AT&T Rolls Out New Firmware Verison NTG9X50C_12.06.39.00_ATT_06.14 The Netgear MR1100 Nighthawk

A new firmware build for AT&T versions of Netgear's popular MR1100 Nighthawk mobile hotspot device was rolled out to customers in early July 2021, although the firmware is dated June 8th, 2021.

The patch notes only list two minor changes:

"Insight Mobile Device Management (MDM) manager and On-device data usage feature removal"

Removal of the Insight MDM feature will not impact consumers as the Insight MDM was a business device-management tool. It's not clear at press time what the removal of the "on-device data usage feature" means.  In our own testing with the new firmware, the home screen still shows estimated device data usage.

The previous firmware for this device was released on February 28th, 2021, and contained more significant changes for consumers.

The Netgear Nighthawk Device

The Netgear Nighthawk became AT&T's flagship mobile hotspot when it was announced in October 2017. Though it first came out in 2017, the Nighthawk remains a top pick option for AT&T's network.  

We have tested the device copiously, and have found its raw capabilities to be very well suited towards making the most of LTE networks, even as 5G has arrived.

We have a full gear center detailing the specs of the Netgear Nighthawk, here:

Netgear Nighthawk Gear Center

What is a firmware update?

The devices we use today inevitably become outdated with the advent of newer technologies - sometimes rather quickly.

To cope with this advancement in technology, device manufacturers and/or the companies currently supporting the device update the device's firmware to utilize new technologies. They also use firmware updates to remedy glitches or bugs that have been noted after a device has been released to the public.

Firmware is at its core, a set of instructions needed for a device to perform the tasks that it was built for. In simpler words, it is the programming that is responsible to run the machine. Firmware is used to execute the functions of the hardware.