Royal Hospital Chelsea Prescribes Ruckus Smart Wi-Fi

LONDON, ENGLAND (UK) and SUNNYVALE, CA – 29^th MAY 2014 – Ruckus Wireless, Inc. (NYSE:RKUS), a global supplier of advanced wireless systems for the rapidly expanding mobile Internet infrastructure market, and Computer Products Ltd., a supplier of IT equipment and Wi-Fi installations for business, have successfully completed a high capacity, high speed, Ruckus Smart Wi-Fi network for Royal Hospital Chelsea.

Home to the Chelsea Pensioners and high profile public events such as the Chelsea Flower Show, the Royal Hospital Chelsea is currently undergoing a programme of refurbishment and modernisation. Central to the modernisation has been the installation of a wireless network designed to deliver a consistent, reliable and quality connection to residents and visitors.

A Grade I listed site, the age of the building and the density of the walls meant that it was a challenging RF environment. Due to the sensitive nature of the environment characterised by the Long Wards, which have remained intact for 300 years, the form factor of the access points needed to suit the aesthetics of the building and involve minimal disruption when being installed.

Isabel Prieto-Cordero, ICT Manager, Royal Hospital Chelsea explains, “Installing a robust and reliable Wi-Fi network throughout the main hospital building was imperative. The staff and residents are just as dependent on the Internet as many other walks of life these days. We wanted to be able to provide residents and visitors to the hospital with seamless access to Wi-Fi.”

Joe Aucott, Managing Director, Computer Products Ltd, explained: “The wards have remained unchanged since Sir Christopher Wren designed them in the late 17^th Century. A strong signal was required as the building is a densely constructed environment comprising walls that are approximately five-to-six feet thick, wooden beams and hard flooring, which creates an extremely complex RF environment. The Ruckus Wireless solution was selected as it was capable of handling the interference and able to deliver a strong signal across the entire site.”

The installation included 24 Ruckus ZoneFlex™ 7363high performance 802.11n mid-range indoor access points, in a pyramid formation, which feature patented Ruckus BeamFlex™ adaptive antenna technology. The network utilises a Ruckus ZoneDirector™ management platform, to centrally control and monitor service delivery and performance. It can be deployed and operated by non-wireless experts and installed quickly and easily through a point-and-click web-based wizard. Any organisation with limited IT staff and budget can create a robust and secure multimedia WLAN in a matter of minutes.

Taking the upmost care and attention to the interior aesthetics, the installation was still completed in just two days, with no disruption or alteration to the building or its occupants. Since then, Royal Hospital of Chelsea has not received a single complaint about the Wi-Fi and there are plans to expand the network throughout the wider complex.