dailywireless.org » Ruckus Client Tested in Portland

Ruckus Client Tested in Portland

The Oregonian’s Mike Rogoway tried the Ruckus Wireless MetroFlex client and found it worked okay for some situations, but, at $99 a pop, a bit expensive for “free” WiFi as delivered by MetroFi, the California company building the ad-supported network in Portland.

I tried that device, the MetroFlex made by Ruckus Wireless, and found it did its job — to a point. The MetroFlex took unusable wireless signals and bolstered them to a degree that I could establish a reliable connection to the Internet. In one location, the connection was so fast that it rivaled the DSL access my phone company provides.

My home in Southeast Portland is 420 feet from the nearest MetroFi antenna, which sits atop a streetlight on the far side of a grocery store. Although my iMac detects MetroFi’s signal, it’s too weak to connect to unaided. Even outside on the porch, using a Dell laptop, I’ve never been able to connect.
I first tried setting up the MetroFlex in a back room, but the connection was too weak to get online. Same with two other rooms nearby. When I moved the device to the second floor, though, near a window, it relayed a strong MetroFi signal to my Wi-Fi-equipped iMac downstairs.
Speeds (1 megabit per second download, about 100 kilobits per second upload) were plenty fast for watching Web video, or surfing news sites while listening to a live radio stream.
I next tried the MetroFlex on the fourth floor of The Oregonian’s downtown office on Southwest Broadway at Jefferson Street, in a part of the building far from MetroFi’s antennas. Placing the device near a window, it rebroadcast the Wi-Fi service to Dell and Mac laptops about 25 feet away. Speeds here were erratic, ranging from about 100 to 600 kilobits per second — usually not fast enough for YouTube, but OK for checking e-mail or reading blogs.
With MetroFlex, Portland’s Wi-Fi network starts to deliver on its promise of broad wireless access. It’s a good option for the adventurous, but won’t appeal to those looking for a simple substitute to wired Web access.

I tried out a MetroFlex about 6 months ago, but decided not to buy one. At the time, I was able to pick up a signal, but not reliably. Currently, and with improved MetroFi coverage near my apartment, I’m using a 200 mW USB client ($60) coupled with 19dB Panel Antenna ($60). That combination has been delivering a rock-solid (free) signal for about a month from a SkyPilot canister about 1000 feet away from my 5th floor apartment in downtown Portland.

The Skypilot Access Point is just below the “i” in “Skypilot” (above). That looks about 1,000 feet from my apartment to me. It’s a nice, clean, shot. My antenna is inside and goes through the exterior wall.