Mini if you’ll run it from a battery, car or solar; Standard if it stays on mains power at home. The Mini averages 25–40 W Official spec: From a Starlink specification sheet or help article. Checked Oct 5, 2026 and takes DC directly; the Standard averages 75–100 W Official spec: From a Starlink specification sheet or help article. Checked Oct 5, 2026 and needs AC. For a full day off-grid that’s about 1,067 Wh against 2,759 Wh from the battery.
Side by side
| Dish | Mini | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Average draw | 25–40 W Official spec: From a Starlink specification sheet or help article. Checked Oct 5, 2026 | 75–100 W Official spec: From a Starlink specification sheet or help article. Checked Oct 5, 2026 |
| Idle | 15 W Official spec: From a Starlink specification sheet or help article. Checked Oct 5, 2026 | 20 W Official spec: From a Starlink specification sheet or help article. Checked Oct 5, 2026 |
| Power input | 12–48 V DC, or 100 W USB-C PD | AC power supply (The Standard 4 X power supply is AC: 100-240 V, 2.5 A, 50-60 Hz.) |
| Weight | 2.43 lb | 6.4 lb |
| Snow melt | up to 1 in/hr | up to 1.5 in/hr |
| Weather rating | Starlink Mini is rated IP67 Type 4 with the DC power cable and Starlink Plug/cable installed. | The Standard dish is rated IP67 Type 4. |
| Kit price | $149 (checked ) | $349 (checked ) |
The battery each needs for a day
Always on for 24 hours, top of Starlink’s range, Mini on 12 V DC and Standard on AC through an inverter (planning assumptions on methods):
| Dish | Wh per day | Smallest battery for 24 h | Runtime on 1,024 Wh | Panel W, Colorado Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mini | 1,067 | 12 V 100 Ah LiFePO4 battery, 1,280 Wh | 19 h 36 min | 622 |
| Standard | 2,759 | 48 V 100 Ah LiFePO4 rack battery, 5,120 Wh | 7 h 36 min | 1607 |
Run your own numbers for either dish →
Which to pick
- Pick the Mini for car, van, boat-dock, job-site or tournament use, or any setup where the battery is the limit.
- Pick the Standard for a fixed home install on mains power, where watts don’t matter much. On a home UPS it needs more battery for the same hours: see UPS sizing.
When this is the wrong choice
- The Mini is the wrong pick if it will only ever sit on a roof at home on mains power.
- The Standard is the wrong pick for battery or solar use on a small budget: the inverter and the extra watts roughly double or triple the battery you need.
- On a DC system, Starlink sells a Standard DC-DC Power Supply (select markets) to run Standard 4 / 4 X from a DC source without an inverter; it uses XT60 connectors and 12 AWG wire. We haven’t confirmed US availability.
Questions people ask
Which uses less power, Mini or Standard?
The Mini. Starlink lists it at 25–40 W on average against 75–100 W for Standard, both including the router and power supply.
Can the Standard dish run on 12 V?
Not directly: its power supply is AC-only, so on a battery you need an inverter. Starlink sells a Standard DC-DC power supply in select markets; we haven’t confirmed it’s sold in the US.
Is the Standard faster?
Speed depends on plan, location and network load more than on these two dishes; Starlink doesn’t publish a fixed speed per dish. This page compares the power side.
Sources
- What are the supported power sources on Starlink Mini? · checked Oct 5, 2026
- Starlink Mini Specifications (PDF) · checked Oct 5, 2026
- Standard 4 X Specifications (PDF) · checked Oct 5, 2026
- Does Starlink offer DC-input power supply options? · checked Oct 5, 2026
- Starlink public marketing availability API (US, invitationTypeCode=8 / Roam) · checked Oct 5, 2026
- How much power does my Starlink need? · checked Oct 5, 2026