Starlink Mini is the satellite internet dish of my camping dreams

I love camping and backpacking. They get me out of the day-to-day rush and into nature for an extended period of time. Even if it’s just for a night, it’s such a relief to disconnect for a while and enjoy time in nature.

Of course, the only problem with that is that you are usually completely disconnected in all ways, meaning that you have no connection whatsoever to the outside world — save texting through a satellite communicator like the Garmin inReach mini I personally own or eventually the iPhone itself when Apple launches Messaging via satellite in the fall.

While both of those options are great, what if you want to — for example — work remotely from your campsite? I personally work remotely and have always wondered what it would be like to — even for the day — hike out to somewhere remote and work from nature from the day. Imagine attending a meeting or writing and publishing an article from a mountainside.

Well, that’s exactly what Starlink has in mind with its new Mini dish. The new dish, which is small enough to fit in a backpack, is now available to select customers who have been invited to purchase it in the United States as well as customers in Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Panama.

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Elon Musk took to X to say that the Mini “will change the world.”

I just set it up right now and am writing this post through space.

Took less than 5 mins. Easily carried in a backpack.

This product will change the world.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 17, 2024

Per a support page, the company said, “Our goal is to reduce the price of Starlink, especially for those around the world where connectivity has been unaffordable or completely unavailable. In regions with high usage, like the US, where Starlink Mini places additional demand on the satellite network, we are offering a limited number of the Starlink Mini Kits to start at a higher price point.”

Personally, I could absolutely see myself picking this up and using it on camping trips or even a work day when I want to work from the trail, the beach, or anywhere that I wouldn’t usually have a good enough cellular signal to do so.

We’ll have to see how the pricing and availability work out over time. As reported by The Verge, the Mini currently costs $599 and has to be added as an additional $30 per month Mini Roam cost to the $120 per month Residential plan. That’s a high price for a tiny dish, so I’m hoping we’ll eventually see something more reasonable.

If we do, I’ll certainly be picking one up.

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