Nighthawk M1 vs WE826 on AT&T (or other carrier)

[Bkenobi69]

I've been using the M1 on AT&T via an ipad postpaid plan (with 2 other phones on unlimited). I keep it in my basement which means I had to install a pair of Wilson directional antennas in the attic to get usable coverage. It's a massive upgrade from the 1.5mbps DSL we were stuck with for the last decade and I am fairly happy with the setup. I do not like the TS-9 external antenna connectors on the M1 and am nervous that when I take it with I will eventually break the TS-9 to SMA pigtail.

I've been working from home for the last 5+ months and overall can't complain about this setup. However, I would like to be able to take the M1 in my truck camper so I can work remotely while my office is closed for local work. I took the M1 with on my first boondoggle and found that it works well enough (though the battery gets eaten quickly). I was thinking that I could install a WE826-T2 back home with a normal SIM permanently installed and then get a pre-paid or add-on SIM for the road.

I have a few questions before I place any orders.
1) Is AT&T ipad monthly iPad plan still working? I found I have to reset a lot to get it to work from the road. At home it's fine.

2) Is there a better carrier/plan that would work better for short term use? My MIL has a T-Mobile unlimited hotspot SIM I borrowed that is only $40/mo. Not sure if that price is guaranteed, but heck, I might just drop AT&T and go with that for both home and road SIM cards!

3) Is the M1 vs WE826-T2 overall a better home solution? Once installed, the M1 works fine but I do have to use a router with DD-WRT to get the TTL fixed. I wouldn't be using the WE826 for WiFi anyway, so not sure if there's much difference other than a better modem theoretically and better antenna connectors.

4) If I go WE826, would I be better off with the Sierra 7455 cat6 or 7565 cat12 modems? I know the M1 is cat16, but I only see 40mbps max on my AT&T setup at home right now.


We had Verizon for close to 20 years and dropped for the AT&T ipad/M1 plan for home internet. I am perfectly happy going back to Verizon if there is a better/comparable plan. I'll keep reading these forums but if anyone could point me in the right direction, I'd be very grateful!

[Didneywhorl]

I would go with the EM7565 modem. The M1 cannot be used on Tmobile. If your going the we826 router route I would consider the WG3526 instead. The Wifi is meh as well, but it has gigabit lan and a bit more power capable for better modems. That Tmo hotspot plan sounds great.

[Bkenobi69]

I'm not planning on using the wifi of the WE826 (or alternative) as I have a Netgear R7800 with DDWRT already and am quite happy with it. Is the WG3526 much better on the cellular side?

[calimansi]

The router isn't going to speed any of the cellular side stuff up... that's all dependent on the modem. If you're only getting 40 mbps just go cheap. It's the bands that you can connect to that make all the difference.

[Bkenobi69]

Any way to know what bands are on towers around me? I could aim the antenna another direction if that would bump speed. I optimized for signal strength when I installed the wilson antennas.

[Bkenobi69]

Since I'm going to be connecting the hotspot to a Netgear WiFi router (R7800) running DD-WRT and the only thing the hotspot will be used for is as a LTE modem, is there any benefit to getting the WG3526 over the WE826? It appears that the main benefit is the gigabit ports. But, since my LTE is likely only 40mbps (phones only see ~70mbps in better areas), I'd think gigabit is way overkill. If there is some other advantage to the WG3526 I'd consider going that route though. I like the small form factor of the WE826 but to me that's the only difference I see.

[Yipzy]

I would get the WE826 and save the money since you don't need the WG3526 for gigabit port.