NETGEAR Mobile vs EXPLORER Connect
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
NETGEAR Mobile
Manage your NETGEAR mobile hotspot from your phone. Track data usage, monitor connection status and battery life, and control hotspot settings. Stream media directly from supported models.
- Track data usage
- Monitor connection and battery life
- View connected Wi-Fi devices
- Control hotspot power
- Configure APN settings
- Stream media (M1 Nighthawk only)
Read full descriptionHide full description
The NETGEAR Mobile App (formerly NETGEAR AirCard) is the official app for managing your NETGEAR Mobile Hotspots. View your connection, settings, and data usage from the convenience of the mobile app. *TRACK DATA usage *STREAM and VIEW media off your hotspot (M1 Nighthawk only) *MONITOR your mobile hotspot connection and battery life in real-time *VIEW CONNECTED Wi-Fi devices *TURN OFF or REBOOT your hotspot *CONFIGURE APN settings *VIEW & COMPOSE SMS Messages (applicable models only) Works with the following mobile hotspots designed by NETGEAR: * Nighthawk M6 Mobile Router * Nighthawk M5 Mobile Router * Nighthawk M1 Mobile Router * AT&T Unite / Unite Pro / Unite Express / Unite Explore * AT&T Mobile Hotspot Elevate 4G * Telstra Wi-Fi 4G Advanced I & II * Telstra Ultimate® Mobile Wi-Fi * Telstra Mobile Wi-Fi 4G * BigPond Mobile Wi-Fi 4G Advanced I & II * BigPond Ultimate® Mobile Wi-Fi * Verizon Jetpack 4G LTE * NETGEAR AirCard 815S/810S/791L/790S/785S/782S/779S/771S/770S/763S/762S/754S The following products are *NOT* supported by this app: * NETGEAR Desktop Routers (use NETGEAR Genie) * Sprint W801 / 802S Mobile Hotspots * USB Modems / PC Cards / ExpressCards NETGEAR Mobile App is supported by NETGEAR. If you experience any issues, please contact us at aircardapp_support@netgear.com, as we are unable respond or open tickets based on reviews.
EXPLORER Connect
Manage and operate EXPLORER BGAN terminals with ease. This application allows you to monitor terminal status, configure settings, and even use your smartphone as a satellite phone for making and receiving calls.
- Satellite phone capability
- Terminal status dashboard
- Configuration settings
- Terminal pointing assistance
- SIP phone settings
Read full descriptionHide full description
EXPLORER CONNECT simplifies management and usage of EXPLORER 510, 710, and 323 terminals. Via the Connect app, it is possible to monitor and configure the terminals. A satellite phone capability is part of the app that enables making and receiving calls using a smart phone connected to an EXPLORER satellite terminal. The EXPLORER Connect main menu includes: - Satellite phone - Use your smart phone as a satellite phone to make and receive calls with EXPLORER BGAN terminals*. - Dashboard - Overview of terminal status. - Settings - extended menu with access to phone settings (SIP), terminal pointing assistance, terminal webpage, and About page. *Note: For use of Satellite Phone, the phone/tablet must support IP Telephony (SIP).
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: EXPLORER Connect at 5.0 against NETGEAR Mobile's 3.6. NETGEAR Mobile's advantage is review sentiment (38% vs 0%) and ratings volume (1.8K vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
EXPLORER Connect holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NETGEAR Mobile has 1.8K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 38% of NETGEAR Mobile's written reviews are positive against 0% of EXPLORER Connect's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
NETGEAR Mobile ships an update every 2 months, EXPLORER Connect every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NETGEAR Mobile | EXPLORER Connect |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.6 (1.8K ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 38.2% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.8K — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 10 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 31 MB | 26 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | NETGEAR | Thrane & Thrane AS |
Customer experience
NETGEAR Mobile
EXPLORER Connect
Bugs and requests
NETGEAR Mobile
Reported bugs
5 issues- Login issues, app gets stuck in login loop
- Fails to recognize supported devices
- Doesn't save password or login credentials
- Constant pop-ups for terms and conditions
- Displays incorrect or incomplete information
Requested features
5 requests- Add ability to update firmware from app
- Include more advanced settings and customization options
- Improve app stability and reliability
- Add support for more device models
- Provide better data usage tracking and notifications
EXPLORER Connect
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
NETGEAR Mobile
No in-app purchases
EXPLORER Connect
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is NETGEAR Mobile free?
Is EXPLORER Connect free?
Which has better reviews, NETGEAR Mobile or EXPLORER Connect?
Do NETGEAR Mobile or EXPLORER Connect have ads?
Which is updated more often, NETGEAR Mobile or EXPLORER Connect?
Other comparisons
