Overview

The ASIAIR Mini is a little red box that takes care of a lot of the work involved in capturing the night sky. Connect compatible equipment, open the ASIAIR app on your phone or tablet, and you can control your imaging rig without a laptop beside the telescope. It’s small, light, and good value for money. For the kind of deep sky imaging I do, it’s an excellent fit.

I use mine as a dedicated controller for my Svbony SV535 widefield setup. I’ve already written a longer ASIAIR Plus review, so this one focuses on why I chose the Mini and how it fits into my imaging routine.

In use

My projects often involve returning to the same target over many nights, gradually building up a long integration time from light-polluted city skies. Making that routine straightforward matters. The Mini brings plate solving, guiding, autofocus with a ZWO EAF, and planned imaging sequences together in the familiar ASIAIR app.

The main compromise is that its four USB ports are USB 2.0. Downloads are slower than with the Plus’s USB 3.0 connections, but when individual exposures last several minutes, outright transfer speed is much less important to me. I want a controller that helps me keep collecting data, and the Mini does that job very well.

I could have moved the ASIAIR Plus between my Askar 130PHQ and the SV535 whenever I changed telescopes. Instead, I decided that having a dedicated controller for each was worth the extra cost. I can get each setup’s settings right, then leave them alone. Less swapping, less checking, and fewer opportunities to start a session with the wrong settings. That convenience is the real attraction for me.

Mini vs Plus

Both models use the ASIAIR app and cover the core tasks I need for deep sky imaging. These are the main hardware differences.

The Plus makes more sense if you need faster USB transfers or a wired network connection. For my long-exposure projects, I’m happy with the Mini’s simpler hardware.

Things to know

One small niggle: a USB flash drive I tried wouldn’t work with the Mini, so I had to buy another. I don’t know whether that points to a wider compatibility issue or was simply bad luck with that particular drive. The SanDisk Ultra Flair I bought as a replacement works with mine. It’s worth checking your chosen drive before relying on it for a night’s imaging.

The bigger consideration is the ZWO ecosystem. For dedicated astronomy cameras, focusers, and filter wheels, ASIAIR ties you to supported ZWO products. It does work with a range of other manufacturers’ mounts and selected DSLR and mirrorless cameras, so your entire rig doesn’t have to be ZWO. But it’s worth checking compatibility before buying. I’m happy with my ZWO equipment, so this restriction suits me.

Nowadays, some ZWO cameras also have ASIAIR control built in, such as the ASI2600MC Air. If you’re putting together a new rig, that’s another way to simplify things. For my SV535 setup, I’m happy with a separate Mini.

Verdict

I’m very happy with the ASIAIR Mini. It puts the control features I need into a small, light, affordable unit, and having one dedicated to the SV535 makes switching setups easier. The USB-drive hiccup is worth mentioning, and the ecosystem restrictions deserve thought, but neither changes my overall view. For deep sky imaging and long-term projects like mine, it’s a very good buy.