Ruckus vs Aruba!

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY!
july2014

Indoor 11ac Performance Cost Comparison

Ruckus R700 vs. Aruba AP225 (3x3:3) Comparable 802.11ac Solution for SMB
Ruckus outperforms Aruba in every test: single-client,
$45,000'
multi-client, high-density, mixed 802.11n and $41,285'
802.11ac, single-stream, dual-stream, three-stream,
short, medium, and long range. $40,000'

Outdoor 11ac Performance $35,000'

Outdoor Ruckus T300 (2x2) vs. Aruba AP275 (3x3)
$30,000'
Ruckus T300 outperforms Aruba AP225 in 22 of 23 $25,900'
(96%) tests, despite being lower cost ($1295 vs
$25,000'
$1995), 3x lighter weight, 6x smaller (total volume), and
2x less power consumption. It also has only two spatial
streams compared with Arubas three spatial streams. $20,000'
Ruckus Aruba

Architecture Comparison
Ruckus Focused on cost-friendly and easy to use solutions for SMB/SME and massive scale for large
networks includes on-site or remote controllers (hardware, virtual, or cloud; standalone or clustered), cloud
location services (analytics included), scalable data analytics platform, hosted public access solution

Aruba Focused on Fortune 500 with niche features and cumbersome configuration; secondarily offers
performance-constrained SMB option controllerless APs, on-site or remote controllers (hardware only),
primitive cloud access, edge switches, location engine (no analytics), and access management platform

FEATURE COMPARISON
RF PERFORMANCE
Feature! Ruckus! Aruba!

BeamFlex! ! -! Ruckus
BeamFlex adaptive antenna enhances reliability and
ChannelFly! ! -! throughput for all clients (802.11a/b/g/n/ac, 1-4
Adaptive Mesh! ! -! streams) while reducing neighbor interference
Smart channel optimization, airtime fairness, load and
Per-user PSK! ! -!
band balancing, multicast optimization combined
Free Onboarding! ! -! features enable consistent, high-capacity performance
PD-MRC! ! -! Aruba
11ac TxBF mildly benefits 1-stream 11ac clients (and no
Virtual Controller! ! -! other) if they support TxBF
Massive Scalability! ! -! Overwhelming RF feature knobs and buttons
performance is inconsistent across Aruba solutions, and
Easy to Use! ! -!
real-world bakeoffs consistently prove it out
Feature Licensing! !

RUCKUS WIRELESS PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL

Ruckus vs Aruba!
SOLUTION OVERVIEW!
july2014

Ruckus Core Values Aruba Core Values

Utility-grade Wi-Fi service Government-grade security
Predictable wireless connections Role-based policy enforcement
Maximum capacity and reliability Unified edge solutions
Ease of use, intuitive setup Deployment flexibility
High value solutions at low cost Enterprise feature complexity

Cost Comparison
Looking at two common scenarios for SMB networks with 25 and 50 11ac APs, we see a considerable
cost disparity between the two controller-based solutions*. But typically, due to performance advantages,
Ruckus requires 20+% fewer APs, generating strong Ruckus favor with decision makers and executives.

Ruckus'ZD3000'&'R700''
Ruckus'ZD3000'&'R700'(20%'fewer'APs)'
$90,000' $81,145'
Aruba'7010/7030'&'AP225'
$80,000'
$70,000'
$58,750'
$60,000'
$48,800'
$50,000' $41,285'
$40,000' $30,875'
$25,900'
$30,000'
$20,000'
$10,000'
$0'
25'11ac'APs' 50'11ac'APs'
*Includes APs, controllers, AP licensing, and typical controller feature licensing. Does not include support.

Ruckus Solutions Aruba Solutions

Full lineup of indoor/outdoor APs and bridges Full lineup of indoor APs with some outdoor APs
ZoneFlex or SCG/vSCG controllers ArubaOS Mobility Controllers and Aruba Instant
SmartCell Insight analytics and reporting ALE location software with Meridian Apps
SPoT cloud LBS service AirWave NMS and Aruba Central
SAMs Cloud-based Public Access ArubaOS Ethernet switches
FlexMaster NMS ClearPass Access Management

RUCKUS WIRELESS PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL

Ruckus vs Aruba!
PERFORMANCE!
INDOOR 11AC, SINGLE-CLIENT
july2014

the11ac Performance
tests
What: Ruckus R700 vs Aruba AP22511ac access points supporting MacBook Pro (11ac or 11n) laptops
How: Test downlink and uplink TCP throughput at multiple distances using Chariot high throughput script
Why: Most vendors demonstrate relatively similar performance with a single client, but
Maximum per client performance has a direct affect on WLAN service quality both for low client counts,
and increasingly, as more clients are added to the network
Ruckus always encourages testing client devices at scale with the applications that will be used in the
real-world. Youll notice that as you add clients (as in the real world), the performance advantages of
Ruckus become increasingly more evident (see next page).

Ruckus'R700' Aruba'AP225'

MacBook Pro 11ac MacBook Pro 11n

short range (Mbps) short range (Mbps)
700 663 300 287
641 280
650 280
600 252
260
550 519
240
500
437 220 213
450
400 200
Downlink Uplink Downlink Uplink

MacBook Pro 11ac MacBook Pro 11ac

Downlink (Mbps) Uplink (Mbps)
700 684 600 561
637
650 550
496
600 500 480
555 565
446
550 526 450
386 373
500 400
448
450 350
400 300
30 60 90 30 60 90
feet' feet'

RUCKUS WIRELESS PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL

Ruckus vs Aruba!
PERFORMANCE!
INDOOR 11AC, MULTI-CLIENT
july2014

the11ac Performance
tests
What: Ruckus R700 vs Aruba AP225 11ac access points supporting high density clients (11ac and 11n)
How: Test downlink, uplink, and bi-directional TCP traffic using Chariot high throughput script
Why: Many enterprises depend on APs to deliver reliable high performance Wi-Fi at scale:
We demonstrate Ruckus APs ability to handle load from mixed client types and capabilities
Efficient airtime utilization by Ruckus increases capacity and maximizes spectrum resources
Ruckus supports more clients with higher service quality and reliability with fewer APs
Enterprises can be confident in their ability to handle high density or BYOD with Ruckus

1 AP

Ruckus R700 Aruba AP225 Ruckus'R700' Aruba'AP225'

TEST #1 50 Clients TEST #2 60 Clients

40 iPads (11n) 10 MacBooks (11ac) 27 Dell Laptops (11ac) 33 MacBooks (11ac)

2 Classrooms Bi-Directional
TCP Throughput (Mbps) TCP Throughput (Mbps)
180 400
154 346
160 350
140 129 300
120 269
120 108 109 248 245
105 250
100 204
187
200
80
150
60
40 100

20 50
0 0
Downlink Uplink Bi-Directional 20 40 60
connected'clients'

RUCKUS WIRELESS PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL

Ruckus vs Aruba!
PERFORMANCE!
OUTDOOR 11AC, SINGLE-CLIENT
july2014

!"
Ruckus T300 outperforms Aruba AP225 in 22 out of 23 (96%) tests, despite being lower cost
($1295 vs $1995), 3x lighter weight, 6x smaller, and 2x less power consumption. It also has only
two spatial streams (i.e. MIMO radio chains) compared with Arubas three spatial streams.

the tests
What: Ruckus T300 (2x2) vs. Aruba 275 (3x3) 11ac range performance test for outdoor networking
How: Perform downlink and uplink throughput tests with different clients at different ranges
Why: Single-client testing does not always show significant differences, but its a helpful baseline
Well-designed APs maximize both downlink and uplink, and should be tested accordingly

Aruba'275'(3x3)' Ruckus'T300'(2x2)'
5 GHz Downlink (Mbps) 294
300
248
250
188
200 167 162
150 125 117
98 87
100 76 65 69
56 60 55 47
34
50 15
0
50 ft 200 ft 300 ft 50 ft 200 ft 300 ft 50 ft 200 ft 300 ft
iPad Mini Samsung Galaxy Note Samsung Galaxy S5
(11n, 1x1) (11ac, 1x1) (11ac, 2x2)

200
5 GHz Uplink (Mbps) 196
156
150
115
100
100 72
69
59 52 51 55 60 59
50 35 37
23 28 24
12
0
50 ft 200 ft 300 ft 50 ft 200 ft 300 ft 50 ft 200 ft 300 ft
iPad Mini Samsung Galaxy Note Samsung Galaxy S5
(11n, 1x1) (11ac, 1x1) (11ac, 2x2)

RUCKUS WIRELESS PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL

Ruckus vs Aruba!
PERFORMANCE!
OUTDOOR 11AC, MULTI-CLIENT
july2014

the tests
What: Ruckus T300 (2x2) vs. Aruba 275 (3x3) 11ac capacity performance test for outdoor networking
How: Perform downlink and uplink and/or bi-directional throughput tests with different client testbeds
Why: Outdoor APs are deployed in high-density areas where users congregate and demand capacity:
Outdoor APs service different client mixtures including 11n and 11ac, mobile devices and laptops
Downlink, uplink, and bi-directional traffic are increasingly important with automated sync services (e.g.
iCloud), media uploads/sharing (e.g. Instagram, Vine, Facebook, etc.), and social media.
Its easy to think that APs with better specs (higher max data rate) will deliver better performance. But,
we prove that better-designed products can deliver more capacity at lower cost.

Aruba'275'(3x3)' Ruckus'T300'(2x2)'

20x 11ac Clients (Mbps) 40x iPad Minis (Mbps)

(6 handsets, 14 laptops) (1x1 11n)

300 267 266 100

236 79
250 80 66
183 56
200
60 48
150
40
100
50 20
0 0
Downlink Uplink Downlink Uplink

60x Mixed Clients Cost Per Megabit

11n & 11ac (Mbps) (based on MSRP)

125 116 $25 $21

95
100 $20
75 $15 $11
50 $10
25 $5
0 $-
BiKDirecLonal' Ruckus'T300' Aruba'275'

RUCKUS WIRELESS PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL

Ruckus vs Aruba!
RUCKUS FEATURES!
july2014

Feature! Ruckus Feature! Aruba Solution!

Aruba TxBF is a chip-based solution that provides little

Ruckus intelligently adapts transmissions using
Adaptive Antenna directional antenna patterns that maximize signal quality,
real-world gain, requires tradeoffs with spatial multiplexing,
(BeamFlex)! minimize interference, and benefit reliability and capacity.!
doesnt benefit 11a/g/n, and doesnt help multi-stream
devices like many new 11ac phones/tablets/laptops.!

Ruckus actively operates on and predicts channel Arubas ARM algorithm passively measures channel
Active Channel capacity for each channel, collecting valid, real-use quality by going off-channel when it can, capturing less
Selection (ChannelFly)! statistics and increasing capacity for the entire WLAN.! than 0.1% of traffic on a non-operating channel.!

Built-in to the Ruckus solution is an onboarding tool that By combining Aruba WLAN and ClearPass, Aruba offers
Native User Onboarding auto-provisions client devices with a connection profile. an expensive and complex onboarding option for
(Zero-IT Activation)! Easy access with no admin intervention. ! enterprises with deep pockets. Its not for the faint of heart.!

Dynamic PSK technology allows Ruckus customers to

Aruba does not offer a per-user PSK option and requires
Per-User PSK (DPSK) ! provision a unique PSK for each user/device. Its secure,
either PSK or 802.1X, with tradeoffs each.!
scalable, and easy to provision and manage.!

SmartMesh is enhanced by adaptive BeamFlex Arubas offers mesh as a static AP mode with fixed
antennas, capacity-based path selection, adaptive wired antennas optimized for either client access or mesh
SmartMesh Networking! failover, self-healing and -forming algorithms, and one- backhaul (not both). Complex setup is required and wired
click setup. ! APs do not failover to mesh link if wired uplink fails.!

Smart antenna design by Ruckus incorporates by Polarization diversity only on outdoor AP models. Not
Polarization Diversity horizontal and vertical adaptive polarization to match offered on indoor APs where mobile clients are held in
with MRC! client device orientation and improve predictability.! varying orientations and uplink suffers.!

With controller clustering and integrated management for Due to a fully centralized enterprise architecture and a
up to 30k APs, Ruckus can support very large and scale-constrained Instant architecture, Aruba has no easy
Massive Scale! redundant networks with only a few controllers and one means of scaling for very large networks without tens of
touch-point for management.! controllers and multiple points of management.!

Focusing on large enterprises, Arubas solution has

Ruckus features are designed to be automated, self-
flexibility for experts to utilize, but most features require
Ease of Use! learning, self-optimizing, and adaptive. This improves
extensive education and are challenging to use, hence the
solution performance and reliability with low IT overhead.!
need for extensive wizards. Good luck fixing that.!

By prioritizing RF design and AP performance as Due to Arubas primary focus on security/controller

Consistent Performance! requirements for Ruckus products, all of our deployment features with ArubaOS, Aruba Instant and Central modes
models have consistently remarkable performance.! both come with noticeable AP performance tradeoffs.!

With SAMs and SPoT solutions, Wi-Fi access, guest, and

Cloud-Enabled Access, location services are enabled via cloud: easy setup,
Aruba Central supports cloud-based access with initial
Guest, and Location! feature set, development ongoing. !
smooth scale across sites, and superb feature velocity.!

With highly scalable carrier-class platforms like vSCG

Without a highly scalable infrastructure and multi-tiered
Managed Services clusters, SmartCell Insight, SPoT, and a full breadth of
management option, Aruba lacks a way to bring scalable
Enablement! AP models, Ruckus enables a managed service Wi-Fi
managed services to the SMB/SME customer base.!
model that makes sense to partners and end-customers. !

Full feature support with no added licensing. Redundant ArubaOS platform requires feature licensing for multiple
Feature Licensing! controller SKUs available at low cost for smart features including WIPS, policy-enforcement firewall,
redundancy. ! spectrum analysis. Same applies to backup controllers.!

Mobile Apps and !

SpeedFlex, ZD Remote Control, Zapper, SWAT! Aruba Utilities!
Test Tools!

RUCKUS WIRELESS PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL

Ruckus vs Aruba!
ARUBA CLAIMS!
Feature! Aruba Claim!
ClientMatch is an Aruba feature that intelligently
distributed clients across available APs and steers
ClientMatch! connected clients to new APs that can serve them
better, while avoiding performance problems and
enhancing network capacity.!
Arubas mobility controllers include an ICSA-certified
stateful firewall, which enables inspection of
Stateful sessions on a per-user/device basis, application
Firewall! identification, QoS prioritization and optimization.
Role-based policies can then be applied based on
this unique capability.!
Aruba has led the Wi-Fi industry as the first
Microsoft-certified Lync Wi-Fi provider. Aruba has
also partnered with Microsoft by integrating Lync-
Lync!
specific APIs into its product and Lync-specific
application monitoring and traffic reporting in
AirWave.!
Aruba Instant is a controllerless approach to Wi-Fi
architecture in which an elected AP serves as the
controller and management entity for a cluster of
Instant APs. Aruba claims to support unlimited scalability
Architecture!
per cluster. AirWave is offered as a centralized
management option for multiple clusters or
distributes sites.!
Bonjour
Aruba claims that Ruckus has no Bonjour service
Service
optimization and limited filtering capabilities.!
Optimization!
L3 Roaming! Aruba claims Ruckus does not support L3 roaming.!
VPN and Aruba claims Ruckus does not support a VPN or
Remote AP! Remote AP solution within our controller.!
july2014
Ruckus Response!
Ruckus SmartRoam feature incorporates the same AP-assisted client
roaming functions as ClientMatch. Unfortunately, most clients do not support
true AP-assisted roaming via 802.11v. Like SmartRoam, ClientMatch is
relegated to aggressive forced roaming measures like disassociations.
Ruckus also supports 11k and 11r to improve handoffs. !
L2-7 ACLs on Ruckus solution provide the filtering and control our customers
are looking for from the Wi-Fi solution. The same customers already have
purpose-built firewalls at the right network segmentation points in their
network and, similar to L7 application policies, do not want to duplicate effort
via Wi-Fi. Ruckus further enhances performance and security with rate
limiting policies, OS-based policies, and custom application heuristics that
identify and prioritize voice/video apps.!
Ruckus has also finished and passed testing requirements for Lync
certification. Our compliments to Aruba for integrating Lync-specific
application monitoring with AirWave. The goal at Ruckus is to focus on
enhancing the RF stability and application performance of Wi-Fi and to more
effectively meet the requirements of applications like real-time voice/video
with Lync. As a result, we prevent more problems on the front end of the
solution, instead of reporting the problems on the backend.!
Instant can be a reasonable architecture approach for distributed or small
sites, but Ruckus ZoneFlex architecture (with or without ZoneDirector)
performs better than Instant with less manual optimization, is easier to use,
and is often lower cost than full Instant solutions. Instant performance is
severely penalized (more so with the recently-added AppRF feature) for its
controllerless approach, which deviates from Arubas traditional fully
centralized controller architecture. Low-cost ZoneDirectors also enable
flexible data paths for voice, L3 mobility, and tunneling of guest traffic to a
DMZ, which Instant lacks. SCG or vSCG also enables highly distributed
networks (where Instants controllerless approach may be useful). Instants
cluster approach is a scalability problem, either due to AP-as-controller
processing load or due to fractured management across clusters/sites.!
mDNS (Bonjour) proxy is supported both by Ruckus ZoneDirector (central
proxy) and by ZoneFlex APs (distributed proxy). Arubas mobility controllers
require central proxy and do not support distributed Bonjour proxy by APs
unless an Instant solution is used. Additional Bonjour fencing and filtering
capabilities are coming soon.!
With tunneling to the ZoneDirector, Ruckus supports client roaming across
Layer-3 subnets.!
Arubas VPN architecture increases the need for Aruba to overbuild their
controller hardware, even though many customers dont require extensive
VPN solutions in the WLAN controller. For teleworkers or remote AP
situations, Ruckus controllers easily support distributed AP deployments
(remote AP model) with encrypted tunneling back to the centralized
controller. AP and WLAN grouping make it very easy to setup, deploy, and
centrally manage from the controller. Remote APs could also support
networks with local traffic breakout directly to the Internet, if tunneling
through a central is not desired.!
RUCKUS WIRELESS PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL
Ruckus vs Aruba!
ARUBA CLAIMS!
Feature! Aruba Claim!
Aruba assumes that their APs are
deployed in a hostile environment and
claims to have better wireless security by
Advanced protecting against advanced wireless
WIDS/WIPS! intrusions, by providing wired device (APs
on wired network) correlation and
containment, and by providing reporting
network intrusions to administrators. !
Arubas mobility access switches
seamlessly integrate with AirWave,
Integrated
ClearPass, and Aruba APs to provide a
Wired/ next-generation security approach based
Wireless! on role-based policy and contextual data,
instead of using legacy VLANs and ACLs. !
With DPI-based layer 7 visibility (called
Application AppRF), Aruba claims to provide more
Awareness contextual security and performance
(AppRF)! enhancements. Aruba claims that Ruckus
does not have a similar feature.!
Arubas AirWave solution supports
management features for 3 rd party
products, such as APs and switches from
Multi-vendor non-Aruba suppliers. Aruba claims that
Management!
Ruckus does not support multi-vendor
networks, which is critical to deployments
with other vendors equipment.!
ClearPass is an access management
platform providing scalable AAA with
policy management, guest network
access, device onboarding, device
ClearPass! healthy checks. It leverages contextual
policies for role, device, location, and
application to streamline network
operations across wired, wireless, and
VPN.!
Aruba claims that their Aruba Central
Cloud cloud solution is superior and that Ruckus
Solutions! does not have a cloud solution generally
available for enterprises.!
With ClearPass Guest products, Aruba
BYOD and customers can deploy sophisticated
Guest secure guest access networks and
Solutions! policies. Aruba claims that Ruckus has
only rudimentary BYOD/guest solutions.!
july2014
Ruckus Response!
Complex WIPS solutions like Arubas are commonly misconfigured or go unused,
especially for small IT teams. More advanced WIPS solutions may detect more DOS
attacks (of which there are always more) and provide more alerts (with lots of false
positives), but still cant prevent most attacks. Ruckus provides essential WIPS features
(rogue detection/mitigation/containment, wired-side correlation, rogue DHCP detection,
excessive auth request blocking, and more) in a built-in package that enterprises will
useand its free with no licensing. Many ArubaOS WIPS features require an extra
license per AP and also AirWave.!
Though unified wired/wireless has been the buzz phrase du jour in networking,
Arubas switching portfolio accounts for a very small portion of their business, and
appears to be a me too product. IT teams are looking for simpler switch configuration,
which should rule out Arubas notoriously complex approach to policies and profiles
solutions that sound good on paper, but are very cumbersome to use. Ruckus opts for a
best-of-breed approach to wired/wireless integration, where standards ensure
interoperability. With a focus on reduced power consumption and 802.3af PoE for 11ac
APs, we are also compatible with more switches and dont require 802.3at PoE.!
Ruckus supports L7 application visibility and provides policies to control applications.
Ruckus also integrates with 3rd party solutions (Palo Alto, Checkpoint, Fortinet) to
extend their more specialized solutions (e.g. extensive application signatures, SSL
decryption, robust compute, focused expertise with continuous upgrades, etc) to Wi-Fi
traffic without duplicating effort on the WLAN configuration. Arubas AppRF also requires
data tunneling through the controller, which requires more expensive controller
hardware. DPI on Instant APs is suspicious, since Instant already underperforms in part
due to CPU tax of controllerless approach. !
AirWaves multivendor management is limited to older versions of Cisco autonomous
code and a handful of other legacy solutions. It does not support modern multivendor
networks, including those from competing vendors, like Ruckus. Arubas management
techniques cant support all features of multivendor networks that it does support and
Aruba cant keep pace with competitor feature development so they can manage a truly
multi-vendor network.!
ClearPass does offer some unique fringe functionality required by Fortune 500
businesses, which is not typically an overlapping market for Ruckus/Aruba. Ruckus
provides many of the requisite onboarding, security, guest access, location, and
application features required for SMB/SME customers. However, for those cases where
ClearPass provides a function not offered by Ruckus, we are happy to rely on 3rd party
partners with specialization in robust guest management, onboarding and provisioning,
and policy management solutions. We have several, and their expertise and focus is
typically superior to ClearPass, with less cost and complexity. !
Ruckus SAMs cloud offering is a fully hosted Ruckus cloud access and guest
management solution. vSCG also enables cloud-based managed services for small
businesses, hosted by Ruckus partners. Further, Ruckus cloud efforts also include
services, like SPoT (location technology) that benefit most from the scalability, cost, and
distributed networking benefits provided by cloud. In the meantime, Aruba Central has
been criticized for immaturity and lean features. !
ClearPass does offer some features not offered directly by Ruckus, but the same
customer solution requirements can be and often are met by Ruckus partners. We
tackle the BYOD necessities for free with ZoneFlex, including high capacity Wi-Fi, easy
secure onboarding with Zero-IT, unique security solutions like DPSK, OS-based
controls, app controls, integrated guest management, SMS, and much more.!
RUCKUS WIRELESS PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL
Ruckus vs Aruba!
ARCHITECTURE OVERVIEW!
july2014

Ruckus Architecture Aruba Architecture

ZoneFlex ArubaOS
LAN/WAN LAN/WAN
Management' Management'
Control' Control'
Local'Data' Local'Data'
Tunnel'Data' Tunnel'Data'
Local' Tunneled'
Breakout'

Ruckus ZoneFlex ArubaOS Architecture

Easy to setup, manage, optimize, and upgrade Fully centralized data path; potential bottleneck
ZoneDirector appliance(s) are both scalable AND and leads to greater need for redundancy
cost effective More expensive to scale for next-gen speeds
Designed for distributed data, but enables Extremely complex GUI with long training curve
tunneling as needed (guests, voice, L3 mobility) and common misconfigurations (suboptimal)
Industry-leading features (BeamFlex, Zero-IT, Added cost from extensive feature licensing
DPSK, ChannelFly, SmartMesh, SmartCast) No multi-tenancy in any Aruba architectures

Site 2
SmartCell Site 2
Instant AirWave
Tunneled'
SCG
LAN/WAN Cluster LAN/WAN
Mobility
Tunneled'
Controller

Site 3 Site 3
Local'
Breakout'

Management' Management'
Control' Control'
Local'Data' Local'Data'
Tunnel'Data' Tunnel'Data'
Site 1 Site 1

Ruckus SmartCell Architecture Aruba Instant Architecture

Ultra scalable SCG clusters support tens of Controllerless architecture with the goal of
thousands of APs making small sites easier to deploy and less $$
Fully redundant management, control, and data One AP per subnet (i.e. cluster) serves as a
planes with failover/handoff; distributed AP virtual controller with performance sacrifices
operation if SCG cluster is unreachable Instant APs have consistently underperformed in
Flexible distributed or centralized data path, scalability and client performance tests
including multiple northbound options: L2/L3 Decentralized architecture creates extra
over GRE, 1Q VLAN, 3G/4G packet gateways management points for each subnet and site
Intuitive zone-based AP setup and configuration Often requires AirWave for management
Multi-tenant framework for managed services Central data tunneling if controller is deployed

RUCKUS WIRELESS PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL

Ruckus vs Aruba!
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS!
july2014

Ruckus BeamFlex Aruba TxBF

BeamFlex is a Ruckus-proprietary multi-element Aruba 11ac APs support standards-based explicit

antenna array that adaptively selects the best antenna transmit beamforming (TxBF), introduced in 11n, but
pattern(s) for each user and each individual packet popularized by 11ac
Improves signal quality and RF reliability Only supported by some 11ac clients; not
Works at the same time as TxBF or spatial supported by 11a/g or 11n clients
multiplexing on the same chain Minimal benefit to 1-stream clients and no
Works equally well for all clients: 11a/b/g, 11n, measured benefit for 2- and 3-stream clients
11ac, 1-, 2-, and 3-stream Cannot simultaneously perform spatial
Directional power control reduces Wi-Fi multiplexing with same radio chains
interference and overcomes RF noise Poor directional signal control still creates
MRC with polarization diversity (PD-MRC) interference with neighbors.
matches client antenna orientation Lacks polarization diversity on indoor APs

Location and Analytics

Ruckus SPoT Aruba ALE AirWave

LAN/WAN
API LAN/WAN
SPoT ALE

Mobility Controller

Ruckus Smart Positioning Technology (SPoT) Aruba Analytics and Location Engine (ALE)
Most accurate technique (3-8m) for location Poor accuracy (~10m) for location estimates
estimates using RF Fingerprint using RSSI trilateration
Built-in best-in-class analytics No built-in analytics; requires 3rd party analytics
Pre- and post-engine APIs for app flexibility API provided for customer app development
Cloud-based SPoT engine and analytics makes On-site virtualized ALE runs on customer
multi-site deployments very easy and scalable hardware and does not scale well for multi-site
Very easy to setup, configure, and deploy Meridian app kit also available for app help

RUCKUS WIRELESS PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL

Ruckus vs Aruba!
RUCKUS IN THE REAL WORLD!
july2014

City of San Jose

Our previous Wi-Fi network was based on older technology and was simply no longer a viable
infrastructure for delivering the robust, high-performance service users have come to expect within
Silicon Valley. Fast and reliable wireless connectivity is no longer negotiable it has become table
stakes when trying to attract world-class events and businesses that want to come to San Jos.
Recent technology advances in wireless signal controls and smart Wi-Fi meshing made by Ruckus
enable us to deliver just that.
Vijay Sammeta, Chief Information Officer

Satisfied Customers

Ruckus Highlights
Publicly traded on NYSE (RKUS) Worldwide market share leader in service provider Wi-Fi
Formed: June 2004 segment for both unit shipments and revenue (DellOro)
Customers 36,000+ Recognized as leader in IDC MarketScape enterprise
WLAN 2013-2014 vendor analysis
Solution Partners: 11,000+

Copyright 2014, Ruckus Wireless, Inc. All rights reserved. Ruckus Wireless and Ruckus Wireless design Ruckus Wireless, Inc.
are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Ruckus Wireless, the Ruckus Wireless logo, 350 West Java Drive
BeamFlex, ZoneFlex, MediaFlex, FlexMaster, ZoneDirector, SpeedFlex, SmartCast, SmartCell, ChannelFly
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