Review: Netgear Nighthawk M7, a serious mobile hotspot built for serious users (aff)

If you need WiFi on the move, the simplest method is to create a hotspot on your smartphone. But this has plenty of issues.

It'll absolutely hammer your battery, speed and signal strength will be compromised, a limited data plan could be wiped out very quickly, and woe betide you if you leave the phone in your pocket - because it'll get very hot under the load.

The smarter option, albeit the more expensive option, is to use a separate device that creates that hotspot for you, and I've been living with the latest one to hit the market, the Netgear Nighthawk M7.

I've tested a lot of Netgear's mobile routers, and they've all been impressive, but this one's a little different. It's a different physical shape and size for a start, but the clever bit lies within its compact casing.

Because, unlike all its stablemates, this one can take an eSIM. And that makes a big difference for travellers. In fact, Netgear has gone one better by developing its own eSIM marketplace that lets you buy data packages across more than 140 countries through the companion app.

What this means is you can flit from country to country, and network to network, and Netgear will always have you covered. Pricing is transparent, and there's no more mucking about finding physical sim cards.

You can use a physical SIM, too, which is handy if you've already got a package you're signed up to, but it's the flexibility that will be this device's big selling point.

Another major draw is the sheer specs. Like any high-end mobile router, the M7 combines 5G connectivity with WiFi 7, and a Qualcomm Dragonwing SDX72 chipset gives it more than enough grunt to handle multiple devices at once. Netgear claims speeds up to 3.6Gbps over WiFi and support for up to 32 connected gadgets, which puts it firmly in “portable router” territory rather than simple travel hotspot territory. Try doing that with your iPhone 17.

In layman's terms, WiFi 7 support and multi-gigabit 5G mean it’s built for newer laptops, tablets and phones, and it can even act as a wired connection via USB-C or Ethernet with the optional adapter.

As for battery life, Netgear claims 10 hours is possible per charge, but this will depend on the sort of workout you're giving it. Expect enough for a working day, but it will recharge from USB quite quickly if you need a top-up.

Cleverly, it can also act as a power bank, with a USB output allowing it to share its battery with other devices, should they happen to run low. It's not an addition you'd really expect, but it's nice to have.

The small display on the M7 gives limited information, and it's quite hard to navigate with a single button control, but you'll be doing most of your configuration in the app, so it really doesn't matter all that much.

And then we need to take a look at the price. It's hard to find deals on such a new product, and the price looks like it's been locked in at £529. And I know that sounds like a lot of money, but in the world of high-end mobile hotspots, it's actually pretty good value.

Its Netgear cousin, the M7 Pro, more of a standalone mobile router, can't really be found below about £800.

You're probably thinking it's too much money to shell out when you can just plod along happily with your smartphone, but if that's the case, you're not really in the target market.

The M7's strength is in its versatility for heavy users; people who perhaps connect more than one device at a time, or people who get through a lot of data and rely on the strongest possible signal. For these people, this is a device that should make them very excited.

I've been using the M7 in my motorhome, out and about a bit and supplying signal to everything from a smartphone to a Meta Quest headset and it hasn't missed a beat.

Sure, it's overkill if you just want to connect up a tablet for some light internet browsing, but if you really rely on strong WiFi, this really is one of your best options. It's a fabulous bit of kit.