The Sonim MegaConnect: A Rugged AT&T / FirstNet X75 Hotspot With Ethernet, Four Antenna Ports, And Compatibility With Other Carriers

Sonim and AT&T are now offering a new 5G hotspot that is very different from the typical carrier-sold hotspot.

The Sonim MegaConnect is a rugged, premium hotspot designed primarily for FirstNet, public safety, field crews, and AT&T Business customers who need connectivity in challenging signal conditions, but it is also available for consumers. 

The MegaConnect comes with features that are rare or not found in other mobile hotspot devices, making this model substantially different in certain respects from more traditional hotspot devices. 

Additionally, it's surprising to see that, unlike most hotspots sold directly by a carrier, it isn't limited to supporting AT&T bands. If unlocked, this could make the MegaConnect a flexible cross-carrier hotspot.

Is this a device worth considering for a mobile internet arsenal? Let’s dig into the details...

MegaConnect First Look Video

Coming Soon

Sonim MegaConnect Specifications

Sonim is best known for rugged phones and enterprise/public-safety devices, and it is a relatively new player in the mobile hotspot market. The MegaConnect still follows Sonim's focus on rugged enterprise/safety devices. This is a large, ruggedized hotspot rather than a slim, pocket-friendly consumer device.

The MegaConnect is substantially larger and heavier than most consumer hotspots, measuring 5.39 x 3.94 x 1.17 inches and weighing 15.8 ounces (almost double the weight of the Netgear M7 Pro). That size allows for a more rugged design, and a large 8,000 mAh removable battery. By comparison, most hotspots use ~5,000 mAh batteries.

Cellular Modem Specifications

The MegaConnect utilizes the Qualcomm X75 modem, which is currently the highest-end modem available in a mobile hotspot. Benefits include 5x carrier aggregation for sub-6 GHz 5G bands - compared to 3x for the X65 and X72. Overall, it is a high-performing modem that should perform well for many years.

The MegaConnect supports the following bands:

• 5G Sub-6 GHz: n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n13, n20, n25, n26, n28, n29, n30, n38, n40, n41, n48, n66, n71, n77, n78
• 5G mmWave: None
• LTE: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, 43, 46, 48, 66, 71

This supports the core 5G and LTE bands for all three major carriers. Once unlocked, the MegaConnect could be a great all-carrier mobile hotspot.

Even nicer is that the Sonim is decent for international support. The MegaConnect has very good support for global LTE bands and only lacks support for a few 5G bands used in some regions.

The MegaConnect also does not support mmWave 5G, which is not surprising and is actually a good thing from a price and power usage perspective. mmWave is not important for the target First Responder audience, nor for most of our audience of RVers, boaters, and mobile users.

mmWave availability is still mostly limited to dense urban cores, airports, stadiums, and other high-traffic venues, and therefore it is rarely a meaningful feature in the places where most nomads actually travel.

MegaRange / HPUE Support

One of MegaConnect’s most interesting features is support for AT&T / FirstNet "MegaRange".

MegaRange is AT&T’s branding for HPUE (High Power User Equipment). Standard hotspots can transmit at up to 0.2W on cellular, but MegaRange devices can transmit at up to 1.25W on Band 14. That higher uplink power can help in weak-signal situations where the limiting factor is the hotspot’s ability to transmit back to the tower.

Band 14 is the cellular band dedicated to FirstNet, the public safety cellular network, so the FCC allows higher transmit power on this band. Fortunately, Band 14 is available to any AT&T customer for regular use until an emergency, after which FirstNet users get exclusive access to the band during the emergency.

The fine print does make clear that HPUE is only used on Band 14 and only with an AT&T or FirstNet plan.

This higher transmit power is part of why the MegaConnect has such a large battery, since HPUE requires much more power. 

Wi-Fi And LAN Options

Some public materials list the device as supporting either Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 7, however, a Sonim representative confirmed to us that it is a Wi-Fi 6 device.

The MegaConnect advertises support for up to 64 devices, which is double that of most other hotspots, such as the Netgear M7 Pro.

The hotspot also comes with a 2.5Gbps Ethernet port, allowing it to be wired directly to a laptop or router. 

As with most hotspots, it includes a USB-C (USB 3.1 Gen 2) port for power and tethering.

External Antenna Ports

The MegaConnect has the most unusual antenna port layout we have seen in a mobile hotspot, with four TS-9 ports.

But the four ports do not support 4x4 MIMO external antennas.

The MegaConnect's four TS-9 ports have dedicated roles:

• Two cellular antenna ports for 2x2 MIMO, like many other hotspot devices with 2x antenna ports.
• One port is a dedicated HPUE / high-power Band 14 transmit port. This is best used with a dedicated antenna optimized for Band 14.
• One is a GPS antenna port - this is intended to give the device reliable GPS location even in difficult terrain like dense forests and canyons.

The two cellular antenna ports support a 2x2 MIMO antenna, similar to other hotspots with two antenna ports.

But dedicated antennas are required to use the other two ports, and the TS-9 port is rarely seen on GPS antennas, for example, so an adapter may be necessary.

However, there are two antenna systems designed specifically for this device, each supporting the roles for all four antenna ports:

• Panorama Range Xtender desk/window antenna (Currently only available from FirstNet, pricing not yet available)
• Parsec MegaReach dock with integrated antennas ($299)

The Parsec dock is more than an antenna system - it's a ruggedized dock-style unit that includes active cooling for the hotspot. The Panorama option appears to be a simpler desk or window-mounted antenna based on the limited information currently available.

Neither of these dedicated antennas is available directly from AT&T for consumer or business accounts, but they are available to FirstNet customers. Additionally, the Parsec is available from some third-party vendors.

But a typical mobile hotspot user probably doesn't need a specialized antenna, and a standard 2x2 MIMO antenna should work fine for general use.

Battery

The MegaConnect has a removable 8,000 mAh battery, but it can also run without the battery installed when powered by the included charger. This is important for users who run hotspots continuously, since keeping batteries constantly charged can contribute to heat, swelling, and long-term battery wear.

Sonim also supports battery conservation modes for extended plugged-in operation.

One important thing to note is that even with the large 8,000 mAh battery, run-time can vary considerably depending on how it's used. Sonim's documentation states that the runtime is 12 hours with normal use, but only 3 hours with heavy use when HPUE is enabled.

Availability, Plans, And Pricing

The Sonim MegaConnect is available through AT&T Consumer, AT&T Business, and FirstNet for $509.99.

This is on the higher end of mobile hotspot pricing - $60 more than the Netgear M7 Pro, AT&T's other flagship hotspot, and twice the price of other hotspots with good performance and a somewhat more limited feature set, like the Inseego Mifi Pro M4.

For data plans, the MegaConnect can be purchased with a data plan depending on the account type. Prices include any autopay discounts:

Consumer Plans

• DataConnect 50 GB - $55/month 
• DataConnect 100 GB - $90/month

Business Plans

• Wireless Broadband Standard - $70/month (Unlimited, deprioritized data throttled to 25 Mbps)
• Wireless Broadband Advanced - $80/month (Unlimited, deprioritized data throttled to 50Mbps)
• Wireless Broadband Premium - $100/month (Unlimited, deprioritized data throttled to 100 Mbps)

FirstNet-eligible customers have access to FirstNet-specific plan options, including unlimited data plans, depending on the public safety entity they are associated with.

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Concluding Thoughts

The Sonim MegaConnect is one of the more unusual mobile hotspots to come along in a while. This new innovation in this market is something we covered in our recent Mobile Hotspot Industry Update. We covered the MegaConnect there when it was a FirstNet-exclusive device, and we are happy and a bit surprised to see that availability has now expanded to AT&T consumer and business customers.

It is not the most advanced hotspot in every category. The Netgear M7 Pro and Gl.iNet Mudi 7, for example, have better Wi-Fi, and lower-cost hotspots like the Inseego MiFi Pro M4 are much easier to justify in terms of value for those only needing a basic carrier-specific hotspot.

The MegaConnect is also larger and heavier than most other hotspot on the market.

But the MegaConnect offers features not found elsewhere, such as support for HPUE/MegaRange and a unique antenna layout. The rugged design, 2.5 Gbps Ethernet, no-battery operation, and multi-carrier, global cellular band support make it an attractive option for general use.

We do plan to test the MegaConnect, so stay tuned for more on our evaluation of this mobile hotspot.

 

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