Ruckus unveils cloud-based smart positioning WiFi location service

• Allows carriers/ service providers and enterprises to deliver value added services over Ruckus networks
• Also introduces Ruckus SPoT location ecosystem, dedicated partner programme for 3rd party developers

RUCKUS Wireless Inc has unveiled the Ruckus Smart Positioning Technology (SPoT) service, which it claimed is the industry’s first cloud-based smart positioning location-based service (LBS).
 
The service gives carriers, service providers and enterprises the ability to deliver a wide range of value added services over Ruckus Smart Wi-Fi networks to help increase their profitability while enhancing their users’ online experience, the company said in a statement.
 
Ruckus SPoT combines unique advantages such as being completely cloud-based, and offering improved accuracy and performance more cost-effectively, Ruckus claimed.
 
While other location analytics technologies are proprietary and limited to users that have an on-premises location appliance, Ruckus SPoT is completely cloud-based and offers APIs (application programming interfaces) for third party developers.
 
Venues with Ruckus Smart Wi-Fi installed do not need any additional hardware to be ‘location Intelligent’ and can immediately take advantage of third party analytics and mobile application offerings if preferred, Ruckus said.
 
Embedded with a patented Indoor Positioning Algorithm gained from the company’s recent acquisition of YFind Technologies, new and existing Ruckus Smart Wi-Fi access points are now capable of powerful and accurate client positioning for indoor or dense urban environments, where GPS doesn’t always work, it said.
 
By knowing where clients are located, companies are able to help them get wherever they need to go, making the network experience better for them, or use data from their location to optimise their experience, it added.
 
In addition, network operators can deliver location-relevant content to users based on their proximity to points of interest, including timely retail offers – even security and safety notices, Ruckus said.
 
“Our innovations in location-based client positioning are driving new opportunities for operators and enterprises to easily leverage their Ruckus Wi-Fi infrastructure to support intelligent positioning services indoors, where people use WiFi most,” said Ruckus Wireless president and chief executive officer Selina Lo (pic).
 
“Our unique cloud-based service approach gives customers a simple and powerful way to add immense value to their Ruckus Smart Wi-Fi networks, and the ability to easily enable new services.
 
“Cloud-based service enablement also allows for instant service provisioning without significant capex (capital expenditure) contribution,” she added.
 
The company is also introducing the Ruckus SPoT location ecosystem, a dedicated partner programme for third party application developers.
 
Partners are provided with an open API and SDK (software development kit) to easily develop customised Location Analytics and mobile apps that leverage Ruckus SPoT technology to deliver differentiated services for a range of vertical market use cases.
 
This gives customers better insight into where clients are located and moving to enhance user engagement and experiences within their facilities.
 
The first Ruckus SPoT location ecosystem partners include location analytics companies such as Euclid and Skyrove, and mobile application development partners including companies such as Front Porch, ITC Infotech, Purple WiFi, SangInfo, and TechStudio.
 
Ruckus SPoT is based on the technology recently acquired from Singapore-based location based services pioneer YFind Technologies.
 
It gives service providers and enterprises the ability to leverage Ruckus Smart Wi-Fi access points with the latest location technology and techniques that can automatically pinpoint and track the physical location of WiFi-enabled devices, without having to deploy a substantially higher density of additional WiFi hardware or any client software, Ruckus said.
 
“We see location-based services to be one of the key drivers for wireless LAN (local area network) market growth starting in 2014,” said Rohit Mehra, vice president, Network Infrastructure, IDC.
 
“As with other cloud applications, cloud-based location services can offer scalable, elastic compute resources for enterprises and service providers to collect, monitor, and provide real time analytics that are essential to providing rapid insight on user location and behaviour, enabling improved user satisfaction or other business services that can be monetized,” he added.
 
Available worldwide in the second quarter of 2014, Ruckus SPoT is a subscription-based service that can be purchased on either a one-, three-or five-year basis for RM84 per Ruckus access point per month.
 
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