Starlink Mini: Roundup Review - Off-Grid Internet DREAM? (ft. DISHYtech, Explore Trek, Hill Phantom)

Transcript

0:00 Speaker A: Starlink Mini is an amazing piece of. Speaker B: Technology, about the size of a sheet of paper. Speaker C: The ultimate portable Internet connectivity device. Speaker B: I am highly impressed. Speaker C: Welcome back to Real Review where we watch all the reviews so you don't have to. Speaker C: Today we're diving deep into Starlink Mini. Speaker C: The satellite is promising Internet almost anywhere and packed into a size that's got everyone talking. Speaker C: First impressions count and the mini size is definitely its headline feature. Speaker D: This is the new Starlink Mini and I haven't been this excited to unbox a new product well since the first Starlink.

0:30 Speaker E: Wow. Speaker E: So my first impression is just how small and light this thing is. Speaker E: And to give you a better perspective, let me bring out the Gen 3 standard dish. Speaker E: So this is the Gen 3 standard. Speaker E: This is the Mini. Speaker E: That is incredible. Speaker E: That's less than half the size. Speaker F: While the Starlink Gen 2 and Gen 3 rectangular dishes were much smaller and lighter they than the original round Gen 1 dish, they're still pretty good size and they're not super portable.

1:03 Speaker B: It's about the size of a sheet of paper, 2 inches thick and weighs about 2 to 3 pounds. Speaker B: There's a kickstand on the bottom that allows you to set the Starlink on the ground and point up to the sky properly. Speaker C: So it's small enough to take anywhere. Speaker C: But how practical is that? Speaker D: So here we are in my backyard and just to demonstrate, I'm able to fit this dish inside a normal size backpack.

1:29 Speaker D: Because you soon find out. Speaker D: There we go. Speaker D: It's pretty darn small and it doesn't quite fit in the laptop sleeve because it's a little bit wider than a laptop. Speaker D: However, it does rather easily fit in the pocket itself. Speaker D: There you have it. Speaker A: Whether I'm in my RV or I'm in my vehicle and I want to have Internet on the go, or perhaps I just want to put it in my backpack, go for a hike or spend a couple days in the backcountry in a tent, I can still do work and I can do it in some of the most beautiful places in the world.

2:08 Speaker C: Starlink has always aimed for simplicity. Speaker C: Let's see if Mini follows suit. Speaker F: Starlink historically has always been super, super simple to get up and running and in this case you plug in power, you connect to it with the app and you just make sure that it's pointed in the right direction and and you're online, you're good to go. Speaker G: This is coming from a non techy person and I'd say yeah, it was pretty easy. Speaker G: You got a cable, just one of them. Speaker G: Your Power plug and of course, the Starlink itself.

2:34 Speaker E: Once you have the Starlink app installed on your phone, go ahead and open it up. Speaker E: Next, we got to find a good location. Speaker E: So you want to avoid things like this tree here. Speaker E: And the best way to do that, find an open area if you can. Speaker E: But there is also a tool on, on the app here that says check for obstructions. Speaker E: You can see what it's doing here. Speaker E: It's just scanning and you fill in all the bubbles. Speaker E: It's kind of a neat little game. Speaker E: You just do that for your entire area and it'll tell you a result.

3:01 Speaker E: Whether it's a good location or not. Speaker G: Once it's plugged in and powered on, you're going to open up the Starlink app on your phone and you're literally going to follow step by step instructions on the screen. Speaker G: Make sure you read each one. Speaker G: Don't go skipping and checking things out. Speaker G: It took a good 20 minutes and every time I thought it was going to be done, another update popped up. Speaker G: Do not have any expectations of this being a quick setup. Speaker F: We are now fully online with Starlink mini.

3:27 Speaker F: So let's take a look at the statistics here. Speaker F: Before we get to the speed test though, let's look at the alignment. Speaker F: So under alignment we can see that I am just a little bit off. Speaker F: And one of the cool things about this app is it actually does update in real time as you move the dish around. Speaker F: So let's go ahead and do that now. Speaker F: We can see that it's pretty good, but it's just a little bit off. Speaker F: So we're going to shift it just ever so slightly like that.

3:52 Speaker F: And now we can see that it is aligned. Speaker C: Okay, it's portable and easy to set up, but how does it actually perform out in the wild? Speaker E: Speed test. Speaker E: Starlink to Internet. Speaker B: Wow. Speaker E: This one is incredible. Speaker E: Holy crap. Speaker E: Okay, we've spiked up now to 100 and I saw 180Mbps. Speaker E: It is dropping off a little bit now. Speaker E: Stabilizing our final result. Speaker E: 171 Mbps download from the Starlink Mini.

4:20 Speaker E: That is insane. Speaker E: Our upload is going to finish at 15.1Mbps. Speaker E: Upload. Speaker F: Now, the speeds of the Starlink Mini aren't supposed to be as good as the speeds of the standard size residential dish. Speaker F: The standard size residential dish. Speaker F: I typically get speeds between 150 up to 80. Speaker F: Know a maximum of about 300Mbps. Speaker F: So I'm not expecting to get the same speeds that I Get with the full size dish.

4:46 Speaker F: But again, this isn't made for residential. Speaker F: This is made for camping. Speaker H: But there's a lot of little tiny satellites that are flinging around the earth. Speaker H: That dish is tracking those little satellites and communicating with it. Speaker H: If that satellite goes behind some trees or an obstruction, that's where you're going to get blocked off for a second. Speaker H: If you're doing anything that requires like a constant connectivity, whether it be a voice call or you're gaming or whatever on it, you're, that's where you're 100% going to need a clear sky.

5:12 Speaker E: There are some downsides and you, you saw one during my first WI fi test or my first speed test where I'm 50ft away from the dish itself because the WI FI router is integrated and it's only a Wi Fi 5. Speaker E: It's not a very, it's not gonna have very good range standing 50ft away. Speaker E: I was only able to get about 30 Mbps download and that's just simply due to the WI fi range issue. Speaker C: What about using it while traveling?

5:38 Speaker D: So here we are on the freeway. Speaker D: Have this wired to my vehicle. Speaker D: Now this may not be the most prettiest setup. Speaker D: I literally just put it on top of my glass roof and then just close the COVID underneath it to hold it in place. Speaker D: And my iPhone's already connected to it now, even though it's not perfectly aligned. Speaker D: But we are traveling going 60 on the highway right now and it's lined up. Speaker D: I have data showing that it is indeed connected so far in the last.

6:05 Speaker E: Hour that at speed the Mini's capabilities. Speaker B: Are cut down by quite a bit. Speaker E: So stationary we were hitting right around 150Mbps and now we're at around 50. Speaker E: And that seems to be kind of where we're, where we're capping out. Speaker B: To my surprise, it worked. Speaker B: My two boys, 5 and 10, connected up their Nintendo switches to the Starlink Internet and they were playing Fortnite while we were driving 60 miles per hour in the middle of nowhere where I didn't really have any cell service, which was quite amazing.

6:36 Speaker B: There were moments that the Internet dropped off or slowed down to really slow speeds. Speaker B: But for the most part there was almost no interruptions. Speaker C: A major selling point is lower power consumption, crucial for off grid use. Speaker C: Let's look at the numbers and options. Speaker F: So when idle, Starlink Mini appears to pull between 20 to 30 watts, which is a lot better than, than the 40 to 60 watts when idle that we see with the standard Gen 3 Starlink dish.

7:03 Speaker F: I'm going to run a speed test and watch the wattage jump up and look at that. Speaker F: It popped up to 40 watts as I'm getting a download test happening from speedtest.net now we're on the upload test again. Speaker F: Around 40 watts. Speaker F: And now back to idle. Speaker H: Another great thing about this Starlink mini is it can run on AC but and DC power. Speaker H: That is super important, especially for people out here. Speaker H: You're running on batteries.

7:28 Speaker H: You don't want to run your inverter. Speaker D: This is the Anchor Prime 27650 milliamp power bank. Speaker D: It's currently at 100%. Speaker D: We are currently using 20 watts and on this battery it'll run for about four and a half hours. Speaker I: I've heard that if you plug this cable directly into a 12VT source, which is what that is, we have too much of a voltage drop with this long of the cable to power the Starlink. Speaker I: If we turn the power station around, something's happening because it says it's supplying 50 watts at the moment.

7:58 Speaker I: Starlink always uses a lot right when it boots up. Speaker I: It still says power is being drawn from this power station, but we have no success getting Starlink to boot up. Speaker I: So I do think that everyone else who's tested this cable just with direct 12 volts is correct. Speaker I: It does not work. Speaker A: In order to do that and many other applications, you're going to need to get yourself a cord that's capable of carrying at least 65 watts.

8:28 Speaker A: I recommend 100 watts and it's USB C on one end and a barrel port on the other. Speaker A: But you might notice this barrel port looks a little different. Speaker A: See, it has these rubber flanges here. Speaker A: This is a proprietary plug that fits directly into your Starlink mini. Speaker A: And what that's going to do is make it waterproof. Speaker A: The other cord you might want to consider getting is this cord right here. Speaker A: This one has a cigarette lighter adapter and it also has that barrel port with the rubber flanges we use Chat.

8:55 Speaker H: GPT, say, hey, we have a Starlink mini. Speaker H: We want to power it with a Jackery 240 on AC power. Speaker H: How long will it last? Speaker H: We did this last night and it said we could run 5.1 hours on the AC plug on that little 240, which I think is pretty awesome. Speaker H: Now, if we're running solar, it could go forever. Speaker H: But it also said we could run six hours if we use dc. Speaker H: So there's that. Speaker H: If we don't have to run the inverter you can get more power integrating.

9:21 Speaker C: The router is convenient, but it comes with trade offs. Speaker C: Let's break down the hardware features and. Speaker E: Compare it to the standard dish, the WI Fi router. Speaker E: You notice in the box there's no router. Speaker E: That's because it's integrated into the Mini. Speaker E: So in this package contains a Wi Fi 5 router, which is going to be plenty, which is going to be all you need really for camping, portable travel use kind of thing. Speaker F: The integrated Wireless is a 3 by 3 multi user Mimo Wi Fi 5 access point.

9:49 Speaker F: And you might be asking, hey, why isn't it Wi Fi 6 like the Starlink Gen 3 router? Speaker F: So to me Wi Fi 5 is perfectly fine for this dish, right? Speaker F: You're never gonna get Wi Fi 6 speeds out to the Internet through this dish. Speaker F: So the type of wireless that's being used is really only for communication between devices. Speaker F: Locally, StarLink Mini is IP67 weather rated, meaning that it's, it's dustproof and it can withstand being immersed in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes.

10:21 Speaker F: But when you pull the plug on the ethernet port, it is now no longer IP67 weather rated. Speaker F: So keep that in mind if you're going to be using your own equipment. Speaker E: So right away I'm kind of noticing the material on the Mini is kind of more orange peely, it's more textured, more grippy. Speaker E: It feels like it's build, the build quality is higher than the Gen 3 standard.

10:46 Speaker E: This feels a little bit sturdier, feels a little bit more higher quality with that textured plastic instead of the smoother stuff. Speaker D: Is the Starlink Mini slower than the standard third generation? Speaker D: Yes, just by 100 megabytes. Speaker D: From what I've seen from watching other YouTube videos and such and doing research before I purchase this. Speaker D: But in the real world, honestly I think this is all you need. Speaker D: But if you do need faster performance, the standard third generation is not only cheaper but delivers better Internet performance.

11:13 Speaker D: But not by a whole lot. Speaker D: But it also draws more energy. Speaker C: So the hardware has its pros and cons, but what about the ongoing cost, the service plans and ultimately who is the Starlink Mini best suited for? Speaker F: Now the dish itself is 599 bucks and I also paid $20 in shipping. Speaker F: SpaceX has lowered the price of the standard residential dish to 499 bucks and they're even running promotions as low as 199 bucks for the full size dish in some locations.

11:43 Speaker E: By the way, I'm running this on the Mini Roam service plan. Speaker E: You can also get it on the mobile Regional or the mobile Priority. Speaker E: The Mini Roam Service plan costs $50 a month and it gives you 50 GB of mobile data. Speaker F: For a real world example of 50 gigabytes of data, that's equivalent to approximately 25 hours of standard HD 1080p Netflix streaming. Speaker F: Now, if you hit that 50 gigabyte cap, additional usage is billed out at $1 per gigabyte, which is optional.

12:12 Speaker F: I think you actually have to opt into overages the 50 gig plan. Speaker H: I think both of them actually include the ability to pause the service. Speaker H: Another thing to note like the 50 gig plan is that data does not roll over into the next month. Speaker H: So whatever you don't use, you're going to lose. Speaker H: One thing you should do is under your WI fi setting you're going to want to click on this little eye and then there is a low data mode and basically that's going to turn off all those background processes.

12:39 Speaker H: The biggest thing you can do to save your data is to just download the movies and everything before you go out here. Speaker C: So considering cost features and data options, who really benefits from the Mini? Speaker B: Quite interesting to be able to travel to one of the most beautiful national parks that has almost no cell service or Internet. Speaker B: Be able to work during the day and during your breaks or after work be able to go see herds of bison crossing the road.

13:05 Speaker A: Starlink Mini is an amazing piece of technology. Speaker A: This thing is so tiny and so small it can pretty much go anywhere. Speaker A: Whether I'm in my RV or I'm in my vehicle and I want to have Internet on the go, or perhaps I just want to put it in my backpack, go for a hike or spend a couple days in the backcountry in a tent. Speaker E: So you're really going to have to ask yourself, do I really need the small form factor and the low power consumption?

13:33 Speaker E: Because in my opinion, if you're trying to decide between the two of these, really what it comes down to is do you need the super power efficiency and the super small form factor? Speaker E: Because if you don't get the standard, get the standard 100% because it's cheaper and it's better at being a Starlink antenna. Speaker C: Alright, let's wrap up Starlink Mini. Speaker C: The reviewers consistently praise its incredible portability. Speaker C: It's lightweight, backpack sized and genuinely easy to take anywhere.

14:01 Speaker C: The lower power consumption, especially with the ability to run directly DC sources like USB C and cigarette lighters with the right adapters, is a massive win for RVers, campers and anyone off the grid setup remains straightforward, living up to the Starlink reputation. Speaker C: However, it's not without its compromises. Speaker C: The biggest drawback mentioned is the price, significantly higher than the often discounted standard dish performance. Speaker C: While impressive for its size, often hitting over 100Mbps, stationary is generally lower than the standard dish, especially when it's used in motion.

14:33 Speaker C: The integrated Wi Fi 5 router also has limited range compared to dedicated routers, which can be an issue if you need to place the dish so away from the campsite and using the built in ethernet port currently compromises its excellent IP67 weather rating until official weatherproof cables arrive. Speaker C: The Mini roam plan with 50gb of data cap might also be restrictive for heavy users, so the verdict its maximum portability and low power draws are your absolute top priorities for backpacking, frequent vehicle use or minimalist off the grid setups.

15:06 Speaker C: The Starlink Mini is revolutionary and likely worth the premium. Speaker C: But if you have the space and power budget or need absolute best performance and wifi range, the standard Gen 3 dish, especially when found on sale, offers better overall value for less demanding mobile and fixed setups. Speaker C: That's it for the ultimate roundup review of the Starlink Mini. Speaker C: Please find full videos down below and subscribe for more re reviews where we watch all the reviews so you don't have to.