NETGEAR is aware of a growing number of phone and online scams. To learn how to stay safe click here.
Forum Discussion
Solved
Does the MR1100 (LTE Mobile Hotspot device) offer IPv6?
I am considering a new mobile hotspot device soon and I am looking for one that I am sure will last for the next few years. I am planning to get this device factory unlocked from Ooredoo Qatar ( https://www.ooredoo.qa/buy/internetdevice/814/NetGear/Netgear-Nighthawk-MR1100 )
I wanted to ask if it supports native IPv6 if offered by the mobile carrier, and if not, can it do IPv6in4 tunneling? I don't care about tunneling but it sure would be a nice addition. I just care about native IPv6. Thanks :)
Hello again MRizkBV. I received a copy of your reply to my answer by email but for some reason it hasn't appeared in this message thread. Anyway, I'll recap on what you replied for others to read: you explained that although your MR1100 (M1) is unlocked, which is apparently obligatory in Qatar, it's provided by the carrier Ooredoo Qatar, who in theory should ensure that the product has up-to-date firmware.
Regarding the availability of IPv6, I can only tell you about my carrier, EE in the UK. M1 owners in other countries will hopefully give you feedback on their carriers. The APN for EE has packet data protocol (PDP) set to IPv4. If I try to add a new APN, there is a drop-down menu for the PDP setting but it only contains IPv4, not IPv6. So the fact that you had noticed that the AT&T model refers to IPv6 support seems to indicate that this is carrier-specific. In the UK, it's possible to purchase a product online, by phone or mail order and then return it within a 14-day period if one is not satisfied with it. Do you have any such policies in Qatar? If so, you could buy the M1 and see if you have the IPv6 option and then return it if not.
As far as your concerns about the M1 "teething" issues I referred to, these seem to be largely resolved now - I didn't mean to worry you. A few people experienced problems with the battery running flat even when on charge. I haven't had that problem. Another issue related to running the M1 without a battery, using only the supplied 2A mains charger, which the manual states is possible. The solution is to buy a more powerful charger. Here's the one I chose but of course there are other similar, well-designed chargers. The M1 was primarily designed to be a mobile hotspot but many people, like me, are using it 24/7 as their main household modem/router - it's fast and does the job well. Understandably, its dual-band WiFi range is less than a purpose-built household router but I've simply added a couple of access points via an unmanged Gigabit Ethernet switch to extend its range. Since Netgear probably didn't envisage the M1 being used in this way, they built in a sleep function for the Ethernet port to conserve battery charge. To wake it up, it was necessary to tap the power button once. This is no problem when using it as a nearby hotspot but it meant that people had difficulties when using it as a 24/7 device that might be in a remote location. The most recent firmware release has solved this problem in this way. Hopefully, there will also be another firmware/software update in the near future that allows users to change the default operation of the Ethernet port. There is already an option in the web-based and app GUIs to disable the sleep function on the WiFi.
So I hope this helps you in making your decision to purchase the M1 or not. I must say I'm very happy with mine and I have no connection with Netgear :smileywink:.
5 Replies
Hopefully someone will answer the IPv6 aspect of your question but there's another issue I'd like to draw your attention to. As far as I'm aware, the MR1100 is generally sold as part of mobile internet packages by carriers including AT&T in the States, Telstra in Australia and EE in the UK. It's very likely that Netgear customises the M1s firmware for each carrier. Probably for that reason, Netgear doesn't provide downloadable firmware updates for the M1 on their site - the M1 is programmed to check a host (presumably a hidden location on the Netgear site) at regular intervals and will auto-update its firmware if the battery charge level is above 20% (for those of you running without a battery, see this post).
So if you purchase an unlocked M1 that is not part of a package supplied by one of the carriers, it's quite likely that you won't be able to update its firmware. See this post from another person with an unlocked M1. The M1 is a relatively new modem/router and there have already been firmware updates to cure some of its initial "teething" problems. Personally, I'm very happy with the performance of my M1 but there are still a few issues to be resolved in forthcoming firmware updates.
You may already be aware of this auto-update procedure but I thought I'd raise it in case you weren't.
Hello again MRizkBV. I received a copy of your reply to my answer by email but for some reason it hasn't appeared in this message thread. Anyway, I'll recap on what you replied for others to read: you explained that although your MR1100 (M1) is unlocked, which is apparently obligatory in Qatar, it's provided by the carrier Ooredoo Qatar, who in theory should ensure that the product has up-to-date firmware.
Regarding the availability of IPv6, I can only tell you about my carrier, EE in the UK. M1 owners in other countries will hopefully give you feedback on their carriers. The APN for EE has packet data protocol (PDP) set to IPv4. If I try to add a new APN, there is a drop-down menu for the PDP setting but it only contains IPv4, not IPv6. So the fact that you had noticed that the AT&T model refers to IPv6 support seems to indicate that this is carrier-specific. In the UK, it's possible to purchase a product online, by phone or mail order and then return it within a 14-day period if one is not satisfied with it. Do you have any such policies in Qatar? If so, you could buy the M1 and see if you have the IPv6 option and then return it if not.
As far as your concerns about the M1 "teething" issues I referred to, these seem to be largely resolved now - I didn't mean to worry you. A few people experienced problems with the battery running flat even when on charge. I haven't had that problem. Another issue related to running the M1 without a battery, using only the supplied 2A mains charger, which the manual states is possible. The solution is to buy a more powerful charger. Here's the one I chose but of course there are other similar, well-designed chargers. The M1 was primarily designed to be a mobile hotspot but many people, like me, are using it 24/7 as their main household modem/router - it's fast and does the job well. Understandably, its dual-band WiFi range is less than a purpose-built household router but I've simply added a couple of access points via an unmanged Gigabit Ethernet switch to extend its range. Since Netgear probably didn't envisage the M1 being used in this way, they built in a sleep function for the Ethernet port to conserve battery charge. To wake it up, it was necessary to tap the power button once. This is no problem when using it as a nearby hotspot but it meant that people had difficulties when using it as a 24/7 device that might be in a remote location. The most recent firmware release has solved this problem in this way. Hopefully, there will also be another firmware/software update in the near future that allows users to change the default operation of the Ethernet port. There is already an option in the web-based and app GUIs to disable the sleep function on the WiFi.
So I hope this helps you in making your decision to purchase the M1 or not. I must say I'm very happy with mine and I have no connection with Netgear :smileywink:.
Unfortunately returning electronics in Qatar is not so easy once open and used. Anyways, I really appreciate all the info you provided. I will try to post on Reddit to check if someone in Qatar has it who can tell me how their experience is so far with the device.
The device really looks good and offers amazing features but it is also so expensive, I am going to use a lot of reward points on it =)) which is why I am researching it first :)
You're very welcome, MRizkBV - good luck with your research :smileywink:.
Unfortunately, Wstyle1 appears to be a sales person for 4gltemall dot com - he's posted nearly 300 replies, most of which contain links to that site and add very little useful information to the discussion. It's a pity when people misuse community forums in this way.