Netgear Nighthawk M2 / MR2100 Mobile Router in NZ

Forums › LAN (ethernet/Wifi/routers/Bluetooth) › Netgear Nighthawk M2 / MR2100 Mobile Router in NZ

Flashie

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#249492 13-May-2019 16:12

I am in need of a really good mobile 4G router/hotspot for use in NZ.

Needs to be super reliable and be capable of use for live streaming video over (up and down). It is being connected to by a MS surface using wifi or LAN.

Needs to be mobile i.e. battery powered or USB powered (not AC), and work with NZ Mobile network providers. Would be great if it supported multi SIM with bonding... but not essential.

I see this was launched in AU by Telstra - https://www.netgear.com.au/home/products/mobile-broadband/mobilerouters/M2.aspx

https://www.pcworld.co.nz/article/658367/mwc-2019-netgear-launch-m2-mobile-router-through-telstra/

Does anyone know if the Nighthawk M2 can be purchased in NZ? Would it work with any NZ mobile carriers?

Alternatively if anyone can recommend a device I should check out.

Thanks!

EMB

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#2236168 13-May-2019 17:49

From the specs it should work with NZ providers. But..... we have used a few in our Australian operation and the results are less than stellar unless coverage is extremely good.

Flashie

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#2236371 14-May-2019 09:09

Thanks for the heads up @EMB, what seems to be the main issues with them? Is it stability or more of a speed/performance issue?

Are there any mobile hotspots you would recommend we check out specifically?

Thanks!

Spyware

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#2236504 14-May-2019 10:41

https://gowifi.co.nz/lte/fb6890.html

Flashie

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#2236588 14-May-2019 12:17

Thanks that looks really cool. But it doesn't seem to be portable - i.e. battery or USB powered. You'd need to find a wall plug to power it up which we need to avoid.

Spyware

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#2236599 14-May-2019 12:26

It's most likely 12 VDC in, certainly doesn't take 230 AC directly. Specs only state 9.5W so will try and find the input voltage. I've not come across any "consumer" grade router with an internal 230 VAC power supply. Mains supplies are typically only found in rack mount devices.

EDIT: You mean removable battery I see.

djtOtago

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#2236601 14-May-2019 12:33

Flashie:

Thanks that looks really cool. But it doesn't seem to be portable - i.e. battery or USB powered. You'd need to find a wall plug to power it up which we need to avoid.

How long are you needing it to run by battery?

Why not just hotspot to a cell phone?

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BarTender

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#2236661 14-May-2019 13:08

Just one thing to be aware of.

If you are using Spark/Skinny and I suspect Vodafone will be the same. If you plan to use Mobile Broadband with the 120GB + sized plans rather than normal mobile data with 10GB plans you need to use their supplied Huawei B315/B618 Routers.

The devices are sim-locked (well IMEI locked) so the SIM & IMEI range need to go together otherwise you will not be able to auth to the network, and if you do it too much then they blackhole SIM so it won't attach to the network until you phone up and speak with someone who will tell you to put the SIM back into the supplied router. The same applies if you try and use the router outside the designated area based on your physical address.

In this case I have seen a number of people use an external AP and plug it directly into the Huawei router and let the Huawei provide DHCP. Just need to be aware of the 32 device limit on Huawei gear.

hio77

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#2236718 14-May-2019 14:40

BarTender:

In this case I have seen a number of people use an external AP and plug it directly into the Huawei router and let the Huawei provide DHCP. Just need to be aware of the 32 device limit on Huawei gear.

Have you found this issue in the B618?

The HG659b and HG630 are the only devices i've confirmed with it.

@OP that M2 will work fine, but it does lack B40 (2300 TDD).

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Any comments made are personal opinion and do not reflect directly on the position my current or past employers may have.

EMB

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#2236952 14-May-2019 20:57

Flashie:

Thanks for the heads up @EMB, what seems to be the main issues with them? Is it stability or more of a speed/performance issue?

Are there any mobile hotspots you would recommend we check out specifically?

Thanks!

Reception has been less than optimal even in pretty good signal areas, thus speeds have been down on what we had hoped for.

BarTender

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#2236998 14-May-2019 21:16

hio77:
BarTender:

In this case I have seen a number of people use an external AP and plug it directly into the Huawei router and let the Huawei provide DHCP. Just need to be aware of the 32 device limit on Huawei gear.

Have you found this issue in the B618?

The HG659b and HG630 are the only devices i've confirmed with it.

@OP that M2 will work fine, but it does lack B40 (2300 TDD).

Never got to test the 618 in anger. But the 315 did have the device limit issue.

Flashie

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#2238231 15-May-2019 10:31

djtOtago:

Flashie:

Thanks that looks really cool. But it doesn't seem to be portable - i.e. battery or USB powered. You'd need to find a wall plug to power it up which we need to avoid.

How long are you needing it to run by battery?

Why not just hotspot to a cell phone?

At least 10h on battery would be well sufficient.

I need it to have a corporate account SIM in it, and be able to be used by any staff member going out on site with a customer.

They tether to mobile at the moment but as they all have different BYOD devices and different personal mobile phone plans they complain of the tether using up all their data or being blocked in the first place.

Hence I need a dedicated device with corporate data to hand around.

I honestly wouldn't expect us to need more than 10-15GB of data a month so was just going use a regular mobile plan on that SIM.

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Flashie

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#2238232 15-May-2019 10:37

hio77:

BarTender:

In this case I have seen a number of people use an external AP and plug it directly into the Huawei router and let the Huawei provide DHCP. Just need to be aware of the 32 device limit on Huawei gear.

Have you found this issue in the B618?

The HG659b and HG630 are the only devices i've confirmed with it.

@OP that M2 will work fine, but it does lack B40 (2300 TDD).

Does the Spark network use B40 (2300 TDD)? What impact would this have in practice?

I would be using it with Sparks mobile network.

Cheers