Surge in Smart Device Adoption Taxing Home Wi-Fi Networks: Report

Internet users in North America are facing significant connectivity issues despite increases in connection speeds, reported network diagnostics company RouteThis Monday. Though upstream and downstream speeds have risen dramatically, “pandemic-related behavioral shifts and device upgrades have increased demand on home Wi-Fi environments,” it said. “Every new device added to a home network comes with new requirements and increases the opportunity for a poor subscriber experience,” said RouteThis. North America’s home networks host the world’s highest median number of devices, with nine in the average household, and it’s likely “at least one will suffer from a bad connection,” it said. Up to half an ISP’s “support engagements” can be traced back to problems with the home Wi-Fi setup, rather than with the lines or equipment itself, said the company. Its data shows about 25% of diagnostic scans “reveal a less congested Wi-Fi channel available, while 30% indicate an underlying problem of signal strength, even with no issues with the home internet connection,” it said.