Nighthawk M1 MR1100 Download Speeds

Question

Hi all. I am trying to figure out how much room for improvement I have on my download speeds with my Nighthawk M1 running on AT&amp;T network with unlimited data plan. I routinely get 70 to 80mbps, but I know it's possible to get much faster. Can I please ask what the fastest speeds you all get is? I am thinking about getting a directional antenna to boost signal in hopes of getting over 100mbps. So. What do you guys get? Thanks.
&nbsp;
Bailey

TeeJay74 · Answer

Fastest live network peak DL speeds with MR1100 EU I have seen is about 720 - 740 Mbps.

baileyrhood90 · Answer

WoW. That is incredible. I am just trying to get to 100mbps and I'll be happy.

JSchnee21 · Answer

Hi&nbsp;baileyrhood90,
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Yeah, TeeJay always posts some amazing speeds but he has the European version and gets those speeds in Finland/Sweden? (I forget).
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Here in the USA, using my US branded MR1100 from AT&amp;T, I have never gotten above 110Mbit and have never seen a post here or on HowardForums from anyone who has done better.&nbsp; This is on my AT&amp;T Unlimited plan (Plus / Premier / Platinum -- whatever they call it).&nbsp;&nbsp;
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In contrast my new iPhone XS Max -- which has the worlds worse reception -- routinely gets 130-240 Mbit when I'm near upgraded towers in PA.
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To be fair, I don't use the Ethernet connection (nor USB) on my MR1100 very often.&nbsp; All of my speed testing has been over 5.8GHz Wifi&nbsp;@ 40Mhz bandwidth.&nbsp; I've tried 80MHz as well -- but it was usually worse -- probably due to interfering bands.
&nbsp;
I strongly suspect something is amis with the US version of the MR1100.&nbsp; Looking at the FCC filing information I suspect its using some really old QAM protocols.&nbsp; Or the CA or MIMO are screewed up.&nbsp; not sure.
&nbsp;
Of course no one from Netgear ever responds to this forum -- unlike their Router forums.

baileyrhood90 · Answer

JSchnee21&nbsp;I greatly appreciate you taking the time to respond to my post. The information that you have given me is very helpful and is EXACTLY what I was looking for.
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Like you, I suspect something is wrong with our version of the MR1100. I suspect that it does not seem to do carrier aggregation properly. This model is supposed to be 4CA capable. When I bought this box, I did thorough research, and unless I am seriously mistaken, it's supposed to support 256-QAM, 4CA, &amp; 4x4 MIMO compatible. This should enable us to get amazing speeds, right? I do realize, however, that there are limitations depending on what our providers and their towers support. Like you, I am on the AT&amp;T Unlimited Plus Business Plan.
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I live in an area where fiber optic and and cable internet are not available, so my only options are 20mbps DSL, satellite internet, or&nbsp;4G LTE. So for my next question, have any of you seen or heard of any type of hotspot or 4G LTE modem that surpasses the 100mbps mark consistently? Since 4G LTE is my only option for good internet, I am willing to spend whatever to get an improved device if it will significantly improve my download speeds. I want to be able to stream 4K remuxes and I can't do this with the 80mbps I am getting now.&nbsp;
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I thank you ahead of time for any advice or input you may offer.

JSchnee21 · Answer

Well, good luck getting consistently above 80Mbps with any cellular connection.&nbsp; But, unfortunately, to answer your question, no, I haven't seen anything which often (I won't say routinely, let alone reliably) gets speeds over 100Mbit save for:
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1) Samsung phones -- Samsung Galaxy or Note 9 or newer
2) iPhone XS or XS Max
3) There are probably other recent Android phones which might as well, but I'm less familiar with these.
&nbsp;
Obviously a phone is not a great hotspot due to it's limited wifi range.&nbsp; Alternatively you'd have to try and tether it (Samsung VIA USB3) to a PC/Mac/Linux and then setup the PC as a router and connect it's ethernet card to a proper wireless access point.
&nbsp;
Which MR1100 do you have?&nbsp; Gen1 (pre Band14) or Gen2?&nbsp; I have the Gen1.&nbsp; I haven't gotten a good comparison between generations.&nbsp; Maybe the new Gen3 ("5G") will have better LTE-A.&nbsp;&nbsp;
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I've often thought about buying the EU model that TeeJay has to see how well it works in the states.&nbsp; But I don't know if the bands, CA, MIMO, QAM, etc. will be full compatible or not.
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My&nbsp;AT&amp;T (ZTE) Velocity 2 which I bought in April before the ban still works well.&nbsp; But it peaks at ~90Mbit as well.&nbsp; It does get much better upload speeds than the MR1100 for some reason.&nbsp; Usually 2x as fast.&nbsp; I've seen 20-40Mbit up on the ZTE, but only usually get 5-15, sometimes 20, on the MR1100.
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I'll post the question over on HowardForums to see what they say.&nbsp; But, lots of folks jumped on the MR1100 when it came out because nothing else was as fast.
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I've also thought about buying a Verzion Jetpack to try on the AT&amp;T network.
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I've not seen any speed test information for the MOFI hotspots.&nbsp; They are supposedly much more reliable and much more configurable.&nbsp; but tend to use older chipsets.
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http://mofinetwork.com
&nbsp;
-Jonathan

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Nighthawk M1 MR1100 Download Speeds

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