Starlink Mini Dish Launched - Disappointing “Mini Roam” Data Plan Dashes Nomadic Dreams
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- Опубліковано 6 лип 2024
- This week has been a roller coaster in the world of Starlink.
We reported earlier in the week on all the new details revealed in posts by Elon Musk and on the Starlink website about the upcoming Starlink Mini - and it all seemed potentially too good to be true.
But last night, e-mails started going out to some existing Residential customers offering them the first opportunity to purchase Starlink Mini.
And the reality is not matching the hyped up promise earlier this week - the dish is priced higher, and the $30/month data plan disappointing for RV, boat and nomad use.
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The Mobile Internet Resource Center is dedicated to helping mobile travelers (RVers, boaters, nomads, etc.) keep connected!
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That 50g is a deal breaker.
Indeed! Elon loves to brag about how great Starlink is for playing video games. But with the $1/GB pricing of the Starlink Mini Roam plan, it will cost more to download many games from Steam than it will to purchase them!
It's the nightmare 2000's cellphone data plans all over again, network manage and give us unlimited or no thanks!
It was for me too. Do away with the data limit and I'll get one.
Starlink needs some competition. Mr. Bezos get your system moving faster.
Amazon's Project Kuiper is still in the test phase, but the satellites are scheduled to start launching later this year. If all goes well - there might be some levels of consumer service in 2025.
Here is all the latest on Kuiper: www.rvmobileinternet.com/mobile-satellite-internet-for-rvers-boaters-early-2024-update-starlink-kuiper-direct-to-cellular-and-beyond/#Amazons_Kuiper_Prototypes_At_Last_In_Orbit
Just like other EV companies, Tesla is way ahead of any satellite communications company🎉😮
Wow what an an incredible missed opportunity to offer a product/service that has the potential to have mass appeal only second to cell phones!! We can only hope that sales will crater and adjustments to hardware and data plan pricing will get corrected. With hardware @ $199.00 and $50.00/month for unlimited data.... Starlink will sell Minis like ice water in Hell
Thank you for this! I'm getting a new standard Starlink ($499) tomorrow and was considering sending it back for a refund, as I'm a van lifer and the size (and other factors) of the mini kind of made it a no brainer...however...after this information, I think I'll just stick to what I ordered. Thanks!
I'm in the same situation. So disappointing!
I can’t imagine what they are thinking with this. 50gb hard cap is a deal breaker for almost anyone. It is $30/mo for an emergency device. That is the only use case.
just took this off my must buy list.
I suspect that the mini dish uses the spectrum less efficiently then the larger dishes, meaning that a lower data rate on the mini dish taxes the network more than the larger dish. All signs point to starlink wanting to discourage useage of the mini when it is at all possible to use the larger dishes at least in high usage areas.
I've actually been wondering about this possibility. If true and the Mini has a negative impact on full-size Starlink customers nearby, that would explain SpaceX trying to discourage its use.
Pretty epic for hikers / campers who aren't addicted to social media and have to have Netflix streaming every second of every day.
I suspect most hikers will find more value in satellite Direct-to-Cell services than in carrying around a Starlink Mini and a battery to power it. But for many RVers and boaters and others - the Mini is ideal hardware.
I won't be signing up for Starlink any time soon with these prices and limitations. Good competition definitely needed for satellite Internet.
starlink can get away with this bs as the only competiotion starlink roam has is iridium, which gets you less than a megabit
Amazon's Project Kuiper is the most significant Starlink competitor in the pipeline - but Kuiper is still a long way from being ready for customers.
We covered the latest on all the satellite players earlier this year: www.rvmobileinternet.com/mobile-satellite-internet-for-rvers-boaters-early-2024-update-starlink-kuiper-direct-to-cellular-and-beyond/#Amazons_Kuiper_Prototypes_At_Last_In_Orbit
Disappointed. I guess that when something sounds too good to be true………..yep you guessed it.
You know, I am pissed off...
We supported SpaceX,
We supported Starlink.
We supported SpaceX's race to Mars - yes we need to get off this planet sooner than later or we die here.
We waited a full year to get our Starlink as its the only game in town for our part of rural Texas.
Then the prices changed...
The hardware costs went up.
The service plan costs went up.
We wanted connectivity while camping & travel - our Gen2 is 30ft up on the roof and it aint coming down anytime soon.
We suggest to Elon that he takes his 50Gb limit and $599 Mini cost and takes a iong walk off a short bridge...
IF they cant figure out why Starlink is losing street appeal, well, bless their hearts.
They dont have the bandwidth yet
The prices will go down obviously. Why would they make it cheap when people who want this will pay a premium
It's going to be roaming eventually. The satellites cant handle all the cheap minis
Bait and Switch. That's Musky's jam!!.
We don't think it was intentional bait and switch, but Elon just being out of touch with what Starlink executives were actually rolling out.
CEO out of touch??? Idk if that’s a great excuse
@@feistyfinn9365 He is very busy responding to the needs of right wing grifters on twitter.
My use case MIGHT make it worthwhile. I already have a residential dish ($120/month) and a mobile dish ($150/month) and I use mobile for camping in Idaho where there are more cellular dead zones than practically anywhere in the lower 48. So if I ditch the current mobile and get the mini, I'll save $120 month and make up the mini purchase price in five months, then have basic mobile service for a low monthly rate and don't really need pausing. That leaves me with good emergency communication wherever I camp. Possibly my biggest drawback: I like to watch news on UA-cam TV while camping, and even with modest resolution, I'd burn through the 50 GB cap in probably something around 25 to 50 hours of TV per month. After that it would be a buck or two per hour to watch TV--not great but not the end of the world. Also for campers the convenience of direct 12v input, integrated Wi-Fi, compact size, etc. are handy features.
We're in the same boat. I got the invite (I still run the original beta hardware at home) and will use the mini for camping trips where I can't get cell service. The 50G limit is annoying but I can make it work as I don't really stream videos while on the road. It's pricey but works for my use case. Hopefully the data caps get expanded and then it will be even better. I hope the DC power adapter follows soon as I have lots of LiPO batteries I use to power my ham gear. :)
@@Oregun I just posted my own comment outlining all the reasons I think the complaints in this video are PLUSSES for me. I'm also same use case, except I won't have a bandwidth problem. I don't watch TV, and Kindle book downloads are TINY by comparison. The only thing that has me on pause is that $600 for the dish. That stings... I was hoping for $3-400.
Well, crap.
I appreciate you getting this great video out so timely. That's why you're the best!
Yes, it's getting extravagant which I normally won't ever defend. However, this is innovative technology that literally no one can touch. Remember how expensive sat phones used to be? I'm glad I'm alive to see this tech exist. Hope I too can afford it.
We have the Starlink Version 2 dish system. We have a mount on our tow-behind trailer and take the dish and router with use when we travel. We subscribe to the Standard home plan when we are not traveling and switch to the basic mobile plan when we travel. It works for us. We were looking forward to the mini. Now, not so much.
Why not just buy a second large dish? In a recent interview Elon seemed to be saying this product might eventually be used to reach and provide lower cost service to those without the budget for a bigger dish. This first announcement of the data plan certainly does not support that vision. There are potentially uses of this mini dish for larger organizations that might want to have a distributed mesh VPN… for example a National Park that already has a large business dish at the big central visitor facility but wants you to have twenty mini dishes at every entry station, Fire tower, campground, popular trailhead parking lot, battery operated back country back pack portable search and rescue or fire fighting team in the park.
What can you recommend for long distance train travel to maintain as much of a sustained connection as possible? Satellite would be nice but not doable on train, what hotspot like could be recommended for that kind of travel that might take 2 or more sims for redundancy? Thanks
We have a guide and video to keeping connected in motion that would apply: www.rvmobileinternet.com/guides/in-motion/
I wonder if (hope?) that the data limits are just because they are afraid people with a residential installation will give/sell a dish to a fully mobile friend, or even to a neighbor. If it was unlimited, then you could give it to your “I want Starlink but can’t justify $130” neighbor for $30/month and now they have two full time customers.
Exactly what I was just talking over with my starlink friend. 😅
Since its a invite only email. They are trying to pull the consumer's that have extra money laying around. I belive the price will go down when it hits the general market just like the standard kit did.
Great information! I just said to my wife that I can’t believe you don’t have more subscribers, respectfully. More folks need to know about your channel. Thank you for what you provide. Safe travels.👍🏼😎
We think 90k subscribers for a niche topic is pretty impressive :)
@@MobileInternetResourceCenter Absolutely! I would flip out for that amount of subscribers being a little micro channel wannabe. I said that respectfully thinking more people should know about you being a longtime appreciative subscriber. It was a compliment that apparently missed the mark. No disrespect intended. Far from it.
We can only grow if viewers share about us with others and keep our content relevant to the YT algorithm - so we totally appreciate likes and comments. Thanks :)
We refuse to use other tactics like click bait content to drive traffic.
@@MobileInternetResourceCenter Got it. Pardon me so I can share this with my wife. See what I did there. Thanks again.👍🏼😎
Nice job Chris. Totally agree; its a bust unless they completely revise their pricing.
The pricing seems reasonable minus the data cap and agree that’s a weird restriction for one to have to have the residential service without a standalone plan.
Thanks!
Thank you so much!
We received the email. However, there was a two minute timer in which to make my purchase. Needless to say, I did not purchase the mini system.
I'm waiting for Kuiper to launch.
Amazon has shown off a Kuiper receiver that is even smaller than the Starlink Mini. We covered the latest on Kuiper in this article: www.rvmobileinternet.com/mobile-satellite-internet-for-rvers-boaters-early-2024-update-starlink-kuiper-direct-to-cellular-and-beyond/#Amazons_Kuiper_Prototypes_At_Last_In_Orbit
@@MobileInternetResourceCenter I'm already up on the details, but thanks.
I WAS looking to get one but now i definitely wont be. This data plan will kill this device unfortunately. The cost of the dish is fine but the data is way to much
Has anyone confirmed yet whether this is 12v/DC or current ac power? REALLY want this to be able to run on a lithium battery without the need for an inverter. Make this 12v, no data cap, for the $120 bucks i currently pay for my residential starlink, and i would sign up in a heartbeat . . .
Yes.. we confirmed the technical specs earlier this week: ua-cam.com/video/79sVKp7xRd4/v-deo.html
if this crap continues when it finally hits Australia im just going to hard mount my gen 2 to the roof of my camper like so many have done already lots of awesome kits out there available to do it hell if it take to long to get to Australia my mind might already be made up
Very disappointing!!!! Been on the fence due to cost for our early retirement travels and home internet usage. Been waiting on this 12v mini option and now it’s a no go for us! Fingers crossed for Project Kuiper!
Kuiper is still a long ways away - but Amazon has already shown off a small portable Kuiper terminal that is even smaller than the Starlink Mini. We have an early look at it in our article here: www.rvmobileinternet.com/mobile-satellite-internet-for-rvers-boaters-early-2024-update-starlink-kuiper-direct-to-cellular-and-beyond/#Amazons_Kuiper_Prototypes_At_Last_In_Orbit
So 'residentail+mini' is same cost as 'roam', but can't be paused. Wonder if can be freely cancel and resubscribed.
You don't mention/consider whether mini dish forces coms to sat to a lower speed (ie limiting others in same cell)... Maybe what they will teat validate in initial roll out.
Elon demonstrated that the max speeds were 100 mbps on the Mini.. so definitely lower performance possible (we covered this the specs of the dish in videos earlier this week )
I’m glad you have presented a use case at least. I was struggling to think of who this could be good for when combined with a hard 50gb cap. Very disappointed but glad it is a solution for you.
Definitely not a solution for us personally.. we're full time nomads without a residential home base :D
This data plan is truly a “what were they thinking?” Sort of announcement
Its shocking to see that they seem to be planning their business strategy on the fly. Thanks for all the information and getting it out quickly!!
It dumb i wait got next gen .. they say it for backpackers but you have to plug it in the wall socket .. needs to power from battery bank usbc and if your backpacking your roaming
You can see our other story where we dug into the details and it is DC powered and can be powered from USB C port with a large enough power port to support it. Starlink ships the AC adapter, but it is ultimately can be DC powered - ua-cam.com/video/79sVKp7xRd4/v-deo.html
The Mini Roam plan does allow it to work anywhere, but it is quite limited on data (50GB) and currently only be offered as an add on to residential plans.
We'll certainly watch for new plan offerings and share details when they are released.
As a trucker, I was excited for the Mini, but not so much at the given purchase price. I'll have to see the cost of the stand alone subscription before I completely rule it out. As an addon to a home plan that I don't have, it's useless as-is.
Great info!
I prefer to look at the brighter side of this and believe that Starlink is just slow rolling these out in a very limited basis so they can get any bugs worked out and see how they perform with the average Joe using them. I'm sure that when they make them available to the general public they will be much less expensive and either have unlimited data or tiered data plans that includes unlimited.
With past Starlink rollouts - data plans have gone up in price over time, not down. But hopefully SpaceX is paying attention and comes out with better data plan options before they take this to wider release.
😐 I work remotely all over western Canada. Was really hoping for the mini. We have the gen 2 on some trucks, but it’s large, have to install the router and an inverter. The mini with its built in router, dc power etc looks great. Hope it isn’t too long before Canada gets it.
wow, won't do that
Unfortunately, people are confusing this initial roll-out with the future offering of Starlink Mini. This "EMAIL OFFER ONLY" roll-out is purely for select customers to acquire, try out, and give feedback to Starlink on the Mini. This NOT the actual rollout. So, if you want to be a tester, and you got the email, then you go this route. If you got the email and DON'T want to try the Mini now, then just wait for the eventual, actual rollout.
There is nothing in the email offer about this being a trial, beta, or that SpaceX is soliciting testing or feedback.
But I do suspect that this sort of public negative reaction is actually very useful feedback for SpaceX to be getting.
As we said in the article and the video - we are hoping that SpaceX brings out better data plans for the Mini in time.
The conclusion of the article:
"We can only hope that SpaceX will soon offer other, more worthy, data plans for the Starlink Mini.
If priced right - the Mini has the potential to become a must-have component of nearly every mobile internet arsenal."
Seems like both T-Mobile and Starlink have been making some very weird decisions.
And they're both keeping our team busy this week!
By "weird" do you mean wrong?
@@Grevlain that works too
Wow, that is so disappointing! Great thumbnail pic Chris 😂
Can you purchase a Starlink HP dish and use it with Mobile service Plan $150/Mo or do you have to use the $250/Mo mobile priority plan?
Yes, you can switch service plans after purchase... but you will be 'stuck' at Mobile Priority for the first month, as they currently force that plan with purchase of that dish. More: www.rvmobileinternet.com/starlink
my wife loves watching your videos
i'm probably going to cancel my mobile plan if the price jumps any more. i already pay 150 per month.
Wow that sucks, I have been waiting on the mini to make the switch from cellular routers. Can you imagine what the data plan will be like on his phone? I really wanted this for my Adventure truck😢
We don't view the Mini as an alternative to cellular - but as a great compliment to it. We think most serious mobile internet users will want to rely on a blend of cellular and satellite capabilities to get the best of both.
I had hoped it would be able to give an answer to people fed up with expensive wifi on cruise ships, guess not :-(
If people don't sign up they will have to adjust prices.
So sad - Thanks Chris. - Cheers!
Wow Very disappointing! I didn’t want another sat network up there but I’m sure Amazon Will totally crush this market if they can get up and running
Amazon's Project Kuiper is promising tech - and they have shown off a receiver even smaller than Starlink Mini.
But Amazon has a LONG way to go to even begin to catch up with Starlink. The first Kuiper satellites for commercial service are due to start launching later this year.
Our latest coverage on Kuiper is here: www.rvmobileinternet.com/mobile-satellite-internet-for-rvers-boaters-early-2024-update-starlink-kuiper-direct-to-cellular-and-beyond/#Amazons_Kuiper_Prototypes_At_Last_In_Orbit
Not going to get that, I was hoping it would be better than that. I’ll keep my gen 3 mounted on the Van.
So it’s half price after 120gb? 🤷. Does your subscription halve after a year? Starlink is the best thing that ever happened to us up in the U.P. Michigan.
The plan includes just 50 GB, and costs $1/GB after that.
These internet providers are charging way too much for access. Just greedy.
You launch 6000+ low orbit satellites and come up with a price 😂
@@jpwdowiak and you probably vote for new taxes.
Buy it or don't. Simples.
@@JWilke5555 pretty much.
Let's see what things look like when this thing is actually available in wide distribution.
Absolutely.. we are hoping the options improve.
Sweet KiKi.
Hope they rethink the data plan, otherwise it has no value to most users.
musk is just a shyster ...just look at his junky teslar racket ,lol
Well, like it says in the Bible: "Elon giveth, and Elon taketh away".
I don't think any of this is surprising, it's only in its testing phase.
I would expect by the time I can get it here in Australia it will be much better.
will stay with my standard
Wow.
Just wait for Mini Gen 3😂
at first for oversubscribed US/world MINI will be ONLY form-factor tool and LTE-5G connection companion for work + as backup
cheap it will be for Africa/Asia may be even with mesh routers/accounts for separate close-by homes + may be at flooded by fiber parts of EU
= for SL its allow cut subsides on sales, just use cheap hardware
Well that's a NO, was waiting for it to my RV. I'll keep my 4G mobile for that.
Ouch
Elon lied? Big surprise! Thanks for the good content MIRC.
So what would this be for????
Our best guess is folks who have residential Starlink service at home, and regularly take short trips?
@@MobileInternetResourceCenter Yes, that's about right. Also people who travel in very remote areas without cell coverage. Emergency communication for $30 a month (assuming you already have residential) might be worth the peace of mind.
Who would do this? I certainly hope they don't try imposing limits on regular SL users. I thought this mini would be a less expensive option but it isn't and is barely useable.
It’s dead in the water at that price and plan. They’ll change it when it’s widely released.
Great video. From the jump it seems like this product was a complete miss.
The dish is a win, but the data plan offering is not currently suitable for what our audience of nomads is seeking.
Good ole Elon.
At this point hotspot is better
Actually your only disappointing point it's the price strategy
Exactly as presented... the hardware is ideal for RVers and boaters, the pricing and the initial rollout in the US is not.
oh.. the ups & downs of the week.... That took a turn for the worse real quick. Thanks for the heads up.
For sure... it's been a crazy week for our team tracking all of this!
lol, it is like a semi
😢
yuk!
😢😢😢😮
I’m ready to get Starlink for our RV so mama can have her internet no matter where we are and I was so happy to hear about he mini. It’s such a perfect answer. But having to have home service (we already have 250mbps broadband at home for just $70/mo) and then capping the data at 50GB is a deal killer for us. I don’t even mind the higher equipment cost, or the lower bandwidth because 100mbps is just fine. But that 50GB cap is just as bad as the piece of crap Winegard Connect that our RV came with. That outfit charges crazy rates and has 10GB data caps and they already burned me once..never EVER again. I use every chance I get to tell anyone who will listen that WineGard is a scam.
The good news is, SpaceX adapts and experiments a lot and I’m sure this is probably just part of their rollout to get a small set of units out there. I’m just sad the final product/offering probably won’t be available for our July vacation and I’ll have to use(buy) the much bulkier standard unit with an AC inverter and separate router.
Deal breaker Elon!
Muskrat keeps delivering the bads.
What a weird data plan. Im so sick of data caps. I hope people don’t sign up for this because its its successful they will force those data caps on all of us
In an age of 4K video - a 50 GB data cap just seems out of touch.
And at these prices - the feature video games that Elon loves playing would cost more to download over Starlink than they do to purchase on Steam.
150$ a month What For?? 30mb Download.... with this Kind OF Limit.... I was going to... NO MORE...... My clients were waiting For that.... unfortunately is not going to happen...
The base $120 gives you unlimited data at your fixed location.. the $30 add on is for 50GB of mobile data on the Mini Dish when away from that location.
It's all fun and games until we get a big flare from the sun and it takes out all the satellites...
Theoretically - LEO satellites are indeed more susceptible to having their orbits impacted by major solar flares, and SpaceX did loose a large batch of satellites once to this.
But they seem to have figured out how to avoid this issue now when orbit raising - and the big advantage SpaceX has is that they have the manufacturing and launch economies of scale now that they can quickly replace any satellites if there is ever a big loss in orbit.
maybe 5000GB, what
Mary Mother of God! WTF?
For quite awhile now I have said I don't want anything to do with anything Elon manufacturers. This is another fine example.
Elon needs a few more billions of dollars
Very disappointing-I think Starlink has lost me at this point.
Guess I am going to increase my data plan with my ATT Nighthawk M6 Pro :(
Pay up. Elon needs the cash
Who in their right mind felt this plan would work?
As usual, Elon and Starlink HAS BAIT & SWITCHED US.
Disgusting.
We have Gen2 already.
We will NOT be buying a Mini Dish at $599 for camping now.
As I said - DISGUSTING gouging.
They certainly have a history of announcing plans and then backing off when there is backlash. Maybe intentional?
Generating controversy is indeed a proven way to get attention...
Over promise, under deliver is a way to fail.
wow. thanks for the info. Totally agree.. total disappointments... Weird. Musk is doing a lot of stuff that's a big turnoff. (Read his agreement with his cybertruck buyers..). Geez
I sometimes wonder if somebody at the corporate level is shielding Elon from what is really happening in the company. Between this disappointing news and the sad news concerning Donald Sutherland...this has been a downer day. Thanks for the update.
Time to claw back that big pay pkg Elon just had approved
Theoretically SpaceX and Tesla are completely separate companies - though Elon tends to muddy the lines between them.
Very, very disappointing indeed. Back to standard roam.
Well yeah, this IS disappointing.
Mini dishy is promising if it’s a standalone contract. Piggy backing it is not useful for nomads.
However, it’s still useful for pop up events and people who don’t use a ton of data.
Elon Elon you know better than this.
You believed Elon??? I have always been skeptical and I am not surprised about the data plans. Also, now that they have this wide user base that is used to and depend on StarLink, of course StarLink will now change the plans and charge more for less service. They get you hooked. Thanks again for your updates.
Its a invite only mail.. its in its test phase soo ofc its going to be higher price.
I get what you are trying to say. But I am only defending this part cause the context of the mail is not provided properly.