The Preakness Stakes Races to Higher Capacity Wi-Fi from Ruckus Wireless

BALTIMORE and SUNNYVALE, Calif., May 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Ruckus Wireless? today announced that Believe Wireless Broadband and the Maryland Jockey Club, owner of the Pimlico Race Course, have selected advanced Smart Wi-Fi systems and research from Ruckus Wireless to deliver reliable, high-capacity Wi-Fi access at the world-famous Preakness Stakes horse racing event, taking place on Saturday, May 21, 2011. Believe Wireless Broadband has provided temporary Internet access to Pimlico since 2007 for the Preakness event.  

Teaming with Believe Wireless Broadband, a full-service Internet provider in the Baltimore area, Ruckus Wireless is supplying high-speed, high-capacity 802.11n products and technologies that will be used to deliver free Wi-Fi Internet access to tens of thousands of attendees, press and event staff of this year's Preakness Stakes.

The indoor/outdoor Wi-Fi network will ease the burden of data access from local cellular networks by offloading traffic from smart phones and other Wi-Fi-enabled devices onto a higher speed, Wi-Fi infrastructure. And with a reliable wireless network in place, race-goers will be able to leverage a new Preakness application developed for iPhones, Androids and Blackberries that lets them watch videos from previous races, look up information about how to wager a bet, get profiles on the jockeys and horses, and see a schedule of races that day as then as upcoming events.

"With so much experience in dealing with high profile, high capacity events, we knew that because of the fixed area and dense user environment, the Ruckus innovation would be best suited for the Preakness because of its in a class by itself ability to optimize the RF spectrum and get users from time to time the Wi-Fi network quickly," said Paul Dowling, president and CEO of Believe Wireless Broadband.

Scale is a daunting challenge

"There's no question that delivering Wi-Fi access on such a scale is a daunting challenge," said Joe Blaylock, network administrator for the Maryland Jockey Club. "However it's as a matter of fact no longer an option at public events, so we needed to actually evaluate the kind of research that could as a matter of fact deliver a fast, reliable service to this many people in such a confined location."

In recent years, Maryland Jockey Club event organizers have seen a rise in the number of attendees bringing mobile devices and smart phones to the Preakness event. According to Blaylock, providing reliable wireless broadband access to race patrons has become a priority for this year's race as so then as future events.

"The mobile Internet experience is now a vital part of Preakness, as many attendees use their devices to interact with friends back home or transmit photos and videos over Facebook, YouTube and other social networks," said Blaylock. "We are looking to leverage cutting-edge innovation to improve the experience of our clients.  In today's world, a high-performance wireless network is essential to achieve this.  Ruckus technologies help us realize this vision."

Patented research, developed by Ruckus Wireless, makes more efficient use of the Wi-Fi spectrum by speeding the time it takes for end devices to access and use the network.  This is achieved by focusing Wi-Fi signals only where they are needed, automatically avoiding interference and reducing retransmissions caused by packet loss, that slow down access to the network for all users.

The indoor/outdoor arena

To cover the indoor/outdoor arena, Blaylock has deployed in broad outline 50 Ruckus ZoneFlex 802.11n dual-band access points managed by a centralized wireless LAN controller. The APs located in the infield section are mounted in tents and will connect to Ethernet switches and fiber and copper cabling installed underground.

The Ruckus ZoneFlex wireless LAN system features Ruckus' patented adaptive antenna array, innovative innovation that delivers dramatic improvements in Wi-Fi signal range, reliability and performance - as then as the ability for smart wireless networks to automatically adapt to environmental changes.

The Maryland Jockey Club is the oldest sporting organization in North America, established in 1743. It owns and operates Maryland's two major thoroughbred tracks, Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore - the home of the Preakness Stakes, the middle jewel in thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown - and Laurel Park, located in Laurel, Md., midway between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. MJC runs 220 live thoroughbred racing dates a year at Pimlico and Laurel. Through ownership of the Maryland-Virginia Racing Circuit, Inc., MJC manages Colonial Downs in New Kent, Va., and its network of OTB facilities in Virginia. Colonial Downs is Virginia's only major horse racing facility and runs in broad outline 26 days of live thoroughbred racing in the summer when live racing is not conducted at Pimlico or Laurel. MJC as well owns and operates the Bowie Training Center in Bowie, Md., and manages a network of three OTB facilities in Maryland.

Headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, Believe Wireless Broadband offers High Speed Internet Access, Wi-Fi Hotspots, Point-to-Point links and VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) services.  Founded in 2002, Believe Wireless Broadband has been offering solutions to small and large businesses and local and federal government.

Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Ruckus Wireless is supplier of advanced wireless systems for the mobile Internetworking market. The company markets and manufactures a wide range of indoor and outdoor "Smart Wi-Fi" products for mobile operators, broadband service providers and corporate enterprises around the world. Ranked as the top telecom company in the 2009 Inc. Magazine 500 list and named a World Economic Forum Innovation Pioneer, Ruckus Wireless has realized dramatic growth. Since 2006, revenue and shipments have grown by over 1000 percent. Ruckus invented, and has patented, innovative state-of-the-art wireless innovation that steers signals around obstacles and interference. This unequalled capability extends signal range and ensures consistent reliable distribution of delay-sensitive multimedia content and services over standard 802.11 Wi-Fi. The company has shipped over 2 million Smart Wi-Fi systems around the world and has raised $51 million in funding from premier investors.

Media ContactsNancy MacGregor HillRealTime Communicationsnancy@realtime-comm.com+1-510-733-6228 office+1-415-309-5185 mobile

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