ARRIS SURFboard mAX 6E W161 Tri-Band Mesh Wi-Fi 6E System | AXE6600 Wi-Fi Speeds up to 6.6 Gbps| 6 GHz Band $59.99

NostalgicNoodle

Oct 8, 2025 9:50 PM

2 Comments

Joined Oct 2020

NostalgicNoodleOct 8, 2025 9:50 PM

2 Comments

For $60 this is the most inexpensive way to upgrade a home network to 6E with a tri-band system that I have seen. Purchased this a few months ago and it has been working well. The system rarely needs to be restarted in my experience. Coverage and speeds (tested up to 450mbs on 6E) are better than my previous WiFi 5 network, including around the second unit at the other end of the home on the same floor. Websites load noticeably quicker over the 6E band with a laptop that has a 6E network card. The app shows a 1-2 GB link between the two units. You must use the Arris Surfboard Central app and create an account (email required) in order to setup devices and manage the network. Took 20-30 minutes to initially setup. The app requires you to setup one device at a time and after a couple restarts (unplug device and turn back on) it worked great and I have not needed to use the app since. There is an option to turn off the blue light for each unit in the app. One of the two devices is labeled "Main Router. connect to modem." Very little customization options. It is more of a set it and forget it system with one router and one mesh point. Not really for someone who would like network configuration options commonly found on other brands. I don't believe it is expandable either and I could not figure out a way to add additional devices even though the app seems to give the option to do so.

5

mgreen2

Pro

Oct 9, 2025 1:44 PM

403 Comments

Joined Dec 2005

mgreen2

Pro

Oct 9, 2025 1:44 PM

403 Comments

$62 at Amazon

karthik1708

Oct 9, 2025 3:52 PM

21 Comments

Joined Nov 2016

karthik1708Oct 9, 2025 3:52 PM

21 Comments

Quote from mgreen2

:

$62 at Amazon

Link?

ashwin321

Oct 10, 2025 2:53 PM

11 Comments

Joined Jan 2011

ashwin321Oct 10, 2025 2:53 PM

11 Comments

Quote from karthik1708

:

Quote from mgreen2

:
$62 at Amazon
Link?

https://www.amazon.com/ARRIS-Surf...8D7DL?th=1

Not sold by Amazon tho

JollyStar6687

Oct 10, 2025 3:38 PM

19 Comments

Joined Jul 2018

JollyStar6687Oct 10, 2025 3:38 PM

19 Comments

Quote from ashwin321

:

Quote from karthik1708

:
Quote from mgreen2

:
$62 at Amazon
Link?
https://www.amazon.com/ARRIS-Surf...8D7DL?th=1

Not sold by Amazon tho

On Amazon its $73 for a 1 pack. On Woot you get a 2-pack for $60 and the 2 will work as a mesh wifi system.

BadMannurse

Oct 10, 2025 5:21 PM

452 Comments

Joined Nov 2016

BadMannurseOct 10, 2025 5:21 PM

452 Comments

I have the model/router combo that came with my internet (optimum cable in northern nj). Few questions:
1) Can I plug this into that and set up a mesh network?
2) does it make sense to run another Ethernet cable through my basement and up into a room on opposite side of house for the second unit or does it go off WiFi and re-broadcast that from the second unit?
3) would it make sense to get a different modem / router combo, ie does the speed of the mesh get impacted by modem/router? The one o have the isp gave me a few years ago

2

SlickDonger

Oct 11, 2025 7:13 PM

49 Comments

Joined Nov 2011

SlickDongerOct 11, 2025 7:13 PM

49 Comments

Quote from BadMannurse

:

I have the model/router combo that came with my internet (optimum cable in northern nj). Few questions:
1) Can I plug this into that and set up a mesh network?
2) does it make sense to run another Ethernet cable through my basement and up into a room on opposite side of house for the second unit or does it go off WiFi and re-broadcast that from the second unit?
3) would it make sense to get a different modem / router combo, ie does the speed of the mesh get impacted by modem/router? The one o have the isp gave me a few years ago

I bought a few of these janky mesh systems during the last Woot sale as well and can confirm that while the app is every bit as awful as ppl say it is, if you're willing to brave the disgustingly glitchy setup process, the W161 is still an excellent value with good network performance. It's by far the cheapest way to upgrade to a decent tri-band WIFI 6E mesh system for friends and family on ancient routers.

Yes, but there's 2 ways to do it.
(a) Ideally, you'd disable router functionality on your ISP (internet service provider) provided modem/router combo. This will prevent Double NAS issues (not a huge deal, but still best avoid) and help you maximize the admittedly awful routing capabilities of the W161 (the router's hardware/network performance is actually extremely good. it's just the app sucks.)
(b) If you can't (or are too lazy to) disable router functionality on provided modem/router combo, this router supports Bridge/Access Point (AP) mode through the app. However, you need to make sure you setup the mesh network as a router first before turning on Access Point mode, or else you have no way of knowing whether the mesh is setup correctly once you switch to AP mode. Again, the app is awful.
What you're referring to here is the concept known as wired backhaul, and the answer is, it rly depends on (1) how fast your internet is and (2) how far apart your nodes are. By default, the W161 mesh system relies on wireless backhaul by default, but I can confirm it does support wired backhaul. Unfortunately, the 2.5G port on "Main" is WAN (internet) only, so if you connect your Main and your Satellite nodes using Ethernet, you'll be slightly bottlenecked by the 1G LAN port on the Main: if you're on a multi-gig plan (say 2000mbps), devices connected to your hardwired satellite node will never be able to exceed gigabit speeds (1000mbps). That being said if your nodes are decently far apart, in most real-world scenarios, wired backhaul will be faster
Mesh performance is completely independent from your modem. It'd only make sense to get a new modem if your modem can't handle whatever plan you're paying for. That being said, if you're already paying for multi-gig, you should probably get a better modem and router.

1

adalta

Oct 11, 2025 10:22 PM

1.3K Comments

Joined Jan 2008

adaltaOct 11, 2025 10:22 PM

1.3K Comments

Which is better?
Netgear Nighthawk Tri-Band AX8 8-Stream AX6200 Wi-Fi 6 vs
ARRIS SURFboard mAX 6E W161 Tri-Band Mesh Wi-Fi 6E

I'm guessing the Arris is better since it has the newer WiFi 6E and it's a mesh system.

edit:
I'm seeing odd reviews for the Arris. A couple sites said configuration was a pain and the phone app was required (vs config vs a web browser). I'll stay with the Netgear.

Last edited by adalta October 11, 2025 at 03:25 PM.

ARRIS SURFboard mAX 6E W161 Tri-Band Mesh Wi-Fi 6E System | AXE6600 Wi-Fi Speeds up to 6.6 Gbps| 6 GHz Band $59.99

$60

$195

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