SpaceX has started delivering a new version of its home internet receiver, and the biggest change is what you won’t see on your electricity statement.
The company began rolling out the fifth-generation dish in parts of the United States on July 16. While it doesn’t offer faster internet, it does offer some practical perks that many customers have been asking for.
The new Starlink V5 dish is much lighter than the old one. It weighs about as much as a small laptop, making it far simpler for a single person to handle during installation. The previous model was nearly three times heavier and took up more space on the roof.
Power usage has also dropped significantly. The new unit uses roughly half the electricity of its predecessor. That means customers running the system all day and night should notice a small but real drop in their monthly energy costs.
There is a small catch. The newer model delivers slightly slower top speeds than the version it replaces. But for most households, the difference is too small to matter for daily activities like watching videos, joining video calls, or browsing the web.
The Starlink V5 dish comes with a compact router and a mounting adapter for rooftop setups. It is not meant for use in moving vehicles, so it is strictly for stationary homes.
Right now, the rollout is limited. More expensive plans still use the older equipment for the time being.