Differences between unlocked Nighthawk M1 and ATT branded M1

[muffineater1256]

Is there a difference in firmware between the unbranded Nighthawk M1 and the ATT M1?

I have ATT service and I was wondering if it would be better for me stick with the ATT version of the M1.

[mobileguy]

I have both the unlocked and ATT branded. My AT&T has the slightly newer hardware that supports B14. Just a nit, but important distinction, is signal indicator is MUCH CLEARER on the Unlocked M1. I don't have photos to compare (sorry). But if you have an LTE connection on the Unlocked Model it clearly shows LTE letters larger in the display area. On the ATT model, if you just have 4G but not LTE it shows 4G and a little cloud. When you get LTE the icon on the display looks almost the same, with a tiny LTE under the same 4G cloud icon you had before. To me this is very hard to tell the difference whether you are getting LTE signal or not. 

Also the display in the lower left of the screen that shows you how much GB data you have used, is smaller font size on the ATT model.

There are some minor differences in the webUI between the 2 but I have not found any critical functionality different.  

[nbed]

After lots of chat and phone calls, ATT tells me my IMEI is for a mobile router hotspot. And they wont activate it. The guy in their store tells me it isnt compatible with their version. He said the one I have (from Best Buy) would suck too much data/bandwidth. So either theirbranded router allows fewer connections or has fewer internal antennas? BYOD sure has otten complicated, I’ve spent truly spectacular amounts of time trying to get ATT to stand by their unlimited data w/premium benefits. Finally Cancelled mine, not worth all the agro.