ARRIS Intros SURFboard mAX Pro Mesh as Its First Wi-Fi 6 Solution

ARRIS informed me today of its very first Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) broadcaster, and it's not a standalone router. Instead, it's a Mesh Wi-Fi system, called SURFboard mAX Pro, or mAX for short. The news is quite exciting because ARRIS is a known maker of cable modems and residential gateways.

By the way, this is ARRIS's very first Wi-Fi system. Before this, the company released a power-line system, the SurfBoard SBR-AC3200P, a few years ago.

Update: The full review of the SURFboard mAX Pro is now available here.

Tri-band 4x4 Wi-Fi 6

The new system includes two hardware units and, according to ARRIS, uses tri-band 4x4 Wi-Fi 6 in both. In other words, each unit has two 5GHz bands and one 2.4GHz band.

Tri-band is significant in a Wi-Fi system since one of the 5GHz bands can work solely for the job of connecting the hardware units. This band is called the dedicated back-haul or dedicated link and helps reduce or even eliminate the deficiency when signals have to jump from one node to another.

As for how all Wi-Fi systems work, you connect one of the units to an Internet source and then place the other a distance away to extend the Wi-Fi network further. What's also interesting is mAX doesn't have a built-in cable modem, which would make it a contender of the Netgear Orbi CBK40.

Large Wi-Fi coverage

ARRIS claims a single unit of the mAX can cover some 3000 ft² (280 m²), and with two units, you'll get double that. The system is slated to be some four times faster than the speed of the existing Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) counterparts.

Model	W31
Full Name	ARRIS SURFboard mAX Pro Mesh AX11000 Wi-Fi 6 AX Router
Total Hadware Unit in a Mesh	Up to three routers
Dedicated Backhaul Band	Yes
Wired Backhaul	Future firmware
Dimensions	9.64-inch (245mm) tall, 5-inch (127mm) wide
Weight	2.21 lbs (1kg)
Wi-Fi Technology	Tri-Band Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) AX11000
5GHz Wi-Fi Specs	2 x 5GHz AX: 4x4 (Tx/Rx) 1024 QAM 20/40/80/160MHz, up to 4.8Gbps
2.4GHz Wi-Fi Specs	2.4GHz AX: 4x4 (Tx/Rx) 1024 QAM 20/40MHz, up to 1.2Gbps
Backward Compatibility	802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi
Mobile App	ARRIS SURFboard mAX Manager
Web User Interface	No
Bridge Mode	No
AP Mode	No
USB Port	None
Regular Network Ports	Three Gigabit LAN port ports, one Gigabit WAN port
Link Aggregation	Yes (WAN + LAC Port)
Multi-Gig Port	None
CPU	64-bit quad-core 1.8GHz CPU, 512 MB of RAM, 1 GB of flash

In reality, you'll need Wi-Fi 6 clients to enjoy the new speed. With existing clients, you'll get about the same as that of a Wi-Fi 5 system. Nonetheless, the fast Wi-Fi 6 speed will allow for a larger distance between the two hardware units, hence increase the Wi-Fi coverage, without affecting the broadband connection they carry.

Availability

The SURFboard mAX Pro Mesh Wi-Fi System is available in the first half of this year. Currently, its price is not yet available. By the time it ships, however, there will be many more Wi-Fi 6 mesh options, including those from Asus, Netgear, TP-Link, to name a few.