Why aren't the other WLAN makers doing this? Why isn't MY wireless vendor doing this?
I have ran an awful lot of UTP in my day. Those of us who grew up installing UTP before wireless came along know that network wiring isn't just copper in the wall. When properly installed by trained professionals, premise wiring is as much a component as anything else in the enterprise network environment.
Where solid, well-provisioned cabling systems are getting less used because wireless is fundamentally changing our access habits, we have an easily overlooked investment at the ready. So why do we have to run more wire for wireless access points when we're often just a few yards away from perpetually unused UTP runs in the wall?
I get that ceiling-mount APs are the preferred methodology where possible. But holy smackers, sometimes getting there takes huge money, new pathway, hazardous materials abatement, and dancing with a labor union or two. In the right setting, an AP designed to leverage existing wall-plate network jacks would be the cat's ass, baby.
Ruckus gets it, and just announced their sweet new ZoneFlex 7055 access point.
With dual-band 11n, 2x2 MIMO, support for 16 SSIDs, a Gigabit uplink port and four Fast Ethernet ports all powered by 802.3af PoE, the 7055 brings a lot of capability at a list price of $369. Yes- three hundred and sixty-nine dollars... Shut up!
The ZoneFlex 7055 will also power an IP phone, and mesh other locally-powered 7055s that just can't be located where cable exists, which amounts to a pretty empowering feature set.
You already own the wire, you might as well use it.
And with that, Ruckus hits one of my top-three requests for WLAN makers!
