MaSSSoftech

Overcomes Thick Metal Walls and Difficult RF Challenges That Have Inhibited
Wi-Fi Deployment on the Historic Vessel, Gives 3 Million Yearly Visitors
Reliable Wireless Access







SUNNYVALE, Calif., Aug. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Ruckus Wireless(TM), today
announced that it was selected to supply advanced, Smart Wi-Fi products and
technology for the Queen Mary, one of the world's most historic ships, now
permanently docked and serving as a luxury hotel and convention center in Long
Beach, California.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090831/SF67628)

Hotel Internet Services (HIS) and Queen Mary IT staff have selected and
deployed Ruckus ZoneFlex Smart wireless LAN (WLAN) products, enabling wireless
connectivity from any of the hotel's guestrooms and common areas in order to
support the ship's more than three million yearly visitors.

The information technology teams tested and ultimately chose Ruckus Wireless
products and technology due to its unique ability to extend signal range and
overcome wireless challenges such as RF interference and impenetrable
obstacles. Previously, metallic walls and other unfriendly RF obstacles on the
Queen Mary made the deployment of Wi-Fi effectively impossible.

"Visitors are now coming on board with all kinds of wireless-enabled handheld
devices and expect a Wi-Fi signal," said Edgar Stevens, IT systems analyst for
the Queen Mary. "Having previously tested Wi-Fi aboard ship, we were unable to
get it to work properly without having to deploy a huge number of APs. The
Queen Mary is effectively a massive box built with metal walls and all sorts
of nooks and crannies. This makes using any kind of wireless technology
extremely challenging."

The Queen Mary and Wi-Fi - A History of Frustration

The Queen Mary, which had crossed the Atlantic Ocean 1,001 times, before
docking permanently in 1967, now serves as a luxury hotel and convention
center. Amenities include restaurants, exhibits, tours and 14 Art Deco salons.
Entered into service in 1936, ship builders considered its design and
electrical system to be state of the art. Today, in its role as one of the
world's best known attraction and hotel destinations, these same design and
electrical attributes cause unique, and previously insurmountable problems for
providing high-speed Internet access services for the ship's business and
leisure guests.

With more than a million square feet of space, 314 guest rooms, conference
facilities, restaurants, meeting rooms and other common areas, the Queen Mary
has only been able to offer broadband access through its existing power
infrastructure on the ship. This requires guests to check out special
powerline adapters to connect laptops and other devices.

"We looked long and hard at Wi-Fi but found it would have required more than
90 APs from competitive vendors just to support the hotel and conference
space," said Gary Patrick, president and CEO of Hotel Internet Services, a
leading provider of wireless systems and integration services across the
hospitality industry. "To be honest, given the high performance and ability of
Ruckus Wireless products to overcome interference, and our previous
experiences with Ruckus deployments, we expected them to test out well. When
our testing showed we could set up the entire Wi-Fi network using one-third
the number of APs, we were pleasantly surprised."

HIS designed, installed and provides ongoing management and maintenance of the
Queen Mary's Wi-Fi infrastructure. "Having a reliable wireless network
eliminates a lot of the headaches for front desk staff who previously had to
check powerline adapters in and out, as well as dealing with customer support
issues. Beyond that we've seen an increase in revenue in the very short time
the Wi-Fi service has been available," added Patrick.

According to HIS, in the first two weeks after deploying the Ruckus Smart
Wi-Fi system, the Queen Mary saw the connection rate double compared to its
existing powerline solution, and without advertising the availability of the
Wi-Fi service.

Deployment Details

HIS and the Queen Mary are now offering high-performance Wi-Fi connectivity to
all hotel guests, conventioneers and visitors. HIS conceived and installed the
ship's wireless solution, using a third of the number of Ruckus Smart Wi-Fi
access points at the fraction of the cost of other solutions.

HIS installed 33 Ruckus ZoneFlex 2942 802.11g Smart Wi-Fi APs across three
decks of the Queen Mary to provide complete coverage to all guest rooms,
convention areas, meeting space, and other public areas. Redundant
ZoneDirector 1000 controllers provide easy administration of the entire
wireless environment from a central point.

The Ruckus ZoneFlex Smart Wi-Fi solution installed on the Queen Mary
automatically steers Wi-Fi signals around interference to provide extended
range and higher capacity coverage. The system delivers consistent
performance, enabling visitors, guests and the numerous shops and services on
the ship to access the Internet without the worry of limited range,
performance or interference. The Ruckus system constantly readjusts Wi-Fi
transmissions to overcome obstacles in the surrounding environment to provide
the best throughput for each user.

About Ruckus Wireless, Inc.
Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Ruckus Wireless is a manufacturer of advanced
"Smart Wi-Fi" technology and wireless LAN (WLAN) systems used by enterprises
and carriers around the world. Ranked as the top telecom company in the 2009
Inc. 500 list and named a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer, Ruckus has
developed patented technology that uniquely extends signal range and allows
for consistently reliable distribution of delay-sensitive multimedia content
and services over standard 802.11 Wi-Fi. Its flagship product line, ZoneFlex,
is the first centralized wireless LAN system to combine state-of-the-art Wi-Fi
smart antenna arrays and wireless meshing to deliver maximum range and
reliable performance at the lowest cost. Leading broadband operators use its
MediaFlex multimedia routers to extend wireless digital services such as IPTV
throughout subscribers' homes worldwide. Ruckus has raised approximately $39
million from premier investors such as Motorola, T-Ventures, Telus, Sutter
Hill Ventures, Mitsui, Sequoia Capital and others. Ruckus Wireless is led by
Ms Selina Lo, president and chief executive officer. For more information,
visit Ruckus Wireless at http://www.ruckuswireless.com

About Hotel Internet Services
Founded in 2003, Hotel Internet Services (HIS) is a leading provider of secure
wired and wireless Internet services, 24x7 guest support and monitoring
services, unattended business centers, kiosks and meeting & convention
services for hotels, resorts, timeshares, casinos, and other venues. Over
150,000 business and leisure travelers use HIS Internet services each month.
HIS provides services to hundreds of hotels, resorts, casinos meeting and
conference venues across the US. Hotel Internet Services has offices in
California, Florida and Nevada. www.hotelwifi.com

About the Queen Mary
The Queen Mary is home to a 314-room Art Deco Hotel, where guests relive the
excitement of cruising in the style of the 1930's without ever leaving port.
During her illustrious career, she has played many roles - from an elegant
ocean liner to a World War II troopship. Located at 1126 Queens Highway in
beautiful Long Beach, California, The Queen Mary is a must-see attraction. The
iconic ship offers a variety of historical, paranormal and educational tours,
unique shops, meeting & banquet facilities, three award-winning ocean view
restaurants and much more. For more information please visit www.queenmary.com
or call (800) 437-2934.


Media Contact
Bill Jeppesen
+1 408-598-2085
bill.jeppesen@ruckuswireless.com





SOURCE Ruckus Wireless

Bill Jeppesen of Ruckus Wireless, +1-408-598-2085,
bill.jeppesen@ruckuswireless.com