Ruckus Wireless unveils ZoneDirector 5000 for large Wi-Fi deployments

Wi-Fi management firm Ruckus Wireless has launched the ZoneDirector 5000 controller designed to allow enterprises and service providers to manage large-scale deployments of up to 1,000 access points.

The controller meets a growing demand for companies to manage ever expanding wireless networks to meet capacity and speed requirements from staff, the firm said.

As well as handling up to 1,000 access points the ZoneDirector tool can support a total of 20,000 clients, with each access point able to handle 256 end users, as well as management for 2,048 wireless local area network tools.

Bryan Hall, regional sales manager for the UK at Ruckus, told V3 that the firm is scaling its capabilities to meet the growing number of Wi-Fi devices on the market being used in corporate environments.

"We are seeing so many more devices with wireless capabilities being used by staff now, tablets like the iPad and numerous smartphones, that IT managers are having to let more and more devices on the network," he said.

"With this offering we can meet this challenge as well as the growing number of industries such as stadiums and hospitality that also have to meet the needs of growing numbers of people accessing the internet."

The launch coincides with the version 9.2 update to Ruckus' ZoneFlex application software to support IPv6 networks and the ability to bulk manage groups of access points for simplified administration for IT staff.

"More firms are starting to look at the use of IPv6 so it's important we offer this capability, while we've also enhanced the security controls in the system relating to issues of PCI compliance and remote access points," Hall said.

ZoneDirector 5000 is available immediately starting at £24,130. ZoneFlex 9.2 software is a free upgrade for existing customers and will be rolled out during this quarter.