Ruckus Wireless Router

The test results give carriers and consumers the confidence to deploy the Ruckus MediaFlex Wi-Fi router as a single utility network in the home for all their IP multimedia distribution and computer networking needs. The Ruckus MediaFlex is already the market leading Wi-Fi product for whole home distribution of IPTV. This test further confirms that the MediaFlex is also the top Wi-Fi data router in the market for users wanting consistent high performance as well as unprecedented range and whole home signal coverage.

The tests reveal that the Ruckus MediaFlex NG consistently delivers markedly higher sustained throughput on standard Centrino PCs throughout all the test locations with the least performance variation from location to location.

Unlike misleading performance tests that use proprietary tests tools and dual-end (AP and client adapter) solutions, the Ruckus testing employed industry-standard performance test tools and standard Centrino-based laptops to mirror the real-world consumer experience. “Our tests clearly show that smart Wi-Fi technology makes a huge difference just for simple data applications,” said Bill Kish, founder and CTO at Ruckus Wireless. “The fundamental advances we’ve made with Wi-Fi technology effectively eliminate dead spots while extracting the highest, most reliable performance ever possible from standard Wi-Fi devices.”

Kish noted the importance of applying smart antenna and quality of service technology to the current generation of Wi-Fi chipsets found in almost every Wi-Fi enabled device in the market.

“Because Smart Wi-Fi is so powerful, service providers around the world are using it to stream IPTV in the home. However consumers also want to use the Wi-Fi in their existing Centrino laptops but with farther and faster results. That’s precisely what we’re delivering,” concluded Kish.

Home Testing Details

The Wi-Fi testing was performed in a 3,000 square foot, multi-story home using IxChariot, an industry standard network performance assessment tool. A standard Centrino 802.11g laptop was used as the client device.

Devices under test included leading consumer Wi-Fi routers , the Belkin G and Belkin N1 routers, the Linksys SRX400, the Ruckus MediaFlex NG 2825 and the 2Wire 2700HG-B.

Data performance, Wi-Fi coverage and signal reliability were measured in eight different locations ranging from 10 feet to 60 feet and through numerous walls, floors and obstacles. Test runs of each router/AP in varying orientations were performed in each location to account for placement variance. Uncompressible TCP data streams were sent from an Intel-based server to the receiving Centrino laptop using each device under test. Average throughput was recorded and results compiled. The testing revealed the following:

• For all locations within the home, the Ruckus MediaFlex NG delivers 64 percent better performance (downlink throughput) at twice the distance over all competitors
• Worst case performance for any location shows the Ruckus MediaFlex NG delivers twice the performance over the nearest competitor
• The Ruckus MediaFlex NG router suffers the least amount of performance variance for every location in any orientation by a factor of four to ten times