Ruckus Networks Launches New Specialty Wi-Fi Access Points For Smart Cities

 Ruckus Networks, an ARRIS company, today announced the availability of two new 802.11ac Wave 2 access points (APs) designed to provide Wi-Fi coverage in space-constrained sites and in hard-to-reach areas. The Ruckus E510 is the industry’s first embeddable enterprise AP and features an innovative two-element design that allows for deployment at sites with strict form-factor or aesthetic constraints. In addition, the Ruckus M510 is an 802.11ac Wave 2 Wi-Fi AP with LTE UE-mode backhaul, allowing for AP placement in locations where Ethernet connectivity is a challenge or in situations in which redundant backhaul is needed to help ensure adherence to service-level agreements (SLAs).

“As our customers and service provider partners seek to improve the level of service they provide to end users, they often encounter challenging deployment scenarios in which typical approaches won’t work,” said Greg Beach, vice president of wireless products, Ruckus Networks. “We’re committed to helping them provide a great Wi-Fi experience, regardless of environmental constraints. And with the E510 and M510 we’re living up to that commitment.”

One early adopter is SmartWave, who is working with Ruckus to provide connectivity at various smart city deployments.

“As a leading technology integrator for smart cities, SmartWave is excited to partner with Ruckus to deploy the E510 access point in various smart cities and street furniture applications,” said Al Brown, president and CEO, SmartWave. “We have been testing the E510 AP for over a month, and this AP addressed the flexibility requirements for street furniture and smart city applications to make visually appealing Wi-Fi deployments possible. Additionally, the E510’s low-profile radio enclosure and separate antenna module enable us to easily deploy APs throughout the city, yielding an overall better experience.”

Ruckus E510: Embedded flexibility with BeamFlex+ performance

The Ruckus E510 is designed to minimize the aesthetic or physical impact at deployment sites such as outdoor digital signage, street furniture, kiosks, lighting fixtures and stadium seats. The E510 features:

• Centralized management—The E510 can be managed centrally along with other Ruckus APs to simplify operations for cities, transportation authorities, pubic venue operators and service providers.
• Low-profile radio module—At only 21 x 14.2 x 3.3 cm, the E510 base unit can squeeze into most enclosures—including cylindrical light poles—expanding the reach of any Wi-Fi network.
• Weatherproof BeamFlex+™ antenna module—The diminutive 17.5 x 8.0 x 8.0 cm antenna module is built for outdoor stealth placement and can be positioned up to 3 meters away from the radio module. The patented BeamFlex+ antennas maximize flexibility and help ensure high service quality regardless of placement location.
• 802.11ac Wave 2—With 2x2:2 spatial streams, MU-MIMO support and a data rate of up to 867 megabits-per-second (Mbps), the E510 delivers sustained throughput for demanding users and applications.

 Ruckus M510: Mobile Wi-Fi with LTE backhaul for expanded coverage and redundancy

The Ruckus M510 is designed for use wherever supported LTE service is available. The M510 is ideally suited for use on buses, trains, and in temporary locations where Ethernet connectivity is absent, unreliable or cost-prohibitive. Furthermore, the M510 can be used anywhere wide area network (WAN) redundancy is desired. The Ruckus M510 features:

• Centralized management—The M510 can be managed centrally along with other Ruckus APs, simplifying operations and eliminating the need for a separate mobile hotspot management system.
• Integrated LTE modem—Allows network designers to create Wi-Fi hotspots at-will and to implement redundant backhaul to improve Wi-Fi service reliability and/or to help ensure that SLAs are maintained.
• 802.11ac Wave 2 with BeamFlex+ antennas—With 2x2:2 spatial streams, MU-MIMO support, and integral BeamFlex+ antennas, the M510 delivers high coverage efficiency and sustained downlink throughput of up to 150 Mbps when using LTE backhaul.