Last year, Netgear offers one of the first mobile 5G routers: The Nighthawk M5. As the successor to the Nighthawk M2, the device with the model name MR5200 not only offers a fast cellular modem, but of course also a large battery, fast WiFi 6 and plenty of connections.
The Netgear Nighthawk M5 MR5200 is packed in a small cardboard box. In addition to the mobile 5G router, the package also includes a power supply unit with adapter for EU and UK plugs, a USB to USB-C cable and a battery with a capacity of 5,000 mAh. A quick start guide and a warranty card are also included.
At first glance, the Netgear Nighthawk M5 differs only slightly from the previous models Nightahwk M1 (MR1100) and Nighthawk M2 (MR2100). All devices have a cuboid design with a large display on the front, the connections are on the lower side.
The Nighthawk M5 looks high-quality thanks to the rubberized and structured frame, and the matt back also leaves a positive impression. The front with the touchscreen and buttons is less successful, it has a high-gloss finish and magically attracts fingerprints and scratches. That was solved even better with the Nighthawk M1.
The back of the Nighthawk M5 can also be easily removed. Underneath is the battery and the slot for the SIM card. A welcome innovation compared to the previous models is the slot for the nano SIM card. The M1 and M2 still required micro-SIM cards, so that nano-SIM cards could only be used with an adapter.
5G modem in the test
The main reason to buy the Netgear Nighthawk M5 is certainly the 5G modem. A Qualcomm Snapdragon X55 chip is installed. Theoretically, the 5G WiFi router can thus achieve speeds of more than one gigabit per second in the do