Case Study: The Queen Mary achieves ship‑wide reliable Wi‑Fi for 300+ rooms with RUCKUS Networks

Avoiding Obstacles and Interference Essential to Delivering Consistent Wi-Fi Aboard the Queen Mary

The Queen Mary, a permanently docked 1936 ocean liner turned hotel and event venue with 12 decks and more than 300 guestrooms, struggled to deliver reliable Wi‑Fi because its thick metal construction, maze-like layout and limited power outlets caused severe signal loss. Guests had been forced to use Powerline adapters checked out at the front desk—an increasingly inadequate solution as travelers arrived with Wi‑Fi‑only devices—so the ship needed a cost‑effective wireless system that could overcome interference and cover one million square feet without hundreds of APs.

Hotel Internet Services deployed 33 Ruckus ZoneFlex 2942 APs (24 serving 314 rooms) with two ZoneDirector controllers, PoE switches and mesh links where cabling wasn’t possible; Ruckus’s dynamic beamforming steered signals around obstacles to deliver stable coverage. The installation provided full guestroom and public‑area Wi‑Fi, centralized management, and, within two weeks, doubled broadband service revenue—with one‑third the number of APs and roughly half the cost compared to conventional alternatives.

The Queen Mary

Edgar Stevens

IT Systems Analyst, The Queen Mary