Local cable companies have had an upper hand in certain cities due to the infrastructure required to roll out any competing physical cable or fiber networks. However, this has been changing over the last few years as cellular companies and other hybrids have been moving in with wireless alternatives. 5G being one of the latest, Netgear has a new hotspot turned full router that can deliver 5G to your entire home at blazing-fast speeds. This is the new Netgear Nighthawk M6 5G WiFi 6 Mobile Hotspot Router.
By itself, it is a mobile hotspot that is capable of bringing connectivity to up to 32 devices on its own, with up to 2.5Gbps in 5G speeds.
Of course, most people won’t see those kinds of speeds as it is a theoretical top speed for spec-sake. Cellular providers will likely skip mentioning the spec on their website since they are all still working to enhance their networks in order to really push 5G to the max and many of those don’t come close to this (in some cases, you’re lucky to get anywhere close to 1Gbps). However, the potential is there and the speeds are noticeable either way. At least in this sense, you have a hotspot solution that will live on as networks grow larger and faster.
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Image Credit: NetgearSince it is not just a hotspot but also a router, it can share connectivity between devices as well, allowing for up to 3.6Gbps (or faster) worth of activity across the network.
To make it a much stronger purchase, if you connect it to your home’s router (or mesh system), you can share this access to everything else in your home. This means more devices can connect (depending on how many devices your router maxes out to) and the hotspot becomes the model for your entire home.
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Image Credit: NetgearIt comes in two flavors, both M6 and M6 Pro, which appears to simply be the type of Ethernet port it has to offer (1Gbps vs 2.5Gbps). Clearly, if you want to get the most out of your 5G at home (when connected to a home router), you’d want the Pro.
You do require a proper 5G subscription with a compatible network via a SIM card. Netgear says that the hotspot works best with T-Mobile and AT&T, so there is clearly a preference for GSM networks. These subscriptions almost always run as an additional plan or package to any smartphone plan that you may already have.
The Netgear Nighthawk M6 5G WiFi 6 Mobile Hotspot Router comes with a steep price at $799.99 MSRP (the solo price of the M6 Pro is unknown at this point as it isn’t listed on Netgear’s website for purchase). So it won’t be flying off the shelves anytime soon. However, if you travel a lot for business (and especially if you can get your job to pay for it), it would prove to be a major benefit to your ability to stay online both on the road or at home.
Also, there are already subscription deals where if you order it with service activated for it, you can pick one at a discount. For example, Best Buy has the M6 Pro on pre-sale with AT&T activation for just $459.99 or $12.78/month.
It will officially begin shipping next week (October 11th).
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