Starlink Mini for Boats - A Liveaboard Cruiser's Review
- Telicia
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Reliable, fast internet has become a must-have for many liveaboard sailors. We rely on Starlink aboard SV Liger, and recently made the switch to the Starlink Mini.
We were curious to see how the small size and lower power draw would hold up in the real world of boat life. After 3+ months of daily use, here’s our honest review.
Introducing Starlink Mini
The Starlink Mini was released to the public in mid-2024. It’s marketed as a compact, travel-friendly version of the standard dish. It was created with portability and efficiency in mind, perfect for vanlifers, RVers, and boaters.
Spec wise, here’s how it stacks up against the Standard dish:
Features | Starlink Mini | Standard Dish |
Dish dimensions | Length: 298.5 mm (11.75 in) Width: 259 mm (10.2 in) Depth: 38.5 mm (1.45 in) | Length: 594 mm (23.4 in) Width: 383 mm (15.07 in) Depth: 39.7 mm (1.5 in) |
Dish weight | 1.10 kg (2.43 lb) | 2.9 kg (6.4 lb) |
Environmental rating | IP67 Type 4 with DC Power Cable and Starlink Plug/Cable installed | IP67 Type 4 |
Operational wind speed | 96 kph+ (60 mph+) | 96 kph+ (60 mph+) |
Average power consumption | Â 25-40W | 75 - 100 W |
Field of view | 110° | 110° |
Why we decided to try Starlink Mini
We originally had the High Performance Flat Dish, which served us well offshore but came with some downsides. It guzzled power, often pulling 80W or more even when idle. It also exclusively ran on AC, as the power/data cable combo made it difficult to convert without risking the dish.
The reality is the setup didn’t make sense with our energy-conscious liveaboard lifestyle. In looking for solutions to try to increase energy efficiency and reduce draw aboard, we decided to give the Mini a try.
Cost of Starlink Mini for boats
In general the Starlink Mini is more expensive than the Standard Dish, but utilizes the same monthly plans. Here's the price of the hardware in a few different regions at the time of publishing. For comparison sake, an estimate of the price converted to USD has been added.
Country | Price |
St Martin (French) | 399 EUR = 466 USD |
Philippines | 33,500 PHP = 590 USD |
Australia | 599 AUD = 390 USD |
United States | 499 USD |
France | 225 EUR = 265 USD |
Panama | 200 USD |
As you can see, where you buy the dish can make a huge difference to the cost. This also applies to the services plans, for example Roam Unlimited costs $165 USD a month for US service addresses, and just $100 USD a month for Panamanian addresses.
What’s in the Starlink Mini box
On arrival, here’s what comes in the Starlink Mini box:
Starlink Mini dish
Kickstand
Pipe adaptor and flat mount
DC power cable (15 m / 49.92 ft)
Power supply plug
Starlink plug
Unless you want a different mounting solution, the kit has just about everything you need. The only thing we added was a watertight cable gland.
Installation
We mounted our Starlink Mini on the roof of the hardtop, forward of the boom and mast, and away from where the genoa and sheet lines could conflict with it. You can see the mast in the obstruction test, which was the same with our High Performance dish, but it doesn't seem to impact performance.
The power supply passed through the roof using a cable gland to seal it. The gland originally sat under the High Performance dish, which we've since removed, but the position was also guided by the internal structure of the roof.
From there, we ran the power cable directly back to our 48V DC system using a Victron Orion-Tr DC to DC converter, a choice we made for maximum efficiency.
Review of Starlink Mini on a boat
After 3 months of daily use, we can confidently say the Starlink Mini holds up.
There's been no noticeable drop in speed compared to our original dish. Even with 3 adults aboard running multiple devices, streaming and uploading large video files, it’s been rock solid.
The power draw is usually around 25W, which is a 60–75% power saving over the old dish. It’s changed our daily energy use noticeably to the point where we run the generator less often.
Native DC power is a game-changer for those wanting to run the system off DC instead of AC.
We experienced no issues with performance offshore when priority "Ocean Data" was turned on. It was toggled on and off a few times as we sailed between Caribbean islands, for example St Martin to Guadeloupe and Martinique to Trinidad.
Should you get Starlink Mini for your boat?
The Starlink Mini has been a great addition to our liveaboard setup. We’re so happy with the performance, we’ve actually purchased a second Mini dish as a backup for remote cruising where staying connected matters most and getting a new dish can take weeks.
If you’re a boater trying to balance connectivity and power draw, I'd recommend that you seriously consider the Starlink Mini.
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