Netgear Nighthawk M1: LTE Cat 16 Router up to 1 Gbps
by Anton Shilov on February 2, 2017 12:01 PM EST
Netgear this week announced the Nighthawk M1 mobile router, which is the industry’s first 4G LTE device with download speed up to 1 Gbps. The Nighthawk M1 is powered by Qualcomm’s X16 LTE modem with 4x4 MIMO announced a year ago and will be available only on Telstra’s 4GX LTE network in Australia. As soon as similar networks are launched in different parts of the world, the same router or its derivatives may hit the market elsewhere as well.
The Netgear Nighthawk M1 mobile router is aimed at those who need to set up ultra-fast mobile broadband connection for multiple people and up to 20 devices in areas where cable broadband is unavailable (there are a lot of rural areas in Australia where there is no broadband). The Nighthawk M1 can be used like a normal portable router (it has a GbE port as well as two USB headers) or as a NAS/media streamer (it has a microSD slot). The router also has an inbuilt battery (5040 mAh) which is rated for up to 24 hours of standard use. The Nighthawk M1 does not require any special setup, but it is equipped with a 2.4” display to monitor its performance/data usage and there is also a special app for Android and iOS that allows a user to manage the router (network settings, parental controls, etc.).
At the heart of the Netgear Nighthawk M1 there is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X16 LTE modem (paired with Qualcomm’s WTR5975 RF transceiver). The modem supports 4x4 MIMO, four carrier aggregation (4xCA) and higher order modulation (256QAM) to download data at up to 1 Gbps (in select areas) as well as 64QAM and 2CA to upload data at up to 150 Mbps over Telstra’s 4GX LTE network (Telstra's network is only 3CA it is worth noting). We already know that the X16 modem will be integrated into Snapdragon 835 SoCs for smartphones, but right now it is available only as a standalone chip. The Nighthawk M1 router is also equipped with Qualcomm’s 2×2 802.11 b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi solution that can connect up to 20 devices simultaneously using 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands concurrently.
| Netgear Nighthawk M1 MR1100 | |
| SoC | Qualcomm Snapdragon X16 LTE modem MDM9x50 |
| Display | 2.4" |
| Network | 4G: 4GX LTE CAT 16, 4-band CA, 4x4 MIMO 700/900/1800/2100/2600 MHz 3G: 850/900/1900/2100 MHz |
| LTE | Down: 1000 Mb/s Up: 150 Mb/s |
| Dimensions | 105.5 × 105.5 × 20.35 mm |
| Weight | 240 grams |
| Battery | 5040 mAh (removable) |
| Connectivity | 2×2 802.11 b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi for up to 20 devices |
| External Ports | Ethernet USB-A USB-C 2 × TS-9 connectors for external antennas |
| Storage | MicroSD card with media server/NAS capabilities |
| SIM Size | unknown |
| Colors | Grey |
| Launch Country | Australia |
| Price | $360 AUD ($276 USD) |
The Netgear Nighthawk M1 (MR1100) mobile router will be available from Telstra in Australia later this month for $360 AUD ($276 USD) standalone. Telstra also plans to offer the router with a range of broadband plans.
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Source: Netgear
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DanNeely - Thursday, February 2, 2017 - link
That's on Telestra, not Netgear. Based on rants from an acquaintance who used their network for his home internet, it's possible that's a 15 year old plan cap but since Netgear never called and asked to be put on the current cap they never were.HomeworldFound - Thursday, February 2, 2017 - link
It's Telstra nub.dancer89 - Thursday, February 2, 2017 - link
10Gb / month for $55 aud here in oz on Telstra.The 5Gb plan would be $35
TheinsanegamerN - Thursday, February 2, 2017 - link
So, I'm slightly confused. Could you buy this and put any 4G SIM from your carrier of choice for home internet?I wonder if it would work with cricket.....
lopri - Thursday, February 2, 2017 - link
It should work in theory and it does work in practice, but there is no guarantee.fanofanand - Thursday, February 2, 2017 - link
Cricket can't run at these speeds, T-Mo is the only US carrier that even has the capability. In time they all will but certainly not today. T-Mo ran a 1 gig test somewhere in the SW, New Mexico maybe? It needed 4x4 mimo to do it but they were right at the 1 gig mark.reuthermonkey1 - Thursday, February 2, 2017 - link
yep this. TMO is already rolling out 3x3 MIMO in a number of markets.TheinsanegamerN - Friday, February 3, 2017 - link
I dont care about getting 1 gigabit, i care about how much data I can get per month. Having a gigabit with a 5GB cap is like having a ferrari with a 1 quart fuel tank.That being said, if tmo allowed this to use their unlimited plan (which I doubt) that would be awesome. Still more expensive then gettings phones through metro PCS and a separate cable internet bill though.
fanofanand - Thursday, February 9, 2017 - link
T-Mo throttles after 28 GB so it would be quite useless if your consumption dramatically exceeds that.StrangerGuy - Thursday, February 2, 2017 - link
~$300 for glorified tethering in a real world with stingy data caps and throughput far from test lab speeds? I can't stop laughing at this.