At CES 2019, ARRIS showed off its take on Wi-Fi 6. We covered it, but release details were light, a problem that the company has addressed today by providing additional information about its new and impressive Wi-Fi systems. For starters, ARRIS SURFboard mAX will debut with two systems dubbed Plus and Pro, the latter of which (unsurprisingly) will be the most powerful and pricey of the two.
ARRIS SURFboard mAX: High-end specs for a top-tier price
Without a doubt, both of ARRIS’ new mesh systems aim to deliver incredible performance. Thanks to their adoption of the Wi-Fi 6 specification, both are capable of delivering multi-gigabit speeds. ARRIS SURFboard mAX Plus, the lesser of the two, offers up to 7.8Gbps wireless performance while the Pro model can theoretically reach a mind-blowing 11Gbps.
ARRIS touts both models as providing incredible speeds today and ready for what comes in the foreseeable future. With support for multi-gigabit speeds, consumers will be ready to stream 8K, experience rich augmented reality, and significantly reduce the time required to download the latest and greatest video games.
“SURFboard mAX Wi-Fi systems are the best you can buy—period,” said Evan Groat, vice president, Consumer Products Group, ARRIS. “We did our research and took the time to get them right, maximizing the full potential of Wi-Fi 6, tri-band, and mesh. The result is the world’s first true tri-band Wi-Fi 6 mesh systems.”
When it comes to range, ARRIS knocks it out of the park with a single node covering up to 3,000 square feet. This explains why the company has opted for selling bundles of two instead of three. Both ARRIS SURFboard mAX Plus and Pro systems are compatible with Alexa, providing simple ‘voice-controlled guest Wi-Fi management, parental controls, and more’.
Pricing and availability
ARRIS SURFboard mAX Plus and Pro will sell single routers for $349.99 and $399.99 and two-pack systems for $549.99 and $649.99, respectively. Plus models are available for pre-order at Amazon now, with shipping planned for July 21st. Pro will be available exclusively at Best Buy and SURFBoard direct with an expected launch date of July 22nd.
Electronicsforward’ Take
Given my ever-growing fascination with Alexa, it should be fairly obvious that I’m intrigued by both ARRIS SURFboard mAX systems for this reason alone. Pair that with the company’s confidence that it has the best offering available today and you’ve got what appears to be a slam dunk.
With high-end features, an expensive price tag is to be expected, but with a base cost of $350 for single router, there likely won’t be much of a market lining up to buy them, myself included. Having tried both eero and Google Wi-Fi, I ended up keeping the latter and have zero complaints with its performance over four months in.
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