Arris SURFboard 6190 - Peplink SOHO compatability

I can’t find anything confirming whether my Arris SURFboard 6190 cable modem is plug and play compatible with the Peplink Surf SOHO MK3 Router. I am not tech savvy and don’t need a challenge. Thanks.

Hi. Install both as recommended. Start the modem, then the router (although generally the sequence makes no difference). Then, configure the SOHO as you wish. I would not expect any issues at all.

If you get stuck come back here and someone will help you. :wink:

Thanks, appreciate the prompt response. Sounds as close to plug and play as possible. From what I glean about the Peplink router it is more configurable that other off the shelf products so getting a little smarter about it seems wise to exploit the security features. Peplink owes Tom’s Guide for guiding people to them. My Netgear router was hacked and that search led to this.

1 Like

The SOHO is a router that will pretty much do as little or as much as you want. It has many of the features of routers that cost many times as much. You may want to check this link. The owner of this web site has made quite a project out of understanding the SOHO and has some really good recommendations as how to configure it.

It is sorta plug-n-play but you will get a lot more out of it if you take the time to learn a bit about what it can do for you. There are plenty of folks around here who can and will help you if you get stuck.

Since I was hacked in the last year my main concern would be ease of setting up VPN. I’d been looking into getting a router that was compatibility with ExpressVPN when I came across the Tom’s Guide article pointing me to the Peplink SOHO. ExpressVPN is compatible with only with mainstream routers such as Netgear which I own and which was hacked. I assume setting up VPN is straightforward…

Netgear router was hacked? Sounds like an interesting story, if you don’t mind sharing it.

As a rule any modem should work with any router. ISPs are picky about the modems they support, but routers are not.

A VPN may or may not help to keep you from getting “hacked.” The main thing to do is to turn off WAN-side access. Also, change the port number and ensure HTTPS is required. Of course, what many folks describe as hacked starts from the “inside” (LAN-side.)
FWIW, here is a mini-write-up I did a few months ago regarding implementing ProtonVPN.

This is a diagnosis by exclusion. The violators were able to get data from my laptop and believe it or not, my smart TV, so I assume that the router was ground zero. I got hacked from a discussion site which I later learned is notoriously corrupt, Disqus. So, I’m starting with a new router after doing the usual malware scans. I have a VPN installed on my laptop which may or may not be useless since I am not sure about the timing of the event.

Thanks, these are things I was lazy about and will follow when I get the Peplink unit. Not setting OpenVPN on the router is fine with me, allows me to keep using the ExpressVPN product on my laptop and phone. Oddly, there is nothing that protects a smart TV. I’ll never buy another one. And thanks for the article.