Wireless networking finally hits the ceiling

With the advent of multiple input multiple output (MIMO) technology that's used in Draft N (and some later 802.11g) products, wireless range isn't as big an issue for new networks as it has been in the past. But if you're running an older 802.11g network (as I am) in a home or a sizable office, you're aware of the dead spots where your Wi-Fi signal plummets in strength or disappears altogether (at the farthest reaches of your space, or behind some walls). To boost your signal strength, you could add a repeater, which you usually try to hide out of the way, since it should be placed wherever it's best for performance, and/or bigger antennae on your router if its comes with detachable ones.

But Luxul is taking the concepts to new heights (literally) with its Pro-WAV 100 system, which I first read about over at Engadget. The company has built a signal booster into a ceiling-mounted housing, resembling nothing so much as a cousin to the smoke alarms hung in every building. It doesn't exactly look like a designer accessory, but you could theoretically hang it anywhere given Luxul's stated claims about its efficacy: The company claims that the Pro-WAV 100 can cover 5,000 to 10,000 square feet with any 802.11-based signal. Neither Engadget nor the Luxul Web site had any details about price or availability, so I checked in with the PR contact, who informs me that the Pro-WAV 100 costs $579.95—in other words, far more than updating every part of your current network to the latest technology.

If the bank hasn't foreclosed on your McMansion, and you must have Wi-Fi in that sixth bedroom/drawing studio, or if you're in a small office setting, I could see the appeal of mounting this unit on your ceiling and seeing if it works as well as promised. (In fact, the Luxul case study I received was based on adding the Pro-WAV 100 to a 7,500-square-foot home.) In that case, you can currently order the Pro-WAV directly from Luxul or wait for the company to announce in the coming weeks some new retail partners that will be selling the unit. But for most of us average Joe networkers, the price ceiling is the one that's going to matter. But maybe I'm wrong—would you pay the price for the ceiling-mounted Pro-WAV 100?