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Nov 13, 2024

SpaceX Selling $199 Backpack for Its Portable V4 Starlink Dish | PCMag

Need to carry your Starlink dish from one location to another? SpaceX is now selling a $199 backpack to help you get the job done. The company updated the Starlink shop with the new gear, which is

Need to carry your Starlink dish from one location to another? SpaceX is now selling a $199 backpack to help you get the job done.

The company updated the Starlink shop with the new gear, which is meant to carry the V4 standard Starlink dish, a model that began rolling out about a year ago.

"The Standard Backpack is designed to fit all the components you need to use your Starlink Standard Kit on-the-go, including the Gen 3 router, power supply, provided 5m Standard Starlink Cable and up to a 16" laptop,” the company writes in the product description.

The backpack appears to be pretty slim and sleek, especially compared to SpaceX’s first official Starlink traveling case, which was bulky but roomy enough to hold a second-generation Starlink dish. In contrast, the new backpack looks fairly thin and flat, which makes sense since the V4 dish is only 1.5 inches thick and can be easily tucked alongside a laptop.

SpaceX says the backpack's rugged exterior shell will keep your Starlink gear "protected from elements. " It's expected to ship in two to three weeks.

The backpack will likely appeal to Starlink subscribers on the Roam plan, which lets you use the satellite internet service on the go rather than at one residential address. It's ideal for people who want to use Starlink on a road trip or while camping.

Still, the $199 price may put off some consumers. Over the summer, the V4 dish itself was going for $199 for consumers in certain US states.

Nevertheless, the backpack is a bit cheaper than the traveling case for the older Starlink dish. It initially cost $250 before SpaceX trimmed the price to $175.

To make Starlink even more portable, SpaceX this summer also began selling a Mini dish, which is about the size of a laptop and can fit in any normal backpack.

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If you’re after laptop buying advice, I’m your man. From PC reviews to Starlink testing, I've got more than a decade of experience reviewing PCs and technology products. I got my start with PCMag but have also written for Tom's Guide and LaptopMag.com, and several other tech outlets. With a focus on personal computing (Windows, macOS, and ChromeOS), Starlink satellite internet, and generative AI productivity tools, I'm a professional tech nerd and a power user through and through.

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I've been working as a journalist for over 15 years—I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017.

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