How Long Does a Starlink Mini Run on a Battery?

If your battery runs down faster than the math says, it's usually one of these.

• Heavy use. A day of video calls and uploads uses far more power than checking email.
• A blocked view. Trees, buildings or a roof rack in the way make the Mini work harder to hold a signal. Open sky is easier on the battery.
• Heat and cold. Batteries work best in mild weather. Keep yours off a hot dashboard and out of deep cold.
• Other devices. Charging a phone or laptop from the same battery draws from the same tank.

Sometimes. But this is where most battery problems start.

A phone-size power bank usually can't push enough power. Over USB-C, the Mini needs a laptop-class source, not a phone charger. Our Mini USB-C cable calls for 60 watts or more. Plug the Mini into a small bank and it may not turn on at all, which makes a working dish look broken.

A big power station can run it if it has a real 100W USB-C port. But it's heavy, it's built around wall outlets you don't need, and it won't click onto the dish or fit in a mount.

So we built two batteries for the Mini: the Veritas 5-Hour Battery and the Veritas 45-Hour Battery. Same features, two sizes. Both of them:

• Plug straight into the Mini. The DC output adjusts to what the Mini needs, with no adapter.
• Have 100W USB-C that works both ways. Charge the battery from a laptop charger, or charge your laptop from the battery.
• Do pass-through charging, so the Mini stays online while the battery refills.
• Charge from the wall, from 12 to 48V DC in your vehicle, or from 12 to 36V solar through a built-in charge controller.
• Show charge, watts and time left on the battery and in the free Veritas Battery app for iPhone and Android.
• Are rated to run from 14°F to 104°F.

The 5-Hour Battery becomes part of the Mini. Pull off the Mini's factory kickstand, click the battery into its back, flip out the battery's own kickstand, plug in, and you're online. Dish and power become one piece of gear.

It's 99Wh, so it's airline carry-on friendly. Plan on up to about 5 hours with light use, and less on a heavy day. It's IP67 with an all-metal body, so rain, dust, mud and a brief dunk are fine. It refills in about 1.5 hours on a 100W USB-C charger, or about 2 to 3 hours over DC. In the box: the battery, a DC cable for the Mini and a 100W USB-C cable.

Want it on your vehicle? Add the Veritas Battery Mini Mount Adapter, or order the battery with it. The adapter swaps in for one frame piece of our Starlink Mini Mount and holds the battery in place, so dish and battery sit in the mount together. The Mini Mount is marine-grade HDPE, CNC machined in California, and covered by our Lifetime Guarantee.

If a few hours won't cut it, the 45-Hour Battery holds 896Wh. That's up to about 45 hours with light use, or about 22 with heavy use. Even on a heavy day, that's most of a day online without an outlet, an engine or the sun.

It lives in a hard travel case built around it. Fitted foam holds the battery, and a tray is cut for the Starlink Mini Mount, so the whole setup travels as one box. The case has its own outside ports and a power button, so you can run everything with the lid shut.

The battery is splashproof. Rain and spray are fine, but don't dunk it or leave it in standing water. The case is waterproof when it's closed. Battery and case weigh about 26 pounds, and a 100W USB-C charger comes with it.

Want the full story on the big one? Read Introducing the Veritas 45-Hour Battery.

Both batteries charge three ways. Pass-through means the Mini stays online the whole time they refill.

1. 1

   From the wall

   Use a real 100W USB-C charger, like a good laptop charger. The 5-Hour refills in about 1.5 hours and the 45-Hour in about 8 to 9 hours. Under 60 watts, charging crawls. The 45-Hour comes with a 100W charger, and we sell the same one on its own.

2. 2

   From your vehicle

   Both batteries take 12 to 48V DC in, so your vehicle can refill them while you drive. When you park, the battery keeps the Mini running and your starter battery stays full. For the 5-Hour, our Mini Car Power Supply runs from your 12V socket to the battery's DC input.

3. 3

   From solar

   The panel charges the battery, and the battery runs the Mini. So a passing cloud slows charging instead of knocking you offline. Our 100W Foldable Solar Panel plugs right in. In our test under some trees, it put in about 53 watts while the Mini used about 20, so the battery kept charging. In good sun, the 45-Hour refills in about 9 to 10 hours.

Pick the battery for how you travel, then build the setup around it.

• Get the 5-Hour if you fly, hike in, tailgate or work a site for the afternoon. It's small, carry-on friendly and clicks into the back of the Mini.
• Get the 45-Hour if you camp for days, work remote far from an outlet, or want a ready-to-go backup kit. Add the solar panel, and on sunny days your run time stops being a countdown.
• Get both if you live on the road. The big one stays in the rig, and the small one goes in your pack. Same app, same features.
• Want it all in one order? The Off-Grid Bundle packs the 45-Hour Battery and case, the Starlink Mini Mount, the 100W solar panel, mounting attachments, a charger and cables.

Still not sure? Take the Help Me Choose quiz and match a setup to how you use your Mini.