Ruckus Wireless Reviews

We are a distributor of Ruckus. We are actually maintaining their channel partner in the Pakistan region. Our business model is that we create partnerships where we are the retailer for Ruckus and the partners going to sell Ruckus to the end customer. We are actually the box mover for them. We act as a bridge between Ruckus and end customers.

We are box movers. We handle all the deployments in Pakistan, across industries including in the education sector, in the military sector, in health organizations, hospitality, etc. We cover every vertical. Whenever Ruckus is deployed, it goes through our channels. We are the ones who can provide the boxes to end customers. There are many use cases. Thousands of boxes are shipped from us and deployed in different market segments.

Their wireless products and their switching LANs have been the most valuable aspects for us.

Their hardware, such as their access point controller and their ICX switches, are great. 

The solution is very user-friendly.

The initial setup is easy.

They lack in some hardware stratification. They do no have a complete product line with respect to customer requirements. Their product line is limited and does not have the options which the end customer is actually looking for. For example, if a customer is looking for some redundant power supply switches, they have that option available in their mid-range or high-end switches. They don't have that option in their low-end or entry-level switches. That is the main problem we are facing when we are proposing a Ruckus solution to an end customer. That customer actually wants redundant power. If the customer wants the redundant power supplies in their entry levels switches, Ruckus doesn't have that option for them. 

The same problem exists with its wireless platform. Some hardware limitations are there, which definitely need to be addressed. They need more controller options and more hardware options. They just have two models, ZoneDirector and SmartZone. They need to put some other hardware options on the market to fulfill the customer requirements. 

I've been using the solution since about 2007 or 2008. It's been about a year.

The solution is quite stable. We haven't had any issues in that regard. It doesn't crash or freeze.

Ruckus solutions are scalable. When you talk about flexibility, their solutions are very flexible. A single access point can work on any controller. As in wireless, your access point should be worked as a standalone with a controller or as a controller-less environment. 

Their access point is flexible enough to work in any sort of deployment. They can work as a standalone, they work on their different controller platform. Their same access point can configure to the Ruckus cloud. 

They are scalable in the sense that you can add access points to their controller. Switches have their own scalability and flexibility option. Basically, the solution is 100% scalable.

Technical support is good. They're very responsive to any technical issues. Their tech team is good enough on the technology side, so they can resolve the issues in a timely manner. I would give them 70% to 60% marks in terms of knowledge and responsiveness. Of course, there is some room for improvement. All in all, it's an average support experience.

The initial setup is not complex at all. It's very easy and very straightforward.

It's very user friendly, so it's not hard to set everything up and deployment is pretty quick.

If I compare Ruckus licensing costs with the market leader, they're on the cheaper side. Our competitors are actually charging more for support and licensing fees to end customers. However, Ruckus charges less for both licenses and support. They are not expensive when you compare them to the competition. They are very cheap.

We are a Ruckus distributor.

We are proposing the Ruckus solution to our customers with the latest software versions, not the older versions. Whichever the latest version is, we propose them to our customer. We are always working on the latest version and all the products in the Ruckus, like switching, wireless, software, etc. They do have some different software versions. However, we are working on the latest, stronger versions.

We use both the cloud and on-premises deployment models.

I definitely recommend the Ruckus solution, however, there are pros and cons to every brand. Ruckus does have some benefits and they are very strong in their RF technology. If you talk about their switching side, they are the pioneers of that. Their switching platform is stable. They are using some proprietary technologies like BeamFlex and ChannelFly. 

They are providing greater flexibility alongside the best scalability. They're great.

Overall, I would rate the solution seven out of ten.

Generally, customers look for wireless connectivity for their users and guests systems as well. Most of the customer feel comfortable with Ruckus due to the fact that they have SMS based authentication features and an OPB based authentication within the hardware.

The solution is very easy to use and manage.

The solution is quite flexible, which is a great selling point for our clients.

They are competitive if you compare their capabilities with Cisco and other competitors.

They have all the features in terms of wireless technology. They have most of the features already there in the controller and their wireless system.

The pricing needs to be more competitive. They need to re-examine their business model and see if there is a way to provide their service at a cheaper cost.

I've been using the solution for at least four or five years at this point. It's been a while.

In terms of the hardware, the stability could improve a bit. However, in terms of configuration and reconfiguration, it is quite stable.

The solution can easily scale and expand. If a company needs to make it larger, they can do so quite easily.

We're pretty technical, so we can assist our clients. However, when we or others need to reach out to technical support, it's remote via telephone. We're pretty satisfied with their service. I'd rate them nine out of ten overall. It's pretty good.

We use different products. Occasionally, a client may want to use Cisco. I'm not, however, too familiar with Aruba. Whatever we use depends on customer requirements and not our personal preference. I find Cisco to be a bit costlier. That said, it has lots of features on offer.

The difficulty or ease of set up depends largely on a client's environment and infrastructure.

It takes, at maximum, one day to deploy. You can get it up and running pretty quickly. If the network is there, I can configure any IP from anywhere.

Their pricing is quite high. It can be higher than Cisco. It all depends on the features a client needs.

We're Ruckus partners.

We use a variety of different versions of the solution. We also can deploy the solution both on the cloud or on-premises, depending on what our clients require.

I personally deal more on the side of project management, although I do occasionally also do technical evaluations.

This solution works best for SMBs. Most of our clients are medium-sized organizations, typically in the university and education sector. We also handle some big nightclubs.

On a scale from one to ten, I'd rate it at a nine. We definitely haven't had any issues with it.

Our primary use case for this soluton is for AP. I'm the CEO of the company. 

The most valuable feature of this solution is its reliability. 

I'd like to see the solution become a little more user friendly. For additional features to the product, it would be helpful if they would introduce a self-healing mechanism and configuration.

I've been using this solution for 10 years. 

Ruckus is completely stable.

Scalability for Ruckus is excellent.

The technical support is fine. Our main issue is the difficulty with the different time zone so there's sometimes a delay in response. 

In addition to Ruckus we are also using Cisco Wireless LAN. It's not that one is better than the other, each has a different focus. For Cisco it's teaching and for Ruckus it's AP. 

It's difficult to be satisfied with licensing costs. We are an African company and we always get a raw deal. We don't get the discounts that we'd like. 

I would take Ruckus over Meraki any day. Meraki is quite poor. 

I would rate this solution an eight out of 10. 

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 am a Ruckus reseller and this wireless product is one that we provide for our customers.

My customers are all in industrial environments, so I have worked with a lot of different controller-based models. I primarily handle warehouse management and manufacturing, so these are installed in big warehouses, the oil sector, solar-powered Wi-Fi, and other businesses.

Many of the wireless devices are by vendors like Honeywell and Zebra. They are handheld units and the network packet size is small.

The most valuable feature is the coverage, which is exceptional.

I feel that the vendor needs to have better control of who is selling the product online, especially when the reseller doesn't know anything about the product. It is frustrating when customers tell me that they have found it on Amazon for a cheaper price.

I would like to see newer on-premises controller-type models, similar to the 3000. 

We have been working with Ruckus Wireless for about nine years, since 2011. I have about 24 years of experience with wireless solutions in general.

I haven't had any issues with maintenance, long-term. They have never had any trouble holding up in the environment that they're in.

The scalability of Ruckus is excellent. I have some very, very large customers.

I have experience working with Cisco, Aruba, and other types of Wi-Fi that my customers have installed.

For somebody who knows what they're doing, the initial setup is very straightforward.

Sometimes, people take an easy approach to implementing the system, but it is not as efficient as it could be. Generally, I find that you can put it in the easy way or the right way, and you need to have a little more skill than just plugging it in to get it working efficiently.

My advice for anybody who is considering this solution is not to become obsessed with bandwidth or throughput. It is more important to look at coverage and roaming capabilities than simply the bandwidth. I find that when it comes to schools, people who are implementing wireless usually overdo it.

For me, this is the best wireless product on the market. Every customer where I have put it in to replace an existing system loves it.

I would rate this solution a ten out of ten.

I am an independent contractor and I work to set up and maintain wireless network systems. Ruckus Wireless is one of the solutions that I rely on.

I am working with a small school that has a Ruckus wireless system in place to provide service for mobile devices. In that site, we have the main controller and six or seven access points.

The most valuable feature for me is reliability. It works. 

I have had trouble with signal strength and coverage in the school setting, which is in part due to the construction. I have an access point in the hallway and in every classroom.

Having support available that is more compatible with time zones in the United States would be helpful.

I have been using Ruckus wireless for about five years.

I haven't had any issues with the stability of the signal. It either makes the connection or it doesn't.

It is sometimes difficult to reach technical support when you need it. For example, recently I was able to get through to somebody rather quickly when I had to repair a wireless system that had gone down. At other times, it will be five or six hours before somebody returns my call. This can be a problem when I am already at a client site because I can't sit there and charge the client while I was for Ruckus to call me back. However, I have also had the same experience with Cisco.

Quality-wise, the person that I recently dealt with in regards to an RMA was outstanding.

The initial setup is pretty straightforward. Getting improved coverage is often just a matter of moving the devices around.

The school is at a point where they either have to expand their Ruckus system or instead replace it entirely with one from Cisco. However, given the money that they've got invested in Ruckess equipment, I don't know that replacing it is a prudent choice.

In summary, I think that Ruckus is a good product. I'm a fan and I recommend them.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

My company sells wifi access points to enterprise customers. Customers need to manage the wifi controller separately. We are managing their Wifi router on their behalf. We provide internet connectivity through the router, the Wireless LAN.

The most valuable feature is that Ruckus offers better coverage.

Previously, we would need to purchase appliances every time but it caused our data centers to get filled. Ruckus now has cloud-based controllers. They resolved the issue we were having. 

We've been using Ruckus for around five years now.

We don't have any problems with scalability. We purchased 400 access points. We had 1,800 to 2,000 APs attached to it. 

We are in the process of procuring a new controller. Ruckus is fine for our solution.

Technical support is good. They resolved 100% of the issues we come to them with. We are satisfied with them.

We have to extend the access points and the controllers which was not a big issue to implement in this project. But when implementing the access points, the problem was when installing a new access point in a new location. Because we have to send a person to that place. And we have to put to the configuration on that access point and then needed to work with the controller. In the new Ruckus platform, we already accommodate using some kind of barcode reader, so that problem was resolved. 

Ruckus pricing is good compared to its competitors. 

I would rate Ruckus a nine out of ten. I would recommend it. 

Most customers are not using the wireless LAN as an extension of the wired LAN. So what they are looking for is some value-added service. They want wireless access with some kind of portal that can issue vouchers, like a value-added platform. 

I'm an analyst programmer and we're partners with Ruckus. 

The quality of the connection is the best feature, we always use wireless connections like Ruckus. It's also a very easy solution to manage. 

The captive portal for guest access on the controller is an additional detail that could be enhanced.

Currently the captive portal allows only choice of logo.

additional enhancement include : Different color schemes, customized html pages, pior login & post login pages, CP designs, Social media login, advertising, survey pages  , captive portal Configurator etc..

As such we get all in a box solution, no need for third party captive portal solution.

This solution is very stable. 

This solution is definitely scalable. 

My experience with technical support has been very good. 

The pricing is reasonable but it's a tough market and there's a lot of competition. 

I would recommend this solution. 

I would rate this solution a 10 out of 10.