The speeds are made possible by the combination of different mobile technologies. For example, up to 5 frequency bands in the downlink and up to 2 in the uplink can be bundled (carrier aggregation). The support of 256QAM modulation as well as support of 4 × 4 MIMO antenna technology also contributes to the speed increase. 
How fast the Netgear Nighthawk M2 is in the mobile networks, however, also depends on other factors such as network expansion and network utilization. Some network providers already offer some sites with 4 × 4 MIMO, 256QAM and multiple carrier aggregation, so that in certain situations, the modem performance can be used in any case. 
Gigabit WLAN is available at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz for connection to end devices and up to 20 devices can be connected simultaneously via WLAN. There is also a RJ45 Gigabit LAN port. If required, this can also be used as a WAN connection and thus replace the mobile radio modem. Other connections: a USB type C port for charging the battery and for connecting to a computer and a USB type A port for charging other devices (power bank function) as well as for NAS functions. 
On the side of the Netgear Nighthawk M2 are two TS-9 ports ready for an external UMTS or LTE external antenna. (If you need the 4G External antenna for Netgear Nighthawk M2, welcome to click: https://www.4gltemall.com/netgear-nighthawk-m2-external-antenna.html ). This can be very helpful in poor reception areas to improve connection quality. These features follow the predecessor Nighthawk M1 but very practical and helpful. 
Earlier this year, Netgear introduced the Nighthawk M2, a new mobile hotspot that transforms UMTS or LTE-based Internet access into a Wi-Fi hotspot to provide wireless network for multiple devices such as smartphones, tablets or laptops. The successor of the Nighthawk M1 supports LTE Cat. 20 and in theory allows data transfer rates of up to 2 Gbit/s downstream and 150 Mbit/s upstream.
In practice, there are hardly any 4G networks supporting such high data transfer rates. Is still worth the purchase of the mobile hotspot, which is not a bargain with a purchase? We had the opportunity to put the heavy square device to a thorough test.
The Netgear Nighthawk M2 mobile router comes in a convenient package. In addition to the router itself, there is the battery and a quick start guide with the power supply and connecting cable. The supplied battery has a capacity of 5040 mAh. The WLAN standards 802.11a, b and g are supported. The 4G mobile hotspot is working on 2.4 and 5 GHz. The Netgear M2 has a USB-A and USB-C as well as an Ethernet interface. There are also connection options for external antennas (Buy Netgear Nighthawk M2 External Antenna). The LAN port can be used to use a wired Internet access instead of the mobile modem and to redistribute it via WLAN.
The processing of the Netgear 4G mobile router is impeccable. You can argue about the shiny surface. Here you can see very clear fingerprints very quickly, especially since the Nighthawk M2 has a touch screen, so it regularly gets into the embarrassment of touching the display. The complete initial setup can also be made via the touch-sensitive screen. A separate app or the web-based access to the M2 pocket WiFi router menu is possible, but not mandatory.
We have set up the router right on the touchscreen made, which was not easy. For one thing, the virtual keyboard is quite small due to the display size. So you always catch the wrong letter when typing. In addition, the screen does not respond as well to inputs as used by higher quality smartphones. If the setup of a network identifier (SSID) and the associated password worked quite well, then setting a (somewhat complicated) administrator password was not possible on the second attempt, so we skipped this step and later have made on the configuration via the Netgear Mobile App.
After the initial setup, the Netgear Nighthawk M2 mobile hotspot was immediately ready for use. The configuration for SIM cards is made automatically. As soon as the MiFi was set up, the availability of a firmware update was already displayed. We have installed this over the existing LTE data connection. In the process, around 160 MB of data was transferred. What changes the update brings is unknown. The internet connection via the Netgear Nighthawk M2 was very stable in the test for several hours. It did not matter if we used an Apple iPhone XS Max, a Samsung Galaxy S10+ or an Apple MacBook Pro.
The display of the router shows the current data consumption, the ID of the SIM card provider and the network technology used. There is also a small S-meter, which provides information about the quality of mobile reception. The battery level is also displayed. By default, you can also find the names of the Wi-Fi hotspot and the password via the touchscreen. This display can be deactivated if desired. Numerous settings are possible via the touchscreen menu. First, there is a WPS function. Then the user can limit the hotspot to one of the two WLAN frequency ranges (2.4 or 5 GHz). The connected devices can be displayed and, for example, you can specify whether the hotspot is put into standby mode after a period of non-use to save battery capacity.
Other possibilities are the restriction of Wi-Fi hotspots to a smaller reception area in order to save battery capacity or the automatic WLAN detach when USB tethering is used. The brightness of the display can be adjusted and the user can decide whether he wants to use the Internet access only in the home network or in international roaming. SMS messages can be sent and received via the Netgear Nighthawk M2. As we have already mentioned regarding the initial setup: The touch screen does not always respond reliably to inputs and the virtual keyboard is quite small. Apart from that, the menu is functional and intuitive to use.
With a SIM card from Vodafone, we have achieved data transfer rates of up to 110 Mbps in the downstream and 61 Mbps in the upstream. This is far from the peak speeds that the Netgear Nighthawk M2 allows, but is more or less equivalent to what the mobile telecom Internet access does with the smartphone. Even in mobile mode, such as a Wi-Fi hotspot in the car, the router performed well in the test. At speed 120Mbps on the highway, the performance of Internet access was still fine. Compared to a WLAN adapter such as the Huawei E8377 CarFi, the Netgear device earns more scores by the possibility to connect an outdoor LTE antenna. In regions with bad LTE coverage, a magnetic base antenna on the car roof provides a significant improvement in reception, which also affects the performance of Internet access.
Although Netgear Nighthawk M2 is well-made and provides stable Internet access for up to 20 devices, flaws such as the only moderately good touchscreen provides bad experience for users. For almost half of the purchase price, the Netgear Nighthawk M1 is available, which supports data transfer rates of up to 1 GBit/s via LTE, more than what the nets usually give out, so this model offers the much better price/performance ratio.
To meet the requirements from 5G network, Netgear presented a new mobile WiFi hotspot Nighthawk M2 for the Australian network provider Telstra and carriers in Europe. Netgear Nighthawk M2 is an ultra-fast portable WiFi router with next-generation Gigabit 4G LTE connectivity with a download speed of up to 2 Gbps. The Netgear Nighthawk M2 5G router is upgraded from the predecessor Nighthawk M1, so you may ask what’s the difference between Netgear Nighthawk M2 and M1?
In the table below, you will see the details specs of Netgear Nighthawk M2 unlocked and Nighthawk M1 unlocked for your reference:
| Model | Netgear Nighthawk M2 | Netgear Nighthawk M1 |
| Product type | 5G Mobile Hotspot | 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot |
| Category | LTE Cat.20 | LTE Cat.16 |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon X24 | Qualcomm MDM9x50 |
| Data rates | DL 2Gbps/UL 150Mbps | DL 1Gbps/UL 100Mbps |
| Supported 4G LTE frequency bands | -- Telstra Nighthawk M2 MR2100-1TLAUS: Band 1/3/7/8/28 -- Nighthawk M2 MR2100-100EUS: Band 1/3/7/8/20/28/38/40/41 -- Hong Kong Nighthawk M2: LTE Band 1/3/8/20/29/30/38/40/41 | -- Telstra Nighthawk M1: Band 1/3/7/8/28 -- AT&T Nighthawk M1: Band 1/2/3/4/5/7/12/29/30/66 -- Hong Kong Nighthawk M1: LTE Band 1/3/8/20/29/30/38/40/41 |
| WLAN | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 2.4GHz & 5GHz | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 2.4GHz & 5GHz |
| Max support users | 20 users | 20 users |
| MIMO | 4 X 4 MIMO | 4 X 4 MIMO |
| Connector for external antenna | Two, TS-9 jacks | Two, TS-9 jacks |
| Buy Antenna | Netgear Nighthawk M2 Antenna | Netgear Nighthawk M1 Antenna |
| App management | Netgear Aircard APP | Netgear Aircard APP |
| SIM type | Micro SIM | Micro SIM |
| Battery | Removable, 5040 mAh | Removable, 5040 mAh |
| Dimensions | 105.5 x 105.5 x 20.35 mm | 105.5 x 105.5 x 20.35 mm |
| Ethernet Port | * One port for LAN port(RJ-45) * One port of USB-A * One port of USB-C | * One port for LAN port(RJ-45) * One port for USB 2.0 |
| Datasheet download | Netgear Nighthawk M2 Datasheet | Netgear Nighthawk M1 Datasheet |
| User Manual | Netgear Nighthawk M2 Manual | Netgear Nighthawk M1 Manual |
| Other features | 3GPP, Rel. 14, 5 band CA, 256QAM DL / 64QAM UL, JumpBoost | 3GPP, Rel. 12, 4 band CA, 256QAM DL / 64QAM UL, JumpBoost |
| Firmware download | Nighthawk M2 Firmware | Nighthawk M1 Firmware |
| Drivers | Nighthawk M2 Driver | Nighthawk M1 Driver |
| Reviews | Netgear Nighthawk M2 Review | Netgear Nighthawk M1 Review |
| Price | 999.00USD | 459.00USD |
Here you can check the general comparison of Nighthawk M2 and M1:
Nighthawk M2 Mobile Router (MR2100):
- LTE CAT 20, DL support up to 2Gbps speeds - 3GPP, Rel. 14
- 5CA with 20 simultaneous Downlink layers
- 4x4 MIMO
- 256QAM DL / 64QAM UL CA 3C, 7C
- 11ac Dual band dual concurrent
Nighthawk M1 Mobile Router (MR1100):
- LTE CAT 16, DL support up to 1Gbps speeds - 3GPP, Rel. 12
- 4CA with 10 simultaneous Downlink layers
- 4x4 MIMO
- 256QAM DL / 64QAM UL CA 3C, 7C
- 11ac Dual band dual concurrent
We can see that, based on the technology improvement, Netgear Nighthawk M2 is more advanced than M1, M2 can achieve download speed up to 2Gbps while M1 only half of it. And the Nighthawk M2 has larger touch screen to 2.4 inches. Other features are very similar.
| Features and Specs of the Vodafone R218 | |
| Manufacturer and model | Vodafone R218 from ZTE |
| Chipset | Qualcomm MDM9207 |
| LTE Category | Cat.4 |
| Download rate | Up to 150 Mbps |
| Upload rate | Up to 50 Mbps |
| Supported LTE bands | 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2600 MHz |
| Backward compatible with | HSDPA (42.2 Mbps), EDGE, GPRS |
| Support for LTE-Advanced | No |
| MIMO Support | No |
| Connection for external antenna | No |
| Integrated telephone system | No |
| Network | LAN & WLAN | |
| LAN ports | no |
| WLAN standards | 802.11 n (2.4 GHz) |
| 5 GHz WLAN support | No |
| Encryption | WEP, WPA, WPA2 |
| WLAN hotspot function: | Yes |
| Others | |
| Battery pack | 2,300 mAh |
| Dimension | 105 x 64 x 14 mm at 102 g |
| USB | 1x micro USB |
| Memory card expansion | No |
| Release time | 07/01/2018 |
| Price | 129.00USD |
| available at: | » www.4gltemall.com |
| Document download | |
| Datasheet | » Download Vodafone R218 datasheet |
| User manual | » Download Vodafone R218 manual |
