Ruggedized RUCKUS Network Switches from Crystal Group

Place an enterprise-grade network switch in a climate-controlled datacenter, cool and power it properly, and everything should work just fine. Take that same switch and deploy it on a military vehicle, ship, or aircraft, and the switch will likely fail due to the harsh environment in which these platforms operate.

“Ruggedizing” or “hardening” electronics to be able to withstand these extreme conditions is something that the US military requires. In fact, they have developed specific standards (MIL-SPEC) to address shock, vibration, temperature, humidity, dust, sand, salt fog, and Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) which manufacturers must adhere to. 

In order to deliver reliable networking capability to the warfighter, the equipment must be ruggedized. Therefore, RUCKUS Networks teamed with Crystal Group several years ago to ruggedize its industry-leading ICX® Layer 2/3 ethernet switching portfolio, making them suitable for the most demanding military and industrial applications. 

So what makes these ruggedized switches so effective? For starters, the standard RUCKUS product is re-packaged into a lightweight, compact chassis made of strain-hardened aircraft aluminum that Crystal Group produces in-house. The chassis is constructed with 4-8mm thick side walls, glued and screwed construction, and overlapping seams on all chassis walls with significantly more screws holding the chassis together. 

Box construction and other techniques are used for board stabilization, and to protect against solder joint deflection during shock and vibe testing. And standard commercial I/O connectors can be converted to military Circular (MIL-CIRC) connectors, as shown in image below. 

Next, they address cooling requirements by adding heat sinks, high-performance fans, or component baffles to extend the operating temperature range of the switch considerably. 

Regarding the electronics and circuit boards, staking compounds are used on individual components for stabilization and retention, and conformal coating is applied to the boards to protect against humidity. 

Crystal Group also can implement a Faraday shield effect for reducing Electromagnetic Interference (EMI).

These products are MIL-STD 461 compliant and designed to MIL-STD 810 methods 501/202, 514, and 516. Rugged switches from Crystal Group are also FIPS-140, Common Criteria, JITC, and CSfC certified, and are listed on the Department of Defense Information Network (DoDIN) Approved Products List (APL).

Crystal Group is providing rugged RUCKUS ICX® switches to the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps for use on military platforms that operate in challenging environments.  

They are one of the most valuable Federal OEMs for RUCKUS, having recently won Federal Partner of the Year. The collaborative business has expanded with the increased needs of the military for ruggedized equipment, and the best in cybersecurity protection. And with the military’s recent focus on mobility, the two companies have begun working together to offer rugged cellular and Wi-Fi® solutions as well. 

Equipment that is capable enough for the U.S. military has other uses as well. Crystal Group’s target commercial markets include Autonomous Vehicles, Oil and Gas, Power Distribution, Mining, and Weather Radar. The rugged electronics market was valued at $14 Billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $25 Billion by 2030. To support these growing markets, Crystal Group operates out of its own 111,500-square-foot manufacturing facility in Hiawatha, Iowa, that is both ISO 9001 and AS9100D certified. 

“Providing leading-edge rugged electronics designed for mission success at the tactical edge for our U.S. Armed Forces has been Crystal Group’s focus for over three decades,” said Kate Schlotterbeck, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Crystal Group. “Our successful partnership with RUCKUS delivers enterprise-class solutions that combine RUCKUS’ trusted networking technology with Crystal Group’s cybersecurity-optimized, MIL-STD-810 hardware.” 

Crystal Group rugged networking products bring plug-and-play functionality to harsh environments and demanding military and industrial applications. These industry-leading switches and routers can be deployed in rugged, lightweight enclosures, such as transit cases or 19-inch racks. They are designed to meet strict MIL standards and complement Crystal Group’s broader solution, which includes rugged servers, storage, and displays.

RUCKUS networks continually innovates across wired and wireless technologies to enable awesome customer experiences. Our low-latency, non-blocking architecture provides excellent throughput for the most demanding applications required by Federal customers. 

When cost-effective network capacity and high performance are required for harsh environments, no team works harder for the US Government and commercial customers than RUCKUS and Crystal Group! 

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