(Starlink.com)
Uh oh, SpaceX has suddenly increased the price for a Starlink Wi-Fi router by 150%.
On Thursday, users spotted the official Starlink shop posting the new $100 price for the “Router Mini,” which used to sell for a mere $40.
The Router Mini was launched last year as an affordable way to increase the Wi-Fi range of a Starlink dish. But the $100 price is already making consumers think twice about purchasing the product. The older, but more powerful Gen 3 Router continues to sell for $120. It's also bundled with the standard Starlink dish.
(Starlink.com)SpaceX didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But the price increase might be related to the ongoing memory shortage. Counterpoint Research warned last month that the rising prices for DRAM and NAND flash are not only affecting smartphones, but also routers and gateways.
“The prices for ‘consumer memory’-based broadband products jumped almost 7x. Routers are hit the hardest, especially for OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) with an unsecured supply and weaker negotiating power,” Counterpoint wrote. “Memory is now contributing more than 20% of the total bill of materials (BOM) in low-to-mid-end routers, up from around 3% exactly a year ago.”
That said, SpaceX hasn't released technical specs for the Router Mini, making it unclear how much memory it uses. Still, we also wonder if SpaceX is increasing the product's price to offset how the company has been offering the Router Mini as a free perk to customers on the re-branded Residential Max plan, which was introduced in January. The official Starlink shop also briefly de-listed the Router Mini before re-opening sales, but at the $100 price.
The good news is that the Router Mini remains available on Amazon for $40, although it looks like it’ll take over a week for the shipment to arrive.