Ruckus Networks - Ruckus Unleased 2019 Update

Ruckus is planning major changes to Ruckus Unleashed in 2019. Unleashed is one of the management options for Ruckus access points. In this case, one of the access points is declared as a controller and could previously manage a WLAN network with up to 25 access points and up to 512 clients simultaneously.

With the release of the upcoming firmware 200.7, which is expected to be released in March, this will change. It will then be possible to manage up to 50 access points and 1,024 clients simultaneously in a network. The prerequisite for this is the use of an 802.11ac Wave 2 access point as a controller. This includes the following models:

Existing Unleashed networks can also be expanded accordingly, provided the existing access points are 802.11ac Wave 2 models. To support up to 1,024 clients, all access points in the WLAN network must be 802.11ac Wave 2 models.
The access point that is used as a controller can itself only handle up to 100 clients at a time, as acting as a controller reduces the performance as an access point. Please take this into account when planning the network.

If more than 25 access points are to be used in an unleashed network, all Ruckus access points must comply with the 802.11ac Wave 2 standard.

Nothing changes in terms of licensing for up to 25 access points. From 25 access points onwards, additional licences are required. Licensing is then per access point. Scales of 1 or 5 access points are offered.

But this is not the only change Ruckus has made to Unleashed. With 200.7, the user experience will also be improved by, among other things, better customisation of the captive portal and support for several languages.

For network administrators, the work will be made easier:

• Access points can then be grouped, giving them a better overview.
• A text-based (CLI) setup wizard will be added.
• VLAN support at the network port of the access point
• Guest pass and social media login via WLAN network possible

What are Ruckus plans for older access points?

Firmware version 200.7 will be the last feature update for 802.11ac Wave 1 access points. Ruckus has also announced that the Ruckus Unleashed R500, R600 and T300 series will be discontinued this year.