NETGEAR is aware of a growing number of phone and online scams. To learn how to stay safe click here.

Forum Discussion

rmakin's avatar
rmakin
Guide
Jul 02, 2022

Router with SMA connectors

I am in a rural location and only have a Nighthawk MR1100 rented through AT&T for WIFI.  It is about 5 yrs old and either it and/or the Orbi's keep disconnecting and losing internet so I think I need to upgrade the hotspot.  I have two external MIMO directional antennas hooked into the MR1100 with a TS9 to SMA adaptor cable.  I saw a video of a person having a similar setup and changed it out to an American cellular Cat12 modem that has SMA connectors, and a SIM card port to enable use on an AT&T plan.  Does Netgear have a modem, that has SMA connectors to enable a direct plug in for the external antennas, which would be an improvement over the MR1100 hotspot and could be used with an AT&T plan?

3 Replies

  • michaelkenward's avatar
    michaelkenward
    Guru - Experienced User
    Jul 03, 2022

     

    rmakin wrote:

    Does Netgear have a modem, that has SMA connectors to enable a direct plug in for the external antennas, which would be an improvement over the MR1100 hotspot and could be used with an AT&T plan?

    You are looking for something that will work with a Nighthawk MR1100 or something similar?

     

    You could also ask for advice i the section where people talk about those devices.

     

    That's probably here:

    Mobile Routers, Hotspots & Modems


    • rmakin's avatar
      rmakin
      Guide
      Jul 03, 2022

      Thanks Michael.  I'll browse/ask on that section.  I was wanting to replace the AT&T rented MR1100 with something better that has SMA connections for my external antennas as now I have to adapt the SMA cable connectors to a TS9 to plug into the MR1100 and it is very sloppy and not stable. Plus it is several years old and starting to act up.   I saw a video or a rural set up that had an AT&T MR1100 and changed it out for an American cellular internet router Cat12 LTE cellular modem that took an AT&T sim card and he got great results.  As I have a Netgear Orbi mesh system, I thought having a Netgear router/modem from AT&T might communicate best with the Orbi.  So, I was looking for Netgear models that have SMA connectors for external antennas but can't find any.  So, just looking to see if anyone knows that Netgear has one, or if not, what they would recommend.

      • michaelkenward's avatar
        michaelkenward
        Guru - Experienced User
        Jul 04, 2022
        rmakin wrote:

        Thanks Michael.  I'll browse/ask on that section.  I was wanting to replace the AT&T rented MR1100 with something better that has SMA connections for my external antennas as now I have to adapt the SMA cable connectors to a TS9 to plug into the MR1100 and it is very sloppy and not stable.

         

        In that case, the "mobile" section is the place to ask for help. There wont be many experts on that topic in the zone for "General WiFi Routers (Non-Nighthawk and Non-Orbi)".

         

        They may even have ways of achieving what you really need, dealing with the "sloppy and not stable" bit, without having other widgets in the picture.

         

        Mobile routers seem to be used by people with that sort of challenge. Someone there may have been down the same road.

         

        Good luck.