eWEEK Labs Walk-Through: ZoneFlex Smart WLAN

For a full review, click here.

by Andrew Garcia

Ruckus access points have 12 integrated antennas and use beamforming technologies to focus the AP on active clients.

The ZoneDirector 1000 series supports up to 50 APs.

The Wizard allowed me to configure a production WLAN (wireless LAN) and a guest network. I was able to add two more networks later.

I could add or remove a widget from the default screen in order to customize the intial view.

ZoneFlex offers the full gamut of wireless security options, including an integrated authentication database for companies that want to provide per-user access controls.

Users (with the right permissions) can create guest passes, which visitors can use to join the WLAN for a predefined period of time.

The map feature can be used to predict coverage areas of existing APs or locate detected rogue devices.

The rogue detection feature identifies all WLANs detected over the air. To filter out the noise, I could classify neighbor devices as “known.”

The Zero IT feature let us create and deploy certificates for a full EAP-TLS implementation. Users will need to import the certificate into their computer’s store.

By default, the ZoneDirector will pull every detected Ruckus AP under management.