Ruckus Wireless 802.11n WLAN System Voted 'Best Product Idea' at CableLabs® 2008 Winter Conference
Ruckus ZoneFlex Demonstrates Flawless Handling of HD IPTV Streams, Voice-over-Wi-Fi and Streaming Video from a Slingbox
SUNNYVALE, Calif., Feb. 19 -- Ruckus Wireless announced today that its ZoneFlex(TM) Smart Wireless LAN System was voted the "best new product idea most likely to succeed" by CableLabs® at its 2008 Winter Conference held in Colorado Springs, CO, last week. Ruckus was one of nine companies to participate in the Innovation Showcase segment of the conference, in which companies explain and demonstrate the newest products, technologies and ideas.
In an "interference-rich" environment where hundreds of attendees were accessing CableLabs conference Wi-Fi network, Ruckus Wireless demonstrated advances it has made with 802.11n Wi-Fi technology to handle picture-perfect wireless distribution of multiple MPEG-2 high-definition IPTV streams of 20 mbps each to IP-enabled televisions some 100 feet away. At the same time, Ruckus demonstrated voice-over-Wi-Fi calls from a Blackberry dual-mode phone, Internet access from Wi-Fi enabled laptops and the streaming of video content from a Sling Media Slingbox to a PC.
Unlike any other 802.11n system available today, Ruckus Wireless integrates an intelligent antenna array into each device. This "smart" antenna provides complete control over the Wi-Fi environment, automatically steering signals around interference as it is experienced, thereby ensuring high reliability and predictable, high performance in all locations. "We get lots of calls from customers having problems with their home networks," said Comcast Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning Mark Coblitz. "Ruckus Wireless showed us today that Wi-Fi networking in the home and in the enterprise can work in a reliable, consistent manner."
"We made a pretty bold move by demonstrating a product that's not yet commercially available," said Selina Lo, President and CEO of Ruckus Wireless. "We were confident our technology would handle the pressure, and it did. And the demo really spoke for itself. Attendees were simply amazed to see so many high-bandwidth applications running concurrently over a single Wi-Fi network -- because Wi-Fi is typically viewed as unstable and unreliable. We proved that our technology truly delivers a wire-class wireless experience."
Smart Wi-Fi Makes 802.11n Sing
Ruckus Wireless Smart Wi-Fi technology is based on a patented multi-element antenna array that enables real-time signal path selection and interference rejection, resulting in a consistently reliable Wi-Fi connection -- even for high-bandwidth applications like voice and video and in challenging, interference-prone environments.
Lo explained that like other 802.11n products, the ZoneFlex system delivers peak capacities of up to 200 mbps of raw data throughput, however, it is the only system designed to deliver "worst-case sustained throughput" of between 60 and 80 mbps to any corner of a 5,000-square-foot facility. "At the end of the day, people care most about the actual performance they achieve, not some theoretical number on a box that they can never reach," concluded Lo.
"It's very exciting to see Ruckus' technology give Wi-Fi credibility and resolve the problems that have previously limited the use of Wi-Fi applications," said Dr. Richard R. Green, President and CEO of CableLabs.
The Ruckus ZoneFlex system is ideal for broadband operators looking to provide triple-play services to consumers and businesses, and is also perfectly suited for enterprise deployments in public venues like hotels, schools, hospitals, airports and Wi-Fi hotspots.
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 for service providers and enterprises that provide reliable distribution of delay-sensitive multimedia content and services over standard 802.11 technology. 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/.
Source: Ruckus Wireless
CONTACT:
David Callisch of Ruckus Wireless
+1-408-504-5487
david@ruckuswireless.com
or
Nancy MacGregor Hill of RealTime Communications
+1-510-733-6228
mobile, +1-415-309-5185
nancy@realtime-comm.com
for +Ruckus Wireless
Web site: http://www.ruckuswireless.com/
