Wickedly Fast Wi-Fi in the City of San José

When the City of San José set out to look for a new Wi-Fi network, officials were hesitant and somewhat pessimistic about finding a solution that would be cost effective, reliable and provide for a “Capital of Silicon Valley” user experience.

The legacy Wi-Fi model was outdated, and the City gave up a lot of its control, giving into subscriptions and ad-based revenue, which didn’t provide for a very good Wi-Fi experience.

City officials had a vision, with the onset of changing demands for data consumption including the advent of Netflix, Hulu and YouTube plus the added HD option — they wanted to control a high-quality user experience, but they didn’t have the expertise in house. This is why they sought out quality private sector partners, and after testing a variety of industry offerings, they decided to go with SmartWAVE Technologies and Ruckus Wireless.

Ruckus provided outdoor 802.11n access points that are deployed on light poles and indoor 802.11n access points installed at other locations throughout Downtown. The majority of these wireless devices are connected to a high-speed gigabit fiber network that terminates at an Internet peering point called the Metropolitan Area Exchange, West—better known as MAE-West—in Downtown San José. Management of the wireless network will be centralized at City Hall, allowing a single point of visibility, control and tuning of the Wi-Fi network.

What’s Next for the City of San José? Well, besides expanding the deployment in City Hall itself, the City is building a State-of-the-Art convention center, which they plan to have fully enabled with Wi-Fi.

Solution

• ZoneFlex 7762: high capacity, outdoor 3:3:2 Smart Wi-Fi access points
• ZoneFlex 7782: high capacity, outdoor 3:3:3 Smart Wi-Fi access points
• ZoneDirector 3000 Smart WLAN controller

• Video

Different pieces of equipment, one seamless solution

Ask4, one of the leading UK providers of managed telecommunications services, was tasked with finding a solution to the University of Leister’s growing demand for smart, fast, reliable Wi-Fi for its student population.

With about 25,000 students using multiple devices including laptops, netbooks, tablets and smartphones, 4,500 dorm rooms spread across an indoor/outdoor campus, and the growing importance of Wi-Fi as a deciding factor for students when it comes to housing, this was no easy task.

They needed to provide a solution that could cover the vast area of the campus, without dropping connection through buildings, meet the needs of the modern day student — which includes instant video streaming, downloading music, or even class notes, while keeping in mind the cost of such a large-scale deployment.

After conducting a series of rigorous tests Ask4 selected Ruckus to provide the University’s dorm rooms with all their wireless needs because of the product and technology offering. Ruckus’ ChannelFly and BeamFlex were two deciding factors for Ask4 because it provided them with a way to manage the network, while using the least amount of Access Points, which none of the competing providers were able to offer.

Ask4 selected the Ruckus ZoneFlex 7025 high-speed 2.4Ghz 802.11n wall switch, and is able to deploy it superfast broadband, complimenting the Wi-Fi, VOIP, IPTV, and music platform offerings. Thirty-three ZoneFlex 7762 concurrent dual-band 2.4 GHx/5GHz 802.11n access points were selected to cover the outdoor areas of the campu, and the ZoneDirector 3000 allows for easy management and control at the Ask4 operation centers, providing centralized administration and remote management.

Solution

• ZoneFlex 7025
• ZoneFlex 7762 external, mesh between accommodation blocks
• ZoneDirector 3000 Smart WLAN controller

• Video

Taming the Thames with Wi-Fi

An innovative supplier of Wi-Fi, cloud and IP-based policy management services, Global Reach needed to address the growing need for wireless connectivity and hotspot services along 44km (27 miles) of the River Thames and onboard Thames Clipper London River Ferries that support more than 30 million people crossing the river each year.

An expert in building and managing large-scale public wireless infrastructure, such as its Wi-Fi network covering London's Underground subway system, Global Reach also wanted to provide its own hot zone branded services, offer wholesale capacity to other carriers and provide international roaming services.

British Telecommunications plc (BT) wanted to use Global Reach's river network to provide public Wi-Fi access free of charge to all its BT Broadband subscribers via the white-labeled Global Reach service to the Thames River network, while the Transport for London (TFL) authority is using the Wi-Fi infrastructure for private services such as real-time location-based information, tracking boats, network monitoring, timetables, CCTV surveillance and other services.

However, providing a reliable outdoor Wi-Fi network along a river with moving boats and piers is much easier said than done. Global Reach needed a solution that extended signal range while being able to adapt to changing environmental conditions and harsh weather. Global Reach selected the new Ruckus ZoneFlex 7762, carrier-class 2.4/5 GHz 802.11n outdoor access points (APs) to deploy at main piers criss-crossing the Thames River. Twenty-four Thames Clippers London river ferries are equipped with ZoneFlex 7363 802.11n indoor dual-band Smart Wi-Fi access points, along with 3G backhaul and ZoneDirector controllers at the Global Reach network operation centers, to provide centralized administration and remote management.

Solution

• ZoneFlex 7762: high capacity, outdoor 3:3:2 Smart Wi-Fi access points
• ZoneFlex 7363: dual-band, indoor 2:2:2 Smart Wi-Fi access points
• ZoneDirector 3000 Smart WLAN controller

• Video

London Wi-Fi Unleashed

Like many mobile network operators (MNOs) around the world, O₂ Telefonica needed to inject wireless capacity into their service areas to appease millions of users looking for instant Internet gratification. Doing this, however, presented a myriad of problems: from providing reliable backhaul to thwarting the noisy RF spectrum in locations like Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, High Street Kensington and other popular public spots.

A long list of requirements for a reliable outdoor Wi-Fi system included: small form factor that was easy to install, a single device that could be ultimately upgraded with a small cell radio, long range backhaul to minimize costly fiber trenching to each node, interference mitigation for reliable connectivity, scalable management that was easy to use and came with granular controls and the ability for Access Points (APs) to handle hundreds of concurrent client connections.

After testing a variety of industry offerings, O₂ selected and deployed the Ruckus SmartCell 8800. These devices have been deployed on light poles throughout London. SmartMesh backhaul allows APs to be deployed without costly or cumbersome fixed broadband lines. Moreover, the Ruckus SmartCell system can be easily upgraded in the future with a small cell radio to augment O₂s existing macro cellular network.

The system is centrally managed using the Ruckus SmartCell gateway that provides granular control over clients, traffic, security and a range of network parameters.

Solution

• SmartCell 8800: 3:3:3 dual-band 802.11n access node
• SmartCell 200 edge service gateway

• Video

High Flying Wi-Fi

Considered one of Southeast Asia's premiere transport hubs, Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) services over 37 million passengers each year and is recognized as the world's first airport to offer free Wi-Fi in 2000. KLIA's facilities span over 100 square kilometers; it's main terminal building alone is equivalent to the size of 72 football fields.

KLIA's move to a new airport-wide Wi-Fi system was driven by the need to give passengers the best possible airport experience by providing more ubiquitous broadband access, reliable wireless connectivity and consistent performance.

KLIA's legacy Wi-Fi system struggled to deal with its ever changing environmental conditions, an increasingly noisy RF spectrum and an exploding number of concurrent Wi-Fi users.

Free public access was just one of the key applications for Wi-Fi. Ground handling, aircraft maintenance and cargo handling service personnel wanted better Wi-Fi to communicate with back-office systems. New aircraft, such as Airbus A380, now come equipped with the new system that requires highly reliable Wi-Fi connections to automatically retrieve and load large volumes of aircraft systems’ data during layovers and turnarounds.

After trialing a range of wireless products and technology from leading suppliers, KLIA selected the Ruckus ZoneFlex system due to its ability to provide high capacity connectivity, long range coverage and more consistent performance while minimizing the number of Wi-Fi access points (APs) needed to cover a given area.

Solution

• ZoneFlex 7962 indoor 3:3:2 Smart Wi-Fi access points
• ZoneFlex 7762 outdoor 3:3:2 Smart Wi-Fi access points
• ZoneDirector 3000 Smart WLAN controller

• Video

802.11 Zen

Overlooking a scenic spot by the sea, Xiamen International Convention & Exhibition Center (XICEC) has a total floor space of 350,000 square meters, and ceiling heights of 7 to 15 meters, hosting all kinds of exhibitions and expos, and is one of the largest exhibition centers in China.

When smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices became popular, traditional wireless networks faced two new challenges:

1. To offer high concurrent usage, XICEC demanded access points to be capable of supporting 100+ concurrent users
2. APs were required to be deployed at high points or critical locations in the venue, exhibition halls or banquet rooms

Ruckus Smart Wi-Fi stood out among the 5 vendors invited for a field test in 2011. Only 12 Ruckus ZoneFlex APs were deployed to satisfy the concurrent usage of all 2,000+ attendees in the event, running emails, micro-blogging, sending and receiving emails and watching online video.

Solution

• ZoneFlex 7363
• ZoneFlex 7762
• ZoneDirector 3000

• Press Release
• Video

Towerstream Overcomes the Noise Floor on the Roof with Ruckus

Towerstream, one of the nation's leading high-speed wireless broadband providers, offering wireless access and backhaul services in 11 major markets in the United States, needed a way to get around the noise, or even through it - to deliver reliable wireless access services to its customers. With an extensive wireless backhaul network across the country, Towerstream wanted to begin wholesaling Wi-Fi access services to other carriers feeling the pain of exploding data traffic crushing their networks.

But to achieve this goal, Towerstream needed a new approach. It needed smarter outdoor Wi-Fi that could deal with RF pollution in places like Manhattan where it leverages over 1,000 rooftops to provide wireless services. At any time, Towerstream can see over 300 other access points scream at the top of their lungs.

So Towerstream turned to Ruckus Wireless and the rest is history. Towerstream is now delivering reliable wireless bandwidth in thousands of locations across the country using specialized smart sector outdoor access points designed to focus and steer Wi-Fi signals around obstacles and interference.

Solution

• ZoneFlex 7762-S 802.11n outdoor APs
• ZoneFlex 7762 dual-band 802.11n outdoor APs
• ZoneFlex 7782 30° narrow beam smart Wi-Fi outdoor APs
• ZoneDirector 5000 centralized WLAN controllers

• Video

The Cloud Rains Smarter Hot Spots Throughout Europe

Recently purchased by BSkyB for their vast Wi-Fi infrastructure, the Cloud is retrofitting thousands of indoor and outdoor hotspot locations with ZoneFlex™ dual-band 802.11n access points throughout the UK in myriad retail locations such as Caffé Nero, PizzaExpress, Pret A Manger and many others, for high-speed public Wi-Fi access. One of Europe’s largest Wi-Fi operators, The Cloud offers Wi-Fi coverage across 12 European countries, in over 8,500 locations with 22,000 access points deployed in venues such as airports, hotels, and railway stations.

The Cloud is using smarter Wi-Fi that exploits patented adaptive array technology to offer more reliable and faster public access, managed wireless LAN and mobile data offload services. Throughout the City of London’s Square Mile, The Cloud is replacing hundreds of BelAir outdoor access points with the the industry’s most popular dual-band 802.11n outdoor access points, the Ruckus ZoneFlex 7762.

Solution

• Ruckus ZoneFlex 7762 dual-band 802.11n outdoor access points
• Ruckus ZoneFlex 7363 dual-band indoor access points
• Ruckus ZoneDirector WLAN controllers
• Ruckus FlexMaster remote Wi-Fi management system

• Press Release
• Video