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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SaolDan - Thursday, February 2, 2017 - link
Neat!!!extide - Thursday, February 2, 2017 - link
Dude I have seen you post this on several articles. Why bother making such a useless post instead of actually trying to have some sort of meaningful discussion?close - Thursday, February 2, 2017 - link
Because he can and Anadtech's comment system was implemented using technology from the early 1800s. This means there's no option to report such comment and banning is unheard of around here.Back on the story, at 1Gbps that will drain even the best mobile plan in a matter of seconds. So this kind of speed doesn't even have theoretical usability.
ajp_anton - Thursday, February 2, 2017 - link
Only if the mobile plan has limited data. Which I would consider a criteria for being "the best mobile plan". So no, it won't drain it, and it has real practical usability.close - Friday, February 3, 2017 - link
So far I haven't heard of any unlimited data plans that have no "fair usage policy". All of them get throttled if you (ab)use them. Either someone offers such a plan without any fineprint which I seriously doubt, or we have different definitions of practical usability.Just to be clear, Telstra's current mobile data offering gives you 5GB (as in the article picture) + 2GB bonus for only $50. You can also get 10+2GB for $70. You can also get some voice plans with 30GB at ~$200.
So no, no usability. Not only do networks NOT have the capacity to deliver unlimited data, they also can't do it at these speeds. And I doubt the speed is actually achievable in any real life scenario. I'd love to be proven wrong but I don't think it will be anytime soon.
ajp_anton - Friday, February 3, 2017 - link
When I moved and was without wired internet for a while, all of my 300-800 GB of monthly traffic went through mobile. Nobody questioned it. They even advertize mobile internet to be used as your main internet at home.Later I was about to move to another operator (because of some other issues) and they desperately wanted me to stay. They lowered my bill and said on the phone "You use hundreds of gigs of data. You know we have the fastest mobile network, right?". Not that there's any real difference in their networks, but they obviously don't care about the amount of data I use.
close - Friday, February 3, 2017 - link
If you don't mind me asking, where do you live and what mobile provider do you use that's willing to lower the bill just so you can continue using up to almost 1TB (!) of mobile data monthly? I'm not saying it's impossible, just that I'm pretty sure 99.9999% of the world can't take advantage of this.ajp_anton - Friday, February 3, 2017 - link
In the capital of Finland. Not a very big place, half a M people, but 4G works at advertised speeds (mine is capped at 50/30 Mbit/s) everywhere in the city. In fact in pretty much every city and along highways. Doesn't really matter what operator, all the big ones are the same.close - Friday, February 3, 2017 - link
Well then, when Finland's "unlimited data" ends up in the rest of Europe we may have another discussion :). Unfortunately even that won't help countries with a large population. It's one thing to give unlimited high speed data to 5 million people, quite another to do it for a country of 50, 80, or 300 million.The "unlimited data" part is not really the problem, rather the speed that you can offer to people after all of them decide to jump on the bandwagon.
Also I assume you don't have anywhere near 1Gbps, right?
close - Friday, February 3, 2017 - link
P.S. I see this is becoming popular in many countries that developed their infrastructure relatively recently. This probably allows countries like Lithuania, Latvia, or Romania to have unlimited internet and dizzying internet speeds (either fixed or mobile) for prices in the 10-30E range while "developed countries" like US, Germany and others are stuck on plans with a handful of GBs for double the price.