If you want something more upmarket then Netgear’s Nighthawk hotspots are the obvious rivals. There’s not much in it though, as the M7450 is only £10 cheaper than the M7650. The difference is that its 4G connection is limited to 300Mbits/sec based on my experience I doubt that would make much difference to real-world speeds, so it might be attractive to those on a tight budget. The M7650 has an even more lightweight sibling called the M7450 ( £119), which has the same screen, battery and connectors. TP-Link M7650 review: What are the alternatives? You can switch between the 2.4GHz and 5GHz radio bands, but it won’t broadcast both at once. It’s functionally a single-band radio, too. It doesn’t help that the M7650 uses the last-generation Wi-Fi 5 standard, rather than the more modern Wi-Fi 6.
Out in the hallway I saw just 3.2MB/sec and in the bathroom and kitchen the connection dropped completely.
Wi-Fi coverage isn’t great either: with my laptop situated a few metres away from the M7650 I was able to read files over the network at 23.4MB/sec, but when I moved to an adjacent room this fell to 13.7MB/sec. The TP-Link Archer MR600 ( £119) 4G router managed 24.7Mbits/sec downstream in the same location, while the Netgear Nighthawk M5 delivered 35Mbits/sec over 4G – and topped 100Mbits/sec when connected to a 5G network.Ī possible reason for the performance gap is the small size and simple design of the M7650, which allows little space for internal aerials, and no connectors for external ones. Once you’ve installed a suitable SIM, up to 32 devices can connect to the M7650’s Wi-Fi transmitter and share its internet connection.īest streaming service 2022: Netflix vs Disney Plus vs Amazon Prime Video vs Now TV vs Britbox Pop off the back, pull the battery out and you’ll find a slot for a micro-SIM card (or a nano-SIM using the supplied adapter). The M7650 is a pocket-sized plastic device, not much bigger than a credit card and weighing a mere 140g. It’s not exactly versatile, though depending on your needs, you might do just as well with the mobile hotspot function on your smartphone. TP-Link’s M7650 is much more affordable at just £139. You can pay a lot for a device like this, however the Netgear Nighthawk M5 with 5G support costs a shocking £763, and even its 4G-only variants start at £297. Just slot in a data-enabled SIM card and it’ll broadcast a wireless network that allows any phone, tablet or laptop to share the mobile internet connection.
If you need a reliable internet connection while you’re on the move, a portable hotspot is the answer.
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