Frequently Asked Questions
1. What products does RUCKUS Networks manufacture and sell?
RUCKUS develops and manufactures the next generation of home network equipment that, for the first time, enables multimedia distribution throughout the home over common wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) technology. RUCKUS Networks makes the RUCKUS Networks multimedia router and multimedia adapter and has developed a number of patent-pending technologies that it licenses to third-party equipment manufacturers. These products were developed to enable the reliable distribution of multimedia content over standard 802.11 network technology. In addition to dramatically extending the range, increasing the throughput and eliminating dead-spots in 802.11b/g networks, the RUCKUS system offers the industry's first Wi-Fi solution capable of transporting IPTV and other real-time video applications smoothly and reliably, anywhere throughout a typical home.
2. How are the RUCKUS products connected to a home network?
The RUCKUS multimedia router connects to the broadband gateway/router via a standard Ethernet connection. The RUCKUS multimedia adapter connects to an Ethernet-equipped set-top box or similar Ethernet-equipped video receiver. IPTV or other video content from the broadband network or a video server can be streamed through RUCKUS AP across the wireless LAN (WLAN) to the RUCKUS multimedia adapter, which forwards it to the video receiver. The RUCKUS AP also supports data applications from PCs and other 802.11b/g clients.
3. Do I need both the RUCKUS adapter and RUCKUS AP to get the performance benefits?
Not necessarily. The RUCKUS AP enables all standard 802.11b/g attached stations to communicate over farther distances, at higher speeds, with fewer errors and retransmissions. For typical data applications such as Web surfing and file copying, the RUCKUS AP optimizes wireless performance by itself.
Likewise for typical video applications (non-IPTV), if the video receiver is already equipped with an 802.11g port, the RUCKUS AP alone should deliver enough performance to sustain the video stream, provided that the receiver supports a good 802.11g implementation. But if the video receiver does not have an 802.11g port, or if its wireless port performs poorly, the RUCKUS adapter would be necessary.
4. What are the performance characteristics of the RUCKUS system?
For data applications, test results showed that the RUCKUS AP delivers an average throughput of 20Mbps to 30Mbps within 30 feet (10m), with 0 to 2 interior walls in between the client station and the AP.
For video applications, a RUCKUS multimedia network is optimized to assure transmission of 10-15 Mbps at 99% guaranteed packet delivery throughout a typical home (2500ft2 / 230m2). This performance target is designed to support up to:
- (3) simultaneous MPEG-4/Microsoft WMV video streams
- or (1-2) DVD-quality MPEG-2 streams
- or a single high-definition MPEG-4/Microsoft WMV stream
5. What is unique about the RUCKUS Networks multimedia system?
It's the only solution on the market that delivers reliable multimedia transmissions simultaneously over standard 802.11 Wi-Fi.
Video streaming requires a network environment that behaves reliably – with uninterrupted, low-latency packet delivery. Typical off-the-shelf WLAN products are designed for bursty data applications which can tolerate a high degree of bandwidth fluctuation and transmission errors, which cause frequent and noticeable service interruptions for video viewing. The RUCKUS system by contrast, was designed specifically to manage video streaming applications, ensuring consistent and continuous bandwidth throughout a home. With the RUCKUS system, consumers can now stream videos from anywhere in their home (e.g., a PC video server in a bedroom or directly from their broadband modem in the study) to a media receiver located next to the television in the sitting room without installing new Ethernet cables.