Lions, tigers, and bears—I mean Wi-Fi. Oh my!

Deploying fast and ubiquitous Wi-Fi can be extremely challenging for a zoo due to an extremely challenging RF environment. Zoos are typically designed with a variety of terrain, foliage, and rock to make the animals feel at home by creating diverse habitats. However, this doesn’t make for a particularly conducive Wi-Fi environment.

The Cincinnati Zoo recently faced this very challenge when planning a Wi-Fi refresh to provide fast and ubiquitous connectivity for guests and staff.

“Before the Ruckus solution, we were trying to fulfill the lack of network,” states Ihlana Mumford, A/V Tech at the Cincinnati Zoo. “Teams would have to go out with pen and paper to collect their data and then go back and input it into the computer. Guests had no Wi-Fi at all to share their experience.”

It’s apparent today that everyone expects fast and ubiquitous Wi-Fi wherever they go. Indeed, Wi-Fi can make or break an experience like visiting the zoo, eating at a restaurant or shopping at a local store. People want to share their experiences with the world by posting on social media, uploading videos and streaming in real time.

To find the perfect solution, the Cincinnati Zoo reached out to our partner, Powernet, which recommended Ruckus Networks due to our high performing products, especially our BeamFlex technology found in our wireless access points (APs).  Working together with Powernet, we ensured that our access points installed across the zoo tastefully blended in with the aesthetics of various ecosystems.

So, the next time you find yourself visiting the Cincinnati Zoo, be ready to stream some live video and share all those cute animal pictures!

Take a look at the video above to learn how Ruckus partnered with Powernet to create fast and ubiquitous Wi-Fi throughout the entire Cincinnati Zoo.