Wi-Fi is an extremely hot potato at the moment; there's a lot of debate on the health aspect of wireless comms, but not enough debate on whether wireless connections are the best 'main' way to distribute data.

Once you sit in the vicinity of more than three different Wi-Fi networks, there becomes serious congestion – resulting in slow, dodgy connections.

So imagine my surprise when I saw a consistent 5Mbits/sec video stream beaming across a 5m space while contending with 20 other Wi-Fi networks at The Wireless Event 2007.

Most other networks crawled along, but the Ruckus stand achieved excellent data rates. Scott Reeves, technical director for Ruckus, told me his technology guaranteed no more than 1 packet lost per hour for a 5mbit/stream – an astonishing feat although he didn't say what distance and permittivity of material that was over.

Ruckus' Beam Flex products "reduce the noise that comes into the system and focuse the power through the antenna combination," he said.

This means if there are any health risks and you stand in the way of a focused beam, then it could be even more dangerous – it's like an ant walking underneath a magnifying glass in the sun.

Ruckus' products focus the beam by using a six-antenna array resulting in 63 usable combinations. Each combination focuses the power in a different direction.

The box calculates the direction on the fly, so if you move about the signal follows you; this was demonstrated by six LEDs, one attached to each antenna, which followed the receiver about.

This technique can be a sensible option if the focused power is lowered, reducing contention further and any possible health concerns.

Netgear has already licensed the technology for its 802.11g Rangemax product (hence the LEDs). These antenna arrays can also be used for receivers, however they aren't in retail, and will only be used by IPTV providers.