Fixed address life
Driveway, park model, or seasonal site that rarely moves → Residential may fit once address eligibility checks out. We will not tell you Residential is “fine for full-time travel.”
Connectivity guide · Installs only
Starlink for RVs — mount, power, and routing
Satellite internet changed remote work on the road — but the RV-specific plan, mounting choice, and power draw have to match how you actually travel. United Mobile RV installs and integrates Starlink hardware the same way we do electrical work. We are not a Starlink “certified” dealer. Starlink = installs only — we never invent a Starlink Certified title.
Active corridor: Montana · Wyoming · Idaho · Washington — case-by-case beyond.
Field notes
Clear sky view still wins outdoors — trees, canyon walls, A/C shrouds, and neighboring rigs beat any mount brand. Run the Starlink app obstruction check at the exact proposed height before you drill. A poorly sealed roof penetration is one of the most common sources of interior water damage, so this install is worth doing carefully. Dish + router draw meaningful continuous power; budget them with fridge and other always-on loads, not as negligible. OEM PDFs, app links, and support articles live on our software twin at umrt-software-db.netlify.app/starlink/ — we point there instead of inventing watt numbers or plan fine print.
Residential vs Roam (plan honesty)
Residential is built around a fixed service address. It is not the travel plan: no roam-as-you-go expectation, and no in-motion use as a Residential product promise. Roam is the RV / travel-oriented line — pause / standby options, and in-motion only in select areas under current Starlink terms. Do not oversell nationwide in-motion. Starlink’s /rv marketing path redirects to Roam; it is not a separate SKU. Hardware and plan are separate decisions. We install the dish and coach integration; account and plan choice stay with you and Starlink. Confirm current limits on starlink.com before you buy — terms change.
Travel / boondocking
Changing locations, BLM nights, corridor weeks → plan for Roam. Pause / standby helps when the coach sits. In-motion is plan- and area-dependent — verify before you bank a workday on it while driving.
Landed on /rv?
That path points at Roam-oriented travel service. Treat it as the travel product family, not a mystery third plan sitting beside Residential and Roam.
What we install
Mount, seals, cable, fused power, and clean coach networking. Plan checkout and billing stay on your Starlink account — we do not sell or “certify” the service.
Roof-mount vs portable
Roof mount
Hands-off every time you park. Needs clear sky overhead and a sealed penetration done right — solid, level base into structure (not thin skin alone), and cable routing that does not create a water intrusion point. Not a job to rush. Highway vibration and freeze-thaw will find weak fasteners.
Portable dish
Flexible under trees; takes setup time and a secure cable run back to the coach. Useful when the roof position is shaded or you change sites often. Kickstand / picnic-table tests are fine for site checks — they are not a travel mount.
Obstructions beat mounts
Partial tree cover can look “fine” on a map and still kill uplink. If the app shows heavy obstruction at your usual parks, fix placement before blaming the router, Peplink, or the plan. Clear-sky field of view is the constraint that decides whether a permanent roof hole is worth it.
Optional Peplink
Want cellular failover or multi-WAN bonding alongside Starlink? We are a Peplink Certified Associate — that is the Peplink title we claim, nothing beyond it. Bonding and/or failover as configured: Hot Failover ≠ Bonding ≠ Smoothing. See the Peplink multi-WAN guide and /wireless/. Peplink does not invent clear sky.
Power: Mini vs Flat High Performance
Plan from official specification-sheet averages, not campground anecdotes. Field meters vary with temperature, throughput, obstruction hunting, and (on kits that heat) melt cycles — but undersizing from marketing talk is how inverters brown out and Mini USB-C paths reboot-loop.
Starlink Mini
Official sheet average about ~25–40 W. Lower continuous draw — the realistic citizen on modest lithium / solar. Still include it in daily watt-hour math with fridge and always-on loads. Undersized USB-C PD accessories cause reboot loops that look like “Starlink is down.”
Flat HP / High Performance
Official sheet averages about ~110–150 W — roughly three to four times Mini on paper. Treat as a real appliance on inverter, shore, or DC supply. Confirm continuous inverter rating, battery C-rate, cable gauge, and bay airflow before permanent install.
Off-grid budget
Include Starlink continuous draw in the daily watt-hour math. See the off-grid power budget guide before locking battery bank size. OEM PDFs indexed at /starlink/ on the software twin.
Fused integration
We route and fuse the feed so the install is part of the electrical system, not a dangling brick. Strain-relieve connectors; vibration opens mystery outages. On Victron coaches we treat Starlink as a known load in the energy budget.
Seals, cable, and when DIY ends
Seals & penetrations
Drip loops, chafe protection, grommets, and proper sealant at every roof penetration. A fast “temporary” hole becomes a soft floor two seasons later. Re-check fasteners and sealant after the first hard season — sun and freeze-thaw work on roof mounts.
Cable discipline
Use kit-correct cable. Shortest clean path; no crush in compartments or slides; strain relief at dish and interior. Label both ends. Zip-ties into soft membrane or pinched doors create “mysterious” dropouts later.
Heat and weather
Roof mounts see sun, ice, and highway miles. Cable jackets crack at chafe points first. Leave service access to inspect seals and connectors without tearing the install apart.
When DIY ends
New roof penetrations, sealed mounts, and coach DC integration. If the dish is offline after a move, start at Starlink offline troubleshoot before ordering another dish.
Owner checklist
- Match Residential vs Roam to how you actually travel (fixed address ≠ full-time travel)
- Assess clear-sky with the app at typical parks before committing to a permanent roof mount
- Budget continuous dish + router draw from official averages (Mini ~25–40 W; Flat/HP ~110–150 W)
- Inspect roof seals at the mount seasonally
- Keep firmware / app updates from official Starlink sources (software twin indexes links)
- If you also run cellular, plan antenna separation and name Peplink roles honestly: Hot Failover ≠ Bonding ≠ Smoothing
What good looks like on the road
After a stop
Roof mount: park, wait for acquire, confirm apps work before you unload the day. Portable: known cable path, secure footing, no trip hazard across the door.
Obstruction honesty
If the app shows heavy obstruction at your usual parks, fix placement before blaming the router or Peplink. Clear sky beats clever brackets every time.
One coach network
Phones hopping between Starlink Wi‑Fi and a separate hotspot is fragile. Peplink (or a deliberate single SSID design) keeps devices on one LAN while WANs change underneath — bonding and/or failover as actually configured.
Buying mistakes we see
Residential for a full-time travel coach. Flat HP on a marginal inverter because “bigger must be better.” Mounting under trees because the picnic table had signal once. Expecting Peplink or weBoost to compensate for a blocked sky.
FAQ
Residential vs Roam?
Residential = fixed address, no roam, no in-motion promise. Roam = travel / RV use, pause / standby, in-motion only in select areas. Starlink /rv redirects to Roam — not a separate SKU. We install hardware; plan choice stays with you and Starlink.
How much power off-grid?
Use official sheet averages: Mini ~25–40 W avg; Flat High Performance / High Performance ~110–150 W avg. Include continuous draw in the budget with other always-on loads. PDF index: software /starlink/.
Is roof-mount safe from leaks?
Only with a properly sealed penetration and cable routing. A rushed mount is a common water-intrusion source. Sealed roof penetrations matter as much as the dish itself.
Are you Starlink certified?
No. We are installs-only for Starlink — never “Starlink Certified.” Certified partner titles we do claim: Victron Professional Certified Installer, weBoost Authorized Installer, Peplink Certified Associate, Dometic Professional Certified.
Related: weBoost install · Peplink multi-WAN · Wireless service · Starlink offline · Roof service · Software /starlink/
Pricing teaser
Trip fee $75 within 30 miles, then $1.50/mi each way. Labor ~$150/hr (1-hour minimum, billed in 30-minute increments). Diagnostic $175 applied toward repair if you proceed.
Credentials (text): Victron Professional Certified Installer · weBoost Authorized Installer · Peplink Certified Associate · Dometic Professional Certified. Starlink = installs only (not a certified partner title).