Every Starlink Dish Decoded: Gen 3, Gen 4, V5, Mini X

There is no Starlink dish called Gen 4. The dish forums call Gen 3 is what Starlink now sells as Standard 4 and Standard 4 X, the new one is the V5 home dish that reached the US in July 2026, and the Mini X is the same Mini with a second router in the box. If you are buying in the US in October 2026, there are four kits that matter: the Mini ($149 as of October 13, 2026), the Standard 4 X ($349 to buy with Roam as of a late-July report, or a rental on Residential in select areas, reported as free on July 20 and as $10 a month in another report eight days later), the V5 (rented with the Residential 100 Mbps plan in select areas, per July reports), and the Performance (Gen 3), listed at $1,999 in a July 2026 report. The Mini price was read from Starlink’s own page on October 13, 2026, and the monthly plan prices on October 10; the other hardware prices come from the dated reports cited where they appear. Starlink changes prices, plan rules, and which dish it will sell you without notice, so check starlink.com/service-plans and your own address in the ordering flow before buying; if this page and Starlink disagree, Starlink is right. The rest of this page identifies the dish you already own, decodes every name, and lines the current kits up on power, size, speed, and plan rules.

The short answer

Not sure which row is you? The Starlink picker asks six questions and hands you a kit, a plan, and an accessory list. The cost side of the decision (buy a Mini, rent one for a trip, or keep it on Standby) lives in the Starlink Mini buy-rent-standby guide. For a small boat near shore, the Starlink for boats guide starts with a Mini.

Which Starlink do you have? Identify it by shape

Starlink’s own kit-identification page lists nine kits, and it identifies them by the shape of the dish and whether it has a motor; where three kits share the same description, this guide separates them by dish width and the router in the box. Hold your dish up and match it:

The quoted descriptions are Starlink’s. The dish widths come from the spec sheets and the V4-versus-V5 page. One gap worth knowing: as of October 10, 2026, that identification page still does not list the V5 at all, so a V5 owner looking for their kit on it will not find it. The names in the last column are community shorthand, not Starlink’s. Starlink also lists the Enterprise kit, a rectangle without a motor; the shape table here leaves it out and adds the V5, and the comparison table leaves it out too.

The name decoder: Gen 3 is Standard 4, and Gen 4 is not a dish

Starlink renamed its Standard kits in one help-center note: “Starlink Standard Kit is now Standard 4 X” and “Starlink Standard with the Router Mini is now Standard 4,” with the clarification that Standard 4 “refers to the same hardware many customers previously called” Gen 3 Starlink. So the Standard 4 and the Standard 4 X are the same dish paired with different routers.

The high-end line got the same treatment: “Actuated High Performance is now Starlink Performance Kit (Gen 1)” and “Flat High Performance is now Starlink Performance Kit (Gen 2).” The kit Starlink sells as of October 2026 is the Performance (Gen 3), which Mobile Internet Resource Center described at launch as “expected to replace the Flat High Performance dish.”

A likely reason Gen 4 turns up in searches is that the community’s numbering and Starlink’s are off by one. Starlink’s own V4-versus-V5 comparison uses the names “Starlink V4” and “Starlink V5,” and Mobile Internet Resource Center identifies the V4 as “the old” Standard model, so a shopper who hears gen 3 for the Standard naturally expects a gen 4 next. Starlink does not use that name: its V4 is the Standard 4 (the Gen 3), and the next dish is the V5. SatelliteInternet.com calls the V5 “the fifth generation of its personal terminals.”

The Mini X is the easiest to decode. Starlink: “This kit includes the Starlink Mini and a Router Mini,” and it “is currently available in Argentina and Germany but, will launch in additional markets soon.” The Mini X spec sheet lists the identical dish (298.5 × 259 × 38.5 mm, 1.10 kg, 25 to 40 W) with a Router Mini added. Starlink does not list the Mini X for the US yet; whatever the label says, the dish inside is a Mini.

The four current US kits, side by side

Every figure below is from a Starlink document. The source is named per row, since Starlink’s own pages disagree with each other on a few of them. The wind row is not like for like: some sheets give an operational figure and others a survivable one.

IP stands for Ingress Protection: the first digit is dust, the second is water, and higher is better. Starlink says the Performance kit’s IP68/IP69K rating makes it “suitable for 1 meter of water submersion for up to 30 minutes and pressure washing.” Field of view is how much sky the dish can see; a wider view means more satellites in reach, which matters on a rolling boat or under partial tree cover. Starlink says the wider-view Performance (Gen 1) “can see 35% more sky” than the Standard.

The two power figures for the Standard 4 X deserve a second look. A shopper who lands on the spec sheet plans for 100 W; one who lands on the Performance comparison page plans for 62 W. Both pages are Starlink’s, both are live, and the gap is large enough to change which battery you would buy. Plan on the higher number and be pleasantly surprised.

What each generation draws, for the older kits too

Starlink publishes one power table that covers the older dishes alongside the current ones, and it is the place to look for anyone running an older kit off a battery or solar:

All four rows are verbatim ranges from that page. Starlink’s help article on powering the Mini uses the same 20 to 40 W (the spec sheet says 25 to 40 W; one more pair of official figures that disagree by a few watts) and adds the rule that decides whether a power bank will work: “You will need a USB Power Delivery (“PD”) source with a rating of 100W (20V/5A) for the Starlink Mini to operate optimally,” and “Starlink Mini will not work with USB PD ratings below 65W (12-48V).” The Mini spec sheet is stricter, listing “100W, 20V/5A Minimum.” The V5 and the Performance (Gen 3) are missing from that older table; their figures are the ones in the table above: 35 to 50 W for the V5, and for the Performance either 75 to 100 W (spec sheet) or 70 W (comparison page), depending on which Starlink document you read.

The router decoder: Gen 1, Gen 2, Router 3, Router Mini

Half the which-generation confusion is really about the router: Starlink ships the same dish with different routers and names the kit after the pairing. Its router-identification page describes four:

• Gen 1 Router: “Prism-like with a dual-tone design,” one Ethernet port on the back.
• Gen 2 Router: “Stands tall with a glass front,” light at the bottom. Shipped with the Standard Actuated kit, whose “power supply is integrated into the router.”
• Router 3: “Wide and lays horizontally,” multiple Ethernet ports. Wi-Fi 6, tri-band, up to 297 m². Ships with the Standard 4 X.
• Router Mini: “Compact, flat rectangular shape with a built-in kickstand.” Wi-Fi 6, dual-band. Ships with the Standard 4 (the non-X), the V5, and the Mini X.

The Router Mini’s coverage figure changed between spec sheets: the Mini X sheet lists “Up to 120 m^2 (1300 sqft)” and one Ethernet port, while the V5 sheet lists “Up to 204 m² (2200 sqft)” and “Two (2) Ports 1Gbps Ethernet.” Whether that is a revised router or a revised claim, Starlink does not say. The Mini has no separate router at all: Wi-Fi 5 is built into the dish, with one latching Ethernet port. The Performance (Gen 3) ships with an Advanced Power Supply and no router; Starlink lists it as compatible with the “Starlink Gen3 Router,” the “Starlink Router Mini,” and “3rd Party Routers.”

Which kits can drive, and which can pause

Two plan rules decide more purchases than any spec. First, in-motion use. Starlink allows it on Roam and Priority plans “up to 100 mph (160 km/h) in authorized locations,” and lists the supported hardware as Performance (Gen 3), Performance (Gen 2), Standard 4, Standard 4 X, and Starlink Mini. The motorized kits are marked “Not recommended”: “Actuated Starlinks (e.g., Standard Actuated, Performance Gen 1) — these contain motors and are not designed for in-motion use.” And the V5 is out by design: “Starlink V5 is not intended for in-motion use.”

Second, Standby Mode, the low-speed pause Starlink sells “for emergency messaging and easy reactivation in dead zones for a small monthly fee.” That fee doubled in 2026: The Next Web reported on May 18 that SpaceX was “doubling the cost of its budget Standby Mode from $5 to $10,” effective “immediately for new subscribers” and for existing customers “from their next billing cycle on or after 18 June.” Starlink’s pausing page carries two exclusions that map straight onto hardware: “Standby Mode is not available for V5 hardware” and “Standby Mode is not available for select rental customers.” A V5 is a home dish that stays on a home plan. If part-time use is the point, buy a Mini or a Standard 4 X, and buy it rather than rent it.

Starlink Roam or Residential: which plan do you need?

Both start at the same monthly price, so the choice is about where the dish will be used. Starlink labels Residential “Best for households” and Roam “Best for RVs, nomads, and campers, and working on the go.”

Pick Residential if the dish stays at home. For the same $55, it has no data cap, where Roam’s $55 tier includes 100GB of high-speed data. Pick Roam if the dish travels or rides on a vehicle, because no Residential tier allows in-motion use.

Pausing is where the two differ in the fine print. Starlink says “You can pause with Standby Mode on all Roam, Residential, and Priority plans (excluding promotional offerings and select kit rentals),” but a paused Residential line is not guaranteed its place: “Pausing with Standby Mode does not reserve your spot on a Residential plan. If your area is at capacity when you try to resume, you may not be able to reactivate your previous Residential plan. However, you’ll be able to resume service immediately on any plan available in your area.” Coming back can also cost money: “Switching from Standby back to a standard residential product may show a warning. If the address is in a high demand area, a demand surcharge order is created immediately.” A cabin owner who pauses Residential for the off-season is taking both risks; a Roam line has no home area to lose. The Starlink plans guide goes through every tier, the data limits and the one-time charges.

What each one costs and how Starlink sells it

Starlink changed how it sells hardware several times in the summer of 2026, so the date matters more than the number.

• Mini: “Starlink Mini Kit starting at $149” on the US product page as of October 13, 2026. A banner on Starlink’s Roam page, captured on October 10, presented that as a markdown: “Mini Kit for $149 (Typically $249)”. On October 13 the banner read “Mini Kit for $149” with no comparison price. Treat $149 as a price that can move: on July 28, Mobile Internet Resource Center reported that customers could “purchase the Mini outright for $199,” and described an installment option for Roam customers: “$16/month for 12 months,” which “totals $192 at 0% APR,” with the catch that “canceling Starlink service before the 12-month installment period is complete makes the full remaining balance due immediately.” Check your own checkout for the installment terms on offer when you order.
• Standard 4 X on Roam: reported removed from new Roam orders on July 1, 2026, then put back: “The Standard 4X dish is once again available to purchase directly from Starlink with Roam service for $349.”
• Standard 4 X on Residential: around June 2026, Mobile Internet Resource Center reported, Starlink moved new Residential customers to a “$10/month rental program” under which they “no longer own their hardware and cannot use features such as Standby Mode.” On July 20 SatelliteInternet.com reported that Starlink “seems to have reversed its recent decision”: “After a little more than a month of adding the fee, it’s now been removed from new purchases of residential Starlink,” and the plan table on that page, as captured on October 10, listed equipment for every Residential tier as “$349 or free rental.” The reports do not all line up. The same SatelliteInternet.com piece still carries a line saying “rentals now require a monthly fee,” and Mobile Internet Resource Center’s installment story, published July 28, still said new Residential customers “now rent their Starlink hardware for $10/month,” and SatelliteInternet.com adds that the rental plan “is only available in designated regions with excess capacity.” Your own checkout is the only current answer. Renters who cancel “must return it,” and can buy it “for the regular price of $349.”
• V5: available in the US since July 15, 2026, when Engadget reported “SpaceX confirmed in a post on X that the product will arrive today in the US in certain regions at first,” with one region, Drummond, Montana, “according to a Reddit post seen by PCMag,” offering it “only with the least expensive $55 per month 100Mbps Residential plan.” SatelliteInternet.com: “The dish is available for rental in select areas on the 100Mbps Residential plan ($55/mo.) for no extra cost,” and “no pricing for this dish without the rental option has been confirmed.” Mobile Internet Resource Center saw something else in a Boise, Idaho ordering flow, where “the V5 showed as a rental option with a $349 upfront hardware charge, while Starlink also still appeared to be applying the $10/month residential rental fee.” Starlink’s own page gives no price or plan, only that the V5 “is currently available in select areas” and that “As production ramps, Starlink V5 will be available in additional areas.”
• Performance (Gen 3): “$1,999” at its June 2025 launch, sold “with consumer Roam plans, or business Local and Global Priority plans.” A July 2026 report from the same outlet reads differently, describing Roam access as new and limited: “Existing users are now being offered the Performance Dish with a Roam on a consumer-based account,” while “the Performance dish does not appear to be offered to new users who do not already have an existing Starlink account.”

The service menu is one list, Residential at $55, $85, or $130 a month and Roam at $55 for 100GB, $80 for 300GB, or $175 unlimited, but which dish Starlink pairs with which tier varies: in the Montana example Engadget relayed, “The pricier Residential and Residential Max plans only support the V4 dish with the superior Router 3, for now.” The 30-day trial is listed as a key feature on both.

Should you wait for the next one?

One unreleased product is circulating, a Mini with a battery: Tech Digest reported firmware labelled “mini2_prod1” and a “built-in four-cell lithium battery pack,” while stating that “SpaceX has not yet officially announced a formal release date or pricing structure.” SatelliteInternet.com, citing a firmware find, adds that “Starlink hasn’t officially announced the new dish.” Mobile Internet Resource Center writes that it suspects “a new-generation Starlink Mini may be in the pipeline as well - in the interview where the V5 was first glimpsed, a new Mini design was also seen sitting on the table.”

None of that is a product with an official name, a price, or a ship date, and Starlink’s kit-identification page still lists only the one Mini. If a battery Mini would change your purchase, the 30-day trial is the cheap hedge. Starlink’s Roam page: “Try Starlink for 30 days and if not satisfied, get a full refund.” Buy now, and if a successor lands inside the window, you have a way out. For a home dish there is less to wait for: the V5 is the newer home dish, and Starlink is already offering it in select areas.

When your Starlink acts up

Picking the dish is one question and keeping it online is another. These guides take the problems one at a time.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Starlink Gen 3 and Gen 4?

There is no Gen 4. Gen 3 is the community name for the kickstand rectangle Starlink now calls Standard 4 (with Router Mini) or Standard 4 X (with Router 3); Starlink says Standard 4 “refers to the same hardware many customers previously called” Gen 3 Starlink. The next dish after it is the V5.

Is the Starlink V5 better than the Standard 4 X?

Smaller, lighter, and lower-power, not faster. Starlink lists 375+ Mbps for the V5 against 400+ Mbps for the V4, 1.1 kg against 2.9 kg, and 35 to 50 W against 75 to 100 W. The V5 is also “not intended for in-motion use” and cannot use Standby Mode, so it is the better home dish where it is offered, and the worse travel dish.

Is the Starlink Mini X a new dish?

No. Starlink says “This kit includes the Starlink Mini and a Router Mini,” and nothing more about the dish. The dish figures on the Mini X sheet (size, weight, power, field of view, IP rating, wind, snow melt) match the Mini sheet. As of October 10, 2026, Starlink lists it as available in Argentina and Germany only.

Which Starlink dishes work in a moving vehicle?

Starlink’s supported list is Performance (Gen 3), Performance (Gen 2), Standard 4, Standard 4 X, and Starlink Mini, on Roam or Priority plans, up to 100 mph. Motorized kits are “Not recommended,” and the V5 is “not intended for in-motion use.”

Does an old Starlink router work with a new dish?

Starlink’s V4-versus-V5 page lists the same line for both dishes: “Compatible with Router 2, 3, and Router Mini.” For meshing, the Router Mini is “Compatible with all Starlink routers except Gen 1” and the Router 3 meshes with “Starlink Gen 2 and Router 3 Mesh Nodes.” The Performance (Gen 3) needs no Starlink router at all and accepts third-party ones. Powering a Standard dish from the Advanced Power Supply works, with one extra cable on the Standard 4 X: “the Router 3 needs a separate Starlink cable for power,” and “No additional power supplies are required.”

Which dish to buy

Match your dish to the shape table, then read its row in the power table before you buy a battery. If you are shopping, the decision is the plan rule, not the spec: a V5, where Starlink offers it, for a house that never moves, a Mini for anything that does, a Standard 4 X bought outright if you need both, and the Performance only if you have already priced the boat. The Starlink for boats guide covers when a Mini is enough on the water. Then run the picker to confirm, and use the cost guide to weigh buying, renting for a trip and Standby.