Home Wifi Becomes Mass Market Trends

Good news for the makers of RFIC products for WiFi a new survey of 2000 Internet users from Strategy Analytics’ Connected Home Devices service says that the wireless home network is becoming a reality for millions of consumers.

“WiFi has become the preferred networking technology for affluent early adopters,” notes David Mercer, Principal Analyst at Strategy Analytics. “Rising ownership of laptop PCs and other portable Internet devices will make WiFi the dominant home networking choice for most broadband subscribers.”

Competitively priced III-V- based systems underpin this success and will smooth the further expansion of the market most observers say. One example is the InGaP HBT Power Amplifier Module from Anadigics for 802.11b and 802.11g WLAN applications. This tiny (4 x 4 x 1.5-mm) surface-mount module needs few external components so WLAN equipment manufacturers can quickly bring to market competitive solutions demanded by this sector. Such products combine high performance, low cost and ease of use for manufacturers of WLAN routers and access points developing competitive equipment in an increasingly tough market; typical components costing less than two dollars in quantity.

Strategy Analytics says that 20% of broadband subscribers across the US and Europe now use WiFi to share their home wireless internet and to connect between PCs and other devices. The report, “Home Network Adoption: WiFi Emerges As Mass Market Phenomenon”, says that 7% of all households now have a wireless network. The US is the leading market with 8.4% penetration, followed by the Nordic region with 7.9%. WiFi usage in the UK (6.1%) and Germany (5.1%) is below the average, surprisingly. The survey also found that consumers in the highest income groups were three times more likely to use WiFi than those in the least affluent.

Strategy Analytics’ broadband user survey is based on online interviews with 2000 home internet access users in eight countries (USA, France, Germany, UK, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden).The survey included demographic and psychographic questions, as well as those related to ownership of digital consumer electronics devices, usage of broadband services and interest in emerging applications such as online media.