Netgear has just partnered with AT&T to launch a Nighthawk M6 Pro Mini 5G router for $459.99 (about $3007) and an optional $12.78 monthly package in 36 installments. It's known that under the 4-inch body, it is equipped with the latest 5G and Wi-Fi 6E wireless network technology, which can provide high-speed Internet access for laptops, tablets, and even desktop PCs.
(From Netgear / AT&T website)
It is reported that the Netgear Nighthawk M6 Pro is not only the first high-speed mobile hotspot to use C-band 5G millimeter wave, but also supports 3.6 Gbps Wi-Fi 6E wireless transmission.
In addition, this mini 5G mobile hotspot offers a 2.5 GbE (wired) Ethernet interface, a USB 3.2 Type-C port that supports charging/network sharing, and a pair of TS9 external antennas that help increase signaling capabilities.
The device has a 5040 mAh removable battery built in (underneath the 2.8-inch touchscreen), but the default setting is only to turn on the 5 GHz band of 2.9 Gbps (while disabling the 2.5 GbE port) to reduce power consumption and extend battery life.
Of course, even if you want to use the millimeter wave band, there aren't as many 5G base stations that support 3.6 Gbps outdoors to connect to reliably. Also to use the 2.5 GbE port, remove the battery and swap for A/C AC power.
Embarrassingly, even with the more power-efficient settings enabled by default, Netgear's nominal battery life for the Nighthawk M6 Pro still has only 6 hours of YouTube video playback (9 hours for the previous generation).
If you turn on millimeter wave (mmWave) and 6 GHz Wi-Fi 6E, it is conceivable that the battery life will be further shortened.
It's important to note that while this mini router is capable of connecting 32 Wi-Fi devices, users can only use two of the three sets of Wi-Fi bands at a time.
They are 2.4 + 5 GHz / 2.4 + 6 GHz, and pure 5 GHz or 6 GHz modes.
The following is a list of supported frequency bands for the Nighthawk M6 Pro:
● 5G Sub-6：n2 / n5 / n12 / n14 / n29 / n30 / n38 / n66 / n77 / n78
● 5G mmWave：n260
● 4G LTE:B1、B2、B3、B4、B5、B7、B12、B14(FirstNet)、B29、B30、B46(LAA)、B48(CBRS)、B66
● 3G：B1、B5
Finally, the official manual (PDF) states that the hotspot does not clearly distinguish between mmWave or C-band 5G — both of which appear on the screen as "5G plus."
Given that AT&T and Verizon, two carriers, are consistently launching C-band and millimeter-wave networks in a mix, this is somewhat confusing to consumers.