Monitor your Starlink’s power draw right from the app

One of the things I like most about Starlink is that they constantly update their hardware and software. Even if you have the original circular dish from 2020, refinements and new features are being added all the time. If you own products from other Elon Musk companies, like Tesla, you know what I mean. They are continually adding new features through software updates, even for older vehicles that most automakers would have simply given up on by now.

Last month Starlink revamped the statistics page in the app, giving customers access to a lot of useful new information about their system. The app team isn’t done, though. They just released a new feature that lets you check your Starlink’s power draw right from the statistics page in the app.

The new power draw statistic was recently enabled on all Starlink hardware models through a dish firmware update. Starlink software version 8d987cda-85b2-42b7-a79d-ffa0c3a14236 turns on the power draw feature. You can check your dish’s firmware by opening the app and tapping on Advanced near the bottom. You’ll find Software version under the section labeled Starlink. I maintain a list of Starlink firmware updates on the blog if you want to compare your version to the most recent update.

You’ll find the new power draw graph at the bottom of the Statistics page in the app. Your dish calculates its average power consumption every minute, and then displays the last 15 minutes worth of data on the graph. If you tap anywhere on it, you can see the individual data points for each minute.

The graph helps you visualize average power usage, but also shows peak power and any power spikes that may have recently occurred. You might notice higher spikes during rain, snow, or when your dish first boots up. If you are dealing with obstructions, your average power draw might be higher as well.

If you are using a 3rd party router with your Starlink, you might notice a bug on your power draw graph. I’ve read a few different reports indicating people using the Starlink router in bypass mode had zero watts reported on their power draw graph, even after hours of collecting data. This could be a software bug that will be fixed in a later update. It’s also possible that Starlink didn’t mean to allow systems in bypass mode to even have the graph at all. When you turn on bypass mode, you lose many of the router settings and functions. So it’s plausible a future update will take away the graph completely for users with 3rd party routers installed.

The new power draw feature will be a welcome addition for customers using Starlink off the grid. It’s an easy way to measure your Starlink’s power consumption without buying additional hardware. The tool should help clear up a lot of the confusion and misinformation surrounding the average power consumption of the various Starlink dish models. Starlink lists the power draw for each dish on the website, but in my testing, I’ve always found their numbers to be inflated compared to real world usage. Having your own data right in the app should give you more confidence in the power requirements for your dish.



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9 Comments

  1. My G3 seems to draw an average of 44W. My 60A car battery should feed it for about eight hours without going below 50% charge. I use a 12V to 80V step up device (adjustable to 57V) which only cost £13 on eBay.

  2. I find the Starlink app very flaky.
    For instance: It often has difficulty maintaining a connection to my Starlink despite my computer not having a connectivity issue.
    Also: It insists on doing a “non-starlink speed test” despite Starlink being the only interconnection.
    AND there is no way to communicate these app issues to Starlink.

  3. Thats’s very good if all you want to know is your “dish power usage.” In my case my power usage is in the 60 watt range which would be very nice on my off-grid location. however, I already have the extra equipment needed to measure total system usage and it reads in the 300 watt range! If I unplug my antenna from the router the usage drops to the 230 watt range! To me that means my router is drawing 230 watts and only my antenna wattage is displayed in statistics! So, not such a great deal after all.

    1. I think something is wrong with your meter, because it is not possible for the system to be using that much power. That far exceeds the rating of the power supply for the system.

  4. My kit updates software automatically. I live in Portugal, so perhaps they’re not issuing the same firmware updates or perhaps it’s because I’m on a Gen 2 kit. In any case, my software number does not match the one you posted, and my app doesn’t have the Power Draw feature.

    1. Gen2 here (Flat High Performance)

      Firmware is software version 4a4c71e9-[….]

      Nothing in the app’s Statistics pane says Power draw

      Maybe this is a Gen3 only feature? Or just not implemented yet for Gen2?

      1. Yeah likely G3+ only, they didn’t release the update right away outside bets testers. This seems to be very common in smart phones. You can’t monitor a sensor that isn’t there.