Should You Use a UPS with Starlink?

Like almost all modern electronics, Starlink is sensitive to power fluctuations. A UPS is a great way to shield your Starlink from problems caused by power outages and surges. I used to work as an electronics technician at a hospital, and we used UPS’s to protect critical patient care equipment. It’s one of those small investments that you might not need each day, but you’ll be glad you have it when power outages or surges happen.

APC UPS for a Starlink Gen 3 router

In this guide, I’ll explain how and why you would want to use a UPS with Starlink. I will cover the problems that power outages and surges can cause, and how a UPS helps. If you live in an area with power outages, surges, or lightening, read on to learn how a UPS can protect your Starlink.

Benefits of Using a UPS with Starlink

A UPS, or uninterruptible power supply, provides battery backup power for important electronics. They have automatic transfer switches to seamlessly transfer the load between mains and battery power, preventing harmful shutdowns and reboots. UPSs also protect devices from power surges and fluctuations by regulating the voltage output.

I used to work in a hospital repairing and maintaining patient care electronics. Many of the critical equipment and systems I was responsible for were backed up by a UPS. Some devices can’t be interrupted when the power goes out. A UPS was what I used to ensure sensitive equipment stayed running.

Battery Backup for Starlink

One of the main purposes of a UPS is to prevent devices from unexpectedly shutting down or rebooting due to power outages and fluctuations. When the power goes out, you don’t have to lose your internet. If you have Starlink plugged into a UPS, it will continue to run on battery power for several hours, allowing you to stay connected during outages.

Anything else you have plugged in to the UPS will also continue to run during a power outage. The UPS I use has five outlets that are backed up. One of them is used for my Starlink, but I also plug in my computer and monitor.

APC UPS battery backup for Starlink

If your Starlink loses power, it can take up to 15 minutes to boot back up. If you have a Gen 2 system, power fluctuations can actually factory reset the Starlink router, disconnecting all your devices and leaving your network unsecured. A UPS solves both issues, keeping your system online by switching between AC and battery backup power automatically.

Surge Protection

Sudden power surges can destroy electronic devices. UPS’s have surge protection circuits, shielding any devices that are plugged in. There are systems in the UPS that regulate voltage and current. When power fluctuations occur, the UPS helps smooth things out, delivering clean and consistent power to your sensitive devices.

Some UPS’s also provide surge protection for your Ethernet network. This is important for Starlink specifically, as most of us mount our Starlink on the roof where it is susceptible to lightning strikes. If lightning does strike the dish, it will travel through the cable and back to the router. Any devices that are plugged into the Ethernet ports on the router, like a network switch or PC, can be damaged from the power surge. By using the Ethernet ports on the UPS you can protect the devices on your network.

APC UPS Ethernet surge protection

Voltage Regulation

If your area has an unstable power grid, a UPS can help regulate the voltage going to your Starlink. The circuits inside take AC mains power and smooth it out, creating a more consistent output for your devices. Combined with the automatic transfer and battery backup functions, this means you’ll never have to worry about Starlink shutting down or rebooting unexpectedly due to voltage fluctuations.

Best UPS for Starlink

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When I worked as an electronics technician at the hospital, we used APC brand UPS’s. There are definitely other good brands out there, but I have the most experience with APC, and can vouch for their features and quality based on my years of experience with them. After all, if I trusted them for critical hospital systems, I trust them for my Starlink.

The best UPS I can recommend for most use cases is the APC Back-UPS Pro. I have the 1500VA version in my office. It has enough battery to keep my Starlink online for a few hours during a power outage.

APC UPS for a Starlink Gen 3 router

It has ten outlets on the back, five of which are backed up by the battery. All of them are surge protected. The LCD screen and simple user interface make it easy to use. It even shows you how long the battery will last for the load that is plugged in.

Final Thoughts

Should you use a UPS with Starlink? Absolutely. They keep your Starlink system online during power outages. Since Starlink takes a long time to reboot, and can even get reset due to fluctuations, it’s important to keep it powered on. UPSs also protect against power surges and voltage fluctuations. I recommend an APC brand UPS like the one I use.

Do you currently use a UPS? Let me know which brand you recommend, and if it’s come in handy during a power outage.



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13 Comments

  1. If I understand correctly, you are using the UPS to provide protection for both the power feed plus ethernet connection for the router? I have an Eaton UPS and was considering using the ethernet protection as well but was concerned that the internet feed may be impacted. Is this a concern? Thanks in advance.

    1. Correct, it can also protect Ethernet connected devices on your network if you run it through the UPS first. I’m not plugging the dish Ethernet cable into the UPS, just the Ethernet LAN cable coming from one of the AUX LAN ports on the Starlink router. It won’t cause any performance issues on the Ethernet devices by doing this.

  2. You didn’t mention the importance of a true sine wave output; perhaps you don’t know since the one you recommended is modified sine (aka square) wave along with a very small size for a dishy power draw. The other problem is converting from AC to DC to AC to DC, 4 conversions gets very inefficient! This is addressed in the Mini, with aftermarket kits allowing some direct DC drive (like POE but that isn’t enough).

    I’ve always been in the camp that’s very critical of the Dishy power system since Day 1 (true of a lot of other electronics as well)

    1. What would you recommend as a suitable UPS for the 2nd gen? We lose power quite often here, (9 times last March and another 3 times in April and once in June). I swing over to a pure sine wave generator that powers the house when it goes out. I think Ethernet protection would be necessary too.

    2. A pure sine wave is the best for sensitive electronics, but it’s not necessary for Starlink. Regarding AC/DC, remember this is for power outages and surge protection, not to be used as a battery for an off-grid Starlink. Most of the time your Starlink will be running on the mains power. The UPS only uses the battery when the mains drops too low. The Mini dish is best for portable use, and I’m talking about using a UPS for home use where you wouldn’t be using the Mini. Finally, dish power draw is no issue with this UPS. The Gen 3 Standard uses around 50-75 watts, up to about 100 watts max. Output on this UPS is rated for 900 watts.

      I think you’re thinking of portable power stations, like EcoFlow (I have the River 2). This article is about UPSs, which serve a different purpose.

      1. Thanks for that.
        No, i’m not thinking of a generator.
        Yes, the UPS would just be used to keep the Starlink running until i can get the generator started to run the house power supply. So it would only be needed to keep the power supplied while i swing over to the generator and again when i swing from the generator back to mains supply. This normally takes 5-10 minutes, unless the power goes out in the middle of the night and i don’t realize it. But then i’m assuming that the UPS would have an alarm? to warn when the mains goes off.

  3. I’ve used UPS in my home for critical PC stuff. my Dishy is in a cabin. a power outage so remote for sure would be hours or days long. but the surge and spike protection from Dishy lightning would be useful. Ive never used the Ethernet protection before. would you connect it between the SL router an Ethernet switch that fans out?

  4. I use an APC for my Mac, router, and StarLink and it works great. It provides enough time to roll my 7,500 Watt inverter generator out and switch over. I live in California, so you never know when you might lose your very expensive PG&E power, thanks to Governor Newsom and his buddies.

  5. My Starlink Gen 3 and Eero setup are on a APC 1500 unit. It works great, but sucks up the power really fast. I have a EcoFlow River on standby once the APC starts to wind down. If the outage is more than several hours, I have to utilize the system sparingly, maybe only a half hour a day.

  6. Hello, Perhaps you could answer an unrelated question. I established a contact with Starlink, went through the FYI’s and sent in whatever they call a request for help. After posing my question and sending it I realized there hadn’t been any file number of ant kind assigned and that there was no indication of how or when I might be answered. Can you tell me how long it normally takes for them to answer?
    My question regarded the power consumption of my Gen 2 router which was about 220 watts. Since I am off grid whith only limited solar I was wondering if that indicated problems and if the router should be replaced.
    Any info you can provide would be very appreciated.
    Thanks,
    Mike Liemandt
    [email protected]

  7. Doug, the spec sheet for the UPS Noah mentioned says it has a minimum working temperature of 32° F, and a min storage temp of 23°F. This minimum is most likely due to the battery chemistry. Lead Acid batteries decrease in output capacity as their temp decreases. You might look for a UPS that uses a different battery type and see what the specs are.

  8. I had to put my Gen 2 router in an unheated barn. In the Winter the temperature in the barn often drops below 20 degrees Fahrenheit and sometimes below 0 degrees Fahrenheit. I would like to put a UPS in the barn with the router.

    Do you have any recommendations for low temperature situations?

    1. Most UPSs have operating ranges down to about 20-32F. Some days, your UPS will likely need to operate below the temp specs. I would recommend a UPS with a lead acid batter vs lithium, and putting the UPS and router inside an enclosed cabinet would also help. Most UPS batteries are cheap and replaceable, so I wouldn’t be too worried about running one at freezing or below. Just know that you might experience shorter battery life and/or reliability issues for extreme temps, like below zero.