Verticals Retail
Cashing in on Better Wi-Fi within Retail Environments
The retail environment is a fluid one with many moving parts. Retailers are looking hard for new ways to leverage better Wi-Fi technology to make their operations more efficient and to increase the satisfaction of the customers - speeding the delivery of products and services.
Today, retailers are using a myriad of wireless devices and applications that can all benefit from a more reliable Wi-Fi network - equipment such as:
- Point of sale devices
- VoIP phones and badges
- Digital advertising screens
- Electronic cash registers
- Interactive media kiosks
- Tabletop media players
- Inventory scanners
In retail environments, there’s not always local IT support. So things must be simple and work right the first time. Remote management and administration of in-store Wi-Fi devices is essential. Retailers are also surrounded with obstructions, obstacles and RF interference that can bring Wi-Fi to its knees. So the Wi-Fi system can’t be simple consumer-grade. It must be purpose built for retail. Enter Ruckus Wireless.
We’ve designed the ideal Smart Wi-Fi system for retailers that delivers the industry’s highest wireless performance and reliability at the most affordable pricing available. Our ZoneFlex Smart Wi-Fi access points can be deployed as standalone APs, managed remotely by our FlexMaster Wi-Fi service management platform or with a central ZoneDirector controller.
The Ruckus ZoneFlex family of Smart Wireless LANs and Smart Wi-Fi access points (APs) offers retailers the ideal wireless solution with:
- Integrated support for delay sensitive traffic through the use of intelligent antenna array technology.
- More reliable, consistent Wi-Fi that automatically adapts to interference and changes to the environment in real-time, using patented BeamFlex technology
- PCI-compliant wireless security with state-of-the-art link layer encryption, VLAN support, rogue AP detection and location, intrusion protection and more
- Complete remote control and management of standalone Smart Wi-Fi APs or complete Smart WLAN systems using FlexMaster
- The ability to reliably extend network infrastructure and services to remote locations, through secure tunnels from discrete ZoneFlex APs or ZoneFlex Smart WLANs
- Consistent access policies and user experiences across all locations
- The ability to monitor and restrict activity, to prevent malicious use of the network
- More flexibility deployment options through Smart Mesh Networking
Patented smart antenna arrays for unmatched range and reliability
Each ZoneFlex Smart Wi-Fi access point integrates a patented intelligent antenna array, called BeamFlex, that delivers a two- to four-fold increase in signal range over conventional enterprise access points. With this integrated technology, each ZoneFlex AP, only focuses Wi-Fi signals where they are needed and over the best performing paths for each client - automatically steering signals around obstacles, obstructions and sources of RF interference. This translates into fewer access points needed to cover a given area and more reliable wireless connections to Wi-Fi devices.
Brain dead simplicity for fast deployment
The Ruckus ZoneFlex system was designed to be configured and deployed in minutes not hours. In retail environments, each AP can be easily installed and remotely configured in minutes.
PCI-compliant security
The Ruckus ZoneFlex system packs powerful security features such as sophisticated data encryption, authentication, client blacklisting, L2/L3 ACLs, rogue AP detection and locationing, SSID to VLAN mapping, and wireless intrusion protection into all of our products. What’s different is that we’ve made this strong security extremely simple and easy to use.
Advanced quality of service for picture-perfect multimedia streaming
Ruckus patent-pending SmartCast traffic engineering technology automatically classifies, prioritizes, and optimizes multimedia traffic delivery over standard 802.11 Wi-Fi. It provides per-client, per-traffic-class QoS, so that every client and traffic flow (voice, video, data) is given the right prioritization.
Simple but sophisticated remote management provides detailed information on what’s going on
The Ruckus FlexMaster system can be used to remotely configure and centrally manage standalone ZoneFlex APs or ZoneDirector controllers. Linux-based, FlexMaster provides a full set of capabilities for configuration, fault detection, performance management, and event reporting from ZoneFlex APs, as well as from ZoneFlex WLANs. This eliminates tedious remote configuration, troubleshooting, and maintenance, to reduce the total cost of ownership. With FlexMaster, administrators can visualize the remote RF environment, automatically discover Ruckus devices, configure groups of devices, and automatically upgrade devices anywhere in the world — over the Internet or a private IP network. A comprehensive dashboard view lets them view all Ruckus devices by group, region, or customer-providing model, types, and software versions being run throughout the entire global network.
Deployment for Retail / Branch Office
The ZoneFlex 7300 series is ideal for deployment in retail stores to provide
inconspicuous wireless connection to high quality video, wireless IP phones
and data access for handheld PoS bar code scanners.