Wireless startup Video54 will announce next week that it is changing its name to -- wait for it -- Ruckus Wireless and that it has grabbed $9 million in VC funding.

A spokeswoman for the company confirmed the name change but didn't want to give anymore away. "I can't divulge any details," she says.



But a source close to the company tells Unstrung that it has raised $9 million in funding and will announce new products aimed at the carrier space next week.

On its Website, Video54 says it is funded by Sequoia Capital. It is not yet clear if other investors will be part of this round.

The new name was chosen because of the "the commotion" that the new products will cause in the marketplace, the source says. [Ed. note: And "Little Eva" just isn't that good a name for a technology company.]

Up until now, Video54 has concentrated on developing smart antenna systems aimed at improving the performance of standard wireless LAN chipsets for consumer applications like video-over-WiFi. The startup has developed what it calls "BeamFlex smart MIMO antenna." MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) is one of the hot topics in the 802.11 world at the moment. It entails coordinating transmissions between multiple antennas to improve the performance of 802.11 links.

Firms like Airgo Networks Inc. have made a big splash developing dedicated MIMO WLAN chipsets. So far, Ruckus has been more under the radar, but it looks as if the firm is now seeking to change all that.

— Dan Jones, Site Editor, Unstrung