LTE advanced mobile hotspots are needed to support faster internet speeds. Huawei E5786 and Netgear Aircard 790s are both LTE Cat.6 routers, even they are available for few years in the market, some people still do not know what's the difference between Huawei E5786 and Netgear AC790S. When they want to buy an LTE WiFi router, they can ask which one is better. AC790 and Huawei E5786 to see what the key difference is.
Huawei E5786 had been available in the market for more than three years. It has a small LCD screen to show the internet connection status. The power button is at the side of the screen. On the top side, there is a menu button while on the opposite side, the USB 2.0 and two connectors are located. The back cover could be opened but the battery is built-in and can’t be removable. The SIM card slot and SD card slot are at the side with Menu button.
The Netgear Aircard 790s router also has a 2.4-inch screen but it’s a touchscreen where a user can do the simple setting. Of course, users can also see the connection status through the screen. At the side of the screen, there are “Home” and “Back” buttons. The power button is on the top edge side while the USB 3.0 and two connectors for external antennas are located at the other side. The back cover could be opened but the Netgear Aircard 790s battery could be removed for exchange. They both use Micro SIM card size.
From the appearance, the Netgear Aircard 790 seems to be better than Huawei E5786 unlocked, not only on the touchscreen but also the removable battery. Then let’s have a look at the details about Netgear Aircard 790s specs and Huawei E5786 specs comparison in the table below:
| Model | Huawei E5786 | Netgear Aircard 790s |
| Product type | LTE Mobile Hotspot | LTE Mobile Hotspot |
| Category | LTE Cat.6 | LTE Cat.6 |
| Chipset | HiSilicon LTE Cat6 Chipset | Qualcomm MDM9230 |
| Data rates | DL 300Mbps/UL 50Mbps | DL 300Mbps/UL 50Mbps |
| Supported 4G LTE frequency bands |
* Huawei E5786s-32a: Band 1/3/5/7/8/20/38 * Huawei E5786s-62a: Band 1/3/8/28 * Huawei E5786s-63a: Band 1/3/7/8/28/40 |
B1, B3, B7, B8, B28 |
| WLAN | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 2.4GHz & 5GHz | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 2.4GHz & 5GHz |
| Max support users | 10 users | 15 users |
| MIMO | 2 X 2 MIMO | 2 x 2 MIMO |
| Connector for external antenna | Two, TS-9 jacks | Two, TS-9 jacks |
| Buy Antenna | Huawei E5786 external Antenna | Netgear AC790s External Antenna |
| App management | Huawei Hilink APP | Netgear Aircard APP |
| SIM type | Micro SIM | Micro SIM |
| Battery | 3000mAh | Removable, 2930 mAh |
| Dimensions | 106 x 66 x 15.90mm | 110 x 68 x 15 mm |
| Ethernet Port | No | No |
| Datasheet download | Huawei E5786 Datasheet | Netgear AC790S Datasheet |
| User Manual | Huawei E5786 Manual | Netgear Aircard 790s manual |
| Other features | 2 band CA | 2 band CA |
| Reviews | Huawei E5786 Review | Netgear Aircard 790s review |
| Price | 199.00USD | 229.00USD |
Summary
From the specs table, we can see the Netgear AC790S has similar specifications as Huawei E5786. They are both LTE Category 6 mobile WiFi hotspot supporting peak download speed up to 300Mbps and upload speed to 50mbps. But Aircard 790s supports maximum users up to 15 devices while Huawei E5786 support max to 10 users. The feature of the touchscreen and removable battery of Netgear Aircard 790s should be the key difference between Aircard 790s and Huawei E5786. So in our opinion, the Netgear Aircard 790s would provide a better user experience than Huawei E5786.
The advantage of Huawei E5786 LTE frequency bands and provides more options for users for various network providers. One point we have to mention that the Netgear Aircard 790s is a little bit expensive than that of Huawei E5786. If you would buy Netgear Aircard 790s or Huawei E5786 mobile hotspot, you should take care of these features.
With the development of LTE wireless technologies, more and more networks are evolving from LTE advanced to LTE advanced Pro. LTE Advanced Pro (LTE-A Pro, also known as 4.5G, 4.5G Pro, 4.9G, Pre-5G, 5G Project, and so on) is a marker of the 3GPP release 13 and 14, which is a natural evolution of Long Term Evolution (LTE) with speed up to Gbit/s level, which incorporated numerous new technologies that would be used in 5G standard, including 256QAM, Massive MIMO, LTE-Unlicensed, LTE IoT, and others to progressively evolve existing networks into 5G standard.
LTE-A Pro aims to significantly increase the data speeds and bandwidth available for mobile communications. It will also bring a much wider range of connected devices and platforms under a single standard. LTE-A Pro seeks to improve and optimize the capacity, performance, functionality and efficiency of LTE-A, as well as to further reduce latency, to provide a better user experience. It will also enhance the LTE platform for the delivery of new services to new markets as we move towards IoT with 5G. The key attributes that will define LTE-Advanced Pro are: > Data speeds in excess of 3Gbps (LTE-A: 1Gbps) > 640MHz of carrier bandwidth (LTE-A: 100MHz) > Latency: 2ms (LTE-A: 10ms) Since very few LTE Advanced pro devices are available in the market, the LTE vendors are already presenting their LTE advanced Pro modules to the public and below the five LTE advanced Pro modules are recommended if your terminals are demanding high-speed internet access:
Specs Highlights:
* World's first mPCIe form factor to support LTE cat.18
* Support global 23 LTE Frequency bands
* LTE peak download speed up to 1Gbps
* Dual SIM Single Standby
* Full GNSS support: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou
* Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon X20 modem
* Linux and Windows driver support
* 4 x 4 MIMO and 256 QAM
* 5x Carrier Aggregation for increased data rates
Check more details about Telit LM960 Specs, price, drivers, and buy Telit LM960 module here: https://www.4gltemall.com/telit-lm960-4g-lte-cat18-pcie-module.html
Specs Highlights:
* LTE Advanced Pro Cat.12 Module
* Chipset/Processor: Qualcomm MDM9250
* DL to 600Mbps/UL to 150Mbps
* Supporting 24 worldwide LTE bands, including LTE-LAA and CBRS
* Satellite Systems: Galileo, Glonass, GPS, Beidou
* Planned Carrier AT&T, DoCoMo, Telstra, Verizon, Vodafone
* Regulatory: CE, FCC, GCF, IC, NCC, PTCRB
Check more details about Sierra AirPrime EM7565 Specs, price, drivers, and buy AirPrime EM7565 module here: https://www.4gltemall.com/sierra-wireless-airprime-em7565.html
Specs Highlights:
* Very similar to AirPrime EM7565
* LTE Advanced Pro Cat.12 Module
* Form factor: M.2
* Chipset/Platform: Qualcomm
* DL to 600Mbps/UL to 150Mbps
* Supporting 24 worldwide LTE bands, including LTE-LAA and CBRS
* Control Options: APIs, AT Commands
* Firmware over-the-air (FOTA)
* GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, and Galileo satellite systems supported
Check more details about Sierra AirPrime EM7511 Specs, price, drivers, and buy AirPrime EM7511 module here: https://www.4gltemall.com/sierra-wireless-airprime-em7511.html
Specs Highlights:
* Category: LTE Cat.11 Module
* Form Factor: PCI Express Mini Card Type (mPCIe)
* Chipset: Qualcomm MDM9240
* LTE data rates: DL 600Mbps(w/3x CA DL, 256QAM) and UL 75Mbps
* Full GNSS support: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou
* Carrier Approvals: AT&T, Sprint, Verizon
Check more details about Telit LM940 Specs, price, drivers, and buy Telit LM940 module here: https://www.4gltemall.com/telit-lm940-lte-cat-11-gps-pcie-module.html
Specs Highlights:
* Two variant models: Telit LN940A9 and LN940A11
* 42mm M.2 (NGFF) single-sided data card
* LTE Category 11 LTE DL 600Mbps UL50Mbps
* LTE Category 9 LTE DL 450Mbps UL50Mbps
* HSPA+ Rel. 8: DL/UL up to 42/11.5 Mbps
* Quad-constellation integrated GNSS
* Linux and Windows driver support
* Carrier Aggregation, 2 x 2 MIMO and 256 QAM
Check more details about Telit LN940 Specs, price, drivers, and buy Telit LN940 module here: https://www.4gltemall.com/telit-ln940-lte-cat9-11-m-2-data-card.html
Sierra Wireless AirPrime LTE Cellular Modules
Wireless Provides Series Sierra Of AirPrime LTE Module For M2M Wireless Connectivity For Worldwide Use And Various Network. And The Sierra Wireless AirPrime Modules Are Divided Into AirPrime EM Series, MC Series, HL Series And WP Series.
The Sierra AirPrime EM / MC Series LTE Advanced and carrier computing solutions. LTE Advanced and carrier aggregation technology, AirPrime EM / MC Series embedded cellular modules could deliver high speed connectivity based on PCI Express M.2 standard with USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 Gold Standard PCI Express Mini Card Interfaces with a USB 2.0 interface. The Sierra EM / MC series 4G embedded modules offer an easy upgrade to new technologies and global access to high-speed networks.
The Sierra AirPrime® HL Series 4G LTE modules are the smallest, scalable, flexible solution in a compact and easy-to-integrate form factor that is completely interchangeable among 2G, 3G, and 4G technologies. Compact form factor, network scalability, and ready -to-use firmware upgrades make these LTE wireless modules ideal for industrial M2M solution designs where size and size are important considerations.
Wireless® AirPrime® WP Sierra Series 4G Mobile Modules Provide An Integrated Device-To-Cloud Architecture Enabling IoT Developers To Build A Linux-Based Product On A Single Module And Seamlessly Send Valuable User And Product Data To The Cloud. Offering An Application Processor Running The open source Legato® platform, GNSS receiver, and LTE cellular modem with an ultra low power domain, AirPrime WP LTE series embedded modules reduce system complexity and get you to market faster, which makes the modules ideal for remote solar or battery-powered applications, because of WP Series integrated power management feature can reduce power consumption by 200x compared to previous modules, enabling new use cases for cellular.
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Sierra Wireless AirPrime EM Series, MC Series, HL Series, WP Series Module List
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Model
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Category | Form Factor |
LTE Frequency Bands
|
Peak Speed
|
Target Region
|
Price
|
Specs
|
| Sierra AirPrime EM 7565 | LTE Cat. 12 | M.2 | B 48 *, B 48 *, B 48 *, B 46 *, B 48 *, B 43 *, B 46 *, B 48 *, B 43, B 43, B66 | DL 600 Mbps / UL 150 Mbps | Global (Planned: AT & T, Verizon, docomo, Telstra, Vodafone, Softbank, KDDI, Sprint) | $ 379.00 | EM 7565 Specs |
| Sierra AirPrime EM 7511 | LTE Cat. 12 | M.2 | B 48, B 66, B 46, B 48, B 66, B 42, B 46, B 48, B 66, B 30, B 32, B 29, B 30, B 32, B 42, B 42, B 46, B 48, B 66 | DL 600 Mbps / UL 150 Mbps | Americas (Planned: AT & T, Verizon) | $ 399.00 | EM 7511 Specs |
| Sierra AirPrime EM 7455 | LTE Cat.6 | M.2 | LTE-A: B1-B5, B7, B8, B12, B13, B20, B25, B26, B29, B30, B41 | DL 300 Mbps / UL 50 Mbps | Americas / EMEA (AT & T, Bell, Rogers, Sprint, TELUS, US Cellular, Verizon, Vodafone) | $ 199.00 | EM 7455 Specs |
| Sierra AirPrime EM7430 | LTE Cat.6 | M.2 | LTE-A: B1, B3, B5, B7, B8, B18, B19, B21, B28, B38-B41 | DL 300Mbps / UL 50Mbps | APAC (docomo, Telstra, KDDI, Softbank) | $ 229.00 | EM7430 Specs |
| Sierra AirPrime EM7445 | LTE Cat.6 | M.2 | LTE-A: B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B7, B8, B13, B17, B18, B19, B20, B25, B26, B29, B30, B38, B41 | DL 300Mbps / UL 50Mbps | Americas (Planned: AT & T, Verizon, Sprint) | $ 159.00 | EM7445 Specs |
| Sierra AirPrime EM7440 | LTE Cat.6 | M.2 | LTE-A: B1, B2, B3, B5, B7, B8, B11, B18, B19, B20, B21, B25, B26, B28, B38, B39, B40, B41 | DL 300Mbps / UL 50Mbps | EMEA / Australia (Orange, Telefonica, Telstra, Vodafone) | $ 199.00 | EM7440 Specs |
| Sierra AirPrime EM7305 | LTE Cat.3 | M.2 | LTE: B1, B3, B7, B8, B20 | DL 100Mbps / UL 50Mbps | EMEA / Australia (Orange, Telefonica, Telstra, Vodafone) | $ 159.00 | EM7305 Specs |
| Sierra AirPrime EM7355 | LTE Cat.3 | M.2 | LTE: B2, B4, B5, B13, B17, B25 | DL 100Mbps / UL 50Mbps | Americas (AT & T, Bell, Rogers, Sprint, Telus, T-Mobile, Verizon) | $ 159.00 | EM7355 Specs |
| Sierra AirPrime EM7345 | LTE Cat.3 | M.2 | B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B7, B8, B13, B17, B18, B19, B20 | DL 100Mbps / UL 50Mbps | Americas (Planned: AT & T, Verizon) | $ 189.00 | EM7345 Specs |
| Sierra AirPrime EM7340 | LTE Cat.3 | M.2 | B1, B3, B8, B9, B18, B19, B21, B26 | DL 100Mbps/UL 50Mbps | APAC (docomo, KDDI) | $239.00 | EM7340 Specs |
| Sierra AirPrime EM7330 | LTE Cat.3 | M.2 | B1, B19, B21 | DL 100Mbps/UL 50Mbps | EMEA/Australia (Telstra, Vodafone) | $259.00 | EM7330 Specs |
| Sierra AirPrime EM7700 | LTE Cat.3 | M.2 | B4, B17 | DL 100Mbps/UL 50Mbps | Americas (AT&T) | $129.00 | EM7700 Specs |
| Sierra AirPrime MC7700 | LTE Cat.3 | PCIe M.2 | B4, B17 | DL 100Mbps/UL 50Mbps | Americas (AT&T, NTT Docomo, Bell, Telus, Roger) |
$149.00 | MC7700 Specs |
| Sierra AirPrime MC7304 | LTE Cat.3 | PCIe M.2 | B1, B3, B7, B8, B20 | DL 100Mbps/UL 50Mbps | EMEA/Australia (Telstra, Vodafone) | $189.00 | MC7304 Specs |
| Sierra AirPrime MC7305 | LTE Cat.3 | PCIe M.2 | B1, B3, B7, B8, B20 | DL 100Mbps/UL 50Mbps | EMEA/Australia (Telstra, Vodafone) | $199.00 | MC7305 Specs |
| Sierra AirPrime MC7330 | LTE Cat.3 | PCIe M.2 | B1, B19, B21 | DL 100Mbps/UL 50Mbps | APAC (docomo, KDDI) | $189.00 | MC7330 Specs |
| Sierra AirPrime MC7355 | LTE Cat.3 | PCIe M.2 | B2, B4, B5, B13, B17, B25 | DL 100Mbps/UL 50Mbps | Americas (AT&T, Bell, Rogers, Sprint, Telus, T-Mobile, Verizon) | $159.00 | MC7355 Specs |
| Sierra AirPrime MC7350 | LTE Cat.3 | PCIe M.2 | B4, B13, B25 | DL 100Mbps/UL 50Mbps | Americas (Sprint, Verizon) | $229.00 | MC7350 Specs |
| Sierra AirPrime MC7350L | LTE Cat.3 | PCIe M.2 | B4, B13 | DL 100Mbps/UL 50Mbps | $279.00 | MC7350L Specs | |
| Sierra AirPrime MC7354 | LTE Cat.3 | PCIe M.2 | B2, B4, B5, B13, B17, B25 | DL 100Mbps/UL 50Mbps | Americas (AT&T, Bell, Rogers, Sprint, Telus, T-Mobile, Verizon) | $239.00 | MC7354 Specs |
| Sierra AirPrime MC7430 | LTE Cat.6 | PCIe M.2 | LTE-A: B1, B3, B5, B7, B8, B18, B19, B21, B28, B38-B41 | DL 300Mbps/UL 50Mbps | APAC (docomo, Telstra, KDDI, Softbank) | $229.00 | MC7430 Specs |
| Sierra AirPrime MC7455 | LTE Cat.6 | PCIe M.2 | LTE-A: B1-B5, B7, B8, B12, B13, B20, B25, B26, B29, B30, B41 | DL 300Mbps/UL 50Mbps | Americas/EMEA (AT&T, Bell, Rogers, Sprint, Telus, US Cellular, Verizon, Vodafone) | $249.00 | MC7455 Specs |
| Sierra AirPrime MC7710 | LTE Cat.3 | PCIe M.2 | B1, B3, B7, B8, B20 | DL 100Mbps/UL 50Mbps | EMEA/Australia (Telstra, Vodafone) | $129.00 | MC7710 Specs |
| Sierra AirPrime MC7750 | LTE Cat.3 | PCIe M.2 | B13 | DL 100Mbps/UL 50Mbps | Verizon | $129.00 | MC7750 Specs |
| Sierra AirPrime WP7700 | LTE Cat-M1/NB1 | LGA | B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B8, B12, B13, B17, B18, B19, B20, B26, B28 | Cat-M1: DL 300kbps/UL 375Mbps Cat-NB: DL 27kbps/UL 65Kbps |
Global (Planned: AT&T, Verizon, LGU+) | $149.00 | WP7700 Specs |
| Sierra AirPrime WP7702 | LTE Cat-M1/NB1 | LGA | B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B8, B12, B13, B17, B18, B19, B20, B26, B28 | Cat-M1: DL 300kbps/UL 375Kbps Cat-NB: DL 27kbps/UL 65Kbps |
Global (Planned: AT&T, Verizon, LGU+) | $149.00 | WP7702 Specs |
Sourcing from https://www.4gltemall.com/m2m-lte-module/sierra-wireless-airprime-module.html
As the top network provider in the USA, AT&T had presented much 4G mobile broadband for wireless LTE network connection. They are very popular with the end-users. However, for those who are unfamiliar with the 4G LTE Wireless routers, they may have trouble to select the best LTE router for themselves. The AT&T Unite Explore and Nighthawk M1 are the two most popular LTE mobile hotspots. Someone may ask: what’s the difference between the AT&T Unite Explore and Nighthawk M1? Which one is better? We will review the features and specs of the two mobile hotspots. You may get the answer from this article.
Netgear AC815S VS Nighthawk M1 MR1100 Appearance and Interfaces
The AT&T Unite Explore comes from the manufacturer Netgear and the model number is Netgear Aircard 815s. The AT&T Nighthawk M1 also comes from the Netgear. The Aircard 815s AT&T was available in the market much earlier than the latest AT&T Nighthawk M1. If you had read some promotion post from AT&T, you may know the Aircard 815s is the world’s first rugged mobile hotspot, which is waterproof and dust-proof. Like other Netgear WiFi hotspot AT&T, Netgear Aircard 815s has a touch screen on the front and two buttons (Home and Back) at the side of the screen. The Nighthawk M1 is different this time, it has a round screen, but not touch screen. The power status and signal status are indicated by the LED indicators around the screen.
The AT&T Unite Explore logo is at the left side of the screen. Two connectors for external antennas are available at the edge side of the body. The Nighthawk M1 also has two connectors for external antennas, and they have the same connector type TS-9. The battery of Aircard 815s and Nighthawk M1 could be removed for exchange and they both use Micro SIM card size. They both have a USB3.0 interface. The unique feature of Netgear M1 is that it also has on Ethernet port for LAN and USB type-A for output. This feature should be highlighted because there are very few 4G mobile router with Ethernet port in the market.
ATT Unite Explore vs Nighthawk M1 Specs
From the appearance and interfaces, we can see the two AT&T 4G mobile hotspots are very different. The ATT Unite Explore special feature is the rugged design with a touchscreen. The Netgear Nighthawk M1 AT&T seems more powerful with Ethernet port and more interfaces. However, the Nighthawk M1 doesn’t configure a touchscreen. Let’s have a check the full specs of AT&T unite explore and Nighthawk M1.
| Model | Netgear Aircard 815s | Netgear Nighthawk M1 |
| Product type | LTE Mobile Hotspot | LTE Mobile Hotspot |
| Category | LTE Cat.9 | LTE Cat.16 |
| Chipset | Qualcomm MDM9240 | Qualcomm MDM9x50 |
| Data rates | DL 450Mbps/UL 100Mbps | DL 1Gbps/UL 100Mbps |
| Supported 4G LTE frequency bands | B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B7, B12, B17, B29, B30 | -- Telstra Nighthawk: Band 1/3/7/8/28 -- AT&T Nighthawk: Band 1/2/3/4/5/7/12/29/30/66 |
| WLAN | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 2.4GHz & 5GHz | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 2.4GHz & 5GHz |
| Max support users | 15 users | 20 users |
| MIMO | 2 x 2 MIMO | 4 X 4 MIMO |
| Connector for external antenna | Two, TS-9 jacks | Two, TS-9 jacks |
| Buy Antenna | AT&T Unite Explore Antenna | AT&T Nighthawk M1 Antenna |
| App management | Netgear Aircard APP | Netgear Aircard APP |
| SIM type | Micro SIM | Micro SIM |
| Battery | 4340 mAh | 5040 mAh |
| Dimensions | 112 x 68.6 x 15.45mm | 105.5 x 105.5 x 20.35 mm |
| Ethernet Port | No | One Ethernet Port |
| Datasheet download | AT&T Aircard 815s Datasheet | AT&T Nighthawk M1 Datasheet |
| User Manual | AT&T Unite Explore Manual | AT&T Nighthawk M1 Manual |
| Other features | 3 band CA | 4 band CA |
| Reviews | AT&T unite explore review | Netgear Nighthawk M1 AT&T Review |
| Price | 349.00USD | 459.00USD |
Summary
From the table, we can see the Nighthawk M1 AT&T is more advanced with the support of LTE Category 16, which could achieve download speed to 1Gigabit/s. The AT&T Aircard 815s is an LTE Cat.9 hotspot supporting download speed up to 450Mbps. The AT&T Nighthawk supports more WiFi users up to 20 users while Aircard 815 supports 15 users. The Nighthawk M1 and AT&T Unite explore supports similar LTE frequency bands for ATT. However, the Nighthawk M1 has a variant model for Australian network provider Telstra, which works on difference LTE frequency bands.
What’s more, the Nighthawk M1 supports more LTE advanced Pro network technology such as 4 x 4 MIMO and 4 band carrier aggregation, which make the high-speed downlink possible. Since both of the AT&T mobile hotspots has the JumpBoost feature, which makes the Netgear hotspot work like a power bank to charge other devices. The Aircard 815 has a battery of 4340mAh capacity while the Nighthawk M1 has a battery of 5040mAh. So the AT&T Nighthawk M1 is more powerful than the AT&T Unite Explore in almost all the aspects, which means the Nighthawk M1 price would be much higher than the older model Aircard 815s. If you are a price-sensitive buyer, the Netgear Aircard 815s seems good enough, but if you want a future-proof pocket hotspot, the Nighthawk M1 is no doubt the best one. By the way, there are unlocked AT&T Unite Explore and Unlocked Nighthawk M1 AT&T available on www.4gltemall.com online store. You can buy unlocked ones for global use.
Netgear 4G Aircard provides a series of 4G Mobile WiFi Hotspots for worldwide network providers and more and more new LTE advanced Pro hotspots will be available as time goes. Netgear AC815 was introduced to the product range for US network provider AT&T and gets a new name AT&T Unite Explore. It’s available around two years earlier than the latest Netgear AC800, which was introduced to the Australian market for the network provider Optus and got a new name Optus 4G WiFi modem 800s. Somebody may ask: what’s the difference between Netgear AC815S and AC800S? Which one is better between AT&T Unite Explore and Optus AC800S? In this article, you may find the answer.
Netgear AC800S VS AC815S Appearance and Interfaces
Someone may be unfamiliar with the Netgear AC815s, but if you get it in hand, you will be attracted by its special design. As the world’s first rugged 4G mobile hotspot, the AT&T Unite Explore 815s is the best mobile router for outdoor use. Of course, it’s also good to use for indoor use. Like the predecessor Aircard 810s, the touchscreen is in the middle of the front body with the ATT logo on the left side, and home & back buttons are at the right side of the screen. The Optus AC800S also has the similar feature, on the front, the home button and back button are on the right side. The Optus logo is at the corner.
Like other Netgear LTE Hotspots, the AT&T Unite Explore(815s) and Optus 4G WiFi modem(800s) both have two connectors for external LTE antenna, which is in TS-9 type and at the same position of the body. Between the two connectors, they both have the standard USB 3.0 interface. The back cover and battery of the two Netgear hotspots could be removed and the SIM card slot is below the battery. They both use Micro SIM card size, but no slot of Micro SD card for data sharing.
AT&T Unite Explore VS Optus 4G WiFi Modem Specifications
From the appearance, we can’t see the real difference between the two routers, except the special rugged design of Aircard 815S. To know more, we have to check the AT&T Unite Explore Specs and Optus AC800S Specs. In the table below, we list the specs and features for reference:
| Model | Netgear Aircard 815s | Netgear Aircard 800S |
| Product type | LTE Mobile Hotspot | LTE Mobile Hotspot |
| Category | LTE Cat.9 | LTE Cat.9 |
| Chipset | Qualcomm MDM9240 | Qualcomm MDM9240 |
| Data rates | DL 450Mbps/UL 100Mbps | DL 450Mbps/UL 50Mbps |
| Supported 4G LTE frequency bands | B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B7, B12, B17, B29, B30 | B1, B3, B7, B28, B40 |
| WLAN | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 2.4GHz & 5GHz | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 2.4GHz & 5GHz |
| Max support users | 15 users | 15 users |
| MIMO | 2 x 2 MIMO | 2 x 2 MIMO |
| Connector for external antenna | Two, TS-9 jacks | Two, TS-9 jacks |
| Buy Antenna | AT&T Unite Explore Antenna | Aircard 800s External Antenna |
| App management | Netgear Aircard APP | Netgear Aircard APP |
| SIM type | Micro SIM | Micro SIM |
| Battery | 4340 mAh | 2930 mAh |
| Dimensions | 113.5 x 71 x 20 mm | 110 x 68 x 16.1 mm |
| Ethernet Port | No | No |
| Datasheet download | Netgear AC815S Datasheet | Netgear AC800S Datasheet |
| User Manual | AT&T Unite Explore Manual | Optus 4G modem 800S Manual |
| Other features | 3 band CA | 3 band CA |
| Reviews | AT&T unite explore review | Netgear Aircard 800s review |
| Price | 349.00USD | 199.00USD |
Summary
From the specs table, we can see the AT&T Unite Explore 815S and Optus 4G WiFi modem 800s are both LTE Cat.9 mobile hotspot which could support peak download speed to 450Mbps. With same Qualcomm chipset, they could both support maximum WiFi-enabled devices up to 15 users. The main difference is that they are presented for different network providers, so the supported LTE frequency bands are different. The unlocked Aircard 815s is mainly for American areas while the unlocked Aircard 800s is mainly for Australia, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. And the rugged Aircard 815s has a more powerful battery, much larger than Aircard 800s. So if you would buy the Netgear AC815s or AC800S, firstly, you would check whether the device is compatible with your provider’s network; if they are OK for your SIM card, then you need check which one you prefer. For outdoor use, the Aircard 815 seems better, but if you care about the price, the Netgear AC800S would be also good to consider.