Every Starlink Dish Available: What's The Difference Between Them?

One of the most exciting things about Starlink is that it allows people to get high-speed internet access just about anywhere in the world –- even in the most remote locales where cable and fiber internet aren't readily available. It might be a bit on the expensive side when you compare it to most of the competition that can be found in major metropolitan areas, but few services compare when users are deep in the woods, high in the mountains, or even sailing across the ocean. Getting connected to Starlink is a bit more complex than firing up a cable modem, however. To access the laser mesh of internet-providing low-orbit satellites, you'll first need one of the company's satellite dishes.

There are six different kinds of Starlink dishes: Mini, Standard, Standard Actuated, High Performance, Flat High Performance, and Enterprise. These are each different sizes, come with different kinds of mounting equipment, and vary in price. If you're thinking about getting one of these dishes so that you can connect to Starlink, then you might want to know a bit more about what each of them offers.

Starting off with the smallest dish in Starlink's lineup, we have the Mini. This dish is designed to be compact and portable. Starlink wanted users to have an option that would be easy to pick up and take with you anywhere that you might need internet. According to the company's website, the Mini "is a compact, portable kit that can easily fit in a backpack, designed to provide high-speed, low-latency internet on the go." This makes it ideal for camping, backpacking, outdoor markets, and other situations where you might not have a rigid structure to attach a satellite dish. It can also be paired with the relatively affordable Starlink Mini Roam package to be used as a backup internet source during outages. That said, the Mini starts at $599, which is surprisingly expensive given that it's the smallest dish in the product line. 

As you might expect from a device that is made to be portable, the Mini's kit is pretty lean. The dish itself is 11.75 inches tall and 10.2 inches wide, making it roughly the size of a large tablet. It comes with a kickstand, a pipe adapter, a DC power cable, a power supply, and a Starlink plug. Weighing at only 2.43 pounds, this is meant to be a portable setup, which is why it comes with a kickstand instead of more permanent mounting hardware. The company claims that there will be new mounts and accessories available in the near future — though, there are already several Starlink mounts to attach your dish practically anywhere available from third-party manufacturers.

Next up, we have the Standard Dishy, which costs $349 for the kit. Just as the name implies, this is the dish that Starlink has put forward as its standard solution for the average household. The company states that this dish is, "Best for residential users and everyday internet applications like streaming, video calls, online gaming & more." This suggests that it will be more than sufficient for the needs of most users.

The standard dish is 23.4 inches tall and 15.07 inches wide, giving it nearly twice the surface area of the Mini. The kit includes a kickstand, a Starlink cable, an AC cable, a power supply, and most importantly, a Gen 3 router. This is a tri-band 4 x 4 MU-MIMO 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax WiFi 6 router with two latching ethernet LAN ports and WPA2 security. It's compatible with up to three Starlink mesh nodes from Gen 2 and Gen 3. While the dish handles the interface between Starlink's satellites and the ground, this router will translate that signal into a high-speed connection for up to 235 devices.

Setup for the Standard model is easy. You simply download the app and use it to find an ideal placement for the dish. Then open and prop up the dish on the kickstand, attach the router, and plug it in. The app will then guide you through optimizing the dish's position and configuring your new router. You can separately order a permanent mount for the Standard Dish from the Starlink Shop after your initial order — though, third-party options are available for the Standard model as well. 

The Standard Actuated Starlink dish is very similar to the basic Standard model in terms of internet performance. Both are designed for basic applications which include traditionally high-bandwidth activities like streaming, video calls, and gaming, but there are a few key differences in their design. The real advantage of the Standard Actuated is in the dish's automated mounting solution. Unlike the Mini and the Standard, which both require the user to manually adjust the dish to the optimal position using the app, the Standard Actuated dish has motorized self-orienting capabilities. Once installed, the dish will be able to automatically maneuver itself into the optimal orientation to give you the best connection to the Starlink satellite constellation at any given time. It does not have the in-mobile feature that is present in the newer models, however. The actuated model is no longer available for purchase directly from Starlink, but several of them can still be found on the used market.

The Standard Actuated dish is 20.2 inches tall and 11.9 inches wide, making it slightly smaller than the regular Standard model. The original kit came with the dish, a mounting base, a Starlink cable, an AC cable, and a dual-band – 3 x 3 MIMO, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac standards, Wi-Fi 5 router. You'll want to make sure that all of this equipment is included in the purchase of a second-hand model, otherwise you'll need to find suitable replacements for the dish to operate. You will also need to make sure that ownership of the dish is properly transferred so that there are no issues establishing Starlink service.

Now we're moving into the more powerful satellite dishes that Starlink offers. The High Performance model is a higher capacity dish that is designed for users who need a bit more from their internet than the average household. The High Performance dish is "Best for power user, business, and enterprise applications," says Starlink. This means more speed and more bandwidth capabilities. It achieves this by being able to connect to more of the Starlink satellites at any given time and thus being able to upload and download more data at faster rates, but that isn't all. The hardware itself is also much more tolerant to harsh outdoor environments than its smaller counterparts. "It allows better speeds at high temperatures, can connect to more satellites, and is more resilient to extreme environments."

The dish is much more square than the others, coming in at 22.6 inches tall and 20.1 inches wide. However, this is another model that Starlink doesn't appear to sell from its store anymore but that can still be found second hand. The original box included the dish itself and a dual-band – 3 x 3 MIMO, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac WiFi 5 router, as well as a mounting base, a power supply, a Starlink cable, an ethernet cable, a router cable, WiFi 5 router, and AC cables for both the power supply and the router — so, you'll want to make sure you get all of that added equipment if you purchase a used model. It has the same motorized self-orienting capabilities as the Standard Actuated model and also requires the user to follow similar mounting instructions. 

As you might have guessed from the name, the Flat High Performance model is functionally very similar to the basic High Performance one. The actual dish has the same dimensions and offers similar speed and bandwidth capabilities, only this one is designed for less permanent setups. This is another instance where the main factor that separates them is in their mounting options — although, there are a few feature upgrades as well. Starlink states that the dish is "Designed for mobility applications and challenging environments. With a wide field of view and enhanced GPS capabilities, it can connect to more satellites, allowing for consistent connectivity while on the go. The hardware is designed for a permanent installation and is more resilient to extreme environments." This makes it an ideal way to provide internet for large-scale mobile use in areas that don't traditionally have good internet access, e.g.: outdoor fairs, construction sites, research sites, markets, etc. It also makes it a solid option for keeping on the roof of an RV or camper van since it is resistant to harsh environments and works on-the-go.

The kit contains a wedge mounting kit, a power supply, a power supply mount, a Starlink cable, an ethernet cable, and an AC cable. It's worth noting that, like with the Mini, Starlink does not list the inclusion of a router with this model, and it is significantly more expensive than any of the other models that the company produces, costing $2,500.

Finally, we come to the last dish that Starlink has to offer: the Enterprise. This model was designed both for businesses that have substantial connectivity demands and for power users that require more than what even the High Performance model has to offer. That said, it's a bit cheaper with the kit costing $699.00.

The dish is 23.4 inches tall and 15.07 inches wide, making it approximately the same size as the Standard. The kit includes a power supply, power supply mount, 164 ft. enterprise cable, AC cable, ethernet cable, and mounting fasteners. This extra cable is an important addition because it means that, not only is it more powerful, but the Enterprise is also designed to accommodate larger and more complicated buildings than the average home. According to Starlink, the Enterprise, "Enables installation flexibility with a longer cable, choice of mount included, and ability to directly connect third party routers and custom setups." So, the Enterprise is all about catering to the individual needs of the person or business that buys it. You will be able to choose which kind of mount best suits your needs, and while this is one of the few examples of a fixed Starlink dish that doesn't come with a router, you can pair it with any number of third-party routers. Additionally, the Enterprise is compatible with all of the routers for sale by Starlink if you would like to purchase one separately.