YouTuber Spots ‘Obvious’ Flaw In $600 Starlink Kit, Designs DIY Solution Using 3D Printer – But Is It Really Needed?

Designer and YouTuber Morley Kert last week flagged and fixed a design ‘flaw’ with his Starlink kit. The metal feet of the Starlink satellite receiver, Kert noted, had no cushions and could easily cause scratches on the roof of his van.

What Happened: “I am always surprised when expensive products have obvious design flaws that wouldn’t be very difficult to fix,” Kert said, as he went on to design and 3D print some custom thermoplastic polyurethane cushions for his Starlink’s base.

Starlink is the satellite internet segment of Elon Musk’s rocket manufacturing company SpaceX. It seeks to provide internet connectivity anywhere on Earth with a network of satellites in Earth’s low-earth orbit.

“I no longer have to place this $600 piece of outdoor tech with the precision of a space station docking,” Kert said on attaching the cushions to the four metal legs of the dish.

Starlink Hardware Options: However, it is important to note that the Starlink kit being used by Kert for his van is not designed for mobility purposes. The four-legged metal base comes only on the standard actuated Starlink kit or the high-performance Starlink kit. These kits are recommended by SpaceX for residential users and business applications, respectively.

The flat high-performance Starlink kit is the only one designed for in-motion use. Instead of a metal four-legged base, the dish comes with a wedge mount kit and is designed for a permanent installation, thereby removing the concerns of metal legs scratching the vehicle roof.

However, while standard Starlink hardware is only priced at $599, the flat high-performance hardware is priced at a whopping $2,500.