Ruckus vs.

Cisco
PRODUCT COMPARISON

competitive
Ruckus Core Values

Cisco Core Values

Reliable applications and wireless

connectivity

Unified networking

RF innovation

Wireless add-on to wired network

Ease of use

Partner ecosystem, professional services,

tech support (TAC)

High performance and capacity

Trusted name in routing/switching

High Density TCP Performance

130
BI-DIRECTION AL

TCP THROUGHPUT

1 AP, 3 ROOMS, 90 CLIENTS

ALL DISTANCES

56

Ruckus
ZoneFlex 7982
Cisco 3602i

Why Ruckus?
We create stable wireless connections in any RF environment
We deliver your business applications without a glitch
We improve range and capacity with fewer APs and lower cost
We adapt to and overcome RF interference and reduce support calls and help
desk headaches
Everything comes standard and its easy to use

Ruckus vs. Cisco

competitive

PERFORMANCE COMPARISON

Ruckus BeamFlex

Cisco ClientLink

Per-packet adaptive antenna selects the best antenna

pattern for each clientimproves SNR, range, and
capacity, while mitigating interference

Unique to Ruckus

Works at the same time as spatial multiplexing and
TxBF

9 dB of signal gain and 15 dB of signal rejection

Works with all clients, stationary or in motion

Ruckus also supports standarized TxBF

Single AP, Single Client Performance

Attempts to phase-align transmitted signals without client

calibration or feedback

Proprietary form of transmit beamforming

Cannot do spatial multiplexing with same radio
chains

Does not work with clients in motion

Max theoretical gain is 3 dB

Does not work without calibration or feedback

Real-world tests show no benefit

Single AP, Single Client Performance

BI-DIRECTION AL

BI-DIRECTION A L

228

TCP THROUGHPUT

TCP THROUGHPUT

275

FOR DUAL BAND CLIENTS

FOR DUAL BAND CLIENTS

MEDIUM DISTANCE

LONG DISTANCE

58 (17.7m)

105 (32m)

159

107

Test Description
Performed by Syracuse
University
Results shown in Mbps

Ruckus
ZoneFlex 7982

Ruckus
ZoneFlex 7982
Cisco 3602i

Single AP, Multi-Client Performance

Who Won Multi-Client Tests?

(12 tests)

BI-DIRECTION A L

143

All tests conducted with

TCP

Cisco 3602i

TCP THROUGHPUT

1 AP, 1 ROOM, 30 CLIENTS

Focused on real-world
environment with
repeatable, reproduceable
results

MEDIUM DISTANCE
45 (15m)

71

Other

17%

0%

83%
Ruckus
ZoneFlex 7982
Cisco 3602i

Detailed test scenario and

product configurations are
public

Ruckus vs. Cisco

competitive

Feature COMPARISON

Feature

Ruckus

Cisco

Ease of Use

Intuitive interface for the IT generalist; smart

features that self-optimize; RF innovations that
reduce connection headaches. Built-in tools for
easy monitoring and troubleshooting.

Designed for Fortune 500 with large, dedicated

staff; feature bloat adds complexity; some features
require add-on systems that create additional
complexity.

Reliability

BeamFlex increases signal-to-noise ratio,

decreases errors, and provides seamless
coverage . Ruckus features are statistically
optimized and immediately adapt to RF changes.

TxBF techniques dont add signal gain. Static

dipole antennas create signal nulls and
inconsistent coverage. CleanAir may detect
interference, but system adaptation is limited.

Security

User onboarding with Zero-IT Activation. Industry

first per-user PSK solution for simple security.
Native WIPS support, user directory integration,
device fingerprinting and policy.

Advanced featuresdevice policy and

onboarding, wIPS, location services, CleanAir
require additional costly appliances (ISE, ACS,
NCS, MSE). No per-user PSK option.

Guest Networking

Fully integrated guest services with flexible user

connectivity and simple guest access control and
isolation. Leader in secure public and SP hotspots
with Hotspot 2.0 and WISPr.

Cisco supports a similar range of guest features

in their controller and is a primary competitor to
Ruckus in SP hotspots. Ciscos preferred guest
model is to tunnel traffic to an anchor controller in
the DMZ.

Range and Capacity

Directional antenna adaptation ensures high

performance at range and reduces neighbor
interference. ChannelFly measures true capacity
and selects channels accordingly.

No unique features to enhance range. High density

relies on static antennas and more APs that cause
interference and add to cost and deployment
time. RRM is based only on short, passive airtime
samples on each channel.

Interference

Ruckus channel selection and rate adaptation

measure actual capacity and quickly adjust as RF
conditions change. BeamFlex also helps to either
avoid or overcome interference. Native spectrum
analysis tools also aid spectrum monitoring.

CleanAir is a nice spectrum visibility tool, but its

benefits are restricted to monitoring. Spectrum
visibility with device classification does not
fix spectrum problems, nor can Ciscos APs
overcome interference.

Architecture

Ruckus architecture is designed to be flexible.

Centralized management and control with either
distributed or centralized data flow.

Ciscos architecture is designed to be fully

centralized, which requires high capacity
controllers and adds cost.

Multimedia

Ruckus offers consistent application performance

and RF connections with high data rates and
low errors/retries, as well as unique features
like muliticast-to-unicast conversion, application
detection heuristics, and custom QoS algorithms.

Cisco has some of the same multimedia features,

like multicast detection and coversion and
standardized QoS, but these features are built on
less reliable and consistent radio performance.

Cost

Ruckus range and capacity benefits reduce

the number of APs necessary for consistent
application delivery. Our architecture is also
balanced and cost effective without added
components and confusing licensing.

As a result of their big business, Cisco charges

a premium for all wireless equipment. Their
architecture is ineffecient and overly expensive,
and they often need multiple added components
and licensing for full feature functionality.

Ruckus vs. Cisco

competitive

Solution COMPARISON

Ruckus Flexible Centralized

Cisco Fully Centralized

Internet

Internet

Controller

Controller

Zone
Dir
3000 ector

AP

AP

Management

Management

Control

Control

Data

Data

AP

Ruckus controller-based architecture is engineered for

flexibility. With centralized management and control and
flexible data forwarding options, Ruckus architecture is
balanced, scalable, expandable, and cost effective.

Measuring Wireless Innovation

Feature

Ruckus

Cisco

Adaptive Antennas

ChannelFly

Zero-IT Activation

Per-user PSK

Adaptive Mesh

Polarization Diversity

Application-detection Heuristics

SpeedFlex

Multicast Conversion

Spectrum Analysis

TxBF

Airtime Fairness

Flexible Architecture

AP

Ciscos architecture is fully centralized and built for data

tunneling through the controller, which is inefficient and
expensive in most networks. Heavy data loads require high
capacity controllers ($$$) and connections, while AP costs
remain the same.

Investment Awareness
D
 o important features require extra licensing,
support, hardware, or other costs?
D
 o all APs support all features? CleanAir,
ClientLink, Mesh
Are you factoring product lifespan and total cost
of ownership into your purchase plans?

Ruckus Challenge
Dont take our word for it. Set up our system and
put our rhetoric to the test.
In your environment
With your applications
To meet your business requirements

Ruckus vs. Cisco

competitive

IN THE REAL WORLD

In the heart of New York City, Baruch College chose Ruckus Wireless over 10 competing Wi-Fi
suppliers to meet the wireless needs of a campus with 17,000 students. To choose a product,
Baruch formed a committee of IT staff, faculty, and students to assess the wireless experience
based on week-long live field tests; reliability, speed, mobility, accessibility, and ease of use
were among their top evaluation criteria.
Dependable Wi-Fi access helps Baruch attract and retain strong students in a competitive
higher-education landscape. Students and staff needed solid connectivity to enable
educational initiatives like multimedia streaming in classrooms, student-teacher video chat
sessions, high-density auditoriums, and the perennial need for anywhere, anytime access by demanding student
userseach with multiple devices.
Baruchs CIO lamented that their previous Wi-Fi network did not meet our needs, so students and faculty started
bringing in their own APs or poaching off any local Wi-Fi network they could find. But with 802.11n 350 APs managed
by Ruckus ZoneDirector controllers, student and staff productivity and satisfaction are no longer an issue.
Baruch noted that good Wi-Fi in New York in any context just isnt easy, but despite the RF hurdles and bandwidthhungry students, they still needed fewer Ruckus APs to get the job done.

Ruckus Satisfied Customers

Ruckus Facts
Formed: June 2004
Revenue growth from 20092012: CAGR 65% (profitable)

Fastest growing of the worlds

top 5 WLAN suppliers (IDC,
Gartner)

Customers: 16,000 and

counting

Over 4,400 new customers in

the first half of 2012

Solution partners: 5300

Copyright 2012, Ruckus Wireless, Inc. All rights reserved. Ruckus Wireless and Ruckus Wireless design are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Ofce. Ruckus Wireless, the Ruckus Wireless logo, BeamFlex, ZoneFlex,
MediaFlex, FlexMaster, ZoneDirector, SpeedFlex, SmartCast, SmartCell, ChannelFly and Dynamic PSK are trademarks of Ruckus Wireless, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this
document or website are the property of their respective owners.

Ruckus Wireless, Inc.

350 West Java Drive
Sunnyvale, CA 94089 USA
(650) 265-4200 Ph \ (408) 738-2065 Fx

www.ruckuswireless.com