Ruckus Outperforms Major 802.11ac Manufacturers in Divergent Dynamics' Wireless LAN Video Performance Test

Ruckus R610 Is Sole Access Point to Deliver Stall-Free Video under All Test Scenarios in Real-World, High Client-Density Stress Tests

News provided by

Ruckus

Sep 18, 2017, 09:00 ET

SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Ruckus, a part of Brocade, today announced it has once again outperformed four of its leading Wi-Fi competitors in a series of stress tests validated by Divergent Dynamics. Using mid-range 802.11ac access points (APs), the testing measured each AP's ability to simultaneously deliver video and data to 60 client devices. The results showed that the Ruckus R610 AP was the only tested AP able to maintain stall-free video delivery to each client when data traffic loading was simultaneously applied to the network.

"The tests were conducted in a real-world, high client-density environment and carried out using industry best practices and each manufacturer's recommendations," said Devin Akin, founder and CEO of Divergent Dynamics. "In this environment, Ruckus APs delivered consistent stall-free video, outperforming five APs from four manufacturers, including two APs with higher performance specifications. The R610 was the only AP to meet real-world relevant test objectives and was nothing short of impressive."

Video in the Enterprise
Video accounts for the majority of worldwide IP traffic volume and is growing rapidly in the enterprise and on mobile devices. According to the latest Cisco Visual Networking Index*, global IP video traffic will grow threefold from 2016 to 2021, a CAGR of 26 percent, while increased adoption of advanced video communications in the enterprise segment will cause business IP traffic to grow by a factor of three between 2016 and 2021.

About the Testing
The testing sought to establish the ability of each AP to deliver stall-free streaming video to client devices (Chromebook) with and without additional network loading applied by data clients (Mac Mini). Two tests were conducted, one with 30 video clients and 30 data clients and one with 60 video clients and two data clients. Each AP tested was located in one room with the AP placed such that it could provide coverage for video clients in the same room and video and data-only clients in an adjacent room.

Test Results
In the test with 30 video clients, the Ruckus R610 was the only AP that maintained stall-free video delivery to all 30 clients while under heavy network loading from data-only clients. In the test with 60 video clients, the Ruckus R610 was the only AP that maintained stall-free video delivery to all 60 video clients both with and without network loading.

Business Implications
IT departments are increasingly tasked with delivering a higher quality of service over a wireless local area network (WLAN) without over-spending on infrastructure. In some segments, such as education, the consistent delivery of stall-free video is imperative to the proper functioning of the organization. IT organizations that can provide their users with a better video experience save time by reducing the number of helpdesk tickets they receive. IT organizations that can use the equivalent of one AP for every two rooms rather than one AP for each room reduce the cost of access point infrastructure as well as associated licenses, cable runs and power consumption.

"Ruckus is committed to ensuring the highest quality of experience for each user, regardless of traffic type," said Greg Beach, vice president of wireless products, Ruckus. "Video is becoming more prevalent in every WLAN environment and, in contrast to most types of data traffic, poor video delivery is immediately apparent to the end user. The Divergent Dynamics report is further testament to Ruckus' unique ability to ensure a great end-user Wi-Fi experience—without over-procuring—even under the most challenging of circumstances."

The Divergent Dynamics report entitled "Client Density and Video Performance Comparison of Mid-range 802.11ac Access Points" can be downloaded from Divergent Dynamics: http://divdyn.com/docs/WiFi-vendor-video-stress-test.pdf.

About Ruckus
Ruckus, a business unit of Brocade, delivers simply better connections, so you can deliver awesome customer experiences. Ruckus' high-performance network infrastructure provides secure, reliable access to applications and services no matter how tough the environment. Ruckus innovates across wireless and wired technology to meet industry-specific needs. When connectivity really matters, organizations turn to Ruckus. #simplybetterconnections

About Brocade
Brocade^® (NASDAQ: BRCD) networking solutions help the world's leading organizations turn their networks into platforms for business innovation. With solutions spanning public and private data centers to the network edge, Brocade is leading the industry in its transition to the New IP network infrastructures required for today's world of digital business. (www.brocade.com)

These products and features and their availability are subject to change at the sole discretion of Brocade, and Brocade shall have no liability for delay in the delivery or failure to deliver any of the products or features described herein.

Ruckus, Ruckus Wireless and SP Cloud are trademarks of Ruckus Wireless, Inc. in the United States and other countries.

Brocade, the B-wing symbol, and MyBrocade are registered trademarks of Brocade Communications Systems, Inc., in the United States and in other countries. Other brands, product names, or service names mentioned of Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. are listed at www.brocade.com/en/legal/brocade-Legal-intellectual-property/brocade-legal-trademarks.html. Other marks may belong to third parties.