Consumers demand better WiFi as number of connected devices surge

The average home now has six media devices connected online, yet nearly two-thirds of global consumers have issues with Wi-Fi at home, according to the 2015 ARRIS Consumer Entertainment Index.

The survey found 72 per cent of consumers consider a high-speed Internet connection in every room of their house either vitally important or very important. Over half stated it is vitally important to have high-speed Wi-Fi that works outside of its current range.

But not everyone wants their TV to be mobile. The survey found 41 per cent of global respondents never or rarely use a laptop, smartphone or tablet to watch TV outside the house. This rises to 75 per cent of respondents in Japan, followed by 62 per cent in Australia, and 60 per cent in Canada.

According to the survey, the trends represent a number of opportunities to make it easier for consumers of all ages to download or stream content, to customise content and services to the individual consumer experience, and to solve connectivity issues by giving consumers a high-speed wireless connection where it is needed.

“The ARRIS CEI research offers our customers invaluable insight into the evolving consumer interaction with entertainment technology and content,” said senior vice president, global marketing at ARRIS, Sandy Howe.

“All of these trends point to a tremendous opportunity for service providers and programmers to customise their offerings to these new consumer trends and to ensure the quality of the home’s Wi-Fi network, which increasingly is bearing the weight of this evolution in services.”

Follow CMO on Twitter: @CMOAustralia, take part in the CMO Australia conversation on LinkedIn: CMO Australia, join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CMOAustralia, or check us out on Google+: google.com/+CmoAu