Ruckus Product Overview and Company Perspective

The Ruckus ZoneFlex product line is the first centrally-managed multimedia wireless LAN (WLAN) solution developed specifically for Enterprise, SMB, and hot zone operators. ZoneFlex provides a complete, secure, robust and easily expandable WLAN solution at a low total cost of ownership; integrating state-of-the-art capabilities such as wireless meshing, Wi-Fi beam steering, automatic client security, interference avoidance and 802.11n. Connect802 is an authorized Ruckus Reseller - installing more Ruckus access points than any other Ruckus reseller in the Western Region. This distinction gives us the coveted "Top Dog" status in the Ruckus channel program. It's our attention to rigorous engineering methods and our many years of experience that we leverage as a top-tier Ruckus reseller. When you work with Connect802 to buy Ruckus Wireless products you work directly with a trained and certified reseller.		This Ruckus sales video showcases the key features and benefits that a ZoneFlex wireless system provides. Please note: This is a 20 MB file and will not start to play until it's completely downloaded - please be patient.
The two general Ruckus Wireless product categories are:

ZoneFlex Access Points and ZoneDirector Management Servers
The Ruckus Wireless ZoneFlex family of products provides a unique and cost-effective way for you to implement flexible, high-performing wireless LANs. Indoor and outdoor Ruckus access points are managed and controlled by a Ruckus ZoneDirector appliance. Multiple ZoneDirectors (which may be located in multiple buildings) can also be centrally controlled by the ZoneFlex management system. Connect802 is an authorized Ruckus reseller ready to provide you with complete RF design services and best-of-breed networking equipment solutions using Ruckus's patented Smart Wi-Fi products and Smart Wireless LAN systems. Ruckus Wireless offers simplicity, reliability and absolutely outstanding RF signal coverage at a highly attractive price point.

Ruckus Wireless access points are 802.11a/b/g/n access points that both incorporate the Ruckus beamsteering antenna system and are managed and controlled through a central ZoneDirector appliance designed to simplify the setup and configuration of a small business (SMB) or Hot Zone Wi-Fi system. The ZoneDirector provides full remote management and configuration of the network, remote diagnostic testing capabilities, activity reports, graphic floorplan mapping, (limited) real-time user location tracking and a captive-portal Hotspot-style user login page PLUS "Guest Pass", and automated utility that allows front-desk receptionists to generate a Wi-Fi access pass for guests and visitors.

MediaFlex Access Gateway and the MediaFlex Multimedia Access Point
The MediaFlex Access Gateway (which replaced the now-discontinued MetroFlex NG) connects to an outdoor Wi-Fi system and retransmits the signal into a home or office of up to roughly 2000 square feet. The MediaFlex Access Gateway is a specialized Wi-Fi range extender that connects to the mesh or outdoor network and then acts as a wireless LAN gateway router to provide connections into and out of the home or office. This is a much more effective, secure and manageable solution to extending Wi-Fi connectivity into a building than a simple Wi-Fi repeater or wireless extender.

The Mediaflex family of products includes the first carrier-class 802.11n multimedia system for High Definition IP-based video (IPTV) over Wi-Fi. The Ruckus MediaFlex 7811 access point and the Ruckus MediaFlex 7111 multimedia Wi-Fi adapter let consumers enjoy multimedia content anywhere in their homes or in their hotel rooms. The MediaFlex Access Point connects to a standard broadband router to provide multimedia-optimized access point services. The Media Flex Access Point is a specialized 802.11g/n access point, optimized for IP-based video and audio.

Every enterprise wants the advantages that a WLAN can bring, but their choices for deployment are limited. There are consumer product from a retailer, which have a very low cost but are correspondingly limited in basic functionality, such as security and Wi-Fi performance - and have no central management. Alternatively, they can select the software-bloated systems deployed in most Fortune 500 companies that are typically over-featured, exceedingly complex and have a price tag to match. Neither solution delivers the simplified deployment, fast and intuitive set-up and robust security that an enterprise needs. Today's enterprise customer needs Ruckus Wireless.

The Ruckus ZoneFlex Enterprise WLAN systems brings power and simplicity together for large-scale enterprise WLAN deployments - along with all the requisite capabilities that enterprises demand:

• Seamless interoperability
• Advanced Wi-Fi security
• Massive scalability
• Best-in-class performance
• Robust WLAN management

What's more, Ruckus ZoneFlex Enterprise solutions combine the best of centrally managed WLANs with jaw-dropping advances in intelligent RF routing and Smart Wi-Fi meshing. The result? The best enterprise WLAN products and technology that money can buy. Some additional points to consider are:

• Patented Smart Wi-Fi antenna array technology: BeamFlex, which provides extended range and adaptive signal steering,
  for the most reliable Wi-Fi, period
• Smart Mesh Networking to eliminate the costly, cumbersome task of pulling Ethernet cable wherever you want access points
• State-of-the-art security - from 802.1x support to Dynamic Pre-Shared Keys, all the latest link layer encryption and authentication mechanisms you'd expect but made simple to administer and manage
• Optimum signal path selection, interference avoidance, and auto RF management, for a consistent user experience
• High-performance dual-band 802.11n access points (meshed or wired) that deliver consistently high-performance at range to new 802.11n and legacy 802.11a/b/g clients
• Configuration in minutes and installation in hours, without cumbersome site surveys or tedious network setup
• Smart Wi-Fi access points that can be flexibly deployed with or without a Smart WLAN controller
• Controller stays out of the data path of wireless LAN clients and handles management traffic only
• Smart Wi-Fi access points handle all control traffic and probe requests/responses, as well as the data path between wireless clients

Ruckus Wireless is the only manufacturer to offer the patented BeamFlex beam steering technology in a competitively-priced 802.11b/g, 802.11a or 802.11n access point. Challenging RF environments (such as concrete block walls, poured concrete floors, plaster-on-lath and 2-hour fire-rated drywall) often demand a large number of conventional access points or an attempt to outfit a conventional access point with a high-gain antenna. Both of these solutions can double the cost of equipment and installation and neither of them provide a technically optimal solution. BeamFlex technology allows optimal coverage in three dimensions thereby assuring full connectivity, minimizing end-user frustration and dramatically reducing the overall up-front capital expense of implementing a wireless network.

Joe Bardwell, President and Chief Scientist at Connect802, had this to say about Ruckus Wireless:
"When we first heard about what BeamFlex technology could do we thought it was probably mostly marketing hype. When we tested and installed our first Ruckus network we were completely amazed at the RF coverage - it was shockingly good!"

ZoneFlex controller appliances provide centralized management of a Ruckus Wireless WLAN and multiple ZoneFlex controllers can optionally be managed with the further-centralized FlexMaster control software implementation to provide a two-tiered network management, monitoring and error-reporting architecture.

The focus for the value proposition of each Ruckus Wireless product family is different. The MetroFlex repeater / range extender is a product of choice when you have offices, homes, apartments, hotel rooms, or dormitory rooms that aren't able to get sufficient Wi-Fi coverage from an outdoor Wi-Fi network. Ruckus provides a completely vendor-neutral repeater solution able to serve as a Strix System Wi-Fi repeater, Tropos Networks Wi-Fi repeater, BelAir Networks and Mesh Dynamics Wi-Fi repeater - any mesh router or outdoor WLAN vendor's system that's installed on poles outdoors can be repeated into a building using a Ruckus Wireless MetroFlex Access Gateway repeater.

You'll choose the ZoneFlex system when you need centralized Wi-Fi wireless network management for a small- to mid-sized system but you need it to be very easy to setup and it must provide guest access support. Only Ruckus Wireless pulls these types of sophisticated features into a Wizard-driven configuration system targeted at organization without formal IT departments.

You'll choose the MediaFlex access point if you're implementing in-home or in-building wireless IPTV or IP-audio.

You'll choose the centrally-managed Ruckus ZoneFlex system for enterprise-class in-building wireless when your requirements demand strong control and centralized management but do not demand a built-in stateful packet inspection firewall or other features associated with more elaborate system solutions. Ruckus provides an excellent "middle of the road" solution. You get the coverage advantage of the Ruckus BeamFlex technology without the complexity associated with systems that provide a broad scope of specialized, advanced security and configuration options. Plus, you get the cost savings associated with a system designed to meet the needs of the small-to-medium business, the hospitality and education Wi-Fi market and a variety of other specialized environments.

The Ruckus Wireless MediaFlex Access Gateway is a clear choice when an outdoor Wi-Fi wireless mesh or distribution system (or public-access Wi-Fi network) doesn't provide sufficient coverage inside the building. The combination of the Ruckus BeamFlex beam-steering antenna to point to and direct signal to just the right place plus the ability to connect to and extend any Wi-Fi wireless network vendor's system into the building are a unique combination in the marketplace.