Geoffrey Lenox-Smith writing for Astronomy Now Magazine.
"The ASIair Mini offers 90 per cent of the features of the ASIair Plus for two-thirds of the price. It is a little slower in operation but nothing serious. Unless you have a specific need for a feature found only in the Plus (for example, an ethernet port), most users will be perfectly happy with the Mini."
Average Rating (15 Reviews): | |
19 September 2024 | Laurence
The wifi on my Asiair Pro recently died so I bought the Mini as a replacement. It worked like dream out of the box which I had anticipated but it was the wifi performance that amazed me. I had thought that I might need
to put in station mode to allow me the freedom to choose in which downstairs room to position my iPad Pro but using it for the first time last was a revelation. I image from my back garden yet I was able to connect when sitting in my office which is at the front of the house, the signal having to pass through 3 walls.
Obviously it was quite slow there so I moved to my normal position in the lounge but at least I know where I can sit when Strictly is on!
The single most important astronomy accessory I have 24 August 2024 | James
This is an incredible gadget and in my view indispensable for astronomy and certainly for astrophotography.
The instructions are useless, I really don't like the interface and I don't get on with the photography mode. However, after putting it back in the box for a while and watching some YouTube videos I have integrated some of its fantastic features into my astro routine. These are: polar alignment, which is amazing as I have a completely south facing garden so it has always been guesswork before; guiding, which I could probably do anyway but the interface is quite neat; and plate solving, which not only makes it possible to find objects which aren't bright enough to see but also means I don't have to use the goto alignment process which I never found accurate enough. These three abilities have moved me on from a lot of frustration and guesswork to quickly and accurately finding targets and getting reliable long exposure photographs. I wish I had bought one sooner.
10 August 2024 | Tony
I have this really handy astro hub and connect my ZWO ASi120MM guide camera, my ZWO EAF auto focuser, my ZWO ASi585MC main camera and my ZWO AM3 mount to it. I use one of the power out ports to supply the AM3 Mount so I just have one power lead from my portable power supply. I use the wireless connectivity to link my iPad to the ASiAir Network and can sit in comfort "playing" with it once I have done my Polar Alignment.
The whole bundle integrates really well and the ASi Studio software is fairly easy to use. The only issue I have is that to download the images, I need to disconnect one of the USB ports and stick on a "pen drive" as the USB-C port is only for a computer interface.
Once more, thanks to FLO for the guidance and advice prior to my purchase and for speedy delivery. Unfortunately as I spent quite a bit on this "bundle", the amount of clouds delivered in teh FLO box was significant
15 July 2024 | Kerry
This device is incredible. It is literally a dream to use. If you are in two minds about swopping from your laptop set-up over to this, then just do it. I wish I had earlier. Ok, true, it does lock you into Zwo's products apart from the mount and guidescope, but I already had Zwo products, so I don;t mind. Polar alignment a breeze, focussing super easy, finding targets incredibly simple with the sky atlas. Lots of little features that make astrophotography a relaxing hobby, rather than a frustrating one. Don't take my word for it, just get one and see for yourself. Highly, highly recommended as are First Light Optics who answered all my questions. Superb all round...
15 April 2024 | L
I saw the Mini and it fitted with a trip I am planning to New Zealand later in ther year. I want to keep the weight down on everything I carry. Plus I saw that the mini has better wifi performance. I have the Asisair Plus in my obsy too.
The wi-fi connectivity on this is much better than the Plus...no dropouts at all. Yes you lose the network plug, but I dont use that anyway.
One criticism on the Mini and other formats of the Asiair is that I like to do solar imaging too and the minimum exposure level are still too high, 0.001 sec. They really should offer bet exposure control.
Great little astro controller 24 February 2024 | Agnes
I previously tried to run my setup off an Astroberry setup on Raspberry Pi 4, but gave up due to constant software glitches, hangs and general instability. In contrast the Air Mini just works. After watching one tutorial, I was able to go out, get polar aligned, set guiding, goto and plate solve almost immediately. In addition, the unit uses very little power, a consideration for my relatively small battery pack. As a programmer, I appreciate the polish and effort clearly put into the IOS app.
16 February 2024 | Kevin
Ordered this with First Light optics the service and delivery was absolutely fab. Not had chance to use it yet but waiting for clear skies. Cannot wait will then do another review.
02 February 2024 | Stewart
Have had a secondhand ASI Air Pro on my 600mm Newtonian for a couple of years but also have a small refractor for wide field targets. Been swapping the AirPro between the two scopes but was concerned that the repeated removal of the leads would wear out the ports which can be a problem on these devices. Decided to buy the Mini after reading reviews from other customers & have to say I’m impressed by the performance of this tiny box. Wi-Fi range with the external aerial is good enough for me to image from inside my home with the rig 25ft away in my garden through a conservatory & is on par with my AirPro with a powered Wi-Fi repeater. Despite the camera being connected via usb 2 the preview images on my iPad pro appear within about 8 seconds from capture which is on par with my AirPro. The lack of control of the dc ports & the absence of an on/off switch isn’t an issue at all & transferring images from the emmc either to a computer by usbc or to a memory stick is simple enough. At £100 saving over the Plus this is an ideal solution for my second rig. As ever the service from FLO was top notch with great communication & efficient delivery.
17 December 2023 | Kim
What an impressive piece of kit! I wanted something that would take the pain out of having to babysit my telescope outside in cold weather. This is the answer! Although I've still to operate everything in reality outdoors, the indoor test runs (hence 4 star rating for the moment) have shown the extent of this little red box's capability when paired with my AM3. I'm just blown away with the performance and can't wait to subject it to 'first light' for real. Whilst lacking some elements of the ASIAir Plus, the signs are that I will still manage to achieve my immediate astrophotography needs. It's mated really well to the top carry handle of my StellaMira 90mm ED 'scope via the ZWO ASiair Pro Dovetail Clamp suggested by Chris at FLO. Positioning it there has also allowed me to route trailing connection leads via a pair of 3D printed cable tidies that slide over the unit. Shipped and carefully packed as usual by the FLO team! Thank you.
29 November 2023 | Kevin
I Bought this to control my Canon DSLR when used with my Samyang 135 f2 lens. The service from FLO was to their usual high standard. I downloaded the ZWO app on my mobile, tablet and Laptop without any trouble and connected the mount ( SW Star Adventurer GTi), DSLR and ASI 120 M guide camera (I do not have an EAF for this set up at the moment) A first light test was undertaken and I was amazed how trouble free the operation was, with no connectivity problems between any of the devices used. Likewise the goto, plate solving and guiding functions all worked flawlessly. I also found as a first time user the ZWO software installed very easy to navigate. The only downside for me is it only supports ZWO dedicated Astronomy Cameras which means I can't use it to control my Altair Astro cameras. I'm very impressed with this little unit, for the price it really is a bargain buy.
Read all 15 customer reviews...