MR1100 Ethernet Port Connecting Direct to Laptop?

[Spectrum1]

I’ve ordered a NETGEAR MR1100 4G Mobile and have a question regarding its Ethernet port.

I will only be using a single laptop to connect to the MR1100. I understand that the common ways of connecting to the MR1100 is via ether WiFi or USB.

Does the Ethernet port on the MR1100 allow me to connect my laptop directly to it instead of connecting to it via the WiFi or USB method?

Example:

(Laptop Ethernet Port) ------ Cat6 cable ------ (MR1100 Ethernet Port) ------ 4G network

Many thanks for any feedback

[mli]

Yes, connecting by Ethernet port is also a common use case.

Best to check the manual to double check the things to be careful about when configuring this: https://www.netgear.com/support/product/MR1100.aspx#docs

[Spectrum1]

Many thanks Mli

I’ll have to try this myself and see if the ‘Ethernet’ connection can be used to connect a PC directly to it. Reading in the user manual, the ethernet connection on the MR1100 appears to only be used for the Data Offloading feature and not a direct 1-to-1 connection between a PC and the MR1100.

The issue I have is that the MR1100 will be located some way away (in the attic) from where the PC will be, so WiFi could be a bit patchy getting through 2 floors and ceilings.

My idea was to use a couple of Powerline adaptors between the PC and the MR1100:

[PC] -----ethernet----- [Powerline] -----mains wiring----- [Powerline] -----ethernet----- [MR1100] ~~~ 4G

This setup would allow me to turn off the MR1100 WiFi and have a highspeed ethernet connection directly between my PC and the MR1100.

[mli]

I'm writing my reply with exactly that topology.

You can set the MR1100 to have an IP address of something like 192.168.1.1 with a netmask of 255.255.255.0 (which is /24) and enable DHCP. The range of DHCP IP addresses can be something like 192.168.1.50 to 192.168.1.100 and if you connect a laptop set for DHCP client, it will automatically get an IP address. The gateway out of that subnet will obviously be 192.168.1.1 which is the router.

You could even connect a dumb switch to the MR1100 connect multiple laptops. The powerline network essentially acts like a dumb switch/bridge and the main thing to be careful of is not to have multiple DHCP servers running in one L2 segment (e.g. the powerline network). The main time you might have this is two routers, such as a home wired router and a 4G LTE router on the same dumb network (i.e. non-managed switches).

Typically, I leave the WiFi enabled for ease of trouble-shooting.

[Spectrum1]

Thanks Mli

That sounds perfect. As long as the MR1100 can provide an IP address to my PC, then my direct PC to MR1100 via ethernet is good to go. This would then just passthrough the powerline adaptors.

It’s strange that Netgear don’t state ‘Ethernet’ as a connecting method between a computer and the MR1100.

Connecting your computer to the MR1100

• Computer to MR110 - by WiFi
• Computer to MR110 – by USB cable
• Computer to MR110 – by Ethernet cable

As I said earlier the user manual implies that the MR1100 ethernet port can only be used for connecting to another router for Data Offloading function.