Ruckus Wireless Inc. has begun pitching telcos a wireless-router multimedia home networking solution based on its �BeamFlex� directional-antenna technology. Current in-home Wi-Fi solutions suffer from inadequate range, spotty coverage, interference and performance fluctuations, even for data, Ruckus vice president of products Dave Logan said. Delivering video using IPTV only complicates matters. But Ruckus� BeamFlex technology constantly looks for the best signal path between devices in the home and steers RF signals around interference, Logan said, identifying and prioritizing traffic for transmission. At 25 to 35 feet, Ruckus can transmit 25 megabits per second to 30 mbps through one to two walls, Logan said. At 50 to 75 feet, and three to four walls, Ruckus can achieve 18 to 20 mbps, he added. Ruckus installs a main router next to the digital-subscriber-line modem, then adapters at each consumer device, such as the IPTV set-top. Hong Kong operator PCCW Ltd. is the first customer for the service, Logan said, with most of the current interest coming from Asian and European operators.
The industrial sector is on the eve of a wireless transformation, driven by an urgent demand for greater network capacity, reliability, and deterministic performance. Historically, manufacturers and mission-critical operations have relied on wired networks — favoring their predictability — because spectrum congestion in legacy 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands limited confidence in wireless for operational technology (OT) environments. However, with the introduction and rapid adoption of the 6GHz spectrum, compounded by significant advances in Wi-Fi standards, industrial facilities are now poised to embrace wireless LANs as the backbone for automation and digital innovation. Industrial WLAN Market Development Recent research from ABI Research forecasts that over 70 percent of industrial-grade wireless LAN access points (WLAN APs) shipped in 2030 will support the 6GHz band. This is a leap from 2 percent in 2023, highlighting a rapid and profound technological shift. The market for ruggedized indust...