Test: Wi-Fi at the chalet like at home

Published

We put the Nighthawk M5, a 5G router the size of a box of cigarillos, to the test. Simple, flexible, effective but also under constraints.

by

Jean-Charles Canet

Access to high-speed internet in a chalet without a fixed line, in the garden, on a remote terrace, or even in a tent, for the whole family, with the same comfort as at home, this is what the Nighthawk M5, from the American manufacturer Netgear, allows. And not only on paper, we had the opportunity to check it, it works and very satisfactorily. However, a few external elements must be taken into account.

The device is a battery-powered Wi-Fi router, i.e. it does not need a permanent connection to an electrical outlet. Autonomy announced: fifteen hours according to the manufacturer, rather count on ten hours, according to our tests. About the size of a box of cigarillos, the device has a touch screen, a USB-C socket, a network socket and a transmission capacity according to the wi-fi standard. 6, the most recent at the moment. It accesses the mobile telephone network via a SIM card (provided by your telephone operator) which must be inserted inside the case. Compatible with 5G, so it is also compatible with 4G.

Getting started, installation

Setting up the M5 is almost hassle-free. Remove the bottom cover, insert a SIM card, insert the battery on top, close the cover, plug the box into an electrical outlet, battery charging begins and the screen displays the first instructions which notably allow you to create a wi-fi network with the short name and password of your choice. Once this is done, you can connect to this network all possible and imaginable connectable devices (computer, tablet, game console, your smartphone if you use its SIM card, etc.). Wi-Fi 6 optimally manages the connection of multiple devices, it becomes unlikely that you will experience any bottleneck with one on its console, the other on Netflix or Disney + and another still on his favorite social network.

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The best of wi-fi

We note the presence of a possible choice between a wi-fi with a more limited range but more economical or more extensive but more greedy. The menus of the device offer various options which allow you to monitor its data consumption and also to set a limit not to be exceeded in the event of the existence of a maximum authorized consumption, set by your operator. The only downside in this chapter, the touch screen is not the most sensitive and responsive on the market, we found ourselves having to insist a little heavily to navigate the menus and enter characters via the virtual keyboard. However, going through a smartphone application makes it possible to circumvent this problem, which is not very big. Note for gamers, despite a UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) option activated by default, we were not able to optimally connect our Xbox console, which persisted in displaying a “strict” NAT (Network Address Translation) instead of “ open” as it should. We are still trying to figure out why. A strict NAT does not prevent you from playing online, but some limitations may occur.

We press the mushroom

The box was first tested at home under limited 4G coverage. We noted downlink speeds around 20 Mbps and uplink speeds around 8 Mbps. It's not even if it corresponds to what 4G can provide, but it has nevertheless proved sufficient in solitary use to access Netflix, even in 4K, and to run an online game on a console. All without a hitch.

We then drove to an area with 5G coverage and, with the device powered on battery power, saw speeds of over 140Mbps downlink and close to 60Mbps uplink. This is well below what a 5G antenna can offer at full power but more than enough for comfortable access to the Web. Capable of significantly higher speeds (several Gbps) but limited by the current network coverage in Switzerland, the M5 is not in question here. But it clearly demonstrates that if the coverage is insufficient (below 4G), restricted or congested, this will inevitably affect the performance of the whole.

The risks of “unlimited”

The few hours spent with the M5 therefore convinced us of its effectiveness despite tests under a restricted cover. What to allow, by betting on a gradual rise in power of 5G, to do without a subscription with a cable, fiber or ADSL access provider? We can legitimately ask the question but also express some doubts.

To have heard of the misadventure of a customer of a Swiss mobile operator who thought he was benefiting from an unlimited data access plan, we will think twice. A heavy consumer of "data" via his smartphone, the latter was made to understand that his "unlimited" subscription was only within the framework of "reasonable" consumption (ambiguous terminology no doubt mentioned in the very small letters of a contract that will have to be checked under the microscope). The unfortunate man thus found himself threatened with termination. In our opinion, this kind of device is therefore not ideal for the time being to replace it with a main connection to the internet but rather to remedy its absence in part of the campaign.

The M5 between two chairs

Which leads us to a paradoxical situation: the M5 seems useless to us for a small internet consumer at the chalet. The ant can make do with the connection sharing function on its smartphone. On the other hand, it seems to us very relevant for a family that does not wish to give up a digital life, let's say, ample. But always with the sword of Madame Oclès brandished above her head by mobile telephone operators tempted to charge in one way or another for atypical data consumption. Not to mention its use outside Switzerland which always generates additional roaming costs if you do not subscribe to a special package or do not obtain a SIM card in the country visited. In short, it remains complicated.

As technically flawless as it is, the Nighthawk M5 cannot be fully assessed out of its operating context. Its observed price (759 francs!) and a window of use smaller than expected do not allow us to associate it with a frank and massive green light.

On a ground that would eventually become more favourable, on the other hand…