89% of Home Wi-Fi Users Say They have up to 20 Smart Devices at home – But Are They Optimising Their WiFi?

Survey finds lack of awareness when it comes to boosting broadband signal

London, UK – March 19, 2024. We all know that fast internet speeds are important to consumers, but as we purchase new devices, spend more time working from home and increasingly rely on good connectivity to deliver multiple digital entertainment and smart services, the demands of our WiFi connections are increasing.

In an online survey just carried out by NETGEAR, the leading provider of award-winning connected products designed to simplify and improve people’s lives, just under half (49%) of consumers said their priority for upgrading WiFi was better coverage throughout their homes.

While 56% said that faster internet speeds for everyday use was their priority, 42% wanted trustworthy WiFi performance even with multiple users online and just under a third (32%) wanted a seamless connection for all smart devices and home networks with zero delay.

These findings reflect the pressure on consumers to find reliable WiFi that can support a broad range of digitally based activities being carried out in different parts of the household.

Multiple smart devices in use across the home

The survey into wireless connections was carried out online by YouGov on behalf of NETGEAR in February amongst 2179 adults living in the UK.  It clearly reflects the popularity of WiFi devices, with 89% of respondents with home broadband saying they have between 1 and 20 in their homes. Amongst these are smartphones, smart TVs, gaming consoles, laptops, security cameras and smart watches.

The importance of strong, consistent WiFi – which 28% of respondents said was a priority for home office tasks – means that innovative technology such as mesh WiFi which delivers comprehensive coverage in every corner of the house, is increasingly important. This is particularly the case among younger groups for whom a flawless signal is essential. 38% of 18-34 year olds said that if mesh could provide WiFi across the home to all devices, they would be likely to buy it in 2024.

Lack of awareness for benefits of mesh WiFi

 Mesh WiFi is designed not only to expand the coverage of WiFi with the ability to keep a unique WiFi network, but also to ensure the reliability of the WiFi signal across multiple floors and in several rooms. Mesh WiFi is a considerably more powerful solution than WiFi extenders or WiFi repeaters and will finally put an end to dead zones. But despite the obvious importance of fast, strong and extensive WiFi to enable everything from HD streaming and serious gaming through to working from home, only 17% of all respondents in the survey were aware of mesh WiFi.

“Consumers today are heavily reliant on their smart devices with 25% planning to buy more this year. But most of them will be missing out on the full functionality of these smart tools because of a mediocre, or even poor, WiFi signal to all parts of the house,” said Gary Newson, EMEA Sales Director at NETGEAR. “Most households in the UK are unaware that the broadband they pay for is not being fully utilised due to sub-standard equipment, thick internal walls or even the layout of the property. Investing in a mesh WiFi system will very quickly allow them to enjoy super-fast, secure and highly reliable connections wherever in the house they are, and on whatever device they are using.”

The issue of enabling WiFi connectivity is set to become even more important with the advent of WiFi 7, the new, powerful standard which will deliver 4 x faster throughput than the previous WiFi 6E version, and twice the available bandwidth. This means it can support multiple devices simultaneously, enabling consumers to fully experience smart devices from connected doorbells and heating systems through to Tesla cars and Apple Vision Pro spatial computers.

About NETGEAR, Inc.

NETGEAR® (NASDAQ: NTGR) has pioneered advanced networking technologies for homes, businesses, and service providers around the world since 1996 and leads the industry with a broad range of award-winning products designed to simplify and improve people’s lives. By enabling people to collaborate and connect to a world of information and entertainment, NETGEAR is dedicated to delivering innovative and advanced connected solutions ranging from mobile and cloud-based services for enhanced control and security, to smart networking products, video over Ethernet for Pro AV applications, easy-to-use WiFi solutions and performance gaming routers to enhance online game play. The company is headquartered out of San Jose, Calif. with offices located around the globe.

©2023 NETGEAR, Inc. NETGEAR, the NETGEAR logo and Orbi are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of NETGEAR, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and/or other countries. Other brand and product names are for identification purposes only and may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holder(s). The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. NETGEAR shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein. All rights reserved.

Source: NETGEAR-G

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc.  Total sample size was 2179 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 21st – 22nd February 2024.  The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).