A Bit of a Ruckus

I’ve been setting up wireless networks for quite some time. I am, you see, quite a fan of most things wireless. Moving from place to place with a laptop computer convinces me, somehow, that I’m a free and happy soul who just happens to have this delightful job to do. It also convinces me that I get fewer cramps when I’ve been working for many hours. Anyway, wireless networking is a good thing, and I’ve set up a lot of different networks, but I still don’t enjoy wrestling with many of the APs out there. I especially don’t enjoy wrestling with some of the wireless LAN control systems which seem to be built on the premise that a wireless network serving an area (and population) less than that of, oh, Bulgaria, just isn’t worth messing with. My small office doesn’t qualify in either dimension.

All of this is why I was quite happy to get my hands on wireless equipment from Ruckus. You’ll be seeing a full review over in the Test Center, but let me give you a few SMB-oriented tidbits. Ruckus supplied me with their ZoneDirector appliance and four APs (802.11 b/g) to test. It took perhaps 15 minutes to set up a secure network using two of the APs — adding another was a matter of five minutes. When I wanted to create a separate guest network running on the same APs, that was the work of ten minutes. A few more minutes of fiddling, and the the log-in web site guests were directed to had my terms of use and logo displayed on the screen.

This is a very easy system to set up and use. There are a couple of rather minor quirks involving the multiple networks that can be set up on the APs, but for most small businesses, Ruckus is well worth looking into.

As I said, there will be a complete review in the near future, but this seemed like the sort of information small businesses would want sooner, rather than later.