Why have Ruckus launched an iPad app?

Wireless networking company Ruckus Wireless has launched an iPad app for resellers and end users, to make sure everyone dealing with the company’s products is up to speed on the technology.

The free app includes guides for indoor and outdoor products, as well security features like Dynamic Pre-Shared Keys (DPSK). The written guides are supplemented with video tutorials.

Renilda Saguil, regional sales manager, New Zealand for Ruckus, says she has found from talking to both resellers and end users that there are a lot of gaps in people’s knowledge about wi-fi technology.

"Although they are mostly quite savvy, we found many still didn’t know about a lot of the features embedded in the gear,” Saguil says.

"For example, I was meeting with some principals and IT guys just last week who already had Ruckus, we were talking about Ruckus launching ChannelFly six months ago, and they wanted to know how to get it. They didn’t know it came automatically with the new firmware.”

With new innovations released on a regular basis, the app also reduces the need to be constantly running training courses for resellers.

"We wanted to give our resellers a tool,” Saguil says, "particularly the small or one-man-band operations, who although they’d done the training, couldn’t keep up with the new technology.

"Now instead of reading about updates online, they’ll be able to go straight to the app.”

The company is now working on another mobile tool – an iPad equivalent of their Zone Planner network design software.

"It gives a map of a particular school or hospital, shows the number of devices and bandwidths and calculates how many access points you need and where you should place them.

"It’s available on laptop at the moment, but the iPad version is in beta testing with Apple, and that’s going to make it a lot easier for resellers.”

Go here to download the app.