NETGEARNighthawk M5 5G Hotspot with WiFi 6 (MR5200) Ultrafast Router | Works Best with AT&T and T-Mobile | Connects Up to 32 Devices | Secure Wireless Network Anywhere

First, I have another hotspot already. Well it's a Tplink travel router with a Huawei 4G USB Stick plugged into its USB port. It's worked fine for years but recently I've relocated from CA to TX and I'll be working from my RV for about 60 days. My Huawei 4G stick was barely getting LTE speeds so I looked for another solution.I purchased this router, in hopes that I could get speeds good enough to work without any issues. This mobile hotspot really came through with unbelievable speeds and very stable to boot. I also ordered the AT&T 5G nano sim here on Amazon. Search "AT&T 5G TRIPLECUT SIM".Although activating the SIM was an absolute nightmare (AT&T activation process gets ZERO stars), this hotspot was a breeze to setup. I really appreciated being able to pop in the battery, turn it on and configure the entire router from the touchscreen ON THE unit itself. I completed the finer points of setup using a web browser. I did absolutely nothing to configure the AT&T 5G. After activating the SIM, the router connecting to 5G automatically and all of my devices get stable and fast internet.I've got a laptop, 3 tablets, 2 phones, a Google Chromecast and a couple of other random devices all connected to this router via WiFi. Streaming HD (and probably 4k) YouTube is no problem. Spotify and other streaming services are strong on all the devices as well.So what's the final conclusion? It's pricey but if you need fast stable 5G for your WiFi devices, you won't find a better device.

Unboxed, plugged in an old 4GLTE sim, plugged in phone charger with USB C connection, and did the quick setup on screen. Ran a speed test on Verizon mifi, 23 down, 5 up, ran a speed test on at&t Nighthawk M1, 27 down, 8 up. I run speed tests at odd times and find they are much faster at night when the general population is in bed, fast asleep. Then I took the sim from the old M1, trimmed it down, as the M5 takes a micro size (1 step down in size), and ran a speed test (all within 30 minutes, mid day on a Saturday. Out of the chute ... 117 down, 29 up. 3 more tests and found the speeds to be consistent. Then I plugged in my Netgear mimo antenna. Speeds increased to 176 down and 33 up. All tests run using the same server for consistency. My next step is to go to at&t and get a new sim card, and hook up with the 5G 100 Mb plan to see if there is significant difference between sim cards. The 4GLTE I am using is a very old IPad unlimited sim card.To put this in perspective, over 10 years on the road and have never seen speeds in the 170Gb range anyplace in CONUS. 15 to 20 Mb down is a pretty good average across the US.As far as prices, they are all over the place right now, ranging from one used at $599, $699 from Netgear, up to over $1,000 from a variety of sellers. This was an Amazon purchase, vender Netgear store.

My DSL went down and repair service was a week away. I have successfully used my phone "Hot Spot" feature to ride out previous interruptions-- so I bought this and upped my ATT service to unlimited data. I figured it would be my new faster ISP.Nope -- the unlimited data is phones only-- not the Nighthawk. I cannot purchase a reasonable level of data for the device. Installing new OS eats most of it up. ATT auto-adds 2Gigs at $10 a pop when you go over. You can take and use the hotspot anywhere there is cell service.T-Mobile ( I did not try them) has an unlimited Hot Spot plan for $50. Unlike ATT, it is **LOCATION** specific (you cannot take it on the road). Their fine print speaks to vague abuses that hint at hi def streaming, P2P, "unattended" programs, excessive data use (no specific number) -- that can lead to blocking and even throttling down to old-style analogue modem speeds.The device performs nicely-- 5 stars for that! The included Quick Start Guide is not for old eyes (tiny print and pix). I had to find it online so I could read it. I had a hekuva time finding the slot to put the SIM card in.The Quick Start Guide also tell you to download NETGEAR Mobile app--- IOS version doesn't see the device -- neither does their newer KnightHawk app. The NetGear community seems to think it's an IOS version specific problem. I strongly suggest using the WiFi Manager option that uses your browser for doing the setup.The Quick Start Guide implies that keeping it plugged in to power is a battery destroying no-no --- you have to choose battery in to ride out power outages, or with no battery having to manually restart it after a power bump. The 73 page MR5100_MR5200_UM_EN says that after a week of being plugged in with the battery in place, it goes into a battery maintenance mode--- drawing the battery down to 75% and maintaining it from there.The 73 page item tells you step-by-step what to do with each setting (and how to get there). I find 2 critiques of the doc:1. It doesn't tell you what the settings do in John Q Public layman terms.2. It alternates between the device LCD screen and the computer browser screen. It would be a bit less confusing for me if they had grouped the instructions by screen---- instead of by setting.Anyway, I am returning the device because it does not satisfy my intended purpose --- unlimited data ISP.

This device simply works great for what I need it for. I got the AT&T $55/month pre-paid for 100GB and literally put in the SIM, selected the correct APN (its basically the address the data gets routed through) and was off to the races! I got true 5G when I was in major cities - blazing fast!! But outside of that it was mainly 4G speed. Was still fast enough for me to get data on my phone (I live overseas so use this while in the States to do VOIP calling and surfing. Cheaper than getting whole family a calling plan). It was fast enough for my kids to surf while we drove cross country as well. They do Roblox and YouTube mainly. The unit I kept plugged in mostly while driving, so had no issues with discharging. When I carried it for use while walking and inside a house, the battery lasted 24-36 hours with moderate use. I recommend this for anyone who wants an easy to use 5G capable hotspot.I did not get a free product or rebate for giving my review. It is purely of my own opinion.