A Day In An American Wi-Fi Life

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Beep, beep, beep. Did your morning start with an alarm you set on your smartphone? Is that smartphone connected to Wi-Fi? We’re willing to bet it is. According to the 2021 Wi-Fi Trends Report published by Comcast, the company connected nearly 1 billion devices last year, and more than a third of those Wi-Fi-connected devices were smartphones: nearly 347 million, to be exact, an increase of 23 times from 2018. 

Image from Pixabay 

Is your life a typical American Wi-Fi life? See if these five typical American household Wi-Fi uses align with yours:

  • Health and wellness: After silencing your alarm, perhaps you next rolled out of bed and unrolled your yoga mat for a morning workout. Americans exercised at home more than ever, habits set in place by necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Health devices stood apart as the fastest rising category, with more than 49 million smartwatches and fitness trackers connected to Comcast Wi-Fi in 2021, increasing 39 times from 2018. Exercise equipment connected to Wi-Fi also increased 93 times, for a total of almost 841,000 devices. And it’s not slowing down: 20 percent of households are planning to purchase fitness-related devices this year.

  • Smart home connections: One Wi-Fi-connected device you likely didn’t have to adjust this morning may have been a connected thermostat. More than 2.5 million Internet of Things (IoT) devices such as connected cameras and doorbells were connected to Comcast internet last year, an increase of 31 times in the previous three years.

  • Home network connections: Many Americans are navigating the “new normal” of working from home or settling into a hybrid remote-work schedule. Whether you commute to work or power on your laptop in your home office, Wi-Fi was highly likely something you invested in improving in 2021. Wi-Fi is more important to Americans’ daily lives than reliable transportation, said 45% of respondents in the report. A majority of Americans (59%) improved their Wi-Fi last year, for example by adding Wi-Fi extenders that ensure stronger Wi-Fi coverage throughout the home. Specifically, 28% upgraded their equipment and 27% increased their speeds.

  • Entertainment and relaxation: After work, many households turned to streaming or gaming — also reliant on a strong internet connection. According to the report, 119 million streaming devices and 36 million consoles connected to Wi-Fi in 2021. Nearly two in three Americans who play online games or live with those who do, say online video games are being played more today compared to five years ago.

  • Turning in for the night: Families looked for tools to help them log off responsibly as they prepared for the next day. More than 1 million households used Comcast’s xFi parental controls and paused and unpaused Wi-Fi nearly 100 million times. “Downtime” schedules were created by 477,000 users, with the most popular moment being bedtime – followed by homework and dinnertime. Good night!