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Occasional Internet Loss - Nighthawk MR1100 M1

Cralex
Aspirant

Occasional Internet Loss - Nighthawk MR1100 M1

Hello,

 

I'm using my Nighthawk M1 as my main home Internet source with AT&T. I'm using firmware NTG9X50C_12.05.05.00, which the updater utility says is the latest. I'm operating it off of USB (using the OEM charger) without a battery. Every once in a while, the Internet connection fails. It seems more frequent during heavier use, (once or twice per Netflix streaming session) but it'll happen eventually every few days even if usage is light. It's still possible to reach the router's web config page when this happens, but the only way I've been able to get the Internet working again is to reboot the router.

 

 

Any ideas how to prevent this? I was originally using just the router in dual-band mode, but the range wasn't good enough so I connected an old wireless router to it and switched the M1 to 5GHz mode only. (The old router is only capable of 2.4 GHz and is noticeably slower than the M1’s own 2.4GHz band, so I was planning to get a modern dual-band router and operate the M1 on wired-mode only)

Model: MR1100|Nighthawk M1 Mobile Router
Message 1 of 5
silanah
Apprentice

Re: Occasional Internet Loss - Nighthawk MR1100 M1

One suggestion...  the User Manual says the supplied USB charging adapter doesn't supply enough power to use in plugged in (no battery) mode. The MR1100 is Qualcomm 2.0 certified so you should get a Qualcomm 2.0 certified USB wall adapter - it will supply enough power.  Or pick up a Qualcomm 3.0 charger as they are backwards compatible. Either way get one that is actually Qualcomm certified.

 

The additional router part I can't assist with yet as I'm just setting a similar scenario up. My issue is the M1 doesn't have much coverage range, even on the Long setting so I need to fix that.

 

Message 2 of 5
Cralex
Aspirant

Re: Occasional Internet Loss - Nighthawk MR1100 M1

Yeah, I saw that while trying to browse around for solutions. I happened to have a 2.0 charger lying around, and I notice that the charging status in the web admin changes from “Yes” to “QuickCharge”.

It definitely seems more stable with the different charger and less likely to die randomly, although it still seems to lose connection once or twice while watching Netflix. (The rest of the time, it works VERY well, much better than my old DSL service.) I ordered a nice-looking AP that I’m going to connect to my M1, and see if it’s even more stable on Ethernet only. Unfortunately, I can’t test it with a battery because my unit is secondhand and it came without one.

It’s really frustrating not knowing what is causing this. I’d suspect my network (AT&T prepaid) except that it comes back on as soon as I restart the M1. Best of luck with your setup! I originally tried setting up a WiFi repeater to fix the short-range problem, but it seemed to create a spotty zone in-between the M1 and the repeater.
Message 3 of 5
Cralex
Aspirant

Re: Occasional Internet Loss - Nighthawk MR1100 M1

(Sorry to double-post. I’m new around here. :P)

Actually, I’m wondering if temperature might be a factor, since I also saw someone mentioning it with this unit. The diagnostics page showed a fairly low temperature with light use, but after resetting the unit following a connection loss it was reading 48C. I turned it upside-down, set it up on a ledge, and removed the battery cover. I don’t want to leave it open indefinitely and have it collect dust inside, but the temperature fell to 39C-40C while still streaming Netflix. Pretty encouraging! Maybe I can cobble together some sort of passive cooling solution.
Message 4 of 5
MrBooMY
Aspirant

Re: Occasional Internet Loss - Nighthawk MR1100 M1

I had a similar issue with my M1. I noticed very quickly that it was only when I ran it hard that I'd have the issue. I bought a dual USB powered 80MM fan from Amazon and also a QC 3.0 Charger. The only issue I've found now is that if you remove the battery completely, it will occasionally lock up for no apparent reason. It also doesn't like powering up without the battery in my case and will sometimes lock during a boot or reboot. I replaced the power cord thinking that might be it, but it's still doing it. For the most part I don't have to reboot the unit as long as I have the fans on it WITH the battery. Without the battery if the power in the house even hiccups, no internet until a full power down and reboot of the router. Also noticed the battery charges MUCH faster with the fan and QC3.0 charger combo.
Model: MR1100|Nighthawk M1 Mobile Router
Message 5 of 5
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