Ruckus ZoneFlex Ranks Highest in New Independent Tests of Seven Leading Enterprise Wireless LAN Systems by Jones-Petrick and Associates

    SUNNYVALE, Calif., Jan. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Ruckus Wireless today
 announced that its ZoneFlex(TM) Smart WLAN system outperformed seven
 leading enterprise wireless LAN (WLAN) systems in an independent test
 report published by Jones-Petrick and Associates (JPA), one of the
 industry's most respected experts in wireless networking.
 
     The WLAN testing, conducted over a two-month period, benchmarked the
 latest generation of enterprise WLAN systems within a real-world office
 environment. The tests measured single client throughput, multiple (20)
 client throughput and voice quality performance with multiple (19)
 Voice-over-WiFi (VoFI) clients and background data traffic at varying
 distances, levels of obstruction and interference.
 
     In every test, the Ruckus ZoneFlex consistently delivered significantly
 higher throughput at the greatest distances and in the most challenging
 locations, with and without interference.
 
     Additionally, in the VoFI tests, ZoneFlex demonstrated the highest and
 most consistent voice quality, measured by mean opinion score (MOS) and
 R-Value -- two standard performance metrics for evaluating VoIP
 technologies -- across all the test locations, making it the only WLAN
 system able to continuously deliver "toll quality" voice traffic.
 
     The wireless testing was performed by Al Petrick, the vice chairman of
 the IEEE 802.11 working group and co-author of the book IEEE 802.11
 Handbook, A Designer's Companion. Mr. Petrick is widely considered a Wi-Fi
 authority.
 
     "The innovations in centralized wireless LAN systems have enabled
 enterprises to deploy, manage and secure their WLANs to mobilize the
 workforce and reduce overhead costs associated with constant wiring and
 re-wiring," said Al Petrick, principal of Jones-Petrick. "However, when it
 comes to delivering reliable, predictable performance for users everywhere,
 our testing shows that systems with inherent, RF-optimized APs outshine
 those that rely only on WLAN controllers for RF management.
 
     "With Wi-Fi now becoming users' preferred connectivity method,
 enterprises are looking for systems that can deliver wired-like
 performance, particularly in hard-to-reach locations and for
 delay-sensitive applications like voice and video. Based on our testing, we
 determined that the performance benefits offered by the Ruckus ZoneFlex
 system, combined with its centralized management tools, make ZoneFlex the
 ideal solution for the mid-size enterprise," Petrick concluded.
 
     As the centralized WLAN model becomes accepted as the de-facto standard
 for enterprise WLANs, the focus will turn to fixing the neglected RF issues
 that negatively affect performance and stability. The historical approach
 of throwing more APs and controllers into the network to address range and
 performance limitations increases WLAN cost and complexity, in addition to
 being ineffective in combating RF interference.
 
     "The biggest complaints we hear from companies aren't about deployment,
 management or security any more. They are about RF problems -- poor
 coverage, unstable Wi-Fi signals, and sporadic drops in Wi-Fi performance,"
 said Selina Lo, president and CEO of Ruckus Wireless. "JPA's test results
 show how important RF-optimized APs are to overall system performance and
 stability. The technical advances we've made are paving the way for
 wire-class Wi-Fi."
 
     Test Details and Results
 
     JPA conducted a variety of wireless LAN tests in a single-story,
 18,000-square-foot office complex in Fremont, California, using the latest
 equipment from seven leading enterprise WLAN vendors and standardized test
 tools such as Ixia's IxChariot and IPerf.
 
     For each device under test, JPA tabulated TCP throughput results for
 both single client and multiple clients in different locations throughout
 the test facility, with and without interference. JPA also captured the MOS
 and R-Values in a VoFI test with multiple dispersed VoFI clients and
 varying AP locations. The tests performed were:
 
 

     1) TCP downlink performance on a single client in six different locations
        with four client rotations per location, with and without interference
        introduced
     2) Aggregate TCP downlink performance on 20 dispersed clients and six AP
        locations at varying distances, with and without interference
        introduced
     3) Voice quality of 19 VoFI clients and 1 client PC generating background
        data traffic
 
     Ruckus Wireless, the Clear Winner
 
     JPA's WLAN testing determined that the Ruckus ZoneFlex system performed
 better than all leading alternatives in providing extended range,
 consistent performance across all locations, support for multimedia and the
 ability to automatically adapt to environmental changes caused by
 interference and other obstacles. Highlights of the test results include:
 
 

     -- The Ruckus ZoneFlex system continually demonstrated significantly
        higher TCP throughput at the farthest and most challenging locations.
     -- With ZoneFlex, an 802.11g Centrino client exhibited 2.5x higher average
        TCP throughput when positioned 175 feet from the Ruckus AP, than any
        other product tested.
     -- At the furthest distance, Ruckus ZoneFlex delivered 15.66 Mbps of
        aggregate TCP throughput to 20 clients, nearly 3x more than that of the
        nearest competitor.
     -- In single 802.11g client testing, ZoneFlex exhibited the highest
        average TCP downstream throughput across all locations.
     -- In VoFI tests, Ruckus ZoneFlex achieved the highest quality MOS (4.33)
        and R-Value (90.47) scores across all locations over all competitive
        systems.
 
     Ruckus' "smart Wi-Fi" technology, which is based on a multi-antenna
 array, enables real-time signal path selection and interference rejection,
 resulting in a consistently reliable connection -- even for high-bandwidth
 applications and in challenging environments.
 
     The complete JPA test report results on the Ruckus ZoneFlex system are
 available at http://www.ruckuswireless.com.
 
     About Jones-Petrick Associates
 
     Jones-Petrick and Associates, LLC is a high technology marketing and
 technology consulting firm focused on assisting new-venture startup
 companies, large corporations, and carrier service providers that develops
 semiconductors, products and provides services to wireless home networking,
 enterprise networking, wireless broadband and hospitality markets.
 Jones-Petrick and Associates offers strategic marketing, product
 definition, technology due diligence, business plan development, and
 competitive product testing and systems design as part of the Company's
 services to clients worldwide. Jones-Petrick and Associcates, LLC was
 founded in 2002, and is privately held and headquartered in Orlando,
 Florida. For more information, visit http://www.jpasoc.com or send email to
 info@jpasoc.com.
 
     About Ruckus Wireless, Inc.
 
     Based in Sunnyvale, California, Ruckus Wireless is a next-generation
 Wi-Fi company credited with pioneering "Smart Wi-Fi" technology. Named a
 2007 Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum, Ruckus Wireless was
 formed in 2004 at Sequoia Capital. The company designs, develops and
 markets industrial-strength Wi-Fi systems that provide reliable
 distribution of delay-sensitive multimedia content and services over
 standard 802.11 technology. Its flagship product, ZoneFlex, is the first
 wireless LAN system to combine the best in centralized wireless LAN
 principles with state-of-the-art Wi-Fi advances such as smart antenna
 arrays and wireless meshing. Its MediaFlex line of multimedia wireless
 routers is used by more than 125 broadband operators around the world to
 extend digital services such as IPTV throughout the home without wires. The
 company's patented hardware and software technologies deliver predictable
 performance, extended range and real-time adaptability to changing Wi-Fi
 environments. The company has raised approximately $42 million in financing
 from premier venture capital investors, consumer electronics companies and
 broadband operators such as Motorola, T-Ventures, Telus, Sutter Hill
 Ventures, Mitsui, Sequoia and others. Ruckus Wireless is led by President
 and CEO Selina Lo. For more information, visit the company's Web site at
 http://www.ruckuswireless.com.
 
 

      Media Contacts
      David Callisch
      Ruckus Wireless
      david@ruckuswireless.com
      +1-408-504-5487 mobile
 
      Nancy MacGregor Hill
      RealTime Communications
      nancy@realtime-comm.com
      +1-510-733-6228 office
      +1-415-309-5185 mobile
 
 

SOURCE Ruckus Wireless, Inc.