Ruckus Wireless Reviews

Ruckus has been deployed in our most demanding site, which has roughly 3400 associated clients per day. We are also leveraging Cloudpath to provide the WISPr guest portal with MAC authentication.

It should be noted that this site was previously serviced by another vendor. Due to the demands of wireless and the inability for the other vendor's deployment to meet our needs, we switched to Ruckus. It's been rock-solid since the implementation.

More recently we have moved our initial deployment to our elementary buildings. We have Ruckus implemented in about 25 sites currently.

The Ruckus solution was brought in to meet the higher than normal demands that we placed on our wireless network. After the minimal effort to get the system up and running, we've seen most if not all of our major wireless headaches disappear.

With the Cloudpath integration, our guest experience has been greatly improved. Our guests are now able to be self-sufficient in registering on our guest wireless network with a more streamlined and simple approach. The software was very easy to deploy and set up, which was a huge improvement over our previous solution.

Their Bonjour Gateway setup is also built into the product and has been helpful in bridging services from our wired network to our wireless network.

• Ease of management - the system is very easy to manage and learn.
• Cloudpath - this allows us to deploy captive portals that are advanced in nature to meet every need we can dream up.
• Hardware antenna array - this is the secret sauce to why Ruckus is above their competition. They built the antenna array from the ground up, allowing them to achieve higher rates for clients and a more solid connection.
• Bonjour gateway - built in Bonjour gateway to allow sharing services from one or two different VLANs.

Sometimes doing mass changes on their products can be challenging. Ruckus should spend more time developing methods to give enterprises more control over making needed changes quickly and easily. Their documentation also needs to be improved.

About four years.

In the past year, we've seen issues on their platform in regards to slow speeds if you use firmware later than December 2018. They are working through it, but it does give pause for concern. Their recommended vSZ is actually older, so we are pushing the limits with our versioning. 

No, their solutions are built with scalability in mind.

Customer service is by far one of the best outcomes of this product, I've been getting significantly better customer service than our previous vendor (Aruba).

We've had to engage both Ruckus and Cloudpath on a few things that have come up and the level of resolve they have shown is outstanding.

The previous solution was Aruba, but after many issues with the performance of their solution, we were forced to make a needed change.

• Clients would be kicked off randomly
• Slow wireless network
• APs would randomly reboot
• Complicated management
  

We attempted to leverage our existing ClearPass solution, but ran into issues with the integration in regards to MAC authentication. We ended up going with the Ruckus Cloudpath solution, which has been a blessing in disguise due to it being much easier to deploy.

We implemented this solution with in-house resources, as well as Ruckus itself, and a vendor. The Ruckus level of expertise was far greater than the vendor.

We haven't calculated it, but with this implementation it would be in the thousands (for just one building). Less wiring was needed (fewer AP locations), less hardware was needed, and less licensing was needed.

Ruckus was much cheaper than their enterprise competition (Aruba, Cisco, etc.). We've found that Ruckus can handle the client density load with greater success than Aruba, so leveraging Ruckus has allowed us to lower our purchasing needs since we would need to procure fewer APs. Cloudpath would be an added cost if you wanted to deploy that solution.

We did not evaluate other options as our previous experience using Ruckus was positive.

This solution is absolutely amazing! What they tout is very accurate and will work with your network/IT teams to develop a proven and well-catered solution to meet your every need.

I would highly recommend this product in high-density environments such as schools, universities, and hospitality settings. With the ease of setup, lower cost, and record of success, this is a slam dunk for schools that need to stretch their resources further.

I have been using Ruckus Wireless along with WiFi devices and controllers. Our company mainly uses the solution to implement WiFi connectivity in customer environments, which are mostly hospitality sector establishments like premium hotels and other universities.

In our organization, we have witnessed a greater interest in Ruckus products from medium and large enterprises, especially for Ruckus network devices like switches and ports. Some of our organization's customers preferred to adopt cloud solutions from Ruckus because they were not willing to make large investments in a Dual LAN Controller.  

Ruckus Wireless offers excellent WiFi connectivity and a valuable SmartRoam feature. For example, when you roam around a location from one access point to another while connected to a WiFi device, the network remains uninterrupted throughout the roaming phase when Ruckus Wireless is used.  

Ruckus Wireless has a BeamFlex technology that empowers smart roaming. For instance, the product devices have integrated antennas and when a user is connected to one AP and keeps moving around in the same network area, the product ensures that the WiFi coverage remains the same in every area. If you are on a video call using Microsoft Teams and you move from one AP of Ruckus Wireless to another, the call doesn't get interrupted.

Ruckus Wireless incredibly supports IoT integration needs with numerous applications. I would rate Ruckus Wireless a nine out of ten and recommend that others use the solution. Ruckus Wireless is equipped well to handle new trends in WiFi technology.

The vendor should expand their product line and include routers, firewalls and large switches. The vendor should focus on providing a complete solution, as when a professional is designing a network for an organization, the person might need a firewall, security solution, and routing devices, but from Ruckus, the professional is only receiving WiFi solutions. 

I have been using Ruckus Wireless for eight years. 

The product offers impressive stability. 

I would rate the scalability an eight out of ten. In our company, we work with Ruckus Wireless for small, medium and large enterprises. I personally work with large enterprises who are using Ruckus Wireless satisfactorily. 

I would rate the technical support a six out of ten. The response time of the support team needs to improve. The tech support of Cisco is better than Ruckus Wireless in comparison. 

Neutral

I would rate the initial setup an eight out of ten as the solution can be easily deployed. Our company's majority of customers of small and medium businesses prefer to deploy Ruckus Wireless on-prem, but some users, depending on their use cases and geographical location, prefer the cloud version. Any organization with multiple offices in numerous locations would prefer a cloud solution. 

The deployment process of Ruckus Wireless is extremely simple, and for medium-sized enterprises with a hundred APs, the installation can be finished within a week. The deployment duration of the product varies from case to case depending on the environment. 

Ruckus Wireless can provide a satisfying ROI. For a few customers of our organization, Ruckus Wireless was deployed five years ago and is still running seamlessly for them, and the investment cost has already been covered.  

Ruckus Wireless is available at a reasonable price. I would rate the pricing a seven out of ten. 

The solution is used for wireless connectivity. It's excellent for internet access. 

It works well in company or hotel environments to provide WiFi.

Clients have had an excellent experience overall. 

The management is very good.

It provides a very good signal strength.

Stability has been very good. It is reliable. 

It has been issue-free overall. The technology is very good. 

Wherever we have deployed it, we have found it satisfactory.

The interface is user-friendly.

The solution scales well.

Technical support is excellent. 

We've never had issues with importing or exporting data. 

The technology itself is good. They are always improving their technology and cloud environment. They are mostly ahead of the competition. As long as they keep updating, we will be happy.

There are no new features needed.

You do need to pay extra for support after one year.

There's only a small amount of backup available. However, we do not need any more storage for backups. 

When firmware updates, you have to download and update. If the system could directly download and update, that would be much easier. It could be more automated. To update firmware, a partner account is required, and there are very few of us in the market in our region who can help the customer. Without the upgrade, there may not be recognition of access points. If you are behind a few versions, you need to download each old version until you get to the latest. 

I've used the solution for many years. I've likely used it for more than ten years. 

The solution is stable and reliable. There are no bugs or glitches, and it doesn't crash or freeze. There are no latency or performance issues. 

I'd rate the stability ten out of ten. 

I'd rate the scalability ten out of ten. We are using the solution at full capacity. At different sites, there are different numbers of users. This is sued at hotels or companies. One access point can support up to 300 users. You just add a device if you need more users. We haven't had issues with latency or network congestion. 

Our clients are small and medium-sized businesses.

Technical support is good. You can buy extra support. Initially, when you buy it, you have support, and after one year, it will expire. You may not need to buy more support as you can get information online if you need to troubleshoot. 

Positive

I've also worked with Cisco solutions. Cisco is more expensive, and there is less performance. Ruckus offers better quality. 

The initial setup is very easy. I'd rate the ease of setup ten out of ten. The setup process is the best.

It was quick to deploy. The deployment process itself was very short. We imported the IP and licenses. Then we just did the cabling, connected, and configured everything. 

We can help our customers implement the solution. 

The pricing is moderate. It's not as cheap as a few other options; however, compared to the performance you get, it's excellent. I'd rate the value of pricing ten out of ten. In terms of if it is high or low, I'd rate it five out of ten as it's moderate. It's better than Cisco in terms of pricing. Cisco gives you less performance and integration and costs more. 

The license is perpetual. You may need to pay for extra support after a year. However, you do not have to renew the general license. You pay for everything at once in the beginning. 

We are partners. We handle installations for customers. 

I am working with various versions of the solution at this time. 

I'd advise others to use Ruckus. It is a great product. I would rate it ten out of ten. 

We use Ruckus Wireless for network security.

Ruckus Wireless supports the most recent technologies. We can trace every individual and what kind of traffic they're using on our campus. It is very helpful.

I have been using Ruckus Wireless for approximately five months.

The stability of Ruckus Wireless is very good.

Ruckus Wireless is scalable.

We have approximately 1,800 users using the solution indoor and outdoor we are supporting approximately 50,000 users.

We have not had any problem with the solution. We have a warranty with the solution which is good.

We use Ruckus Wireless in parallel with Cisco because it is less expensive than Cisco.

The initial setup was not simple. We were installing indoor and outdoor wireless and this is why it took us three months.

The implementation of the solution was done by the vendor. The time of the implementation took approximately three months.

We have 10 system administrators for the support of this solution. They check all activities on the campus.

The price of Ruckus Wireless is less expensive than other solutions, such as Cisco.

We have licenses for 500 access points.

As a network professional, and an IT manager in a university, the Ruckus product is working with all the vendor's standards. There are common standards, they can be called something different based on the vendors. Ruckus Wireless, in Ethiopia, is not popular, including Huawei. However, Cisco is popular.

This solution is very good and they should introduce it to their network because they could see many benefits.

I rate Ruckus Wireless an eight out of ten.

I primarily use the solution for pretty much everything worked-related and for e-commerce and studying. 

It basically allows you to go everywhere in your office or at your house or even outside your house and be connected. If you wanted to go do a Zoom right by the pool, you can go Zoom by the pool. Or in your office. Basically, I live in a house that's got a lot of trees around it and I've got some outdoor APS. I can pretty much conduct business from wherever I want without having to worry about a lost signal or drop-off.

I use the Wave 2 platform. It'll get up to close to approximately 800 megabits or something to that extent. It outruns whatever internet connection you have.

The wireless is just very fast, and it has a frequency set that can work around local interference that houses have even if some of their cheaper routers are broadcasting on a given channel. We can tune our wireless network and open up a lot of channels with DFS and stuff like that.

It's a pretty solid product. Once, at the hospital I worked with, they had a model and they went from a 300 to a 310. The 300 had a certain power output range, and everything was designed perfectly. Then, as it turned out, 310 didn't cover as much. We had to replace it with the next model up which is the 610 to maintain the coverage we expected. They were good about it and didn't charge us for the change.

I really don't need anything faster right now. However, if I would like to get a faster speed eventually. I have a gigabit at my townhome. I'd like to be able to get an APX to add a whole gig on.

What would be interesting to see is if they had more of an ability for their customers to capture revenue. They should offer some sort of gateway functionality that you could tie through radius authentication, so you can bill the customers. That way, when you go in, you could just have a device and set up a hotspot, and it's a totally billable tool at that point.

I've been using the solution for a couple of years. I pretty much use it all the time.

The solution is very stable. I've worked with it at a hospital before, where we deployed it all over the hospital. It worked everywhere and continuously worked flawlessly.

Sometimes they have their own glitches when there's a release of new software, like any company. However, once you get them stabilized, they're really good systems. 

The solution is very easy to scale. That's, what's nice about it. In our office, we only had to have one AP to cover the whole thing. Their whole business strategy is, for every five APs you might install another grid or eight to double. We do it for three, due to the fact that they have such great independent technology.

I have about 20 users at home and maybe ten users in the office.

I just got an internet connection in my house at a 400 megabits download speed. If I max it out on it and I think I did, on my laptop, I'm going to move to the next evolution of the product. I plan to increase usage in the future and I plan on deploying it in the future on other projects I'll be working on.

While technical support is very good, I'd advise that you need to make sure that whatever you do, you have a good backup.

Technical support, in general, is not too hard to get to, however, depending on the difficulty of the problem, you need to get advanced level support. If you need them, you just have to ask them for it, beyond talking to the first guy you get on the phone.

I've used a variety of different solutions in the past. I've been using Ruckus for quite a bit of time now. However, before that, it would be just a router that I bought. For example, a Linksys or Ubiquiti, or something like that. 

The initial setup is not straightforward per se. You really have to know what you're doing. At my house, I use a commercial-grade solution. I loaded this special software onto the product (that they have on their website) to make it like a standalone product with their own small standalone network. I have basically programmed everything myself. You have to really be pretty smart at it, to be honest with you. It's not just something somebody can just pick up. However, I've worked with it for ten years, so I know the equipment inside and out.

In terms of deployment, for what I had to do, at the locations I'm speaking of, it was very simple. The only thing is that the house is that I have a porch on the second floor overlooking the pool, and then it looks into this wooded area behind my house. It's got a pretty good set up. I have an AP sitting on a tree out there and I'm running power to it. It's like filling in that whole area, mesh unit, wireless swings, so I can get power to it from the pool. It's just awesome to have wifi everywhere.

I handled the deployment myself. I also handle the maintenance, if any is needed, on my own. It's not too hard as I have a good background in the technology.

For me, licensing is zero. You don't really need to have any licensing for what I own. The only thing is, unless there's some software update that you need, you don't have the support. If you're stable and it runs, you don't need to do anything. However, if you need those software updates they'll make you pay. 

I'm a consultant. I was a partner of Ruckus at another company, however, right now, I am just a customer.

I've got the solution installed in my office and directly connected to an AP. Then, at home, I've got a mesh network. I basically meshed three of these solutions together.

They do a lot of stadiums and outdoor areas and works very well.

I'd advise others considering the solution that, when you're implementing your wireless products or area of coverage, make sure you test it. Also, make sure that you have the proper signaling to the outer edge where you want coverage. That's what I would say, no matter what product you bring in. Just test its capabilities to make sure it does what you need it to do.

Overall, I'd rate the solution ten out of ten.

We are a Credit Union with over 100 employees. We utilize the Ruckus Virtual SmartZone appliance and about 25 R600 access points to provide a secure wireless solution across five branch locations. The Ruckus solution is used as a guest network for third-party vendors while onsite, as well as by staff members to access corporate data.

With a quality enterprise wireless solution, our employees are more mobile than ever. They experience significantly better performance at longer ranges with the R500 access points, compared with our previous wireless solution. Information Technology staff can quickly issue guest passes for vendors and the instructions are very straightforward, requiring very little effort to get connected.

Our staff maintain a wide gamut of products and we needed a wireless solution that works reliably and has all of the features we needed (walled garden, client isolation, 802.1x with dynamic VLAN, guest passes, etc.) at a cost that wouldn’t break the bank (literally). The quality of the hardware and low cost of maintenance are primary driving factors, and Ruckus exceeds in this space by providing great hardware and a low annual operating expense. 

The Virtual SmartZone appliance is easy to use and quick to deploy, which helps to ensure our staff is focused on actionable results instead of constantly fiddling with wireless configuration or contacting support to resolve troublesome issues.

While the Virtual SmartZone appliance has improved in the last few years, it isn’t without issue and the performance of the Web page leaves something to be desired.

Additionally, Ruckus seems to have removed the built-in help from the appliance, urging the user to log on to the support web site to obtain it. This is simply a nuisance if one wishes to look up what a particular field on the configuration page does, for example.

We primarily use the solution for our roaming users with laptops. 

The connectivity is good. It's fine for my users and me. 

It's stable. 

Scalability is good.

Users often see a very good ROI.

Technical support is helpful and responsive.

For the most part, we haven't had any complaints about its capabilities. 

It could be cheaper. 

The setup can be quite complex. 

We've been using the solution for eight years. 

It is stable and reliable. There are no bugs or glitches, and it doesn't crash or freeze. 

Only administrators have access to the actual solution. We have 120 end-users.

It is a scalable solution. Expansion is not an issue. 

We do not plan to increase usage at this time. 

Technical support is very nice. They are helpful and responsive. We are very satisfied with the level of service we get. 

Positive

Depending on the setup or configuration, the implementation can be complex. Some access configurations can be difficult. 

If an engineer is familiar with the product and knows the requirements, they can deploy the product in a matter of minutes. Only a few would be required during setup.

We handled the deployment in-house. We also maintain the product in-house. 

We have seen a positive ROI. I'd rate it nine out of ten. 

The solution is very expensive. I'd rate it eight out of ten in terms of expense.

You can procure the devices, however, then you must consider support. You do have to buy support contracts. If you go for a controller, then you have to buy the support.

I'd recommend the solution. Product-wise, it is very good; however, cost-wise, it is expensive. 

Our clients use this solution for hotel and restaurant management, stadium management, and other forms of retail — typically for large environments. Still, for clients that don't have the resources for this type of hardware, we are looking for a cheaper solution or another enterprise-level access point.

Our clients are typically large businesses. They consist of a lot of major hotels; they all require huge deployments. We're talking hundreds, if not thousands of users. 

We have access points with EOL (end of life) — actually, they are working very well nowadays. Still, with the new technology, we need to improve these agreements because the new data rates need to be parallel with the new technology. That's the only reason the old access points are working so well.

Performance-wise, it's great. The throughput of the speed base and the capacity when it's operating in a high-density environment is outstanding. 

As an elite Ruckus partner, we get a big discount. That said, the analytics could be improved. Some of our engineers prefer the IQ platform in Extreme. They like the analytics and all of the information that they can validate from its cloud platform.

It would be nice if there was a way to compare access points and hardware so you can always get the same level of performance.

The platform that we have with version 5.12 has only just begun supporting R320. This makes things a little slow, especially in regard to the cloud menu. The analytics or maybe the kind of information that we can get about it could be better. We should be able to click on an icon for more graphics and less text.

The company I work for has been using Ruckus Wireless for roughly 12 years. Personally, I have been using this solution for six years. 

Stability-wise, Ruckus Wireless is great. 

Scalability is good. The SmartZone controllers have been working well. We know that they had a manufacturing issue with the first order as they had a lot of problems with the hard disks, but they seem to have resolved that problem. With the cloud, our clients have the capacity for a lot of systems.

We haven't had any issues with the technical support.

Personally, I think the deployment is easy. With Ruckus, there is a lot of documentation included to assist you with the initial setup. 

We are the owners of the equipment. We rent out services to our customers. We pay for all of our devices and rent them out. We have contracts from anywhere from 36 months to five years. 

Many of our customers also test and evaluate the analytics of Meraki. Analytics is very important to our customers. Ruckus has the ability to connect and get analytics, but you need to pay for that. With other platforms, we can get a lot of information for free. With Meraki, you need to pay for a license on a year-to-year basis.

With Ruckus, even if you have a big environment, you can get great performance with only one access point. 

Overall, on a scale from one to ten, I would give this solution a rating of nine.