Arris has announced the first device to receive the Wi-Fi Alliance’s EasyMesh certification.
The VAP4641 Wi-Fi extender supports the open standard that enables interoperability with any other Wi-Fi device certified under the open standard. Under current not-so-interoperable life without wide availability of EasyMesh modems and extenders, users are compelled to purchase compatible extenders from the same manufacturer that provided their modem.
Related: Wi-Fi Alliance Takes Aim at Whole-Home Networking
The wall-plug mounted VAP4641, part of Arris’ HomeAssure family of Wi-Fi products, features 4x4 antennas and 802.11ac Wi-Fi capability.
“In the case of Arris HomeAssure, the Wi-Fi Controller sits on top of the EasyMesh protocol," said Arris CPE division chief Charlie Cheevers, speaking to Wi-Fi NOW. "The EasyMesh MAP creates the network topology and sees everything, but it is the Wi-Fi controller algorithm above that adds all of the critical intelligence, including client steering, band steering, changing channels, and more.”
“Companies like Google and in particular Apple believe their smartphone should do all it can do make the connection experience as good as possible for the consumer. Now with EasyMesh in the home, the EasyMesh controller will know know more about the overall Wi-Fi topology than the Apple phone. That also means that ideally, Apple phones should obey messages sent from EasyMesh networks,” Cheevers added.
"Our home Wi-Fi vision is to provide ubiquitous coverage from a single network," said Larry Robinson, president, customer premises equipment at Arris, in a statement. "We're proud to continue our contributions to the Wi-Fi Alliance's multi-AP specifications and Wi-Fi EasyMesh program to help service providers bring new innovations like the VAP4641 Wireless Extender to consumers. We're making it easier for consumers to install, configure and manage their home network, while delivering Gigabit speeds."
