* Consider Wi-Fi for home backhaul
I’ve wondered in some recent newsletters whether the Wi-Fi industry’s myriad efforts to create QoS enhancements beyond those in the 802.11e standard is indicative of shortcomings in 802.11e itself.
Following that line of reasoning, it would appear that start-up Ruckus Wireless is one company that doesn’t believe in the fortitude of 802.11e, at least for streaming and real-time traffic. Last week, the company, previously called Video54, announced QoS-centric Wi-Fi products and technology aimed to reliably support video (think IPTV) over 802.11.
In fact, says Dave Logan, vice president of products, 802.11e “is inadequate for households with multiple receivers. And it doesn’t specify anything about multicast.”
To compensate, the company has partnered with Wi-Fi chipmaker Atheros, layering multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) smart antenna technology it calls BeamFlex on top of an 802.11g chipset to improve backhaul throughput and performance by two to three times, says Logan. Second, the company put the chipset into a Ruckus MF2900 wireless multimedia router and the Ruckus MF2501 wireless 802.11g-to-Ethernet multimedia adapter used to connect to an Ethernet-equipped set-top box or video receiver.
So, for example, if you want to get IPTV from your home wireless modem/router to your set-top box, you don’t need a cable between the two. Your MF2900 backhauls the video via Wi-Fi to the MF2501.
Third, the Ruckus technology supports a feature the company calls SmartCast, described as traffic management algorithms and wireless multicast optimization technologies. The company says that SmartCast automatically distinguishes applications and traffic types and guarantees throughput using bandwidth management techniques that can be applied on a per-station or per-service basis.
Logan says the company’s testing has shown that three MPEG2 video streams can be transported reliably throughout a 2500-square-foot household (to different receiving locations) through up to four walls over an 802.11g backhaul network while sharing the transmission medium with three 802.11b and/or 802.11g data clients. Nothing in the clients must change to make Ruckus’ QoS work, Logan says.
The company said that Hong Kong broadband service provider PCCW, with 1 million IPTV subscribers, will be selling the Ruckus gear as part of a managed multimedia service.
