Press Releases
Ruckus Wireless Launches First-of-Its-Kind Wi-Fi Multimedia System Making the Wire-Free Digital Home a Reality
First Standard 802.11 Multimedia System to Solve the Last 25-Meter Problem for Triple Play Service Providers, PCCW First Provider To Bundle Ruckus Wireless's New System
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA, September 19, 2005 – Ruckus Wireless, Inc. (Ruckus), an innovator in next generation wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) technology, today launched unique new products and technology that forever change how multimedia content will be distributed throughout the home.
The Ruckus system is the only to deliver all the value of extended Wi-Fi range, increased capacity and reliable video quality using any standard Wi-Fi chipset. Competitive solutions require new, more costly chips, proprietary equipment at both end of the connection without the ability to ensure reliable delivery of delay-sensitive multimedia traffic.
The products, available immediately, include the industry's first multimedia wireless routing system and multimedia adapter. The company, formerly known as Video54, also announced today $9 million in additional financing (see related release entitled “Ruckus Wireless Secures $9 Additional Financing”).
Based on a variety of patent-pending technologies, the new standards-based Ruckus Wireless multimedia system automatically and continuously steers wireless signals around sources of interference while intelligently managing all voice, video and data traffic to ensure the most reliable wireless transmissions possible.
In addition Ruckus announced that PCCW, Hong Kong's primary telecommunications provider, will become the first company in the world to offer consumers a complete wireless multimedia solution, as part of it popular Netvigator Broadband Services, using innovative new products and technology from Ruckus.
"As one of the first Broadband ISPs to bring consumers wireless PC networking in 2001, PCCW-Netvigator is again at the forefront helping consumers realize the best possible real broadband experience with digital multimedia home wireless networking", says Allen Wong Ph.D, director of Product Development, Consumer Group, PCCW. "We have tested a number of different Wi-Fi products and found that the Ruckus Wireless multimedia system offers the most consistent performance under interference, which is a common condition in densely populated cities such as Hong Kong.”
In January, NETGEAR announced the licensing of Ruckus BeamFlex™ technology which is now available within its new RangeMax™ wireless products. In just a few short months after product launch, NETGEAR RangeMax beat the competition to become the top seller of MIMO-G nodes in US retail channel according to NPD Techworld US weekly Retail Data as of 5/29/2005. Furthermore, NETGEAR RangeMax has also been received very well in international markets, with sales as big as the US domestic volume.
First-of-Its-Kind Technology Delivers Picture-Perfect Multimedia
New Ruckus wireless multimedia products feature first-of-its-kind technology that makes it possible to reliably deliver high-quality video, audio, games and rich data anywhere throughout the home while extending the reach of Wi-Fi transmissions. Until now, the transmission of multimedia content has typically required separate distribution networks in the home.
New ground-breaking technology, developed by Ruckus, uses a smart antenna scheme along with sophisticated traffic inspection, QoS (Quality of Service) and reliable multicast software to send and receive wireless signals, ensuring the highest quality wireless transmissions for video, voice and data.
With the Ruckus system, consumers have the freedom to put phones, computers and audio/visual equipment anywhere within the home without network cabling - effectively eliminating installation inconvenience, wiring costs and unsightly display of cables and cords. Additionally, Wi-Fi users can now overcome environmental challenges such as interference from surrounding wireless devices and networks, or bandwidth contention from concurrent applications such as email downloads and Web surfing, to receive uninterrupted transmission of delay-sensitive media traffic in all quarters of the home.
Increasingly service providers are delivering voice, video and data over their IP-based telecom infrastructure to cost-effectively reduce customer churn, slash deployment costs and increase the average revenue per user through innovative services such as IPTV. With Ruckus Wireless systems they can now extend their services beyond the customer's broadband modem to all corners of the home. Because Ruckus Wireless multimedia products are subscriber installable, requiring no complex wiring or configuration, triple-play service providers can significantly reduce the cabling installation costs associated with traditional service “truck rolls” while accelerating and simplifying the deployment of converged multimedia services.
Making the Coveted "Triple Play"
A growing number of service providers are bundling IP voice, video and data services, commonly referred to as the “triple play,” over a single broadband connection. However, distributing IP multimedia traffic within the home has been a problem, requiring costly and cumbersome cabling between the broadband modem and the receiving device such as an IP set-top-box or a media adapter.
While Wi-Fi is the preferred method for data distribution within the home, conventional Wi-Fi technology has, until now, been unable to provide the reliable and quality transmission essential to support all three traffic types concurrently. Off-the-shelf Wi-Fi products only stream video over a short distance before it becomes unwatchable. New wireless products using proprietary, high-capacity technology (pre-802.11n) may increase bandwidth but don't address the essential issues of performance variability, cost and reliable multicast transmissions over Wi-Fi.
“Wi-Fi has been designed for data, not video or voice,” said Selina Lo, president and CEO of Ruckus Wireless. “Ruckus Wireless has developed the first technology to truly solve the last 25-meter problem of reliably and cost-effectively transmitting multimedia content over the air. Now consumers and providers can reap the benefits of emerging new broadband services, such as IPTV, that have been hampered by in-home cabling and service installation problems.”
Patent-Pending Technologies Deliver Picture Perfect Multimedia over Wi-Fi
In contrast to proprietary MIMO (Multiple Input, Multiple Output) wireless technologies that do not guarantee the reliable signal or bandwidth consistency essential for multimedia Wi-Fi transmissions, the Ruckus Wireless multimedia products leverage several patent-pending technologies to ensure adequate capacity, signal reliability and quality of service for multiple broadcast-quality video streams, even in the presence of concurrent data and voice traffic.
Ruckus BeamFlex smart antenna technology applies MIMO diversity techniques to any standards-based 802.11 silicon to eliminate dead spots while increasing range and performance. Any 802.11b/g client that associates to a BeamFlex-powered access point instantly benefits from increased range and throughput with no configuration changes required. BeamFlex continuously tunes its antenna pattern to optimize the signal paths for different streams of wireless transmissions in real time. On-the-fly adjustments of antenna orientation and data rates for each client station enables consistent signal quality, extended reach and higher communications speeds.
Ruckus SmartCast is an advanced set of QoS and wireless multicast optimization technologies that combine to deliver the highest quality transmissions for different traffic types. Through sophisticated traffic management algorithms, SmartCast technology automatically distinguishes applications and traffic types and guarantees throughput using advanced bandwidth management techniques that can be applied on a per station or per service basis.
In addition, SmartCast implements smart packet inspection mechanisms that differentiate and prioritize multicast video traffic, used by IPTV, over general multicast and broadcast traffic. IPTV multicast packets are forwarded to each associated set-top-box using the optimum data rate and antenna pattern based on its location, signal and performance conditions. Furthermore, SmartCast ensures that IPTV transmissions are reliably delivered. With SmartCast, Ruckus Wireless products become the only to deliver up to three multicast IPTV streams to set-top-boxes located in different parts of a home using 802.11g.
Product Details
Fully interoperable with standard 802.11b/g devices, the family of Ruckus Wireless multimedia products includes the Ruckus MF2900 wireless multimedia router and the Ruckus MF2501 wireless 802.11g-to-Ethernet multimedia adapter used to connect to an Ethernet-equipped set-top box or video receiver. Each system is also available to select OEMs as licensable reference designs.
The manufacturer's suggested retail price of the Ruckus MF2900 router and Ruckus MF2501 adapter are US$169.00 and US$129.00 respectively.