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Almost two years after the launch of the Nighthawk M5 for those needing a fast 5G connection on the go, Netgear today announced its second mobile router of the same cellular standard, the Nighthawk M6 Mobile Hotspot Router (model MR6150.)
The new little router shares a similar design but now comes with faster speeds all around.
According to Netgear, the M6 "raises the mobile broadband experience to new heights by upping the maximum 5G speed that can be supported and adding 160MHz capability to connect with the latest WiFi 6 client devices."
And the support for the 160MHz channel width is indeed significant for the Wi-Fi speed.
Nighthawk M6: Faster performing hardware
The first thing to note about the M6 is the fact it runs on the new Qualcomm Snapdragon SDX62 Mobile Platform with improved Wi-Fi specs.
Specifically, Netgear says the new router supports dual-band Wi-Fi 6 with up to 3600Mbps of total bandwidth—700Mbps (2.4GHz) + 2900Mbps (5GHz) or more than twice that of the previous model.
Since there is only 2x2 hardware on the client side, 2400Mbps is the theoretically fastest single connection you can get from this router.
The M6 includes a removable 5040mAh battery to deliver up to 13 hours of usage and Netgear says, by default, the 2.4GHz band is turned off to save battery life.
Netgear says the new router can handle up to 32 Wi-Fi clients simultaneously and when plugged into a power source its range can cover up to 2000 ft2 (186 m2)—the actual coverage depends on the environment and will vary.
On the cellular side, the M6 is slated to be 20% faster than the M5, with up to 2.5Gbps over 5G. It also supports 4G where 5G is not available.
Below are the new M6's hardware specs compared to those of the previous model
Netgear M6 vs. M5: Hardware specifications
| Netgear MR6110 Nighthawk M6 Mobile Router | Netgear MR5200 Nighthawk M5 Mobile Router | |
| Model | MR6110 | MR5200 |
| Cellular Technology | 5GNR Sub 6GHz (N)SA 5G enabled with LTE fallback LTE CAT 19, LTE Advanced Pro, 4x4 MIMO, 256-QAM | 5GNR Sub 6GHz (N)SA 5G enabled with LTE fallback LTE CAT 20, LTE Advanced Pro, 4x4 MIMO, 256-QAM |
| Cellular Bands | LTE CAT 19 5G Sub-6: n2, n5, n12, n14, n29, n30, n66, n77 LTE: B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B7, B12, B14, B29, B30, B46, B48, B66 | 5G: n2/n5/n25/n41 4G: LTE CAT 20 4GB LTE: B1/B2/B3/B4/B B25/B29/B30/B38/ 3G: B1/B2/B5/B8 |
| Chipset | QualcommSDX62 | Qualcomm SDX55 |
| Built-in GPS | Yes | No |
| Battery Life (up to) | 13 hours | 13 hrs |
| Weight (with battery) | 0.55 lb (252 g) | 0.55 lb (252 g) |
| Dimensions (HWD) | 4.14 x 4.14 x .85 in (105 x 105 x 21.5 mm) | 4.14 x 4.14 x .85 in (105 x 105 x 21.5 mm) |
| SIM Type | Nano-SIM (4FF) | Nano-SIM (4FF) |
| Network | Unlocked | Unlocked |
| Port | 1x USB Type-C (charging) 1x Gigabit Ethernet 2x TS9 RF ports (for external antennas) | 1x USB Type-C (charging) 1x Gigabit Ethernet 2x TS9 RF ports (for external antennas) |
| Screen | 2.4” LCD touch screen interface | 2.4” LCD touch screen interface |
| Battery | Removable A5040mAh battery | Removable A5040mAh battery |
| Wi-Fi Specs | Dual-band AX3600 2.9Gbps on 5GHz 700Mbps on 2.4GHz | Dualband AX1800 1.2Gbps on 5GHz 600Mbps on 2.4GHz |
| WiFi Security | WPA, WPA2, WPA3 | WPA, WPA2, WPA3 |
| 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 | • 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 Wi-Fi Clients | 32 | 32 |
Familiar design, “modem” mode ready
Like the case of the M5, the M6 is easy to use.
The 5G mobile hotspot has a touchscreen and two nativigaton buttons for users to mange basic settings. On top of that, it also has a web user interface with in-depth access to more network settings and features.
The hardware uses a USB-C port for charging and has a Gigabit network port which enables it to host a wired device or work as a backup Internet source for a regular router that supports Dual-WAN, in the role of a separate cellular "modem."
For better cellular reception, there are two antennas ports to host external 5G antennas (not included).
Overall, here are the highlights of the new M6 mobile router, per Netgear:
- Next-Level Sub-6 5G Performance: 5G Internet with speeds up to 2.5Gbps
- Faster Speeds with WiFi 6: Up to 3.6Gbps of Wi-Fi 6 bandwidth to up to 32 Wi-Fi devices simultaneously.
- Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon SDX62 Chipset: Latest 5G-enabled chip from Qualcomm with a modem that features Sub-6 bands and n77 C-Band Support. The M6 meets the 3GPP Release 16 standard and it's upgradable in the future via firmware updates.
- Intuitive Touch Screen Interface: 2.4-inch LCD touchscreen for quick access to basic settings.
- Secure and Reliable Network: The M6 supports VPN and password protection.
- In-Home Performance Mode: Up to 2000 ft2 of Wi-Fi coverage when plugged into a wall socket.
- Unlocked: The device is unlocked and works with any nano SIM card. (In the US it works best with AT&T and T-Mobile networks.)
- HPUE Support: Enables better 5G range. Pick up a 5G signal at the outer edges of 5G coverage areas, even where other devices cannot.
Availability and pricing
The Netgear MR6150 Nighthawk M6 5G Mobile Hotspot 5G Router is available now at Netgear's website and carries a hefty suggested price of $799.99, $100 more expensive than the M5 at its launch.
I have both a mr5200 and Mr6510. The mr5200 is 5g NSA only where as the Mr6510 will do true 5g SA.
First let me say I am a long time dongknows blog reader. You’ve stopped me from making some “noob” tech mistakes back in the day.
I wanted to follow up on Wayne’s question/comment. Have you been able to conduct real world testing of these two devices. I have been using the M5200 side-by-side with the M6150 model. I understand all the purported chipset advantages of the M6150 but it constantly under performs the 5200 model IRL (speed, connectivity, and connection stability). I have removed every variable I can think of when testing these two models. Could it be possible that the SDX62 chipset is actually inferior to the previous SDX55 version based on their capabilities with the current rollout of the top the US carriers’ 5G bands?
Among these things, I’ve only tested the M6 Pro, Clay. Generally, I don’t count on getting the full speed of 5G or any cellular connection. It’s about getting enough bandwdith for the application at hand.
Have you tested the new M6 against the M5? I have been unable to find any hands on test between the two. I have had an M5 for about 6 months now and love it. I ordered a new M6 which should be here by Wednesday. If you are interested let me know and I can send some simple real world preformance numbers like up and download speeds, latency, wifi speeds and distances comparisons. I will be using T-Mobile on a tower about a mile away on the T-Mobile 5G UC band.
I haven’t tested either, Wayne. 5G has been choppy where I live by the way. But sure, if you want to update on the performance or even do a brief review, let me know. I’ll post it here. 🙂