The Netgear Nighthawk 5G is the newest version of the venerable Nighthawk hotspot line. I've had one for a bit over a month, and have some first impressions and thoughts.
I'm a big fan of the Nighthawk series, having used them for a number of years. They are very powerful, have great battery life, and a good set of features. Their cellular radios are usually some of the first to market with the newest band support, and the 5G version continues that trend...sort of...
There are currently two versions of the Nighthawk 5G in the US market at the time of this article - one that is unlocked, and one that is locked to AT&T. I'm using the unlocked one. I purchased mine directly from Netgear at a cost of $699.99. It was only available from them at the time of purchase, but may be available elsewhere now.
This is probably my biggest concern with the product if you purchase it outright, and not through a carrier with a discount. Previous Nighthawk hotspots at full retail price were around the $299 price tag. 5G is definitely the newest technology, and with delays and shortages in the supply chain, I expect some things to increase in price, but at more than double the price, it's hard to understand where that increase comes from. Even if you purchase it from AT&T, locked to their network, they still charge you $509.99, which isn't a big discount.
General Specs & Battery
The Nighthawk 5G supports WiFi 6 and, of course, 5G. For 5G, it sports an LTE CAT 20 radio which is 4x4 MIMO and 6X carrier aggregation. Here are the bands that it supports:
- 5G: n2/n5/n25/n41/n66/n71/n78
- LTE: B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B12/B13/B14/B25/B29/ B30/B38/B41/B46/B48/B66/B71
- 3G: B1/B2/B5/B8
Compare this to Peplink's soon to be available MAX BR1 Pro 5G or even the MAX Transit 5G, and there are a few bands missing both in the 5G and LTE/4G range. However, many of the top used ones are there, and that bodes well for general use. If you are looking for better band support across both 4G and 5G bands, I would look elsewhere.
In addition to the updated WiFi and LTE hardware, the Nighthawk has the same TS9 antenna ports in the event you want to use an external antenna, and it also has an ethernet port for connecting a computer, or in my case, connecting it to a downstream router. I love this about the last few Nighthawk hotspots, as I am not interested in connecting to their WiFi network to use them, and would rather have them as an additional LTE source connected to a Peplink router.
The whole thing is powered by a USB-C power brick and has a decent sized 19.40Wh battery. One of the best parts of the Nighthawk series is the ability to run the hotspot without the battery and just using the power supply, and the 5G model works the same way. Many hotspots have had issues being plugged in 24x7 and have had shutdown or battery failure issues. Being able to run the Nighthawk without the battery is a great option for a permanent hotspot.
Features & Administration
The web interface is quite good and has lots of options and status screens.
The Diagnostics page under Status shows a lot of useful info on the LTE connection as well as the battery, and was helpful in determining the signal strength and band information, but only for 4G LTE. 5G connection information did not seem to work on this firmware version.
I did get one firmware update very soon after I booted the unit up the first time, but did not see any updates in the month or so I tested with it.
There is a great mobile app for both iOS and Android and provides a streamlined way to manage the device that is similar to the web interface. This has been around a while and works with other Netgear products.
The touch screen is nice and works reasonably well. Not all items that are in the web interface or app are available on the touch screen, but it can be useful for quick status info and simple changes.
The WiFi setup is pretty easy, and the performance of the 5Ghz network in particular is quite nice with WiFi 6 support. There are various options for guest networks, 2.4Ghz vs 5Ghz and many other settings that you can customize.
The WiFi signal was pretty strong, at least similar to previous Nighthawks, and I didn't have any issues from most places on the boat with the router in a central location.
One set of neat features is the Always On WiFi and Data Offload functions. They are mutually exclusive, so you have to choose one. Always On WiFi allows you to use the Ethernet port on the router for your primary internet connection, and the router will fail over to LTE when Ethernet is unavailable. Data Offloading allows you to use the WiFi radio to connect to another WiFi source for internet, saving LTE until that connection fails.
These features could be used to leverage the Nighthawk as a backup to an existing connection. Similar features have existed in other Nighthawk variants, and even the older MR1100 modem I wrote about a few years ago.
Performance
This is where things get a bit interesting. I'll break things down by the three US carriers I used for testing. In all cases, I am using hotspot or router plans with no restrictions other than a monthly data limit, and all have 5G support enabled. I used a cabled computer directly connected to the Ethernet port on the router.
In general, it was difficult to determine signal strength, particular bands and other important information to determine the various carriers and performance. The web interface doesn't include all of the information that is available on the display screen, and the info on the screen is sometimes mysteriously blank.
T-Mobile
T-Mobile outperformed all other carriers in my testing. In the central Puget Sound area, I was able to get a strong 5G signal and excellent performance. This ranged from 150Mbps-275Mbps download speeds, and around 10Mbps upload speeds.
The concerning items include much higher latency, which is somewhat expected on transitional 5G networks, and a much smaller upload bandwidth than similar 4G LTE networks on T-Mobile. I assume over time this may improve as T-Mobile improves their backend network.
When the 5G signal is very strong, you get excellent download speeds. Even with a slight decrease in that signal, I noticed significant performance decreases, dropping the download throughput much lower. Strangely, at some of these points the upload bandwidth would increase.
T-Mobile status information
You can see from the status pages that I was connected to a 5G network (5GSUB6) but at the time, there was no connection quality information (RSRP/RSRQ) and only RS-SINR data. I'm using LTE Band 66 according to the second screen.
Keep in mind that this is a 5G network using frequencies below 6Ghz (5G Sub 6) and is not the type of 5G network (mmWave) you'd see in a metro area with amazing speeds. It's unlikely you will ever see mmWave with any frequency on a boat because of how short that type of 5G network will travel. This is a subject for another article that I have planned soon.
There were also many times when I saw a 5G signal on the hotspot, but only observed 4G performance. This was very common in the San Juan Islands and other more remote areas.
Verizon
With Verizon I was able to get a 5G signal, but the overall performance paled in comparison to T-Mobile. As you can see above, even with a very strong signal, I was not getting anywhere near what you would expect with 5G.
The same status issues existed while testing Verizon with RSRP and RSRQ showing blank, and RS-SINR showing an obviously wrong bit of data. Again I am connected to Band 66 using a 5G Sub 6 connection.
AT&T
AT&T was the weirdest of all of the carriers, mainly because I was never able to get a stable 5G signal. In most cases, I never saw anything more than 4G LTE, which is similar to what I've seen in testing the Peplink MAX Transit 5G. I've heard from some other users having the same issues.
However, as you can see from above, the download performance is still quite good, and far beyond what I've seen with a CAT12 or CAT18 LTE modem on any other platform using 4G LTE. I suspect this is due to the CAT20 modem and 6x carrier aggregation.
I've also noticed that the signal strength indicators seem to work when connected to LTE versus 5G. Above you can see I have a good connection to LTE Band 30 on AT&T's network. The other example shows a test in the San Juan Islands where I was connecting using a more traditional Band 12.
This is one of the frustrating things with the Nighthawk 5G - the lack of clear and detailed information on bands and connection quality. I'm hoping this will be fixed in a future firmware update, but for now it can be somewhat limiting.
External Antennas
Using the venerable Netgear MIMO antenna provided better performance for both 4G and 5G, but given the frequencies it covers, I suspect that 5G might not benefit as much depending on the bands in use. The benefit was between 10-20% when used.
I also used connectors from the TS9 antenna ports on the unit to both Poynting and Peplink external antennas. Both of these antennas provided significant benefits to both performance and range in situations with low signal levels.
I'm not 100% sure, but I suspect that the two TS9 ports are only 2 of the 4 antennas inside the unit. This could mean that the secondary bands aren't getting the benefit of the external antenna. That might affect carrier aggregation and overall throughput, but not affect general connectivity in low signal areas. Regardless, the unit performs better with an external antenna.
Pros
- 5G speeds - when you can get them
- Excellent WiFi performance + WiFi 6
- Good management and other useful features
- Can be run without the battery
Cons
- Price
- Less 5G and 4G band support than other mobile routers
- Broken status information for 5G
- AT&T 5G is hard to find
Conclusion
The Netgear Nighthawk 5G is a good hotspot, and the next evolution of a venerable line of Nighthawks before it, but I can't really recommend it right now. Not only is it overpriced, but for a boat, 5G just isn't the game changer yet that folks are hoping for. For the $699 price, you can spend a bit more and get a more usable and feature-packed Peplink router, or buy two cheaper hotspots and have redundancy. The limited antenna ports mean that longer term use with external antennas is better suited to mobile specific routers.
If you are in a metro area with prevalent 5G connectivity, the Nighthawk 5G could be useful for you if you require higher performance than 4G LTE and have the cash to spend.
Archived Community Comments
These comments were posted on the SeaBits forum before February 2026. Scroll down to join the current discussion.
Hi Steve, regarding the Netgear Nighthawk-- price is relative; perhaps features justify the price but that seems really expensive. T Mobile is making some real headway in Whatcom County coverage; I signed my mother up for their Internet Access Device (Tall Cylinder) at $50 per month for data and device with a free two week trial. Unlimited, unthrottled data, I was stunned at the performance in Lynden: 250-300 MB/S down, 20-30 up. I can’t help but wonder how this device might perform on a boat, although that would limit you to T Mobile.
Hi @Perry_Stanfield,
It is very expensive for what it is. If you need a hotspot, and need 5G and the speeds that come with it, maybe it is worth it for that particular use case. If you look on the costs for Peplink routers that support 5G, they are quite expensive as well, but there is a lot more flexibility with those products.
Thanks for the performance report on T-Mobile. They are quite fast in the north sound!
Hi Steve,
I came across your review whilst researching my own Netgear Nighthawk setup, which is… shall we say, still in development! As I’m pulling my hair out (what’s left of it) I wonder if you could offer me some tips on completing the setup of my boat home network. I currently have a Nighthawk M1 4G router which has been working as a LAN wifi hotspot for our devices on board. I recently purchased a Ubiquity Bullet M2HP Wifi booster, which runs on POE. My hope was to plug in the Ethernet end of the Bullet into the Nighthawk and use the Data Offloading function to limit our 4G data usage when there are public wifi networks available. However, the two devices do not seem to agree who is boss, and both want to act as routers. I’ve tried a number of different solutions, but none seem to work smoothly. Do you have any experience with these products and do you have any general thoughts about how to approach this? Would it be preferable to use a separate dedicated router as the hub for my LAN and plug the Nighthawk and Bullet into this router instead? It’s all very confusing I’m afraid.
Hi @Hans_Ericsson,
Have you tried using the Bullet M2HP standalone? UniFi/UI/Ubiquiti got out of producing the Bullet series in the traditional form a few years ago, and the ones that still exist aren’t usable for anything other than point-to-point connections to other Ubiquiti products. Perhaps that is what you’re using it for? If you aren’t and intended on grabbing remote WiFi signals, it’s possible you have one of the newer units that won’t do that…
A Bullet or similar device should work if connected to the Nighthawk LAN port and with offloading enabled. Even though the Bullet might be doing normal router functions, it’s only client is the Nighthawk, and not your end clients directly.
There’s also an option to turn things like the Bullet into “bridge” mode where they act as a client, and not a full fledged router, which I’ve done with devices connected into the Nighthawk, but it does take a bit more networking skill.
I personally would go the route you brought up - a central router for your local network, and have the Bullet and Nighthawk plugged into that router as WAN sources. That way you can upgrade your Nighthawk at some point down the road, or add a second one, and not have to reconfigure or mess with things.
Hi Steve,
I haven’t tried using the Bullet as a stand alone router. It was sold to me as a Wifi booster for marine use, and there is software integration in the product that allows me to connect to whatever Wifi signal I can pick up with the antenna. I have verified that it is possible to transmit data over the Bullet in bridge mode, but the problem is getting the system to operate smoothly without having to do major reconfigurations every time I want to connect to a Wifi network. The Nighthawk settings need to be changed via the web client every time I want to try to connect to a new wifi network and can’t be changed from within the Netgear app itself. For some reason I have to first turn off the Data Offloading, then access the Bullet and establish a connection, and then turn the Data Offloading back on. Overall it is super annoying. I think I’ll try to go the route you suggested and purchase a central WAN router and see how that goes.
Thanks again,
Hans
That sounds pretty normal - having to do machinations to configure the Bullet in bridge, then turning data offloading off, etc. Definitely not a unified, simple management solution.
Hope a central router makes that easier!
I did some additional testing with T-Mobile in the last couple of days. I was in a very high signal strength area with excellent 5G coverage.
As you can see from the speedtest screenshot, it worked pretty well! One of the highest results I’ve ever seen from any cellular device.
Hey Steve, I need the external antenna so that I can keep the M1 1100 inside the house, and keep it cool. I get great speed when the unit is outside, but Texas heat will kill the unit.
I see that I am using the B30 band as your mentioned, do you know if there is a netgear router that both operates on the B30 band, but that also allows use of the two TS9 external antenna connections? What I have now does not. This is make or break.
Thanks,
Patrick
Hi @Patrick_Bouldin,
Most of the newer Netgear routers support band 30. I know the Netgear Nighthawk 5G first impressions that I wrote about does, and has external antenna connectors.
Thanks, but just to clarify/confirm. My M1 has both TS9s, but according to what I’ve found, some of the supported bands do not use the TS9 connectors. In other words it won’t try the TS9 port if those particular bands are connected. I called Netgear about this but still not getting anywhere.
Understood. I had heard that some of the bands don’t use the external antenna connectors. It makes sense, since standard CAT-18 and CAT-20/5G modems require 4x4 antenna elements, and the TS9 connectors are ostensibly only 2x2. That would mean some weird coverage issues and potential bands not on the external antennas due to the way things are wired. If a particular band is required, the only way you could really guarantee that is either with a booster (not great) or with a different router with proper external antenna connectors.
Hi Steve - thanks for the incredible articles on choosing mobile hotspots, plans, routers etc.
As of 8/13/22 Amazon is listing this at >$800! If I don’t need anything fancy - is there any reason (compatibility, bands, etc) that would make going with the M1/MR1100 a bad idea? (which is also crazy expensive right now)
Thanks!
Well, the biggest difference would be that the M1/MR1100 is 4G and not 5G so it would definitely have a performance impact and not support any of the 5G bands. I still love both versions - they’re very reliable and well made products.
Thanks - yes I realize it’s 4G! Trying to overcome really bad wireless at our marina (and others) - need good connectivity, not huge bandwidth…
Any idea what on earth is causing the major price increases (of even the M1?)
I’m going to guess it is the usual reason that is driving up prices elsewhere - supply chain issues. I haven’t heard anything in particular around Netgear’s products. I do know a lot of the other mobile-specific vendors are feeling pressure from Starlink and are actually dropping their prices, so this particular one doesn’t make that much sense…