Ruckus Wireless has unveiled two new wireless access points (APs) that it says offer the best price/performance ratio on the market.
The 802.11n Wi-Fi products are part of its ZoneFlex series of midrange access points and are aimed at organisations such as healthcare clinics, schools and smaller hotels. The firm says the new access points provide a combination of flexibility and ease of use, while also being cost-effective.
The single-band 7343 offers up to 300Mbps, while the double-band 7363 can provide up to 600Mbps. The devices, part of the new ZoneFlex 7300 series, use a combination of what Ruckus calls Smart Antennas with dynamic beamforming to offer improved performance and reliability compared to what is currently available on the market.
Dynamic beamforming can minimise packet loss by ensuring that the wireless connection automatically selects better signal paths to deliver a more consistent connection.
James Calderbank, director of enterprise sales, EMEA, told CBR that the new products offer a price/performance ratio that makes Ruckus more appealing than rival Cisco, especially during a time when companies are more cautious about their spending.
“Customers have become more sensitive about price,” he said. “But what we’ve seen is that where a couple of years ago a company may have got a quote from Aruba or Cisco of £50,000 and gone with that, in the current climate they will take a step back and look around a little more.”
The improved performance of the 7343 and 7363 means that companies will be able to install fewer access points, reducing the cost of the infrastructure. Both devices also have three Ethernet ports so users can add more devices to the network without the need for additional infrastructure, Calderbank said.
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The company believes that the new range will help enterprises and service providers cope with the surge in demand for wireless devices.
“Enterprises and service providers around the world are trying to deal with a tsunami of Wi-Fi-enabled mobile internet devices in the hands of a growing user population that expects fast and reliable connectivity everywhere, all the time,” said Selina Lo, CEO of Ruckus. “802.11n is expected to be the answer, but high prices and inconsistent performance have hampered mass adoption. Ruckus Wireless is breaking down these barriers once and for all.”
The ZoneFlex 7343 is priced at $499, while the 7363 is priced at $599.
