Can the ASIAIR Mini live stack?

Yes, but ZWO says not with cameras over 26 megapixels, such as the ASI6200 and ASI461; it still captures with them.

ASIAIR Mini or ASIAIR Plus?

The Plus adds two USB 3.0 ports, Ethernet and a power switch. The Mini is smaller and sits on a finder shoe; in my showdown the Plus also kept its guiding logs.

Can I still buy the ASIAIR Mini?

The prices I recorded: £215 at First Light Optics (UK), unavailable; $249 at Agena Astro (US), discontinued; $199 at ZWO store (Global), out of stock.

ASIAIR Mini review: the smallest ASIAIR, with limits

Where does it rank on our leaderboard

Nine of the 46 accessories on my board, against price
Rank	Accessory	Stars for Your Buck	Recorded UK price
1	GEMINI EAF	100 out of 100	£42
2	Generic Dew Heater	93 out of 100	£9
8	Generic Guide Scope 60mm	85 out of 100	£109
19	Green laser pen	76 out of 100	£10
28	ASIAIR Mini	64 out of 100	£215
31	ZWO TC40 Tripod	60 out of 100	£342
43	ToupTek AstroStation / StellaVita	40 out of 100	£339
45	SKY ROVER 2x54 Binoculars	28 out of 100	£139
46	365 Solar Telescope Cover	5 out of 100	£73

Contents

01 Where does it rank on our leaderboard
02 Specifications and features
03 In use
04 Watch it in my videos
05 Should you buy it?
06 Questions and more about this review

In 30 seconds

Stars for Your Buck 64/100

Reviewed 16 Oct 2025 Updated 25 Sep 2026

Rank: #28 of 46 accessories
Verdict: Worth a look

Written by Damon Scotting 3 min read

Buy it if

You want the smallest ASIAIR for a light rig, mounted on a finder shoe.
Your rig is ZWO cameras and ZWO accessories.

Skip it if

You image with a camera over 26 megapixels and want live stacking.
You need Ethernet, a power switch or USB 3.0: the ASIAIR Plus has them.

“It is the smallest ASIAIR, but it is noticeably slower than the ASIAIR Plus, and unbearably slow with a big camera like my ASI6200MC.”

Specifications and features

Against the other controllers I have reviewed

Compare with

ASIAIR Mini reviewed #28 of 46	ASIAIR Plus 256GB #13 of 46	ASIAIR 256GB #23 of 46	MeLE MiniPC #10 of 46	ToupTek AstroStation / StellaVita #43 of 46
Recorded UK price	£215	£399	£230	£490	£339
Stars for Your Buck	64/100	81/100	72/100	84/100	40/100
Storage	32 GB eMMC, 20 GB free	256 GB eMMC	256 GB eMMC	By version: eMMC or SSD	32 GB built in
Card slot	None (USB drives)	None (USB drives)	microSD (TF)	microSD	SD card
USB ports	4 x USB 2.0	2 x USB 3.0, 2 x USB 2.0	2 x USB 3.0, 2 x USB 2.0	2 x USB 3.2, 1 x USB 2.0, 1 x USB-C	2 x USB 3.0, 2 more marked WiFi
Power outputs	4 x DC 12 V	4 x DC 12 V	4 x DC 12 V	None	4 x DC out, 3 A maximum
Power input	DC 12 V; USB-C 5 V for the Mini alone	DC 12 V, 2 to 10 A	DC 12 V	12 V 2 A USB-C adapter	DC in, with a power switch
Wireless	Dual-band Wi-Fi, 20 m	Dual-band Wi-Fi, 20 m	Dual-band Wi-Fi, 20 m	Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.1	Wi-Fi, external antenna
Wired network	None	Gigabit Ethernet	Ethernet	Gigabit Ethernet	Ethernet
Size	78 x 52 x 26 mm	102.5 x 70 x 26.5 mm	not recorded	131 x 81 x 18.3 mm	not recorded
Camera support	ZWO cameras and supported DSLRs	ZWO cameras and DSLRs	ZWO cameras and DSLRs	Any brand, through NINA or SharpCap	Open to other brands
Sky Atlas	Yes	Yes	Yes	Through NINA	No, on my unit
Live stacking	Yes, up to 26 MP cameras	Yes	Yes	Through NINA	No, on my unit
In the box	ASIAIR Mini, DC 1.5 m male-female extension cable, two DC 0.5 m and two DC 1 m male cables, quick start guide	ASIAIR Plus; 2 x 0.5 m and 2 x 1 m DC cables; 1.5 m DC extension; 0.75 m USB 3.0 Type-B cable; activation guide	not recorded	For the linked UK N100 16 GB / 512 GB package: Quieter 4C mini PC, 12 V / 2 A power adapter, UK plug, VESA mount and user manual	not recorded

In use

Four USB 2.0 ports

DSLR and DC outputs

Watch it in my videos

This £299 Telescope Mount Just Beat the £2,260 Mount… · published 16 October 2025 · 18:28 · Watch on YouTube · 67,163 views, 2,432 likes on 2 Oct 2026

Jump to

0:45 Mounts Overview
3:10 Small mounts (Andromeda galaxy)
4:23 The guiding logs: ASIAIR Plus against ASIAIR Mini
7:00 Big mounts (Andromeda galaxy)
14:14 FINAL RESULTS!
17:28 Conclusion

Transcript of the video 73 words · 2 chapters · searchable

Press a time stamp to play from there.

4:19 Small mounts (Andromeda galaxy)

4:19 Now, when I was filming this video, the goal was to analyze the log graphs recorded throughout these observations later on.

4:23 The guiding logs: ASIAIR Plus against ASIAIR Mini

4:27 But for some very frustrating reason, only the ASIAIR Plus recorded this data, while the ASIAIR Mini recorded absolutely nothing. 4:33 So, instead, I've had to write a script that will analyze each individual frame of my screen recordings to determine what the total RMS value was over the course of these observations.

Should you buy it?

64/100 Stars for Your Buck

Pros

78 x 52 x 26 mm: it sits on a finder shoe.
Four DC 12 V outputs and four USB 2.0 ports, plus a DSLR shutter port.
32 GB of built-in storage, 20 GB of it free, and USB drives for more.
The USB-C port exports files to a computer and can power the Mini itself at 5 V.

Cons

Noticeably slower than the ASIAIR Plus: with my ASI6200MC on three-minute exposures, it had barely loaded one image before the next was captured.
No live stacking with cameras over 26 megapixels, such as the ASI6200 and ASI461.
No Ethernet port, no power switch and no microSD slot.
USB 2.0 only: no USB 3.0 port for the main camera.
ZWO cameras and supported DSLRs only, like every ASIAIR.

The Mini is noticeably slower than the ASIAIR Plus. It will technically run my ASI6200MC, but it is unbearably slow: shooting three-minute exposures, it had barely finished loading one image by the time the next had been captured.

Three alternatives I have reviewed

Questions and more about this review

Reviewed by

Damon Scotting

The Telescope Man Verified

BSc (Hons) Physics with Astrophysics and Cosmology, Loughborough University PGCE / QTS, University of Nottingham

About Damon About Damon Damon Scotting is The Telescope Man. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Physics with Astrophysics and Cosmology from Loughborough University and a PGCE with QTS from the University of Nottingham, and taught physics in secondary schools before becoming an astronomy creator. He is a contributing writer for BBC Sky at Night Magazine and the author of 42 Wonders of Our Night Sky, and his photograph of the galaxy M100 with the dwarf planet Ceres was Highly Commended in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2024 competition run by Royal Observatory Greenwich. He has appeared on the BBC's Blue Peter. More than 750,000 people follow his astronomy channels on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, and he has reviewed more than 140 telescopes, mounts, cameras, filters and accessories hands-on for this site. More about Damon · How I test · Damon's book

I review all kinds of gear: most of it I buy, some is gifted and some is loaned, and all of it is reviewed the same way. How this site is funded

Three questions, answered

Questions about the ASIAIR Mini

Reviewed 16 October 2025 ·Updated 25 September 2026

I review all kinds of gear. Most of it I buy, some is gifted and some is loaned, and all of it is reviewed the same way: no company sees or approves a review before it is published. Some shop links are affiliate links: I earn a commission when you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. How this site is funded

Can the ASIAIR Mini live stack? Yes, but ZWO says not with cameras over 26 megapixels, such as the ASI6200 and ASI461; it still captures with them. The specifications and the comparison table ↓
ASIAIR Mini or ASIAIR Plus? The Plus adds two USB 3.0 ports, Ethernet and a power switch. The Mini is smaller and sits on a finder shoe; in my showdown the Plus also kept its guiding logs. Watch it in my videos ↓
Can I still buy the ASIAIR Mini? The prices I recorded: £215 at First Light Optics (UK), unavailable; $249 at Agena Astro (US), discontinued; $199 at ZWO store (Global), out of stock. A record, not a live price The verdict, the readers and the sellers ↓