Ruckus Unveils High-Capacity Smart Wi-Fi System to Tackle Growing User Density Concerns Caused by Smart Mobile Devices

As the growth of Wi-Fi-enabled mobile devices continues at an unprecedented rate, the demand for wireless capacity and speed is driving organizations to offer more reliable, high-speed wireless service within dense user environments. Designed for this purpose, the new Ruckus ZoneFlex Smart Wi-Fi system adds essential hardware and software capabilities to scale, simplify and secure large Wi-Fi networks.

The ZoneDirector 5000 is the industry’s first controller-based system that can be flexibly deployed either in-line, or out of the data path, supporting up to 20,000 clients, 1,000 access points (APs), and 2,048 wireless LANs (WLANs) within a single, easy-to-use platform.

Additionally, Ruckus has increased the client capacity of its ZoneFlex dual-band 802.11n APs to support 256 concurrent clients per AP (256 clients per radio), making them the ideal Wi-Fi solution for high-capacity, dense user environments where reliable Wi-Fi services and extended coverage are essential.

“Given the unstoppable move to mobile Internet devices and applications, dealing with user density and scalability is quickly becoming a point of contention for enterprises and service providers,” said Selina Lo, president and CEO of Ruckus Wireless. “Ruckus is tackling this problem by combining patented adaptive antenna technology that enables more consistent performance and client connectivity, with a powerful new hardware platform and software enhancements that take away the complexity historically associated with managing a large-scale Wi-Fi infrastructure.”

Among the first customers to deploy the new ZD5000 is NEBO School District in Utah. NEBO has deployed redundant ZD5000s to manage more than 625 Ruckus 802.11n access points across 43 different schools and six district sites.

In addition to the ZD5000 platform, Ruckus has introduced a new version of its award-winning ZoneFlex Smart/OS software system (version 9.2) for all of its Smart WLAN controllers, with important enhancements such as:

AP groups for bulk configuration and simplified WLAN administration,
Smart mesh enhancements that increase overall network performance and reliability,
IPv6 support for virtually limitless IP addressing,
Remote packet capture on Ruckus APs to streamline troubleshooting and network analysis,
Automatic proxy configuration for clients to enhance security and network performance,
802.1X wired Ethernet port security that protects against unauthorized network access through APs installed in public areas,
Configurable timeouts for idle clients that help increase network capacity, and re-authentication grace periods that eliminate users from having to constantly re-authenticate,
Wireless Internet Service Provider roaming (WISPr) and L2TP tunneling support on standalone ZoneFlex 802.11n APs for seamless integration and flexible deployment of hotspot services.

Making Wi-Fi Super Scalable

At the heart of scaling Wi-Fi capacity is the introduction of the ZoneDirector 5000 Smart WLAN controller. Perfect for large-scale wireless environments such as hotels, schools, hospitals and managed service environments, the ZD 5000 is the first Smart WLAN platform to combine power, simplicity and scalability into a single, affordable system.

Highly resilient with dual/hot-swappable AC/DC power supplies and fans, the ZD5000 integrates the same ZoneFlex Smart/OS software as other ZoneDirector platforms, supporting advanced features such as meshing, hot spot authentication, guest networking and dynamic Wi-Fi security at no additional cost.
Making Wi-Fi Super Simple

To simplify the management, configuration and troubleshooting of large-scale WLAN environments, Ruckus is introducing a number of software enhancements.

Ruckus APs now support remote wireless packet capture for troubleshooting and network analysis. While continuing to serve clients, Wi-Fi packets can be collected over-the-air and saved to a file for future analysis or streamed in real-time directly to a packet analyzer.

To save time and effort when configuring or changing the configuration of numerous APs, network administrators can now define up to 512 AP groups and create profiles that define channels, power levels and other configurable fields. WLAN groupings - that allow different SSIDs to appear on different Wi-Fi radios and APs, thereby streamlining the operation of a large number of small-sized networks from a single controller - have also been expanded to up to 2,048.
Making Wi-Fi Super Secure

Ensuring the highest levels of wireless security, encrypted data tunnels now provide privacy for data traffic traversing the wired LAN – making ZoneFlex APs the ideal Wi-Fi solution for retail operations concerned with PCI compliance.

Additionally, Ruckus ZoneFlex APs now support 802.1X wired Ethernet port security, protecting against unauthorized network access through APs installed in public areas by extending wired port access security to Ethernet ports on the AP.

Support for Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) has also been added to all Ruckus 802.11n access points used as standalone APs. Remote APs use L2TP to automatically create a secure VPN tunnel to a central network. If the L2TP tunnel is unavailable, APs can be configured to disable WLAN services.
Pricing and Availability

Available immediately, the ZoneDirector 5000 is priced starting at $35,000 and comes with a lifetime warranty. Available this quarter, ZoneFlex 9.2 software is a free upgrade for existing customers.