Netgear M5 Nighthawk 5G Mobile Router review – stay connected at high speed on the go

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• VERDICT

The Netgear M5 Nighthawk Mobile Router is a must for staying connected on the move rather than draining your smartphone plan’s data and battery. The Netgear M5 runs all day thanks to the large onboard battery and can connect up to 32 devices wirelessly to 5G speeds.

Staying connected anywhere is the name of the game and with 5G that just got better and faster with Netgear’s new M5 Nighthawk Mobile Router (MR5100) which can deliver incredible download and upload speeds.

The M5 is aimed at the mobile professional who needs a high speed connection anywhere for the laptop and other devices.

It can connect up to 32 devices wirelessly to the network it creates.

And what’s even better is the M5 also has Wi-Fi 6 technology onboard which is up four times faster than the previous wireless standard.

Available through Telstra, the M5 connects through Telstra’s growing 5G network which is growing weekly and is already available in major cities, CBDs, regional centres and places like airports and train stations.

The M5 can fit in the palm of your hand and has a 2.4-inch touchscreen display.

The unit has had a slight re-design since the previous iteration with more pronounced edges and a new physical on button just below the screen.

Beside the display is a touch sensitive home button and a back button.

It has rubberised textures edges and an Ethernet port so you can physically connect a device.
The Netgear M5 can bring 5G speeds to your home or office or on the move.

Our fastest 5G speed with 742Mbps but it is capable of up between 2.5Gbps and up to 4Gbps in the right places.

When we set up the M5 to use for our review we were able change the network name and password so you and others connecting to your network can immediately recognise it.

The display shows your network name along with the number of devices connected to the M5 as well as the amount of data you’ve used and amount remaining.

Another way you can monitor the Netgear M5 is through the Netgear mobile app on your smartphone or tablet which will you show connection status, settings and data usage.

Under the hoods is large rechargeable battery that can run all day long and be recharged through the USB-C port on the front edge.

The M5 is locked to the Telstra network and requires a nano SIM with a Telstra data plan.

Naturally when you’re in range of the Telstra 5G network it will create a faster connection but it can also connect to 4G and still deliver decent speeds.

When the M5 is switched on, it boots up fast and the network is joinable immediately. Other similar products can take minutes for the network to appear on your laptops and other devices.

The Netgear M5 is priced at $799 or can be purchased on a month to month plan – $66.58 a month over 12 months or $33.39 a month over 24 months.

These plans don’t come with a data plan but these can be added for $15 a month (5GB data), $25 (20GB), $50 (60GB) and $75 (200GB).

The 5GB and 20GB plans are restricted to 4G but the 60GB and 200GB plans offer 5G network access which makes sense if you want to take full advantage of the M5’s 5G speeds.

VERDICT

The Netgear M5 Nighthawk Mobile Router is a must for staying connected on the move rather than draining your smartphone plan’s data and battery. The Netgear M5 runs all day thanks to the large onboard battery and can connect up to 32 devices wirelessly to 5G speeds.