There has been a remarkable development regarding Starlink, the satellite internet project that Elon Musk’s space transportation company SpaceX has been working on for years. The company began offering customers a special “portability” option. This option helps Starlink subscribers carry and actively use their internet antennas wherever they go. This option seems to be talked about a lot, especially these days when remote working is widespread.
Starlink engineers have made a special study on the antennas, allowing these products to work in vehicle cigarette lighters as well. A small apparatus provided with the antenna allows the device to work in the vehicle as well as providing permanent internet service. Moreover, since this feature can be used, there is no need for huge payments. Starlink subscribers can make their antennas suitable for vehicles with an additional payment of $25 per month.
Cannot be used while on the go
Even though Starlink’s satellites have become portable, it is necessary to stand still in order to benefit from internet service. However, when we consider that Starlink can provide high quality service in the vehicle, this situation seems to be ignored by many people. As a result, a Starlink subscriber who likes to travel and works remotely will now have internet access wherever he goes.
The fact that Starlink has become portable may have confused you in terms of energy consumption. After all, vehicle batteries have a certain capacity. Starlink engineers have considered this situation as well. According to a statement made by Elon Musk, software updates continue and efforts are made to reduce energy consumption to minimal levels. The tests done by third-party sources and shared on the internet reveal that the engineers are on the right track. Because the antennas, which consumed 80-100W energy last year, now consume 60-70W.
Is the Starlink satellite efficient enough?
You may not fully understand the 60-70W consumption value. We can explain this as follows; When you connect a smartphone with a 5,000 mAh battery to a 5W charger, your 1-hour energy consumption will be 25W. In other words, the energy consumed by a Starlink antenna can be interpreted as almost 2.5 times the energy consumed by a smartphone in an hour. Considering the fact that solar panels are used and large batteries are used in new generation caravans, we can say that Starlink consumption is at a manageable level even in this case.
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