NETGEAR today unveils its latest travel router, the Nighthawk 5G M7 Hotspot with eSIM (model MH7150).
From the name, which is a mouthful and leaves nothing to the imagination—we’ll call it “M7” from here on out for short—it’s easy to spot that the new device has a lot that sets it apart from previous models. Among other things, it’s not a downgrade from the M7 Pro that came out late last year, though it does share some similarities and, indeed, has a few inferior specs.
That doesn’t make it a “worse” device. In fact, all things considered, the M7 seems to be a more complete travel router, sensibly designed for frequent international travelers. It has features none of the existing travel routers I’ve seen have, including previous NETGEAR mobile hotspots.
Netgear Nighthawk M7: Everything an international traveler needs to stay connected
From the look of it, the new M7 resembles the previous M7 Pro and the M6 Pro, with a few design changes. Most notably, it’s no longer a square box, but now a rectangular device about the size of an iPhone. Still, it retains a little colorful status screen on top and the battery bay on the underside.
Looking more closely, it has even more noticeable differences.
USB-C-based network adapter, cradle, and eSIM marketplace support
First, the new travel router no longer has a network port. Instead, its USB-C charging port can be turned into an Ethernet port.
For this, NETGEAR says the M7 supports any standard USB-C-to-Ethernet adapter, but it’ll provide a 2.5Gbps adapter as an accessory (not included) that comes with a USB-C charging port, allowing the M7 to access a wired connection without draining its battery. Additionally, there’s a USB-C charging cradle (not included) with a built-in 2.5Gbps network port. In either case, this add-on Ethernet port can be used to connect a wired client to the M7 or to host a WAN connection.
The second, and biggest, difference is that the M7, aside from the nano SIM card, now supports eSIM.
On this front, NETGEAR says it can handle up to 7 eSIMs alongside a standard SIM card. Even more significantly, you can manage the M7 and its eSIM via a new NETGEAR mobile app that lets you access the eSIM marketplace and activate data plans ranging from 3GB to 20GB in just a few steps. According to NETGEAR, it has partnered with Gigs to deliver data plans in the eSIM Marketplace available in over 140 countries.
As a result, when traveling, users can quickly find and purchase a data plan that fits their needs during their stay, and can quickly switch between them when necessary.
Unlocked, Dual-band Wi-Fi 7
For the eSIM marketplace to work, needless to say, the new M7 must be unlocked, which is its most significant advantage over the M7 Pro—the older model is tied to AT&T.
On the downside, the M7 features a lower tier in Wi-Fi 7 compared to the previous model. It’s a dual-band router with a combined bandwidth of only 3600Mbps, similar to the case of the ASUS RT-BE58 Go, TP-Link TL-WR3602BE, or the GL.iNet Slate 7. For a travel router, though, that’s plenty, plus the M7 Pro is a pseudo tri-band router since you can use only either the 5GHz or the 6GHz at a time.
The table below shows the NETGEAR Nighthawk M7 compared to the previous models.
NETGEAR Nighthawk 5G M7 Hotspot with eSIM: Hardware specifications
| NETGEAR Nighthawk 5G M7 Hotspot with eSIM | NETGEAR MR7400 Nighthawk M7 Pro Mobile Router | NETGEAR MR6550 Nighthawk M6 Pro Mobile Router | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  | |
| Model | M7 or MH7150 | M7 Pro or MR7400 | M6 Pro or MR6550 |
| 5G Chipset | Qualcomm Dragonwing SDX72 | Qualcomm Snapdragon SDX75 | Qualcomm SDX65 |
| 5G Speed (up to) | 4Gbps | 6Gbps | 8Gbps |
| 5G Technology | 5G Sub6 NSA/SA (3CC) | Sub6(6CC)/300MHz, NR-CA | Sub 6 and mmWave(9xCA) |
| 4G Speed (up to) | 2GBps | ||
| 4G Technology | 4G LTE CAT20 (7CC) | CAT 20 LTE A(5xCA) | |
| Wi-Fi Bandwidth | Dual-band BE3600 | Tri-band BE5600 (only the 5GHz or 6GHz can work at a time) | Tri-band Wi-Fi 6E AXE3600 (only the 5GHz or 6GHz can work at a time) |
| Wi-Fi Security | WPA, WPA2, WPA3 | ||
| Battery | 3850mAh Li-ion | 5040mAh Li-ion | |
| Battery Life (up to) | 10 hours | 13 hours | |
| Power Consumption (per 24 hours) | not yet tested | ≈ 70 Wh (measured when plugged in, battery removed) | |
| Dimensions (HWD) | 5.71 x 3.29 x .67 in (145 x 83.6 x 17 mm | 4.14 x 4.14 x .85 in (105 x 105 x 21.5 mm) | |
| Weight (with battery) | TBD | 0.55 lb (252 g) | |
| SIM Type | 1x Nano-SIM (4FF) slot, up to 7 eSIM | 1x Nano-SIM (4FF) slot | |
| Network | Unlocked | AT&T | Unlocked |
| Ports | 1x USB Type-C (charging/data) | 1x USB Type-C (charging/data) 1x 2.5Gbps Ethernet 2x TS9 RF ports (for external antennas—not included) | |
| USB Standard | USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5Gbps) | USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10Gbps) | USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5Gbps) |
| Ethernet Speed | 2Gbps (via USB Ethernet adapter) 2.5Gbps (via cradle) | 2.5Gbps via native port | |
| Screen | 2.4″ (non-touch) | 2.8” LCD touchscreen | |
| Operating Roles | Mobile hotspot/USB cellular modem, Wi-Fi repeater (WISP), Wi-Fi router | ||
| Networking Features | • Guest Network • Wi-Fi Protected Setup • WPS on/off control • Wi-Fi on/off control • Wi-Fi SSID broadcast on/off control • VPN passthrough • MAC address filtering • Website filtering • Port forwarding • Port filtering • Password-protected web admin portal | ||
| Max Concurrent Wi-Fi Clients | 32 | 64 | 32 |
| US MSRP | $499.99 | $449.99 | $999 |
An (almost) complete travel router
To recap, here’s the highlight of the NETGEAR Nightawk 5G M7 travel router:
- 5G Powered Wi-Fi 7: Bandwdith up to 3.6Gbps for up to 32 devices to connect to the Internet.
- Instant Coverage with eSIM: Coverage 140+ countries using 5G or 4G without contracts with flexible data plans right from the NETGEAR app via eSIM marketplace.
- Built-in Security Features: Powerful built-in security, including Advanced Router Protection, Firewall, WPA3 encryption, and automatic firmware updates.
- Unlocked: Accepts SIM cards and eSIMs from major 5G/4G network operators. Certified with AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon in the U.S.
- Multi-Gig Wired Speeds: Connect directly to M7 via USB-C, or use an Ethernet Adapter (sold separately), for ultra-fast wired speed.
- Flexible Battery: Up to 10 hours on a single charge for all-day WiFi performance. M7 can also be used as a power bank to charge other devices while traveling.
- Control It All Through the App: Easily set up and manage your network, monitor data usage, buy eSIM data plans, and more – all from one intuitive interface.
That said, the NETGEAR Nighthawk 5G M7 Hotspot with eSIM has everything a frequent traveler needs to connect dozens of Wi-Fi devices to the Internet simultaneously. Specifically:
- It can connect to a traditional landline Internet via its USB-C port (with an Ethernet adapter).
- It can connect to the Internet via a cellular service, using its own SIM slot or one of eight eSIMs, which can be purchased and activated on the go via the new NETGEAR mobile app—the app connects to the eSIM marketplace for easy deployment.
- It can connect to an existing Internet-enabled Wi-Fi network and use that for the rest of its connected devices. In other words, it features the WISP mode.
Tip
WISP stands for Wireless Internet Service Provider. It’s an operating mode in which a supported router receives an Internet connection via Wi-Fi and then distributes it to multiple devices via its own Wi-Fi network. It works similarly to a Wi-Fi extender (or repeater) with two added elements:
- The WISP router’s Wi-Fi network is shielded from the existing Internet-providing Wi-Fi network to keep its connected clients safe and private.
- The WISP router can handle an incoming Internet-enabled Wi-Fi connection that requires a particular authentication method, such as a captive portal or via a paid login account.
When you use a public Wi-Fi network or one with ambiguous security, WISP is recommended.
NETGEAR says, like other travel routers, the M7 also features dual-WAN, meaning it can use two of the above simultaneously for Internet access with failover. The only thing it doesn’t have compared with other non-cellular travel routers is no option to host a storage device, which has limited use for travellers.
Compared to other cellular mobile hotspots, the M7 doesn’t have an external port for add-on antennas. On this front, NETGEAR says the router’s new design has built-in antennas for “excellent” cell reception.
Availability
NETGEAR says the new M7 Portable WiFi Hotspot with eSIM will be available in January 2026 for $499.99 in the US. It’ll also be available in other regions for €599.99 EUR, £529.00 GBP, $699.99 CAD, and $749.00 AUD.
In all, the new mobile hotspot is looking like it’s going to be an excellent travel router. Check back in early 2026 to see how it performs in real-world conditions. In the meantime, if you can’t, here is the list of the current top five alternatives.
Top 5 best travel routers
 |  |  |  |  | |
| Name | ASUS RT-BE58 Go’s Rating | TP-Link TL-WR3002X’s Rating | ASUS RT-AX57 Go’s Rating | GL.iNet GL-BE3600 Slate 7’s Rating | NETGEAR Nighthawk M6 Pro’s Rating |
| Price | – | – | – | – | – |
| Rating | |||||
| Description | |||||
| Statistics | |||||
| Buy this product |
How exactly can one use USB C tethering from a M6 and maybe an M7 to an iPad. Do I have to enable something on the iPad to receive the WiFi info?
Also I have an M6 that I tried to use in an hospital during a recent stay. The M6 told me that it’s WiFi was restricted, yet other nearby WiFi’s showed up. Can that be disabled?
Tethering, in this case, means the mobile hotspot gets the Internet through its USB port and shares that with Wi-Fi devices connected to its network. It seems you interpreted tethering differently, John. That said, I don’t know what you’re actually asking.
I misunderstood. I thought tethering would allow my M6 to provide my iPad with its cellular WiFi over USB C.
That would be unnecessary since your iPad can connect to the mobile hotspot via Wi-Fi, which is the main role of a mobile hotspot: it gets the Internet via a cellular connection (or an exiting Wi-Fi network via the WISP mode) and shares that via its own Wi-Fi network.
Yes I understand, but while using the M6 in a hospital the M6 was reporting that it’s WiFi was disabled. That is why I tried the tethering. I presume the M6 disabled it, because there were many non-hospital WiFi’s listed in the hospital choices.
Then you need to turn its Wi-Fi back on (enable it), John. There’s a way to disable and enable the Wi-Fi function. And yes, in the case that Wi-Fi is disabled, you can likely also use the M6’s cellular Internet via its USB port, but you also need to turn that on via its web user interface (or maybe the touchscreen). The device doesn’t know what you want to achieve simply by plugging it in. Check the user manual.
Hi again and good review of the M7.
The M6 kept turning it’s WiFi off claiming it was in a RESTRICTED AREA time after time. Then I enabled the M6’s USB port, but simply connecting the two devices with USB C didn’t work. So, I was asking what I need to do to make it work. I guess I have to check out the user manual for the M6, but I’m unsure what I need to do with the iPad, if anything.
I don’t know, John. You need to ask your local authority or NETGEAR. But all wireless devices are regulated.