our setup

Starlink V4/3rd Gen (i.e. the “big dish” without self-adjustment and the standard RJ45 connections).
Stock Starlink Router
12V to 56V inverter from LinkGear equipped with the correct plug for the stock Starlink router
A simple power switch
A external outlet (professionally installed for free)
Starlink Pivot Mount