The Skinny

Company

The Company

Formed in June 2004, Ruckus Wireless is Wi-Fi technology pioneer focused on building the next generation of Smart Wireless LAN systems. Named a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum, Ruckus Wireless is credited with developing the first Smart Wi-Fi products and technology that extend the range of Wi-Fi signals and automatically adapt to environmental changes. Venture-backed, Ruckus Wireless has raised $42 million in capital from some of the world’s leading investors including Sequoia Capital, Sutter Hill, T-Ventures, WK Technology Fund and Motorola Ventures. The Company manufactures and markets Smart Wi-Fi products directly to broadband services providers and Smart WLAN systems indirectly to enterprise customers. To date, Ruckus has shipped more than 500,000 Smart Wi-Fi systems worldwide.

Market

The Market

Ruckus Wireless competes in the multi-billion dollar market for enterprise Wi-Fi local area networks. The Dell’Oro Group forecasts the worldwide WLAN market to reach $9 billion by 2011, with the enterprise segment representing over 32 percent of the total market. The WLAN market is being driven by the strong trend toward the use of Wi-Fi as a ubiquitous utility to support more mature applications such as voice, video, digital signage and other sophisticated uses. Today the WLAN market is largely split between high end WLAN switch suppliers and low end consumer Wi-Fi companies. Ruckus Wireless is positioned to provide all the value, features and functionality of high end systems but within an easy-to-use and affordable system.

Problem

The Problem

Originally developed as a technology of convenience, Wi-Fi is considered ill-equipped to provide reliable connectivity and consistent performance within the enterprise. Constant changes in the RF environment make it difficult for IT staff to troubleshoot problems. Inadequate range, spotty coverage, inconsistent connectivity and erratic behavior remain fundamental issues to WLAN deployment. Meanwhile most of today’s WLAN systems are often too costly and complex for enterprise IT departments.

Solution

The Solution

Ruckus Wireless invented and patented Smart Wi-Fi technology - advanced RF routing technology. Smart Wi-Fi, for the first time, brings range and reliability to WLAN environments through the use of a software-controlled antenna system. Smart Wi-Fi leverages an intelligent, high-gain directional antenna system to enable Wi-Fi signals to be formed, focused and directed over the best performing paths at any given time. Completely adaptive, Smart Wi-Fi technology is unique to Ruckus Wireless and integrated into every system to extend signal range and reliability. Smart Wi-Fi technology steers signals around interference, obstructions and obstacles to ensure the unprecedented coverage and consistent performance at range. Its flagship product line, ZoneFlex, represents the next generation of centralized WLAN systems.

Team

The Team

The Ruckus team includes the world’s foremost experts in Wi-Fi and networking technology from some of the industry’s leading companies including Cisco Systems, Nortel Networks, Fore Systems, Iospan, VxTel and Packeteer. Ruckus Wireless is led by Ms. Selina Lo, an industry icon responsible for creating new markets and building successful companies such as Centillion Networks and Alteon WebSystems. Founding engineers, Bill Kish and Victor Shtrom, have a long -history of developing innovative and cutting edge network and wireless technology. And Steve Martin, former VP of Engineering at Airespace (purchased by Cisco Systems) heads worldwide engineering.