Starlink Mini vs. Standard: Which One for a House, an RV or a Deer Camp?

The Mini and the Standard both connect to the same Starlink satellites, but they're built for different jobs. Pick the wrong one and you either pay more than you need to every month, or you end up with a dish that doesn't fit how you actually use the place.

Which one should I get?

If it's your house and you live there, get the Standard. If it moves with you, like an RV, camper, boat or truck, get the Mini. For a deer camp or lake place you visit on weekends, the Mini is usually the better fit. If you live at the camp full time, get the Standard.

How are they different?

Hardware prices change often and Starlink runs frequent promotions, so check starlink.com for the current price of each kit.

There's also a newer V5 Standard and a Performance kit. Our guide to which Starlink dish you have covers every version.

What does each one cost per month?

The dish is only half the decision. The plan is the other half.

Roam (what the Mini generally uses in the US): as of August 2026, Starlink listed Roam at $55 a month for 100 GB, $80 for 300 GB, and $175 for unlimited. On the 100 GB and 300 GB plans, you drop to slower speeds after using your high-speed data for the month. Roam works anywhere and can be paused month to month.

Residential (what the Standard uses at a home): unlimited data and higher network priority than Roam, which matters when the network is busy in the evening. Residential pricing varies by speed tier and location, so check the price for your address on starlink.com.

For a house where several people stream, work and game every day, Residential's unlimited data and priority are usually worth it. For a place you use a few weekends a month, Roam's pause option is what saves you money.

Which dish for a house?

The Standard. It's designed for a permanent mount, comes with a separate router that you can place for better coverage, and runs on Residential plans with unlimited data. We mount these on roofs, poles and eaves across East Texas, with the cable run cleanly into the house.

Which dish for an RV or camper?

The Mini. It was built for this. It's light, it packs easily, it runs on low power from a battery or the camper's 12-volt system, and it can be used while moving on a Roam plan. Pause the plan when the camper is parked for the season.

Which dish for a deer camp or lake place?

It depends on how you use it:

• Weekend camp, a few months a year: Mini on Roam. Pause it in the off-season. You can take it home between trips so it doesn't walk off.
• Lived in full time: Standard on Residential. Unlimited data and better priority for a house full of people.

What about trees?

Neither dish sees through trees. Both have the same 110-degree field of view, so a camp tucked under tall pines will have dropouts with either one if the dish sits in the wrong spot. Height and placement are what fix it, not the model. See our guide on Starlink and pine trees for how to check your spot.

What we do

We install and mount both. For a Standard, that usually means a roof, eave or pole mount with a clean cable run and the router placed for whole-house coverage. For a Mini at a camp or lake place, we can build a mount so it stays put and isn't sitting on a tailgate. Send us a few photos of the property for a straight quote: text them to (903) 481-9722 or get a free quote.