NETGEAR Nighthawk CM1100 vs NETGEAR Nighthawk CM2000

Both are DOCSIS 3.1 Nighthawk cable modems with two Ethernet ports, and both are built for multi-gig plans. The CM2000 is the newer, faster pick: its single 2.5 Gigabit port handles 2.5 Gbps natively, while the CM1100 reaches 2 Gbps only by bonding two Gigabit ports with a router that supports link aggregation. Owners of the CM1100 report easy setup and a stable connection, though one warns the defaults can underperform until adjusted. Buy the CM2000 for a 2.5G or multi-gig plan and a router with a 2.5G WAN port; buy the CM1100 if your plan tops out around 1 Gbps and your router only has Gigabit ports.

• Choose the CM1100 if your cable plan is 1 Gbps or less and your router has only Gigabit WAN ports, since link aggregation is the only way it exceeds 1 Gbps.
• Choose the CM2000 if you have a 2.5G or multi-gig plan and a router with a 2.5 Gigabit WAN port, so one cable carries the full speed.