Re: Running Nighthawk M1, without battery, from a 12v leisure battery

mdavesimon · ‎2023-01-09

Hi all.

I am successfully running my Nighthawk M1 in my campervan, with its internal battery fitted, and recharging it as neccesary.

I would prefer to run it without the battery in, but have found that when I run it via a USB-A 5V, 2.1A outlet, it very regularly resets.

Googling quickly reveals that this is probably due to the 5V/2.1A output not being able to supply sufficient power to the unit.

Would it be possible to run the unit, without battery, from a USB-C PD outlet, with an appropriately qualified USB-C to USB-C cable?

I believe that, in order to source the required power for rapid charging, the PD socket raises the voltage as negociated over its handshaking with the Nighthawk device?

Please advise, thanks

michaelkenward · ‎2023-01-09

@mdavesimon wrote:

I am successfully running my Nighthawk M1 in my campervan, with its internal battery fitted, and recharging it as neccesary.

The MR1100 is a mobile router. While many questions about routers are generic and could be answered anywhere, some things need specialist knowledge.

You might get more help, and find earlier questions and answers specific to your device, in the appropriate section for your hardware. That's probably here:

Mobile Routers, Hotspots & Modems

Those things are very different from the standard Netgear routers covered in this section.

You might like to search there for messages related to your problem.

I will ask the Netgear moderator to move your message.

In the meantime you could visit the support pages:

Support | NETGEAR

Feed in your model number and check the documentation for your hardware. Look at the label on the device for the model number.

Check for various troubleshooting tips.

You may have done this already. I can't tell from your message.

I mention it because Netgear stopped supplying printed manuals and CD versions some years ago and people sometimes miss the downloads.

mdavesimon · ‎2023-01-09

Hi Michael and thanks for your answer...however, I spent a lot of money on this router and think that Netgear ought to do a bit better than send me off to search through the haystack!

I appreciate that this isn't your area of expertise, and thank you for arranging to have my question transferred to the correct area of the website, but you will have made the day of this customer if you could forward my question to someone at Netgear who has the "specialist knowledge" that you concede my issue needs. Or even better: give me a contact number for someone in support who is intimate with the hardware design so I can discuss my issue with. This expert, I'm sure, would be able to solve my problem in a minute or two.

Anyway, I think you can tell that I am in no way critical of your involvement here, I realise that you are directed by Netgear diktat!

michaelkenward · ‎2023-01-09

@mdavesimon wrote:

Hi Michael and thanks for your answer...however, I spent a lot of money on this router and think that Netgear ought to do a bit better than send me off to search through the haystack!

You seem to be under the impression that this is some sort of official support site.

This is essentially a user-to-user forum, with some input from a small band of Netgear techies. You can try the official channels for support, but be warned that after 90 days they will want money before talking to you. Much easier to try to sort it out here before you open your wallet.

Contact Us | MyNETGEAR

Even if it were an official support site, it would have made sense for you to find the right place to post your question.

Anyway, I think you can tell that I am in no way critical of your involvement here, I realise that you are directed by Netgear diktat!

No diktat involved. Just an understanding of how this place works.

mdavesimon · ‎2023-01-09

You seem to be under the impression that this is some sort of official support site.

You're dead right, I was under the impression that this was Netgear's official support site!

My apologies and thanks to you all for sharing your expertise freely.

michaelkenward · ‎2023-01-09

@mdavesimon wrote:

You seem to be under the impression that this is some sort of official support site.

You're dead right, I was under the impression that this was Netgear's official support site!

My apologies and thanks to you all for sharing your expertise freely.

Now that the moderators have moved your message to the appropriate section, you may get replies from other users of these devices.

This may also help you to find previous messages along the same lines:

Search - NETGEAR Communities – battery

SFermindi · ‎2023-01-10

I have 2 MR1100 units and have experienced same issues. Solution for me is using Anker USB wall charger (with IQ technology, 24w/2 port). Found these at W**mart for less than $20. I run my MR1100s 24x7 as primary rural internet connection without battery installed to avoid decomposition. Being able to run hotspot without battery is critical and great feature of MR1100. However when charging the battery, MR1100s will quit charging at ~30% due to heat issue. Solved this issue by using USB powered fan by AC Infinity which sits perfectly under MR1100. I've monitored MR1100 temp from Admin app and it works great.

JohnPeng · ‎2023-01-10

Running M1 without battery requires power source is relatively stable. 5V/2.1A power adaptor should be enough to provide the power to the device when no battery used. Since M1 is a 5-year-old model, the power control chip on the device can't handle sudden power surge fast enough, which results in the device reset sometimes. So using more powerful PD PA may not help under this case.

Thanks

SFermindi · ‎2023-01-11

Thanks for additional info John and good to know. Should have mentioned the Anker charger being used is 2.4 amps. I also like the fact that it provides additional power protection against surges and has folding socket plug for easy travel. My M1 has been rock solid for past three years.

mdavesimon · ‎2023-01-18

Hi John, I checked the panel mount USB outlets in the van and they were 1 x 1.0A and 1 x 2.1A sockets, i.e. NOT the 2.4A that you suggested.

By this time I had already bought and fitted a USB-C PD socket as an upgrade to the van anyway, so plugged the M1 in and then streamed video from 2 x phones and a tablet simultaneously for 30 mins. I have been on a weekend trip since then and the van's WiFi is now working like a dream so thanks for your help all.

JohnPeng · ‎2023-01-19

@mdavesimon wrote:

Hi John, I checked the panel mount USB outlets in the van and they were 1 x 1.0A and 1 x 2.1A sockets, i.e. NOT the 2.4A that you suggested.

By this time I had already bought and fitted a USB-C PD socket as an upgrade to the van anyway, so plugged the M1 in and then streamed video from 2 x phones and a tablet simultaneously for 30 mins. I have been on a weekend trip since then and the van's WiFi is now working like a dream so thanks for your help all.

Glad this works for you. The PA specs I mentioned are sufficient to power the device without battery. But the higher power PA can work as well. If some users experience device reset when using the device without battery due to unstable power source, etc, higher power PA may not help to resolve the issue.

Thanks