Keeping Starlink on in a power cut
By Roaming Dish Editors. Updated October 23, 2026. How we work these numbers out
In an outage the dish you already own decides the plan. With its included AC supply, a Standard uses the station’s AC outlet. An optional Standard DC supply is another route, but the Standard still draws more power than a Mini.
2,048 Wh × 90% usable × 76% for AC outlet ÷ 88 W = about 16 hours of browsing and music. The dish's draw is from its spec sheet. The two percentages are our estimates.
How long it runs
| Setup | Hours per full charge |
|---|---|
| Standard, 2,048 Wh station, AC outlet Standard at 88 W (browsing and music), AC outlet | 16 h |
| Standard, 1,070 Wh station, AC outlet Standard at 88 W (browsing and music), AC outlet | 8 h |
| Mini, 1,070 Wh station, USB-C Mini at 28 W (browsing and music), USB-C | 31 h |
| Mini, 1,070 Wh station, AC outlet Mini at 28 W (browsing and music), AC outlet | 26 h |
Usable capacity taken as 90% of the rating. Connection losses are our estimates. Try your own battery.
Standard dish at home
The Standard kit averages 75 to 100 W and runs from its mains power supply, rated 100 to 240 V. With that included supply, an outage means the station’s AC outlet and inverter. Starlink’s optional Standard DC-DC supply accepts 12–48 V DC; the table models included AC equipment, not measured DC runtime. Standard spec sheet
Plug the Standard power supply straight into the station and keep everything else off that outlet. A space heater or kettle on the same station will empty it within minutes of turning on.
If you have a Mini
A Mini on the station's USB-C port runs about four times as long as a Standard dish on the same battery. If outages are the main reason you are buying a dish, that is worth knowing before you choose.
Stretching the hours
Switch the dish off between checks. Each boot costs a minute or two above 40 W on a Mini, which is small next to hours of idle running. Checking messages three times a day for twenty minutes uses a fraction of what leaving it on all day does.
Many stations can recharge from solar or a car while you use them. The hours in the table are for one full charge with nothing coming in.
What the Standard figure includes
Starlink's spec sheet gives 75 to 100 W as the average for the Standard kit, antenna and router together. Phones and laptops charging from the same station come on top of that. Standard spec sheet
Long outages
For outages that run past one charge, plan how you will refill the station: a car's 12 V socket while driving, solar panels, or a generator. Recharging from a car is slow but needs nothing extra.
Write the hours from the table on the station itself. In a dark kitchen at 2 a.m. nobody wants to do the maths.