We have ours and it has been working with the Clearway SIM and also a Cricket SIM. We have not tried a Verizon SIM. Our plan is to use this up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan which has sparse coverage and so you need to be able to access different carriers depending on where you are at. So we now have 150GB of data including our phones and the two SIMS. Clearway also lets you just purchase another 50GB plan if you need without waiting for the 30 days, it just starts a new 30 day counter when the SIM is activated. If you do not camp in the Winter, Clearway has a plan for $60 that lasts a year and provides 1GB of data so your account does not expire.
David - I'm looking at getting this router and the Cricket 100GB Simply Data Plan, but do you know if you have to get Cricket's crappy Moxee hotspot and switch the SIM? Or, do I have to get this router first and register the IMEI as a compatible device? Hard to verify the IMEI with cricket unless I drop $400 on the router to check compatibility with crickets "bring your own device". :( Any help with your experience with cricket is greatly appreciated.
@@vincentbodner920 We did not have to get a moxee. Cricket sells the SIM for $9.99. The Orbi was a recognized IMEI on Cricket. The only issue we had was Cricket sends a text verification number to the SIM Phone number as part of activation. We had to put it into our iPhone so we could receive the text and complete the activation. Once we did that, and put the SIM back in the Orbi it works perfectly. We have used both plans, Cricket being AT&T driven and the Clearway SIM that comes with the router as T-Mobile.
I just bought this last week and received it in the mail today. I haven't set it up. I am a new MIA member and need at least 100 Mbps to work from home because of covid. Nothing has worked so far. I hope this does. I'm at risk of losing my job and have been driving an hour each way to use cable internet at a family members house because I don't know what to do.
100 Mbps is a very high requirement.. and really nothing on the Internet requires those sorts of speeds. Even 4K video streaming only needs 20-25 Mbps. For mobile internet.. that's a pretty unrealistic standard to depend upon reliably at this time. Sure, we see it sometimes. But even parked in a metro area, we're only able to get 70-80 Mbps bonded across multiple cellular carriers (and we're retty darn happy with that) .
This looks like a killer device for rural Cabins needing internet where options are very limited. This may become my go-to recommendation for my neighbors. It combines a lot of components (LTE Modem, Router and Mesh WiFi) into one device and with a pair of outdoor antennas it should work very well in my neighborhood. This along with the cricket plan, Calyx plan or Verizon grandfathered plan should be a very easy to use whole home LTE internet source.
I really like that your review covers the specs from a point of view that focuses on informing the user who may not have much equipment to work with in their situation. You mentioned the downsides a user would encounter and that shows me that even though you're surrounded by all the best gear you haven't lost sight of the folks who are on a budget, helping to make sure that they're potential purchase isn't met with buyers remorse. Bravo! In my case I'm fortunate enough to have a wifi ranger setup and a cell booster with 2 mounted external antenna. I was thinking of buying another unlocked phone for a data only sim but this looks like a much better piece of equipment with a wide rage of cellular specs for the money. I'm getting the idea that 5G although great may not end up being the answer for fringe areas? Because this lacks 5G do you think that LTE will be around long enough to payback? When it's good LTE seems fast enough for most things we do and with 5G speeds we'll just use more data anyway. Thanks
5G will eventually reach everywhere 4G does (and already does on T-Mobile). But LTE will be around a while. Our 5G coverage: www.rvmobileinternet.com/5g/
@@MobileInternetResourceCenter I guess I understand that the higher frequencies leave us with less distance and the need for more equipment or transmitters. I would think that 5G is great but companies will not deviate much from their investment practice of the past, putting more funding in cities and large suburbs and less in the fringe areas. Those towers where nomads are living in mass either in parks, on the water or deserts will as always get the least investment and the lowest priority. Not saying bad but I'm sure it will be business as usual for a while yet. Thanks for the comment on LTE 4G, I think it will do just fine for now, I don't have a lot of connections at once going yet anyway.
I have had one for about 10 days. I use Verizon's prepaid plan. Previously I had a MIFI jetpack 7730. I have been having disconnects about 3-4 times a day with this router. No response from Netgear on the issue I logged with them 5 days ago.. Verizon tells me the IMEI is invalid on their network. Not impressed, about ready to return unless I can find a fix for the disconnects.
@@shawntacody7816 I have not returned yet, but have stopped using because of the frequent disconnects (2-3 times a day) Netgear is now claiming (via my support ticket) it is incompatible with Verizon, but they are working through the certification process likely to finish Q4 or Q1. I likely am going to return and wait and see if it actually happens. It’s unfortunate as the router is great otherwise and is a perfect solution for my needs, but currently is effectively unusable on my Verizon prepaid plan
I use AT&T and every 30 days the router stops working. They say "unrecognizable IMEI." I had to buy a new sim, change my plan and start up again after the first time it stoped working. Now, after this second time, AT&T is saying I have to do the same again if I want to use this device but change the plan to a $300 a month plan with 30G data. Doesn't make sense.
Thanks for the review. I've been heavily contemplating getting this waiting for the release. I currently use a gl.spitz 750 and use tmobile. I get about 15 to 25 mbps out in the mountains of wv. Do you think that this router would improve my speed? I believe I'm only connecting to 1 tower, primarily on band 71. Sometimes a little bit of 12. Do you think its worth the upgrade? I'm also very enticed by the mesh functionality
Could you answer this, I use a broadband antenna on roof of the house, I want to take the antenna down, with the antenna I get 30mbs without it I get 0mbs, so could you tell me if the netgear orbi router your showing, give me good mbs without the antenna on the roof ?
It would be impossible to predict speed results for a specific location without taking a bunch of gear there and testing it all head to head. We are focused on mobility for RVs and boat usage - setups that need redundancy of options.
I liked this device. CAT18! Like wow! But I wish to use directional antennas also for the WiFi. I specifically gonna have rooms 4 rooms in front of a 15m away wall. It is better for me to point those 4 rooms from the wall using a sectorial antenna, than placing the AP in the middle and having signal going through walls to reach extreme rooms. Any suggestion? :(
i would like to know if my sim card from verizons unlimited prepaid plan would work in it. be nice to know if verizon doesn't lock it out or cancel your plan for using it in that device. dont like running my 8800l into the ground all the time since the battery is starting to swell. if you could answer that i would be very grateful
I have one using Verizon's prepaid plan. Verizon told me the IMEI is invalid. It does work , but I am getting routine disconnects 3-4 times a day that require a reboot of the router. Unless I can find a fix, probably will return.
2 quick and easy questions for Mobil users. 1. Is that a 2.1mm barrel connector on the power supply? 2. What is the voltage & amperage output of the power supply? We can adapt!
How does the Orbi compare to the nighthawk m1? Would you suggest one over the other for my primary source of internet? I should mention that I live in a rural area with no other internet options but we do get good cell service with cricket wireless.
Is it Suitable for Boat? We're liveaboard and using Ecco wireless for couple years now and no wifi when we leave the dock. We're looking better option especially when taking the boat out. Thanks
After watching some of your other videos, I finally ordered the Nighthawk M1. So we can also bring it when we're camping and not have to worry about plugging it in. Your video really helps which is which to use on boating & camping. I must say 47' Bayliner looks more beautiful than 4588.
Hello new subscriber Randy here and possibly a new aficionado member. Very interested in that membership. Just sold my house living in my 35ft class A. I had Orbi mess system with two towers setup for about two, was great. I’ve order weboost destination RV today. Was wondering if I could connect Orbi to the out port on weboost in place of the internal antenna that it comes with? I am not for certain yet but I hear that weboost destination RV is good for about 15ft. I’ve done some research to find out if Orbi works without a modem. One channel says yes for set up as a Lan, but I’m not techy enough to know if that pertains to me or not. Also MIA membership, I’m not sure what is offered with that membership. Could you please send me a link. Thank you in advance.
Unless you have an Orbi with a cellular modem, it's not likely to serve much use for mobile internet. It would just be a Mesh networking LAN system - you'd still need an internet source to distribute. The RV Destination is just a cellular booster - not a modem. Thanks for your interest in membership - I'd recommend starting with our free getting started content at www.rvmobileinternet.com/getting-started. There's a link at the top of every page for information on our membership if you decide that is the right path for you for deeper content, guidance, discounts, etc.
Hello! New subscriber. I am going to be moving into a RV and traveling. I work from home but need to connect my work device to my internet with an Ethernet. Would this work for me? As long as I get an ATT SIM card?
How long before carriers start blocking this device (IMEI) from their network. T-mobile already blocks the Netgear M1, I suppose it won't be long before they block this device too. Also, can you disable the router feature and just use it as a modem and then plug in your own router into it? Or can you plug a small network switch into it and send internet to those wired devices?
I have a legit Verizon plan and I believe this is what is causing the constant loss of internet/disconnects I mentioned above. I would steer clear of this unit if you have Verizon.
It does support the major cellular bands used in Mexico, so it should work as long as your data plan support usage in Mexico. For more see our guide: www.rvmobileinternet.com/mexico
Has anyone been able to take the SIM card from the TMO home internet trashcan and get it to work? Seems TMO has the trashcan SIM locked to that device IMEI.
Please help me this thing is so slow I don't even have 1MB per 2nd I am going crazy my phone works fine works perfect works way better than this thing and they're both US cellular
I'm not sure US Cellular has data plans for these devices (we don't track them). But many things impact cellular data performance: www.rvmobileinternet.com/performance
No matter how good a mobile router is, if there isn't a unlimited LTE service option, what's the point? Sure it's great if you are not a heavy data user. For $400? No, heck no!
This would be good for me thanks for the review keep up the good work and keep making videos because they help the nomad community and me so thanks.
We have ours and it has been working with the Clearway SIM and also a Cricket SIM. We have not tried a Verizon SIM. Our plan is to use this up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan which has sparse coverage and so you need to be able to access different carriers depending on where you are at. So we now have 150GB of data including our phones and the two SIMS. Clearway also lets you just purchase another 50GB plan if you need without waiting for the 30 days, it just starts a new 30 day counter when the SIM is activated. If you do not camp in the Winter, Clearway has a plan for $60 that lasts a year and provides 1GB of data so your account does not expire.
David - I'm looking at getting this router and the Cricket 100GB Simply Data Plan, but do you know if you have to get Cricket's crappy Moxee hotspot and switch the SIM? Or, do I have to get this router first and register the IMEI as a compatible device? Hard to verify the IMEI with cricket unless I drop $400 on the router to check compatibility with crickets "bring your own device". :( Any help with your experience with cricket is greatly appreciated.
@@vincentbodner920 We did not have to get a moxee. Cricket sells the SIM for $9.99. The Orbi was a recognized IMEI on Cricket. The only issue we had was Cricket sends a text verification number to the SIM Phone number as part of activation. We had to put it into our iPhone so we could receive the text and complete the activation. Once we did that, and put the SIM back in the Orbi it works perfectly. We have used both plans, Cricket being AT&T driven and the Clearway SIM that comes with the router as T-Mobile.
I just bought this last week and received it in the mail today. I haven't set it up. I am a new MIA member and need at least 100 Mbps to work from home because of covid. Nothing has worked so far. I hope this does. I'm at risk of losing my job and have been driving an hour each way to use cable internet at a family members house because I don't know what to do.
100 Mbps is a very high requirement.. and really nothing on the Internet requires those sorts of speeds. Even 4K video streaming only needs 20-25 Mbps. For mobile internet.. that's a pretty unrealistic standard to depend upon reliably at this time. Sure, we see it sometimes. But even parked in a metro area, we're only able to get 70-80 Mbps bonded across multiple cellular carriers (and we're retty darn happy with that) .
This looks like a killer device for rural Cabins needing internet where options are very limited. This may become my go-to recommendation for my neighbors.
It combines a lot of components (LTE Modem, Router and Mesh WiFi) into one device and with a pair of outdoor antennas it should work very well in my neighborhood.
This along with the cricket plan, Calyx plan or Verizon grandfathered plan should be a very easy to use whole home LTE internet source.
I really like that your review covers the specs from a point of view that focuses on informing the user who may not have much equipment to work with in their situation. You mentioned the downsides a user would encounter and that shows me that even though you're surrounded by all the best gear you haven't lost sight of the folks who are on a budget, helping to make sure that they're potential purchase isn't met with buyers remorse. Bravo! In my case I'm fortunate enough to have a wifi ranger setup and a cell booster with 2 mounted external antenna. I was thinking of buying another unlocked phone for a data only sim but this looks like a much better piece of equipment with a wide rage of cellular specs for the money. I'm getting the idea that 5G although great may not end up being the answer for fringe areas? Because this lacks 5G do you think that LTE will be around long enough to payback? When it's good LTE seems fast enough for most things we do and with 5G speeds we'll just use more data anyway. Thanks
5G will eventually reach everywhere 4G does (and already does on T-Mobile). But LTE will be around a while. Our 5G coverage: www.rvmobileinternet.com/5g/
@@MobileInternetResourceCenter I guess I understand that the higher frequencies leave us with less distance and the need for more equipment or transmitters. I would think that 5G is great but companies will not deviate much from their investment practice of the past, putting more funding in cities and large suburbs and less in the fringe areas. Those towers where nomads are living in mass either in parks, on the water or deserts will as always get the least investment and the lowest priority. Not saying bad but I'm sure it will be business as usual for a while yet. Thanks for the comment on LTE 4G, I think it will do just fine for now, I don't have a lot of connections at once going yet anyway.
I have had one for about 10 days. I use Verizon's prepaid plan. Previously I had a MIFI jetpack 7730. I have been having disconnects about 3-4 times a day with this router. No response from Netgear on the issue I logged with them 5 days ago.. Verizon tells me the IMEI is invalid on their network. Not impressed, about ready to return unless I can find a fix for the disconnects.
Are you still using yours or did you return it. I had the same IMEI unrecognizable problem but with AT&T.
@@shawntacody7816 I have not returned yet, but have stopped using because of the frequent disconnects (2-3 times a day)
Netgear is now claiming (via my support ticket) it is incompatible with Verizon, but they are working through the certification process likely to finish Q4 or Q1. I likely am going to return and wait and see if it actually happens. It’s unfortunate as the router is great otherwise and is a perfect solution for my needs, but currently is effectively unusable on my Verizon prepaid plan
Well, I tried to return to Netgear, but apparently, I waited too long and they are not letting me. Ive been burned by Netgear. $400 paper weight.
I use AT&T and every 30 days the router stops working. They say "unrecognizable IMEI." I had to buy a new sim, change my plan and start up again after the first time it stoped working. Now, after this second time, AT&T is saying I have to do the same again if I want to use this device but change the plan to a $300 a month plan with 30G data. Doesn't make sense.
Looks like a Great Product..
I wonder how well its Cat 18 does on T-Mobile
Thanks for the review. I've been heavily contemplating getting this waiting for the release. I currently use a gl.spitz 750 and use tmobile. I get about 15 to 25 mbps out in the mountains of wv. Do you think that this router would improve my speed? I believe I'm only connecting to 1 tower, primarily on band 71. Sometimes a little bit of 12. Do you think its worth the upgrade? I'm also very enticed by the mesh functionality
It's hard to say for a specific location - we are focused on mobile.
does this have carrier aggregation since it is a CAT 18 LTE Router?
great question the specs dont indicate if it does or not, i would assume so kinda like the mr1100 does
Yes - all Cat-6 and above modems include carrier aggregation.
thank you
Could you answer this, I use a broadband antenna on roof of the house, I want to take the antenna down, with the antenna I get 30mbs without it I get 0mbs, so could you tell me if the netgear orbi router your showing, give me good mbs without the antenna on the roof ?
It would be impossible to predict speed results for a specific location without taking a bunch of gear there and testing it all head to head. We are focused on mobility for RVs and boat usage - setups that need redundancy of options.
I liked this device. CAT18! Like wow! But I wish to use directional antennas also for the WiFi. I specifically gonna have rooms 4 rooms in front of a 15m away wall. It is better for me to point those 4 rooms from the wall using a sectorial antenna, than placing the AP in the middle and having signal going through walls to reach extreme rooms.
Any suggestion? :(
We are focused on RVs and boats... haven't lived in a house in nearly 15 years :)
@@MobileInternetResourceCenter holy wow! 😲
i would like to know if my sim card from verizons unlimited prepaid plan would work in it. be nice to know if verizon doesn't lock it out or cancel your plan for using it in that device. dont like running my 8800l into the ground all the time since the battery is starting to swell. if you could answer that i would be very grateful
It should, something we'll be testing out.
@Paradoxical Nightmare yeah I know I should definitely do that. Thanks for the advice 😃
I have one using Verizon's prepaid plan. Verizon told me the IMEI is invalid. It does work , but I am getting routine disconnects 3-4 times a day that require a reboot of the router. Unless I can find a fix, probably will return.
@@ssmitty67 thank you for sharing your experience with us. That saves me some going through the trouble to try it
2 quick and easy questions for Mobil users.
1. Is that a 2.1mm barrel connector on the power supply?
2. What is the voltage & amperage output of the power supply?
We can adapt!
Specs are here: www.rvmobileinternet.com/gear/netgear-orbi/
Thank you. At 12VDC it does make it a little more viable mobile option for some wanting a cat18 on a budget.
How does the Orbi compare to the nighthawk m1? Would you suggest one over the other for my primary source of internet? I should mention that I live in a rural area with no other internet options but we do get good cell service with cricket wireless.
Orbi is a Verizon device. The Nighthawk is an AT&T device. Cricket is AT&T's prepaid wing.
@@MobileInternetResourceCenter Would the orbi not work if I used a different carrier and vice versa?
@@MobileInternetResourceCenter u said in the video u can use tmobile ,now im confused 🤔
Looks like a Great Product! If the included SIM card is T-Mobile, I am thinking this might actually work with the T-Mobile prepaid plan?
It should
I really enjoyed this video, newly subscribed and will check out some of your other content.
Is it Suitable for Boat? We're liveaboard and using Ecco wireless for couple years now and no wifi when we leave the dock. We're looking better option especially when taking the boat out. Thanks
It's a home-style router that might work in a boat. See our entry here:
www.rvmobileinternet.com/gear/netgear-orbi/
It would pretty much have the same considerations for mobility discussed in the video. This is now an older model however.
After watching some of your other videos, I finally ordered the Nighthawk M1. So we can also bring it when we're camping and not have to worry about plugging it in. Your video really helps which is which to use on boating & camping. I must say 47' Bayliner looks more beautiful than 4588.
Hello new subscriber Randy here and possibly a new aficionado member. Very interested in that membership.
Just sold my house living in my 35ft class A. I had Orbi mess system with two towers setup for about two, was great. I’ve order weboost destination RV today. Was wondering if I could connect Orbi to the out port on weboost in place of the internal antenna that it comes with? I am not for certain yet but I hear that weboost destination RV is good for about 15ft.
I’ve done some research to find out if Orbi works without a modem. One channel says yes for set up as a Lan, but I’m not techy enough to know if that pertains to me or not.
Also MIA membership, I’m not sure what is offered with that membership. Could you please send me a link.
Thank you in advance.
Unless you have an Orbi with a cellular modem, it's not likely to serve much use for mobile internet. It would just be a Mesh networking LAN system - you'd still need an internet source to distribute.
The RV Destination is just a cellular booster - not a modem.
Thanks for your interest in membership - I'd recommend starting with our free getting started content at www.rvmobileinternet.com/getting-started. There's a link at the top of every page for information on our membership if you decide that is the right path for you for deeper content, guidance, discounts, etc.
only thing I do not like about Orbi wifi Is your house have a lot steel , concrete and bricks then wire and lot more units
Hello! New subscriber. I am going to be moving into a RV and traveling. I work from home but need to connect my work device to my internet with an Ethernet. Would this work for me? As long as I get an ATT SIM card?
It does have Ethernet out.
How long before carriers start blocking this device (IMEI) from their network. T-mobile already blocks the Netgear M1, I suppose it won't be long before they block this device too.
Also, can you disable the router feature and just use it as a modem and then plug in your own router into it? Or can you plug a small network switch into it and send internet to those wired devices?
If you use a legit data / router plan from your carrier, you don't need to worry about them blocking it.
I have a $300 a month AT&T legit plan directly through AT&T and they blocked my IMEI. They've done it twice. They do it every 30 days.
I have a legit Verizon plan and I believe this is what is causing the constant loss of internet/disconnects I mentioned above. I would steer clear of this unit if you have Verizon.
Any update on the review for this?
We our initial testing posted in the member 'Testing In Progress' forum - if you're a member, log in and check it out.
Nice innovations. Would it work when I spend 6 months a year in Mexico? Thanks for the review.
It does support the major cellular bands used in Mexico, so it should work as long as your data plan support usage in Mexico. For more see our guide: www.rvmobileinternet.com/mexico
Great review love it 😊
Any idea if this will work with the new Cricket Wireless 100GB Data Only Hotspot Plan?
We'll be testing that out.
Do you have a recommendation wifi for otr truck drivers?
Here's our getting started guide: www.rvmobileinternet.com/getting-started
Will it work inside of a mobile home?
It'll work anywhere you can receive cell signal.
@@MobileInternetResourceCenter thank you 👍🏼
If we talk about 4g, is this orbi better than the M1?
They are very different types of devices - just depends on your use case. www.rvmobileinternet.com/cellular-devices
@@MobileInternetResourceCenter
Which one is faster and has better download, the m1 or LBR20?
The LBR20 has a Cat-18 modem, the MR1100 has a Cat-16.. so the LRBO has a slight potential for faster speeds.
@@MobileInternetResourceCenter thanks for your answer, I need to choose between the m2 and lbr20, what is your advice?
If you're one of our members, please do post in our member forums with more information on your use case and our team can provide some guidance.
Can you use it for Wi-Fi internet with just a SIM card?
Don't quite understand the question?
Mobile Internet Resource Center I’m asking if you can use it with just the SIM card and not plugging it into a modem
If you mean a landline modem, then yes, it does not require that kind of modem and it can be used with a compatible cellular data plan and sim card.
Can I hook up an orbi mesh system to a netgear nighthawk LTE router
You can use the Nighthawk as an Ethernet WAN input, but it doesn't have mesh networking built in.
Has anyone been able to take the SIM card from the TMO home internet trashcan and get it to work? Seems TMO has the trashcan SIM locked to that device IMEI.
The Home Internet plan is locked to the device.
Can i use my iPhone SIM card in that device?
No, it needs a data device plan.
@@MobileInternetResourceCenter hmmm like an iPad data plan?
No, that's a tablet plan.
Nice !
Do you give out products you talk about to people
When we are done with our evaluation process, we offer them to our members on a 'donation to a cause of their choice' basis.
Who would you use for service provider?
Our current top pick plans: www.rvmobileinternet.com/planpicks
Mobile Internet Resource Center will definitely order from your link when available
We don't have any financial stake in any of this.. we're all member funded. Order from wherever you like :)
Mobile Internet Resource Center do you have a link where to ?
Good information
not available on amazon
Supposed to be Sept 1
I just ordered 3 from netgears website... told me they would be delivered by the 26th.
Please help me this thing is so slow I don't even have 1MB per 2nd I am going crazy my phone works fine works perfect works way better than this thing and they're both US cellular
I'm not sure US Cellular has data plans for these devices (we don't track them). But many things impact cellular data performance: www.rvmobileinternet.com/performance
No matter how good a mobile router is, if there isn't a unlimited LTE service option, what's the point? Sure it's great if you are not a heavy data user. For $400? No, heck no!
Our guide to unlimited options: www.rvmobileinternet.com/unlimited
Want!