LAS VEGAS — One of the most powerful vendors in the cable industry, CommScope, is having a quiet CES, debuting only one product, which seems to fill in the bottom rung of its WiFi 6 mesh product line.
Last year, CommScope, under its acquired Arris brand name, released two dual-piece Surfboard mesh WiFi systems that supported 802.11ax, otherwise known as WiFi 6, the $550 Surfboard Plus and the $650 Surfboard Max Pro.
Set to be released in the second quarter, the new two-piece system, which has a more simplified two-piece name, “Surfboard Max,” will ostensibly be a little cheaper than the aforementioned systems. CommScope hasn’t released a price yet. And it’s hard to tell how much of a step down the device is from the two previous product iterations.
CommScope said the Max AX6600 “compliments” the first two iterations, featuring two routers, each delivering 6.6 Gbps speeds with a total coverage areas of 5,500 square feet. The system’s third band, with 4.x4 WiFi 6, provides dedicated backhaul.
“Surfboard Max represents the whole-home coverage and gigabit speeds that consumers expect from our flagship WiFi portfolio in a new performance tier designed to meet the needs of an even greater range of consumers,” said Evan Groat, senior VP of the home networks retail products group at CommScope. “Now, people upgrading their home network have a new, powerful and stylish option to support their ultra-high-definition 4K content, high-performance gaming, and connected lifestyle for years to come.”
