Ruckus ups the ante for high-speed, high-capacity WiFi

• Rolls out what it says is the industry’s first 802.11ac Wave 2 access point
• Ruckus ZoneFlex R710 delivers multi-gigabit WiFi performance

RUCKUS Wireless Inc has unveiled the Ruckus ZoneFlex R710 access point (AP), which it claimed was industry’s first WiFi AP based on Wave 2 features of the 802.11ac standard.
 
The new standard extends WiFi to enable multi-gigabit performance and unprecedented capacity, it said in a statement.
 
The new Ruckus ZoneFlex R710 is the first WiFi access point to now support major technical advances in the 802.11ac standard that allow the simultaneous transmission of multiple client streams to different devices over the same frequency, a highly anticipated new capability called multi-user multiple input/ multiple output (MU-MIMO).
 
This enables over two times the density of mobile devices versus Wave 1, and aggregate data rates exceeding two gigabits per second, Ruckus said.
 
The Ruckus ZoneFlex R710 access point supports up to four spatial streams and 500 concurrent clients, the company added.
 
Additionally, each ZoneFlex R710 access point integrates Ruckus-patented BeamFlex+ adaptive antenna technology (pic, below), designed to enhance the operation of Wave 2 802.11ac technology by optimising antenna coverage on a per-client, per-transmission basis.

The ZoneFlex R710 has a built-in USB port to accommodate Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons and other Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
 
This, combined with Ruckus SPoT location-based services (LBS) and analytics, enable opportunities for enterprises and service providers to monetise their WiFi investment in public venues through rich analytics and location-based user engagement, Ruckus said.
 
Available this quarter, the new Ruckus ZoneFlex R710 indoor access point has an MSRP (manufacturer suggested retail price) of US$1,295, and will be available through authorised Ruckus BiG DOG resellers worldwide.
 
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