Up to 16 integrated access points into a single circular device? Cool! That was my reaction after reading about how Xirrus Inc. released its new flagship product to the world at large. It is a network devices like this that really gets my saliva working overtime, let me tell ya!

Wi-Fi hardware startup Xirrus Inc. this week debuted its flagship product, which combines a WLAN switch and up to 16 integrated access points into a single circular device.

The Wireless LAN Array is composed of a controller, which manages spectrum and directs packet flow at the media access control level; an antenna system designed to increase both rate and range of the network; and AP (access point) radios that support a combination of 802.11a, b and g.

In the top-of-the-line version of the array, there are 12 802.11a AP radios and four 802.11a/b/g AP radios, one of which can be used as an RF (radio frequency) monitor.

The array also comes in four-AP and eight-AP.

Radios are easily swapped out and replaced, officials said, but they are not hot-swappable.

A single 16-AP array can cover up to 100,000 square feet and provide up to 864M bps of bandwidth, according to officials at Xirrus in Westlake Village, Calif. [Read the rest]