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Ruckus ZoneDirector

Overview

This guide explains how to connect a RUCKUS ZoneDirector to MyPlace. MyPlace signs in to the controller over its own web port, reads your access points and WLANs, and writes the guest portal configuration for you — the hotspot service, the authentication server and the walled garden. There is no RUCKUS cloud in between and no separate API port to open.

Supported Hardware

  • ZoneDirector 1200, 3000 and 3050
  • Firmware 9.10 or newer (tested on 10.1)

Not this guide: RUCKUS One, SmartZone and Unleashed are separate integrations with their own setup. Pick the matching option in the controller wizard.

Note: ZoneDirector hardware is end-of-sale at RUCKUS. The integration is fully supported, but if you are planning new hardware, ask us about RUCKUS One first.

Before You Begin

Collect these first. MyPlace signs in to the controller the moment you press Finish, and will not save a controller it cannot reach.

  • Host — a public IP address or hostname for the ZoneDirector. Enter it without https:// and without a path. A private address such as 192.168.x.x cannot be reached from MyPlace.
  • Port — the controller’s web port, open through your firewall. Usually 443, sometimes 8443.
  • An administrator account with read-write privileges. Read-only accounts can sign in but cannot have the portal written for them.
  • Outbound UDP 1812 from the venue network. This is how your access points reach the MyPlace RADIUS servers. Outbound only — nothing is forwarded inbound.
  • An open guest SSID of type Hotspot Service (WISPr). A captive portal cannot run on a password-protected network.

Important: One ZoneDirector serves one MyPlace location. ZoneDirector has no concept of sites, so the whole controller maps to a single venue. If you run several venues on one controller, talk to support before setting it up.

How Guest Access Works

When a phone joins your guest SSID, the access point asks the MyPlace RADIUS servers about its MAC address. A device we have not seen before is refused, and the access point sends the guest to the MyPlace portal to sign in. Once they have registered, the same question gets a yes and the device is let online.

Connecting to MyPlace

  1. Open MyPlace Admin Panel → Networks → Network Controller tab
  2. Click Add New Controller
MyPlace controller wizard with Ruckus ZoneDirector selected
  1. Select Ruckus Wireless, then Ruckus ZoneDirector as the controller type
  1. Enter the public hostname or IP and press Test IP/Host. MyPlace checks the format, confirms the address is publicly routable and pings it
  1. Enter the administrator Username and Password, and set the Port your controller’s web interface listens on. It is pre-filled with 443
  1. Click Finish — MyPlace signs in to the controller before saving anything. On success it appears in your list, identified by model and serial number
  2. Click the + icon on the controller’s row and choose the MyPlace location it belongs to, then Add Location

Note: If the sign-in fails, the wizard shows the controller’s own reason in brackets. That text is the fastest route to the cause — read it before changing anything.

What MyPlace Configures

Adding a location writes the following to the controller, and re-applying the configuration writes them again:

  • A hotspot service named MyPlace Guest Portal, carrying the MyPlace login page URL and your venue’s identifier
  • A RADIUS authentication server named MyPlace RADIUS, bound to that hotspot, with MAC authentication switched on
  • Intrusion Prevention switched off — left on, it temporarily blocks guests who have not registered yet
  • The walled garden, so guests can load the login page before they are online

Important: MyPlace Guest Portal and MyPlace RADIUS are managed by MyPlace. Renaming the hotspot service or editing its login page URL breaks guest sign-in — that URL carries the identifier that tells MyPlace which venue a guest is standing in.

Pointing Your Guest WLAN at MyPlace

MyPlace creates the hotspot service but does not move your guest WLAN onto it, so that a venue switching over from another portal provider is never cut over mid-service. When you are ready to go live, open Configure → WLANs in ZoneDirector, edit your guest WLAN and set:

  • Type — Hotspot Service (WISPr)
  • Hotspot Services — MyPlace Guest Portal
  • Encryption — None

Then have a test device reconnect to the Wi-Fi — devices that are already associated keep the old behaviour until they re-join.

Checking It Worked

Open Settings → Local Network → Guest Portal Configuration for the location. It reads the live configuration back from the controller, and the Health Check button validates the whole set-up against what MyPlace expects.

Then connect a phone to the guest SSID and walk through the portal once. A successful sign-in shows up in Guests within a few seconds.

Walled Garden

MyPlace writes the pre-authentication allow list into the hotspot for you. You need the list yourself only if your venue firewall filters outbound traffic. Open Networks → Network Controller and use the “Click here for a list of IP addresses” link under the controller table — it always shows the current list. We do not print it here on purpose: these addresses change as our platform moves, and an allow list copied from an old page looks correct and blocks guests anyway.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

IssueResolution
Connection fails on FinishEnter the bare hostname or IP, set the port separately, and read the reason shown in brackets
Timed out, or no response at allForward the controller’s web port and use the public address
Sign-in rejectedUse an administrator account with read-write privileges
Guests still see another provider’s portalThe guest WLAN is still bound to the old hotspot service — point it at MyPlace Guest Portal
Portal never appearsSet the guest SSID encryption to None and its type to Hotspot Service (WISPr)
Portal loads but guests never get onlineAllow outbound UDP 1812 from the venue network
Guest registers, then the portal hangs on the last stepAsk the guest to reconnect to the Wi-Fi once (see Known Limitations)
One device refused over and overThe phone is using a randomised Wi-Fi address — turn off Private Wi-Fi Address for your network on that device
Devices page empty or staleCheck the controller is online and the port still forwarded; MyPlace shows the last known list

Known Limitations

  • A newly registered guest may need to reconnect once. ZoneDirector asks about a device when it joins the network and does not ask again on its own, so a guest who registers during that session can stay offline until they re-join the Wi-Fi. Their details are captured either way.
  • One ZoneDirector serves one MyPlace location — ZoneDirector has no sites.
  • No zones or access point tags; ZoneDirector has no equivalent.
  • Custom guest-portal domains do not apply. The portal URL written into ZoneDirector is always join.myplaceconnect.net.

Support

For assistance with setup issues or questions about the RUCKUS ZoneDirector integration, contact the support team via the Contact Us page.