New Ruckus SPoT Brings Location-Aware Services Indoors

Wireless infrastructure provider Ruckus Wireless today unveiled Ruckus Smart Positioning Technology, or SPoT, cloud-based location-aware tech that allows organizations to deliver location-based services over Ruckus Smart WiFi.

Ruckus SPoT includes the following components:

  • SPoT Positioning Engine, which pinpoints a user's location in real time in any indoor environment;
  • SPoT Location Analytics Dashboard, which delivers client location information; and
  • SPoT Engagement Tools, including a software development kit and a set of APIs to power location-aware mobile apps.

Because SPoT is cloud-based, venues with Ruckus Smart WiFi installed do not need any additional hardware to be location-aware. Embedded with a patented indoor positioning algorithm gained from the company's recent acquisition of YFind Technologies, new and existing Ruckus Smart WiFi access points are now capable of client positioning for indoor or dense urban environments, where GPS doesn't always work.

SPoT also incorporates Ruckus-patented BeamFlex, adaptive antenna array technology that uses antenna metrics to determine client location and improve accuracy. To pinpoint client location, Ruckus BeamFlex technology is combined with a variety of location techniques such as RSSI trilateration, RTT (round trip time) and RF fingerprinting and techniques that take advantage of the constant travelling speed of radio waves and packets. A real-time heat map allows institutions to analyze where their users are aggregating within a space, with the ability to define zones and compare traffic data between different zones. All this data is customizable for time intervals, allowing historical analysis and tracking of trends.

To handle security concerns, Ruckus SPoT provides end-to-end encrypted data communication and includes tools for managing the privacy of users on their networks, including authentication, MAC address hashing and secure API access.

With SPoT, Ruckus is also introducing the Ruckus SPoT location ecosystem, a dedicated partner program for third party application developers. Within the SPoT location ecosystem, partners are provided with an open API and SDK to develop customized location analytics and mobile apps. The first Ruckus SPoT location ecosystem partners include location analytics companies such as Euclid and Skyrove, and mobile application development companies such as Front Porch, ITC Infotech, Purple WiFi, SangInfo and TechStudio.

For more information, visit the Ruckus site.

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

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