Starlink Mini vs Gen 2. Is it Worth Upgrading?

[@OnlyVisitingThisPlanet]

Wow...great timing. Have been researching this on the Starlink site but your video helped answer some real world questions. One note...bits is typically used when referring to speed whereas bytes is normally used when referring to size of a file or amount of data transferred. So you transfer a file measured in bytes over a connection speed measured in bits. Great video!!!

[@anmoldeepbhullar2974]

2 dishys in close proximity receiving large number of packets at the same time are bound to affect each other adversely. The beam is narrow but not that narrow

[@OzarkOverlandAdventures]

No clue.

[@PetePoorman]

In addition, the two tests running simultaneously may be competing for access to the same satellite. That could explain why the performance was at times roughly equal as the two dishes would effectively take turns.

[@overlandingjohn1277]

Nah, they have narrow beams and space x has taken that into consideration.

[@overlandingjohn1277]

​@@PetePoormanthe satellite can handle thousands of customers. 2 satellites won't make a dent in performance.

[@PetePoorman]

@@overlandingjohn1277 thanks for the response. To my knowledge Starlink had not disclosed that level of detail about the operation of their network. I'd expect it to be optimized for overall throughout rather then ensuring peak per-station performance for unusual situations like this. Can you point to information that suggests otherwise?

[@AWDTransitOverland]

I stress tested the Mini on the dash of our Transit as we drove I-70 through Glenwood Canyon which is very narrow and deep. Not much sky available plus the Mini was wobbling and we were changing directions often through the curves along the river. I-70 is mostly stacked vertical through there due to lack of room next to the Colorado River. 174 MBPS!!!! It just needs to be sort of flatish, alignment not necessary. The Mini is magical!

[@randy129]

Im an internet satellite technician. The size of the dish is going to directly affect a few aspects of the service. The first is in weather reliability. The bigger dish is going to be more reliable in rain as it gathers more signal. The next one is probably going to be data consumption. The smaller unit is probably going to have to work twice as hard as the bigger one. Think of it as a bigger bucket. And I would think the smaller dish is going to be inherently slower. That being said once you get past about 25 mbps. You can’t tell much difference until you start hooking up multiple devices. Now this basic understanding of how satellites work may be a moot point with different technologies. Those are low orbit satellites. But all that should affect is the latency. Just a little info from a 20 yr satellite technician. Another thing you may want to look at is uploading may not count against your data plan. It may just be download. That’s the way it is with the other satellite companies.

[@johngiese2556]

Thanks for video! Been using the Mini in Idaho for 3 weeks in RV Park. My first Starlink that worked in coach. Had Gen 3 in Indiana last year but couldn't get it to work. Returned! Glad it didn't work! The Mini is Much easier (working in 10 minutes ) and has been working great even with some tree coverage. Highly Recommend!

[@kathleen1621]

Thanks, this comparison was exactly what I was looking for, and I hadn’t seen anywhere. Have a 3rd gen big one and trying to figure out if should move to mini. Sounds like the answer is yes. Also btw have been enjoying your content for many years. You all clearly work your butts off. Thank so much.

[@outofreception]

This is better than any other info I could find! Thanks for doing the hard work helping us decide!

[@overlandingjohn1277]

I was really enthusiastic on the mini. However, at the time the service plans did not fit. I owned a Gen 2 and iinhave a grandfathered nomad + home base single account. t's really good. I bought the Gen 3 and initially I regretted it but after taking it out with my gladiator dispersed camping I really like it! Much easier to set up and much more performance.

[@CatastrophicReady]

I work remotely and use a Gen 2 dish to provide wireless to my RV, a cargo trailer that I work from, and my extended campsite. I usually set up for months at a time, and have a 24' carbon fiber pole I mount the dish on. At our property in Colorado, I found that I needed the dish at around 30' and placed in a very specific location within the trees to get the majority of the tree canopy out of the way, and I needed the 100' cable to make it work. If your sky view is generally open or you need mobility, the mini seems like a good choice, but it would not likely work for my scenario. The obvious downside is that if I am bouncing around the 4x4 trails, the Gen 2 is way too bulky to haul around. I think they both have their place, and you need to think about your use cases very carefully when making the decision. Thanks for the video!

[@AWDTransitOverland]

Just bought the Mini from Best Buy. It is supposed to arrive Friday and we'll test it out this weekend with our 2022 AWD Transit. Three. goals: 1) If we get in trouble in the boonies we can summon help other than the usual sheriff rescue teams with iPhone SOS, 2) It will allow my wife to connect to work and we can extend our time away from her home office, and 3) I can upload short videos to our adventures to our KZbin channel. By the way, I talked to Starlink sales and I was told they have about a 2 week shipping time. Also, they can't give me an arrival date. Best Buy beats that and I saved the $20 Starlink shipping fee.

[@SeaWhiz]

How is the mini working out for you?

[@AWDTransitOverland]

Outstanding! We are on our way to Gateway CO right now to check the feasibility of a remote trail. On StarLink Mini now. Up to 176 Mbps just sitting on the dash as we drive.

[@SeaWhiz]

@@AWDTransitOverland Great, thanks for the reply. I will buy one now.

[@miket7184]

Get into ham radio too. I can be out in the middle of nowhere with no cell phone service, and make contacts with other operators using a portable setup and even with 5 watts it works.

[@JimPreston]

@@miket7184 Did the Ham Radio thing long ago. It is more personal than the Web and fun.

[@ahmednesbitte4906]

Hi Matt and Cara, thank you so much for the wonderful content. I really liked the video. Thank you so much for sharing! 🚙🚗

[@jr_jeep4470]

Thank you both for this great review, I’ve been looking at both of these for awhile and really appreciated the real time use case points!

[@djp1234]

Pretty cool. Can't wait for them to finally activate it on smart phones (T-mobile). And eventually the antenna will be built in on vehicles, just like the Sirius XM antennas we have now.

[@OverlandingOurWay]

Thanks so much guys as always. Just ordered my mini right after watching your video as I too wanted to see the difference in speeds. Great realization as well with regards to it competing with garmin. WiFi calling from anywhere now. Crazy

[@kevinp2820]

Thanks you two for showing this video! This has made up my mind on the Starlink Mini. Been watching other YT videos but never seen someone using it out of a moving vehicle. Starlink has the price down to $299. on the standard unit right now while the Mini is at $699. The roaming plan looks to be the best for us and you never know when they will change plans and pricing again.

[@TILB]

Thanks for the video. I love my Gen 2 but really want a backpack ready to save space on the road.

[@XGiveMeLibertyX]

The GEN three Starlink is amazing. I consistently get over 200 down. But I think I’m gonna buy the mini because I travel for work and I would prefer convenience with slower speeds. thanks for the video!

[@christopheranderson8619]

Thanks for the review. I was just looking at this option yesterday.

[@m.t.mobile]

Thanks Guys! What an informative video! And I get to watch two of my faves on KZbin!!

[@OzarkOverlandAdventures]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@WolfOverland]

❤❤❤ good comparison! Definitely relatable out in the wilderness for maps and letting people know you are ok if something happens.

[@TucsonJohn]

Great info, I picked one up from Home Depot today for $299+ free next day delivery.

[@pisgahlite]

You probably bought a Gen 3?

[@jasons7557]

Great video! Thank you. I am going with the mini.

[@calebblackmon8992]

Very helpful. I’m looking into getting starlink myself. I’m not at the level of overlanding y’all are at. But I am working on that direction lord willing lol.

[@OzarkOverlandAdventures]

Good luck!

[@GATORADDAM]

Just what I needed to know. Thanks.

[@michaelptm2269]

Man I thought for a second today was Friday when I saw your post, I just got all excited haha…. Then I realized it was Tuesday, either way great video!

[@blackfish7163]

Perfect timing for me too thanks, love your channel guys, come to Vancouver island!😎

[@patmoran3105]

Mini might have a new place as my home service .. take it on the road when I go.

[@nevilleguard3558]

Good video the comparison is helpful. The new price point on the gen 3 disk is 299 special by starlink just changed it recently

[@Wijkkie]

Well, if the Mbps is better then 20, it is ok for streaming. So the mini is good for me when I am in my van. I also have the Gen 2, and I will use that in my house in winter. The mini is so easy to take on a trip.

[@AWDTransitOverland]

I've seen the Mini clock around 138 MBPS. Maybe some local issue. I've also heard it is better in the west. See you at Expo. We're teaching a van overlanding course.

[@TsarTrail]

Cool Video. Nice comparison.

[@OzarkOverlandAdventures]

Appreciate that!

[@DarrLaw]

Solid comparison. This removes a lot of variables from other comparison videos.

[@professorron2667]

I have bought several things using your discounts before; MOORFlate, Devos, Iceco, but let me just say... we NEED an OOA Goose STICKER really bad. Really bad.

[@ggsdrummer]

Great detail well done! Thank you!

[@OzarkOverlandAdventures]

Glad it was helpful!

[@MrChbnovember]

You have to test each phone separately without WiFi etc…to confirm the quality and settings of the phones , cookies, viruses etc…

[@ethancooper7762]

Does the starlink mini have better or worse WiFi range than the standard gen 2 starlink dish with gen 2 router? How long will the anker battery pack in the video power starlink mini?

[@OzarkOverlandAdventures]

The router definitely has better range in the Gen 2. I discussed the performance of the battery pack in the video.

[@doodlethebeagle2078]

I've seen the "train" of satellites fly across the night sky, but wonder how consistent the connection is. Steady or wait for next orbit? Thanks

[@frenchie4wd]

Steady

[@scooter9023]

I just sent my Mini back because at least around my area, it’s VERY sensitive to tree coverage. It was going in and out of service every few seconds in my local National Forest that isn’t even that dense. I was bummed.

[@OzarkOverlandAdventures]

That’s totally normal.

[@scottgodwin100]

Thanks for this comparison! I’m trying to decide between the two. I will be running two tvs at the same time streaming KZbin TV. Do you think the mini can handle that?

[@WayneMay]

"Mega Bytes, Megabits, whatever you prefer" ... Lol, of course I prefer Mega Bytes, there is a massive difference between the two.

[@Makhosi-pp1yj]

Can you pliz guide me l want to make my first purchase for starlink kit but am kind like confused on which one to go for, standard or mini . Can you pliz help me out on the difference between the 2 kits , when it comes to devices that l can connect, whether l can connect them to third party routers, can l mount mini kit on rooftop and use it indoors, how are they obstructed by walls if l have different rooms and how are they affected by weather. Thank you in advance for your response.

[@michaelmwanza8724]

I'm just curious about something, is the gen 2 router not closer to you guys since the mini has an inbuilt router?

[@sianami-e9s]

can mini connect via POE ethernet cable and POE splitter ? i want use it on roof with an external access point

[@OzarkOverlandAdventures]

No

[@dirtdauberadventures]

WOOHOO!

[@michaelskeels4442]

The formula is for the same 150 bucks its actually 150GB data with the mini. 50$ base plus 100GB@ 1$ per=150$.

[@deeproamer2431]

Great review guys. Try testing them a little farther apart from each other. I picked up the mini a couple weeks ago and have been using it in the u.p and when I can find a big enough opening it works great. The upper peninsula of Michigan is Forest dense. Can't wait to try it in the desert and down in Baja. Between the mini and my insty connect, I'm about 90% of the time covered. For a full-time overlander like us this has been a big improvement for being connected.

[@LostThymeOverlandAdventures]

In theory you should be able to mount it inside. The fiberglass should not impede the signal (in theory).

[@marktsd]

How does it work with Gaia? Do you still need offline maps?

[@andrewstocker7457]

if Tony Ewards dosen't snap it up i might be interested.... had to pass on getting Winston, was literally moments away from signing the deal ,but took another look at the sacrifices i would need to make, too much of a financial burden without you tube money behind me...oh well...

[@pnwrving9841]

Can't you get the same internet wherever you go using a device like the Verizon mifi or the T-Mobile hotspot etc? I use them often and carry them in a backpack and I too have internet wherever go! Can you explain what would be different?

[@PetePoorman]

Cellular service, which is what the devices mentioned use, is poor or non-existent in most remote areas. Starlink works anywhere that you have an unobstructed view of the sky.

[@pnwrving9841]

@@PetePoormanok thanks 😊

[@chillaxorz]

id like to know the wifi connection distance of the small one. it really seems awesome but if I can only walk 5 feet around it, not so good. Also, id like to see how it does under the same data plan as V2. btw Matt im in for the V2 at about $100. sorry used cars arent going for that much anymore bud.

[@Stosix]

Does anyone know if the mini will work while in transit on the mobile plan and not the mini roaming?

[@OzarkOverlandAdventures]

Yes it will.

[@Stosix]

@@OzarkOverlandAdventures Starlink needs to update their site then. Only shows in motion use on the mini roam 50Gb plan. It's actually specified on that plan that it has in motion capabilities above 10 mph, but the standard mobile regional plan does not include any such specification. I'm considering the upgrade but don't want to pay for a second plan just for in motion use lol. Have you guys switched the mini to the standard plan yet and tried the in motion, speeds, ect? If so looking forward to that follow up video!

[@OzarkOverlandAdventures]

@@Stosix yes I used it that way in motion in Colorado all week and it worked great!!! Even FaceTimed my wife while driving trails. Lol

[@Stosix]

@@OzarkOverlandAdventures I've looked into it more, and it appears that you can get in motion use on the mobile plan by opting in for priority use by the GB. Might be different for you folk tho, since I am North of the boarder lol.

[@patsvideos74]

We pay $80 and get average 10 down 5 up and is usable but can be glichy, spotty so 40 dollars more might be better here for way better speed 😏

[@JulienSorelEatsSabras]

Megabits. If you want Megabytes, divide by 8.

[@OzarkOverlandAdventures]

If you watched the video you know we corrected ourselves a couple times. 😂

[@ohnodevo]

For conferencing, voice and/or video calls its the latency that will make your life miserable. I have been able to work on my gen 3 with crappy conditions doing ssl vpn on 10-15mbps down, 5 mbps up (bits, not bytes) with no issues (zoom, ms teams and a voip desk phone.) Latency, startung at around 150-180ms, will begin to cause jitter on calls and sluggish performance. Mind you if you do have low data rates like I was testing you dont want to be doing other large bandwidth functions (i.e. file transfers). Love the idea of the mini but the promo price on the gen3 was too good.

[@carlleon1604]

Both are phased array devices, the mini having fewer array elements than the Gen 2. Both simultaneously track a quantity of satellites, rapidly switching as needed as they pass overhead at high speed (a given satellite might only be connected for 2 to 5 minutes, possibly less). In the testing you are doing, there is no way to know what specific, or how many, satellites you are connected to at any given moment (and the two devices may be connected to totally different satellites at any given moment), so there is really NO comparison between the two panels in side by side speed tests. There are entirely too many variables involved just in how the Starlink system works to do this kind of comparison. I would possibly consider a couple of dozen identically run tests to possibly start to obtain a comparison, but just a few isn't going to do it. I don't recall if you noted what plan each panel was on - residential or roam. If not the same, then you have no valid comparison at all. More important than the speed tests is the purpose. Why do you have the device? Residential, mobile, camping, other? The Mini absolutely is the hands down winner in portability. The Gen 2 (or Gen 3) is for permanent or semi-permanent mounting someplace.

[@TonyEdwards-cm2qh]

What kind of good deal ?

[@OzarkOverlandAdventures]

I said it in the video. $300. lol

[@TonyEdwards-cm2qh]

@OzarkOverlandAdventures sorry I missed that I be interested in that

[@OzarkOverlandAdventures]

@@TonyEdwards-cm2qh message me

[@TexasChillbilly]

@@OzarkOverlandAdventures Starlink put the Gen 3 for $299 until Oct. 5th. I’m with you on the Gen 2 being better with the motorized sync.

[@infob.r.c.7325]

I think the mini is $30 when added to another plan

[@ohnoadventures]

👍👍😃

[@lisadegeiso2836]

Matt where is your seatbelt? 😅

[@OzarkOverlandAdventures]

Behind me. Duh. 😂😂🤷🏼‍♂️

[@SOLDOZER]

Blue/Pink hair??? Must be a Democrat.

[@OzarkOverlandAdventures]

Stupid petty comment. Must be a snowflake. I'm far from a democrat btw, I'm just not boring.

[@miket7184]

LOL! 99% of the time, you'd be right!

[@OzarkOverlandAdventures]

@@miket7184 welcome to the 1% 😂😂

[@miket7184]

@@OzarkOverlandAdventures All kidding aside, that was a nice presentation! I'm out in the country but go camping a lot, so I guess I'll cough up the 600 bucks since I already have a Starlink plan.

[@SOLDOZER]

@@OzarkOverlandAdventures To not be boring a guy has to have blue/pink hair?