Ruckus Wireless introduces 802.11n access point for outdoor market

Last year Ruckus Wireless entered the 802.11n enterprise space, this year it is jumping into the 802.11n outdoor market with an access point that uses 802.11n and targets service providers and operators looking to offload their 3G data traffic onto an alternative network.

The company introduced the ZoneFlex 7762 access point, uses fast draft IEEE 802.11n technology, supports dynamic beam forming and can use two frequency bands--5.8 GHz and 2.4 GHz--simultaneously, said David Callisch, vice president of marketing with Ruckus.

The company already offers an outdoor 802.11 a/b/g AP to its customers, such as hotels and enterprises, that want some outdoor coverage as well, but its new offering is designed for major outdoor deployments.

"We think there is a huge opportunity in the outdoor market, and it's not like it used to be," Callisch said. "People think of metro plays and lighting up cities with a signal. That market is morphing into hot zones--offering WiFi in area-specific markets where there are lots of users such as apartment complexes, city blocks and enterprise campuses."

Ruckus said it plans to undercut rivals by offering the new 802.11n AP at 802.11g price points. It will be offering the AP for $2,000, which is half of the price Cisco charges. The 7762 will begin shipping in August.

Ruckus is also heavily targeting the offering at host of telecom service providers, ranging from cable providers to wireless operators. Ruckus customers China Telecom and PCCW in Hong Kong have been bundling mobile broadband with WiFi hotspot coverage and rolling out WiFi.

For more:
- see this release [1]

Related articles:
The new data offloading industry [2]
AT&T to trial Ruckus for HD IPTV via WiFi [3]
Ruckus rolls out 802.11n for multi-streamers [4]
Ruckus makes aggressive push into enterprise WiFi [5]