Has anyone tried and tested a Netgear Nighthawk M2 4g Wifi Router?

Next Stop

Next Stop

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Been thinking of getting one for the van to tether off when travelling, looks like a capable bit of kit, then it got me wondering if it would be a suitable replacement for home broadband.

https://www.netgear.co.uk/home/products/mobile-broadband/mobilerouters/M2.aspx

We currently pay £55 a month for fibre and a phone line that we don't use and considering you can get unlimited data plans for half that it seems to make financial sense, any thoughts?
 
Seems very pricey compared to other MiFi units... my free Huawei seems to be most competent.
Depending on your data plan of course & reception.
 
We did just that for 6 months. We have 2 kids that watch YouTube like TV, we also stream too. In short, we use a huge amount of internet. Worked absolutely fine even with all of us online at once.

Cost was £28 a month from Three for unlimited and included a home router.
 
Seems expensive for what it does.

Do you need an ethernet port or will you just connect via wifi?
The concensus on the forum seems to be that, if you just need wifi rather than an ethernet port, then something like the Huawei 5577c for around £70 will fit the bill. It has dual antenna connections for an external MIMO antenna, but performs well without, unless you are in a fringe reception area.

We use our Huawei device not only in the van, but when we stay with relatives who do not have broadband. It has allowed us to work remotely both in Europe and in the UK (with the appropriate SIMs).
 
MyrtleGuru said:
Seems expensive for what it does.

Do you need an ethernet port or will you just connect via wifi?
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I too thought it seemed expensive but I've seen a great deal from EE for £150 if you take out a 1 month data package.
I'd like the ethernet port so I can use it at home and extend the range and to hard wire a few devices, if I were to get one I'd like it to replace my home internet, just don't want to splash out this much if it won't be suitable, I suppose the only way would be to try it out as speed would be dependant on my location and network.
M

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Next Stop said:
I too thought it seemed expensive but I've seen a great deal from EE for £150 if you take out a 1 month data package.
I'd like the ethernet port so I can use it at home and extend the range and to hard wire a few devices, if I were to get one I'd like it to replace my home internet, just don't want to splash out this much if it won't be suitable, I suppose the only way would be to try it out as speed would be dependant on my location and network.
M
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I was thinking of replacing my current one with another that had an ethernet port for extra flexibility and was thinking about the Huawei B535-232 which costs about £130 for an unlocked one, so not much price difference compared with the offer you quote. Personally, I only buy unlocked models (or ones I know can be easily unlocked), as I am often in off-the-beaten-track places where I need to swap SIMs to get coverage.
 
I've bought one on the ee deal and cancelled the monthly plan after a month and went on the £22 per month 100gb plan that was available a couple of months ago. The M2 seems to be a great bit of (expensive kit). It performs better than my previous mifi devices., especially on upload speeds. It is also faster than my home internet. I intend to end my landline broadband in november and then use an unlimited data sim we already have. Until then I will use the 100gb when travelling, though its reduced overseas. I have also fitted a mimo aerial on the MH roof and seem to be getting slightly better results, but am not convinced. I suppose I need to wait until I am in a poor wifi signal aerial to check its performance.

Good plus points as you mentioned plus it can recharge your phone if needed. battery life is very good.

I am pleased but wished it was a bit cheaper lol!

Ps. I did check with ee who said they would unlock after 6 months.

Then I can do a bit of sim swapping and use the 100gb in a phone and unlimited data sim in the M2.
 
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I installed a Teltonika router in our MH yesterday after using it in the house for a while. They are pretty solidly made and quite compact. This would be a good model to use:

www.forestrock.co.uk

Teltonika RUT950 Dual SIM 4G Router with WIFI

RUT950 is a high-performance industrial 4G LTE Wi-Fi router designed to deliver speed and reliability for industrial applications.
www.forestrock.co.uk www.forestrock.co.uk

I've got the 955 but in hindsight the 950 would have been more suitable and cheaper. The 955 has GPS which I'm not using. Both are dual sim but I'm only using one sim slot. They do a cheaper 920 but that only uses a single WiFi antenna.

The thing I like about Teltonika is the web interface is very good and easy to use.
 
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what would be really good is one with the ability to connect to free wifi when available as opposed to using paid for data. i spoke to them online and they said that it doesnt have that facility.

i do think the dual sim option on the 950 is a massive plus point, i would have been tempted if i hadnt already gone for the M2 .....

i suppose until ive done a bit of travelling around, i wont know how good the M2 is, but i havent been dissapointed so far ...


edit ---- they said they will try to see if their suppliers have a device that does have the facility to recieve and transmit a wifi signal aswell as providing a data via sim option. i will forward any response on here ...


further edit


Hi,

Yes, you can. For that you should use your RUT950 in a Wireless station mode and to extend your primary router network you can use relayd functionality.

You can find more information about this on our wiki page: https://wiki.teltonika-networks.com/view/Relayd


so, the 950 looks to be a pretty useful piece of kit, there is a good market for the M2 on ebay, so i might be tempted to sell when its unlocked and change to the 950 !
 
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MisterB said:
what would be really good is one with the ability to connect to free wifi when available as opposed to using paid for data. i spoke to them online and they said that it doesnt have that facility.

i do think the dual sim option on the 950 is a massive plus point, i would have been tempted if i hadnt already gone for the M2 .....

i suppose until ive done a bit of travelling around, i wont know how good the M2 is, but i havent been dissapointed so far ...


edit ---- they said they will try to see if their suppliers have a device that does have the facility to recieve and transmit a wifi signal aswell as providing a data via sim option. i will forward any response on here ...
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I think your easiest route to using free WiFi would be a WiFi booster. They come up second hand on here from time to time or of course you can buy one new from MotorhomeWifI.

In theory you could make your own booster (I did) and connect it directly to a Teltonika router using their PoE adaptor which costs under £20. The booster I use in the house to pick up the home WiFi signal from a distance, I did try it in the MH in the "early days" but I found free WiFi too unreliable and went down the data sim route instead.

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DBK said:
I think your easiest route to using free WiFi would be a WiFi booster. They come up second hand on here from time to time or of course you can buy one new from MotorhomeWifI.

In theory you could make your own booster (I did) and connect it directly to a Teltonika router using their PoE adaptor which costs under £20. The booster I use in the house to pick up the home WiFi signal from a distance, I did try it in the MH in the "early days" but I found free WiFi too unreliable and went down the data sim route instead.
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check my update above !!

i would not just use it for macdonalds etc but also to access and share camp site internet
 
MisterB said:
check my update above !!

i would not just use it for macdonalds etc but also to access and share camp site internet
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The problem is I suspect it doesn't boost the WiFi. To use a campsite connection from some distance away you need something which will boost the signal. Otherwise you could just connect your devices directly to the camp WiFi. Normally you can't do this from your pitch unless you are sitting outside reception - which is why a booster is needed.
 
DBK said:
The problem is I suspect it doesn't boost the WiFi. To use a campsite connection from some distance away you need something which will boost the signal. Otherwise you could just connect your devices directly to the camp WiFi. Normally you can't do this from your pitch unless you are sitting outside reception - which is why a booster is needed.
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i dont need to boost the signal, just obtain it and share it ...... and it would be good to be able to do it without having a different device for each different set of circumstances, ie when in the motorhome, when on aires, when in our static caravan, when at home etc. there are quite a few different permutations i could think of and would actually use from time to time.

the site we have our static on has about 20 different wifi hot spots around the camp, so getting a decent signal isnt an issue (so long as everyone isnt using it of course, as that can affect streaming !!)
 
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We use our Huawei at home with unlimited data fro £18 and of course 19GB when abroad. We have never had trouble getting a signal in Europe and as far as I know 3 are the only company who have announced no change to roaming after you know what
Many campsites now offer free wi fi and we have cheapo USB aerials for the laptops. Put them on a pole pointed at reception and there's generally a reasonable signal.
Also Connectify is useful to share a signal if you have to pay..................I believe now with Windows 10 you can create a hotspot without using any additional software

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webby1 said:
We use our Huawei at home with unlimited data fro £18 and of course 19GB when abroad. We have never had trouble getting a signal in Europe and as far as I know 3 are the only company who have announced no change to roaming after you know what
Many campsites now offer free wi fi and we have cheapo USB aerials for the laptops. Put them on a pole pointed at reception and there's generally a reasonable signal.
Also Connectify is useful to share a signal if you have to pay..................I believe now with Windows 10 you can create a hotspot without using any additional software
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i use a motorhomewifi set up when on site to share a signal. the site charge for additional users, but with the motorhome wifi set up we can share to several devices simultaneously with no extra cost !!

if the 950 can truly do everything as well as the M2 does, and the extras aswell, then it will be on my christmas list .....
 
I have 2 off the M1, same but max 4g. I have one in the van with an external dual LTE antenna on the roof. I then have a Ubiquiti Bullet ethernet to the port on the M1. The Bullet is connected to an 8dB antenna on the roof. I can use settings to switch to the Bullet foe free WiFi or use the LTE. Manual choice based on remaining data, site or other wifi, etc.
I have one at one of my units with 2 Ring cameras and that works great too.
 
sallylillian said:
I have 2 off the M1, same but max 4g. I have one in the van with an external dual LTE antenna on the roof. I then have a Ubiquiti Bullet ethernet to the port on the M1. The Bullet is connected to an 8dB antenna on the roof. I can use settings to switch to the Bullet foe free WiFi or use the LTE. Manual choice based on remaining data, site or other wifi, etc.
I have one at one of my units with 2 Ring cameras and that works great too.
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sounds like a solution for me, if only i understood it all, but with a bit of reading and research i am sure i will !!

so basically you can use your ubiquiti to pull in a wifi signal and the m1 to distribute/share it without using your data from the sim and you can also just use the m1 and its data sim when needed?
 
MisterB said:
sounds like a solution for me, if only i understood it all, but with a bit of reading and research i am sure i will !!

so basically you can use your ubiquiti to pull in a wifi signal and the m1 to distribute/share it without using your data from the sim and you can also just use the m1 and its data sim when needed?
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Correct. Get the M1 user manual and read Data Offloading. Of course the Bullet has its own setup which requires some understanding. It is a good way of managing Internet access but can get confusing to the uninitiated.
 
sallylillian said:
Correct. Get the M1 user manual and read Data Offloading. Of course the Bullet has its own setup which requires some understanding. It is a good way of managing Internet access but can get confusing to the uninitiated.
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though i have an M2 i am hoping the facility for data offloading (when i understand what that means) has been included. i am hoping (on the off chance) that i could use my current motorhome wifi set up to achieve the same as your bullet does. looks like i need to do some more reading and research !

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MisterB said:
though i have an M2 i am hoping the facility for data offloading (when i understand what that means) has been included. i am hoping (on the off chance) that i could use my current motorhome wifi set up to achieve the same as your bullet does. looks like i need to do some more reading and research !
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My read is that the M2 is an upgrade of the M1 and is faster... alegedly. And more money. I dont know your current wifi set up but if it has a static IP so you can configure its access through the M2 then you will be OK. Good luck!
 
So, I can see up the M2 to access the campsites internet, so not using my data via sim, then share that signal ?and when I leave the site I can change it to accessing via sim card? I think I had better get the manuals out !!
 
I have attached my manual Netgear manual. Start reading from page 30.
Once you enabled offloading, say in your browser, you can then on a new tab enter the IP of your Bullet (which you need to configure as per their manual) then you can access its management pages, viewing the strongest signals etc and select the station.
I have attached a very old janet and john guide. It will be out of date in some detail but gives you the outline, go to page 8 as once all the preceeding stuff has been done then 8 is the normal find a station. Of course if your wifi boosting solution has an IP and can in effect act as a modem then you can just enter its IP in the tab and skip buying a bullet and external antenna.
 

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I bought a Nighthawk M2 recently and I am really, really impressed.
I was quite sceptical due to the cost, but it performs very well.

I have an External 4G antennae system from Motorhome WiFi which I used with a Huawei E5786 MiFi. For a long time I was puzzled why I would get faster speeds using my Samsung S10 phone connected directly to the mobile network rather than connecting it to the MiFi, even though the MiFi had more bars of signal (I have subsequantly found this to be becouse of differant types of Carrier aggregation, If you are having trouble sleeping one night, Google this and the differant types of LTE CAT e.g. 6 or 11 or 20).

At my MoHo storage site using speedtest.net I got <>8Mbps on my Samsung, <>7Mbps on my Huawei E5786 and <>34Mbps on the Nighthawk.

Thats what you pay for.

With regards Data Offload, I have yet to find a campsite anywhere with WiFi worth connecting to. I used to faff around for ages using my external Wifi antenna and connecting to the site wifi only to get about 6Mpbs which I would then share with dozens of other people. My MiFi gets many more times this and data only sim's are pretty cheap.

So, M2 is highly recommended. Its not cheap but it is the best and fastest out there.
 
OxfordMorgan said:
At my MoHo storage site using speedtest.net I got <>8Mbps on my Samsung, <>7Mbps on my Huawei E5786 and <>34Mbps on the Nighthawk.
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That's an incredible difference, were you using the same network sim?
I've opted for the Huawei E5577c in the end it has the extender function to connect to other wifi networks but I intend to use this at home to extend my range to the garden and garage.
My original intention was to use the Nighthawk at home instead of Fibre but I've secured a good(ish) deal with BT for that.

<M>

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OxfordMorgan

How much was your M2? Mine was £150 from ee but locked for six months.
 
Next Stop said:
That's an incredible difference, were you using the same network sim?
I've opted for the Huawei E5577c in the end it has the extender function to connect to other wifi networks but I intend to use this at home to extend my range to the garden and garage.
My original intention was to use the Nighthawk at home instead of Fibre but I've secured a good(ish) deal with BT for that.

<M>
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Yes it was the same SIM. I bought the M2 from Amazon as I knew I could return it if not completely satisfied, so made sure my testing was as controlled as poss. Same SIM, same location, same time and did it twice with same results.

It does support Data offload but I found it to be a faff for the result it gave with data so cheap.
 
Zingano said:
OxfordMorgan do you know which antenna you have from MHWiFi and whether it’s MiMo 2x2 Or 4x4. Another way (I think) to ask the same question is does it plug into both of the m2’s antenna ports or just one?

I think MHWiFi resell Panorama antennas - their “5g ready“ product is this: http://www.panorama-antennas.com/site/index.php?route=product/product&path=25_75&product_id=70 which comes in 2x2 and 4x4 MiMo versions.
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Hi there, mine has 2 connectors and is about 3yrs old so would be the older 4g only style.

Hope that helps

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