What is Reddit's opinion of Bolton Technical Crossbow 5G Directional X-Polarised 2X2 MIMO Antenna, High Gain; 617-3800 MHz, 11 dBi Gain; (Twin HDF-195 Cable with SMA Connector)?

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Here's a pretty good tutorial on programming the Nighthawk (the M1):

https://www.reddit.com/r/NoContract/comments/eq0chu/tutorial_bandlocking_the_netgear_nighthawk_m1/

I have not succeeded in programming the M5 (5G version) yet. They say you can do it, but I haven't been able to put in the necessary effort (I guess) yet. So when using LTE it locks on Band 12, so I only use it when I go into the city and can get 5G. I will point out the MoFi supports band locking right out of the box.

This is the antenna on my MoFi: https://smile.amazon.com/Bolton-Technical-Directional-X-Polarised-Connector/dp/B08SFP9XMZ/

If you're using a Nighthawk, you'll also need the TS-9 adapters: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B095WVNJNS to work on the SMA version of the Crossbow.

I use this antenna on my Nighthawk: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B08CRH3KGM/

For the price, it is surprisingly good, and it comes with the TS-9 adapters. The Crossbow is better, but I'm not sure if it's $100 better. I use the Crossbow on the MoFi because that's my work router.

These are both fine outdoor antennas, but to be clear antennas are passive. They don't amplify. They basically bring the outside signal inside. I've tried a raft of signal boosters and without exception, they make things worse because even though the signal becomes more powerful, it also boosts the noise and the signal quality goes to crap. I've tried the WeBoost and HiBoost consumer boosters as well as the Wilson Pro IoT 5 Band Machine-to-Machine booster that connects directly to your antenna cable. All are great for improving your voice calls, but are counter-productive for data.

I am fortunate in that we're situated such that the sloping ground outside my basement office window is about level with the tower 8 miles away. So I have the antennas mounted on plastic totes on the ground and separated by about 8 or 10 feet with the antenna wire running through my window. See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYVlZjSS57U (but my noodle isn't Orange :-)) The totes are easy to position and aren't easy to kick over, plus they're close enough to my window such that I don't have to extend the 5-meter cables (and lose signal).

My Verizon Plan is the 150GB Premium: https://www.verizon.com/plans/devices/hotspots#tab-nav and my AT&T Plan is through Los Mobile: https://losmobileusa.com/shop-plans.

I hope this gives you enough to get started.

Yep. Or these.

But before you go down the 5G rabbit hole, make sure that the cell towers near you have the 5G bands that your carrier offers. My nearest tower doesn't. But 4G speeds works fine for youtube, netflix, etc. Most of the 5G bands are probably going to have worse coverage in rural areas so unless your carrier supports and offers the 600MHz bands that will give that better coverage, then it isn't worth pursuing at this point.