Understanding the Starlink Prep Package in Keystone Montana RVs

[Scottjaz]

We are considering purchasing Starlink. Our camper stays parked year round. Our 26 Montana came with a “Starlink Prep” package and I’m not really sure what that entails or includes. I have found the starlink connection close to the water connections but am unsure where (or what) to look for on the interior.

Thank you to anyone that may have some helpful info.

 

[Mikendebbie]

Scott - I will venture to guess that Keystone may have run the proper Starlink cable (I forget the name) from the wet bay to (say) a closet - where you could install/hang your Starlink router. I have no idea where the mounting spot is located in your rig…check cabinets and closets probably in the center of the rig even though it could be at the nose or the tail.

I have Gen 3 dish + power pack and router. I put my dish up on a “flagpole” mounted to the rear roof ladder, run cable from the dish up thru the hole in the wet bay, and for now…I simply set my router and power pack up on top of the basement wall…nothing fancy. The router plugs into my inverter, which is mounted to the basement ceiling. My inverter is there for the residential fridge. Someday I will fix a better install to hold the power pack and router, but it works fine. The prep they put into your rig will allow you to have a “pretty” install for the router+power pack.

This is a pure guess on my part and I have not seen this topic discussed here on the Montana Owners Forum. I use the Gen 3 at the S&B (unlimited residential plan $120/mo) and we take it on the road.

I bought a Starlink mini this week and I’m waiting for it to be delivered. The mini has the router built in to the dish, so I’m not sure how I will be using it with the Monte. The mini is on sale for $199. I will have it on the 100GB Roam plan for $50/mo. Our usage history shows that we typically use about 10GB per day (streaming + emails + internet browsing) so when we go on a trip we will now take the mini and leave the Gen 3 at home. When my mini gets delivered I will come back to this thread and let you know how I intend to use the mini and how it will be mounted…right now I have no idea. We will also take the mini when we go on a trip in the motorhome. We do longer trips in the Montana and shorter 3-5 day trips in the motorhome.

Edit: you will likely need to buy some mounting devices for your Starlink power pack and router. I bought these mounts off of Amazon for the S&B. I need to get similar mounts for the basement wall in the Monte.

 

[Bobby P2]

We just switch to Starlink and got the new deal with the Standard for home and the Mini for traveling. I wonder what connection Keystone supplied as I think the Standard and the Mini take 2 different connections. The Mini should be just a power connection and the Standard take like a ethernet connection that supplies power and signal from the dish as Like @Mikendebbie said the mini has everything built into dish. I plan on just be able to plug the mini in where ever I need to put it for a good signal. I would look near he main tv for a connection of some type.

 

[ColoradoKampers]

We are considering purchasing Starlink. Our camper stays parked year round. Our 26 Montana came with a “Starlink Prep” package and I’m not really sure what that entails or includes. I have found the starlink connection close to the water connections but am unsure where (or what) to look for on the interior.

Thank you to anyone that may have some helpful info.

Hi Scott,
I noticed the Starlink prep on a new unit they had on display in Quartzite a couple weeks ago. Besides the water bay connection, there was also a black plate near the entertainment center labeled Starlink. I didn't open it - but assume it's a standard RJ45 ethernet connection that simply goes between the wet bay and the interior so you don't have to run a separate wire. I'm running a Gen 2 set-up, so I have the standalone router. And, without the prep package on my rig, I just set the router in the basement and it works great. I did end up wiring an inverted outlet in the basement so that I can run without shore power. But, that's another issue - let me know if you want more info about that.

 

[Todd727]

I have the Standard kit, but selected the Roam 50 plan. The standard gets you full speed, whereas the mini has speed tiers. For inside a camper, having the router really isn't a problem. Also, with the standard, you get two Ethernet ports, so you can use your own router if you prefer.