External speed is going to be determined by the service connection, if you have a 1GB service by the provider, that is the speed limit for Internet service, which is shared by all devices in your network.
Having two network ports means you can dedicate one port say to your WiFi access point or mesh router (since the cable modem does not have WiFi capability), and then the other port to a ethernet network switch to have independent 1GBS capability WITHIN each "subnet". This effectively means up to a total 2GBS capability within your overall network. If you "daisy-chain" your WiFi router and switches off a single port, then you will only have a 1GBS capability in your network.
Not sure about the concern for redundancy. An hard wired ethernet connection is going to be pretty reliable. If you are talking about WiFi, then a mesh network is probably the best bet to ensure reliable and transparent coverage.
I do see (after looking at the manual) that the cable modem is capable of link aggregation, so yes, you can set things up that way using two ethernet cables with the appropriate switch. Trying to figure out the benefit if you are constrained on the provider end. I envision the primary benefit being physical reliability/redundancy of the cable connections in a challenging environment where there is either is a high potential or a significant cost relating to a severed connection. Maybe squirrels in the attic??? Any of your endpoint connections back to the switch are still going to be 1GBS connections, I believe.
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