SpaceX’s new Starlink satellite internet terminal has a kickstand

SpaceX quietly introduced a new Standard Starlink terminal that’s slimmer and simpler than the previous version, with a 10 percent broader field of view and no motor for setting up — instead, it comes with a kickstand; to orient it, you simply move it. A Starlink support page says the kit is available “by invitation only to a small group of early customers in the US.”

SpaceX bumped its weather resistance rating up from IP54 to IP67, meaning it should be totally dust-proof and can be submerged in one meter of water for as long as 30 minutes before potential damage. Starlink’s specifications page says it can operate in winds over 60MPH. Speaking of which, the company will sell mounts in case you’d rather secure it in place. It’s otherwise roughly the same size as the previous Standard terminal (now called Standard Actuated).

Tesla investor Sawyer Merritt, who posted about the new terminal Friday morning, shared the quick start video for it.

The Wi-Fi router has been redesigned and now sits on its long edge instead of standing upright. It also comes with two coverable ethernet LAN ports and one ethernet WAN port that connects to the terminal (the older model had no ethernet ports at all). It’s now a tri-band Wi-Fi 6 router, whereas the previous model was a dual-band Wi-Fi 5 device, and the site says it can cover up to 3,200 square feet versus the 2,000 square feet of the older router.