(Credit: Starlink.com)
Official documentation from SpaceX shows the upcoming Starlink Mini dish won’t include an external Wi-Fi router. Instead, the company has managed to build the router inside the dish itself.
The information comes from an official spec sheet and setup guide for the Mini dish that the company quietly posted to Starlink.com. The documents provide a major glimpse into what consumers can expect from the product, which will start rolling out in a few months, according to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
The spec sheet specifically describes the Mini dish as a “Starlink with integrated Wi-Fi.” The hardware will also come bundled with a kickstand, pipe adapter, direct current power cable, and a power supply.
(Credit: Starlink.com)The built-in modem promises to make the Starlink Mini dish more portable. However, the downside is that the hardware only supports Wi-Fi 5 speeds, even though FCC documents suggested it's capable of Wi-Fi 6 speeds.
To make the dish easier to carry around, the Mini model weighs only 2.4 pounds, or 3.4 pounds when attached to the kickstand and the 49-foot-long DC cable. The Mini dish is also about the size of a laptop, measuring 11.75 inches by 10.2 inches, making it easy to fit into a backpack, as the company intended.
(Credit: Starlink.com)The smaller size also means the Mini dish requires less power, only 25 watts on average, compared to 75 to 100 watts for the V4 standard Starlink dish.
The documents don’t mention using the Mini dish with a portable battery. However, the company will include a single Ethernet port next to the dish’s power connector.
(Credit: Starlink.com)Although the Mini dish is smaller, it’s still designed to survive outdoor weather conditions. Like the standard Starlink dish, the new Mini model can operate between temperatures ranging from -22°F to 122°F and even includes a snow-melt capability. The IP67 rating also means the product can survive being submerged in 3 feet of water for up to 30 minutes.
According to Musk, the Mini dish will cost “about half the price of the standard dish,” which suggests a $250 to $300 price tag, although perhaps at the expense of lower performance. The company plans on first rolling out the product to select areas before a wider release. However, it's unclear how SpaceX will price the monthly internet fee and if it’ll get a discount.