Nighthawk 5G Mobile Hotspot – World’s First Standards-Based Millimeter Wave Mobile 5G Device

While I like new devices and tech just as much (likely much more) than the average Joe, I just wish my current NIghthawk MR1100 would get more than 60-90Mbit DL and more than 5-15Mbit up.

My Phones (6s, XS Max, Galaxy S7 Edge) routinely get 160-200Mbit DL these days on AT&T in NJ/PA.  UL on the XSM is terrible, but that's do to to it's amature antenna design (as is the poor reception compared to my 6s).  Uploads on the 6S are about the same as the MR1100, and my Velocity 2 gets DOUBLE the upload speeds of either (usually 20-40Mbit UL).

5G is a marketing ploy/hoax, just like LAA.  The range of the broadcast area is so small as to be completely useless.  Additionally, on the MR1100, you have to turn off 5.8Ghz Wifi to get it (assuming you're in the 4 to 9 block area in which it's being broadcast) -- what a joke.

The Qualcomm X20 (or perhaps X50 depending on which marketing literature you read) in the MR1100 outclasses my 6S in every possible way.  But yet this 4 year old phone runs circles around my MR1100.

Why doesn't anyone make a high quality hotspot that gets great reception, fast speeds, good battery life, and you can still charge it when it gets a little warm (27C)?

At least the 5G Nighthawk isn't a "silent upgrade" the way the Gen2 Band14 Nighthawk was.

Good question,

Realistically, though, Gigabit Ethernet is proabbly fast enought given that real world cellular speeds are always significantly lower than theoretical.  Of course, these days 10Gbit NIC's are very inexpensive.

Bigger question is my mind is the Wifi on the hotspot.  Since the current Nighthawks (Gen1 and Gen2) CANNOT use 5.8GHz 802.11ac AND LAA simultaneously, this is a huge issue for those of us who would rather not carry around a proper AP connected to the Nighthawk via Ethernet and AC power.

Nearly every Wifi device today, worth its salt, has 5Ghz capability.  And the 40/80MHz bandwidth on the 5Ghz channel is essential to making use of Advanced LTE, LAA, and (eventually) 5G mmWAVE cellular.

I'd much rather see the 2.4Ghz radio be dropped in favor of two 5.8Ghz radios -- one for LAA and one for clients.  Triband would be okay, too, but might use too much power. 

Given the poor wireless range on the existing Nighthawks, and the propensity to reboot due to a limited power envelope when dual band Wifi is on -- not to mention the heat.  It seems like power dissapation is a significant challenge.