NETGEAR is aware of a growing number of phone and online scams. To learn how to stay safe click here.
Forum Discussion
Solved
Windows XP drivers for Nighthawk LTE Mobile Hotspot Router Model MR1100
I'm attempting to help an elderly friend. Until recently he has been accessing the internet from his old Windows XP machine (for email only) via a Telstra supplied 4G Wifi router, plugged into a USB ...
Hi DrDunc,
If the XP machine has an Ethernet NIC then you can plug in via Ethernet. Depending on the FW version you are on, you may need to tap the power button to wake up the Ethernet port. If you are plugged in via USB to PC then the Ethernet port shuts off until USB tethering is no longer happening.
If the XP machine does not have an Ethernet NIC, then try downloading and installing the drivers from the following link: http://www.downloads.netgear.com/files/aircard/AC790S_Zain/Driver%20package%204.3.0.0.exe
If you are still having issues then PM your contact details and we can work out a suitable time to troubleshoot whilst you are on-site.
Kind Regards,
ArodiD
There is support for the MR1100 here:
>>> MR1100 | Product | Support | NETGEAR <<<
Not sure that it actually needs drivers.
The manually suggests that it works with XP.
Yep, that's the page I already found. His XP machine clearly indicates that it doesn't have a driver for this device - "The drivers for this device are not installed. (Code 28) To reinstall the drivers for this device, click Reinstall Driver." Clicking this button however fails to find a suitable driver locally and this is where we hit the problem of requiring internet access in order to fix the problem of not having internet access. Perhaps the required drivers are not specific to the MR1100 but are more generic, only they weren't part of the original XP or service packs. If so, perhaps someone knows of a locatin for drivers for this class of device?
Strongly doubt there is a driver required. This router does provide Internet access either as a wirelss access point to wireless clients or to systems connected over an Ethernet cable.
The features list of the marketing blush does clealry state "Simple setup with no software to install – just power on and connect".
The USB ports aren't used for Internet access, in my undertanding ie. the USB 3.0 port is to attach a storage device (disk/flash).
DrDunc wrote:
Perhaps the required drivers are not specific to the MR1100 but are more generic, only they weren't part of the original XP or service packs.
I think you have put your finger on it.
Maybe schumaku has put their finger on it. How does the person connect to the Internet? LAN or wifi?
That could be where the need for drivers arises.Either the LAN card or the wifi adapter.
Ignore the USB ports on the modem.
According to the documentation this router can be used in USB tethering mode via the USB C socket (the USB A port is for attaching peripherals such as external hard disk). (From my own observation I would say this is slightly inaccurate as this is a micro-USB rather than a USB C port but the port in question is clearly the one referred to in the diagram in the manual.)
Again according to the documentation the ethernet port appears to only be used for "Ethernet offloading", rather than to provide access from a LAN to the 4G network.
Every peripheral requires a driver, but the drivers for most peripherals either come with the Windows OS or are downloaded automatically when Windows first detects new hardware. Go into device manager and right click on a peripheral to see its properties and then choose the Driver tab and you will see details of the driver in use. For this device if I do this I see the details in my previous post, i.e. the lack of a suitable driver.
> [...] Nighthawk LTE Mobile Hotspot Router Model MR1100 [...]
I know approximately nothing about these gizmos, and you already seem
to know more than the forum "experts", but...
> [...] Again according to the documentation the ethernet port appears
> to only be used for "Ethernet offloading", rather than to provide access
> from a LAN to the 4G network. [...]
That's how I read it.
> [...] Every peripheral requires a driver, but the drivers for most
> peripherals either come with the Windows OS or are downloaded
> automatically when Windows first detects new hardware. [...]
As the User Manual says:
To connect the mobile router to the USB port on your computer:
[...]
Your computer automatically connects to the mobile router LAN
(local area network). The first time you connect this way,
your computer might display notifications about detecting a
new device.
[...]
And that's when it would happen. I have no idea how this thing presents
itself to Windows. Perhaps some generic network adapter?
> [...] Go into device manager and right click on a peripheral to see
> its properties and then choose the Driver tab [...]
While you're in the neighborhood, you might instead try the Details
tab, and, under that, Hardware IDs:
https://www.the-sz.com/products/usbid/
If you can extract the USB Device and Vendor IDs, then you might be able
to use those data to help find some associated software.
The easy way might be to take the whole collection to some other site
(with better Internet access), and see if Windows Update (or something)
can find something more automatically.
