Ruckus MediaFlex™ 7000 Series
The First Managed Smart Wi-Fi 802.11n System for Picture-Perfect Distribution of HD IPTV
The Ruckus Wireless MediaFlex 7000 series is the first carrier-class 802.11n multimedia system designed to reliably distribute High Definition (HD) IP-based video (IPTV) over Wi-Fi to every corner of the home. The Ruckus MediaFlex 7000 series is composed of the Ruckus MediaFlex 7811 access point and the Ruckus MediaFlex 7111 adapter.
Installed in minutes, the Ruckus MediaFlex 7000 series helps carriers eliminate costly and cumbersome cabling within subscriber homes, speed installation times, and enable robust remote management.
The MediaFlex 802.11n access point combines innovative, patentpending smart antenna and traffic management technologies to break down the barriers that have prevented a single Wi-Fi network for supporting voice, video and data in the home.
The MediaFlex 7811 gives broadband operators a single system
that reliably extends multimedia services throughout the home over
standard 802.11n (5 GHz) Wi-Fi while delivering unprecedented visibility
into and control over subscriber Wi-Fi environments.
Unlike any Wi-Fi system available today, the MediaFlex 7811 access point constantly monitors the wireless environment, steering RF signals around interference and prioritizing different traffic types for transmission over the air. With the Ruckus MediaFlex system, consumers now have complete freedom and flexibility to distribute and enjoy multimedia content anywhere in their homes — all without wires. Meanwhile, service providers can accelerate deployment, minimize installation costs and maximize service potential.
The MediaFlex 7811 access point delivers on the high-speed promise of 802.11n. Each access point integrates a state-of-the-art adaptive antenna system designed to exploit such advanced techniques as spatial multiplexing, channel bonding and frame aggregation, used within the 802.11n standard. The result is predictable and high performance transmission of high-definition IPTV streams.
Introducing the Ruckus MediaFlex 802.11n Access Point
A complete solution for video-grade, high-performance wireless networking, the Ruckus system includes the Ruckus MediaFlex 802.11n multimedia access point and Ruckus MediaFlex 802.11n multimedia Wi-Fi adapter. The system incorporates Ruckus patent-pending BeamFlex and SmartCast technologies to guarantee optimal range and performance for concurrent video and data traffic.
Attached to the broadband gateway, the Ruckus MediaFlex access point optimizes all 802.11n devices in the home, while enabling wireless video applications.
The Ruckus MediaFlex 7811 adapter provides video-grade, 802.11n connectivity to any Ethernet-equipped video server and video receiver, including set-top boxes, personal video recorders, media centers and media center extenders.
Most off-the-shelf Wi-Fi products are equipped with one or two antennas, offering little resilience or diversity in the event of a debilitated signal path. In contrast, the Ruckus MediaFlex access point is equipped with BeamFlex, a patent-pending MIMO smart antenna system.
BeamFlex Extends Signal Coverage, Increases Reliability
Each Ruckus MediaFlex 7811 access point integrates BeamFlex, a compact, internal antenna array with six high-gain, directional antenna elements capable of forming 63 unique antenna patterns for massive diversity. Expert system control software continuously ranks the antenna patterns for each receiving device, using the inherent feedback mechanism built into the 802.11 MAC layer protocol.
BeamFlex enables client devices to communicate over longer distances at higher speeds than consumer-grade 802.11 products — delivering unprecedented reliability and diversity.
With BeamFlex, the Ruckus MediaFlex 7811 access point reconfigures itself in real-time, detecting and adjusting for both spectral and multipath interference as well as neighboring network noise.
By selecting the optimum antenna pattern for each receiving device, BeamFlex enables extended Wi-Fi range and higher communications speeds. This antenna diversity allows the Ruckus MediaFlex access point to find and instantly select from many quality signal paths in a changing environment. This provides the stability and sustained baseline performance essential for delay-sensitive voice and video applications.
SmartCast Ensures Picture-Perfect Multimedia Viewing
Patent-pending SmartCast technology from Ruckus Wireless combines innovative multicast traffic handling techniques, smart QoS and applicationaware traffic classification capabilities to ensure the highest reliability for all transmissions over Wi-Fi.
SmartCast differentiates and manages multicast video frames separately from all other traffic types. This provides a robust wireless transport for IPTV streams from the broadband gateway to the set-top box. SmartCast detects a receiver tuning to an IPTV channel, then directs the associated multicast video packets to each receiver, using the optimum data rate and signal path for that receiver. This ensures the best performance possible while enabling reliable delivery of IPTV packets.
Optimized traffic management algorithms guarantee performance for multiple broadcast quality video streams, while maintaining adequate bandwidth for data applications. SmartCast automatically classifies all traffic based on UDP/ TCP port and other application attributes, and manages each traffic type (voice, video, data) according to its classified priority and characteristics.
Automatic Type-of-Service (ToS) tagging eliminates complex QoS configurations, while automatic management of lower speed 802.11a devices assures bandwidth availability for prioritized video applications. Four priority queues per station result in a high granularity of traffic prioritization and precision for multiple concurrent video streams.
All packets are queued/de-queued by special schedulers that correspond to each traffic type. Each scheduler takes into account the delay/jitter tolerance and bandwidth requirements of the traffic, and the changing performance characteristics of each station, on the WLAN for the best user experience.
FlexMaster Remote Service Management
The Ruckus MediaFlex 7000 series is managed by the Ruckus FlexMaster
system, the industry’s first complete managed service platform.
FlexMaster lets service providers securely control, monitor and upgrade
Ruckus MediaFlex and ZoneFlex Wi-Fi systems anywhere in the world,
whether over the Internet or a private IP network.
Simple to install and easy to use with an intuitive look and feel, FlexMaster provides a comprehensive solution for configuration, fault detection, audit, and performance management.
It fits seamlessly into existing provider OSS network management architectures, uniquely leveraging a variety of industry-standard protocols such as SNMP, TR-069, and HTTP/S.
FlexMaster also provides the carrier-grade scalability expected for large service infrastructures.
Simple Installation, Reduced Support Costs
Self-installable, the Ruckus MediaFlex access point and adapter attach to their respective modem or media devices using standard Ethernet. A Web UI allows for easy configuration as well as firmware upgrades. Three LEDs provide status information on power, Ethernet connectivity, and wireless association. A fourth LED provides a wireless video quality indicator that allows at-a-glance monitoring of wireless network performance. Remote management is provided through Telnet (CLI), SSH, HTTP, HTTPS, SSH and TR-069 protocols.
Proven Performance
A Ruckus-powered 802.11n multimedia network ensures transmission of 30-50 Mbps of guaranteed throughput for streaming video throughout a typical 2,500-3,000 square foot (230 square meter) home. The Ruckus MediaFlex 802.11n system can handle three to five MPEG-2 HD IPTV streams and significantly higher number of concurrent standard definition (SD) IPTV streams.
