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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.
Thanks Dong,
with you having kindly gone to the trouble of writing an article on this new Arris system, just thought I would indicate my interest, but it appears to have been removed from Amazon for the time being, so will have to be patient.
I mainly have 802.11n devices, one ac device and no ax devices and doubt I will have for some time yet. Given all the performance hype with wifi, just can’t help being curious as to what a purpose designed ax mesh system might be capable of.
Your excellent, very clear performance bar charts like this one,
https://dongknows.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Aimesh-Score.png
are very useful.
Thanks again, Neil
Thanks, Neil. I’m glad you find my work useful.
I see the SURFboard mAX Pro is allegedly to be released on Amazon.com from the May 15th. Am curious to find out if a couple of these would provide a 1Gb wifi link for our B4RN 1Gb/1Gb via a Genexis DRG7820 in the UK.
Hi Neil,
I can’t give you a definitive answer since I haven’t tested the system. However, considering its Wi-Fi 6 specs, chances are it’ll be able to deliver more than 1Gbps Wi-Fi speeds (hence able to provide your Internet in full). Whether or not your device can receive that speed depends on its Wi-Fi, too. Generally, you need a device that also has Wi-Fi 6 to connect at the high speed.
Hope this helps!
-Dong
Dong, really enjoying your commentary from the conference. Thank you.
Thanks Mr. Smith. Appreciate it. 🙂