Many people across the UK will have recently invested in a new gadgets be it smart TVs, mobile phones, tablets or game consoles. With video streaming fast becoming one of the main reasons we use the internet, it’s no surprise these gadgets are some of the most desired products on the market, and it’s likely the UK’s love of internet-enabled devices will continue to rise this year.

Currently, more than 6.5 million homes in the UK are signed up to a video streaming service. This includes the likes of Netflix, NOW TV and Amazon Prime, which all now offer 4K content that relies on stable, high-speed WiFi to deliver a buffer-free viewing experience. In fact, a strong WiFi connection was recently voted the 18th most important thing in life that really matters. But as more internet-enabled devices enter our households, which all require WiFi connectivity, it’s likely that many homes will be experiencing a case of the “buffering blues”.

British households currently have on average 7.2 internet connected devices , which is expected to rise this year. Problematically, everyday file sizes are becoming larger as innovations such as 4K streaming put further pressure on our home networks. These file sizes become even larger when you factor in virtual reality streaming and online gaming. This puts considerable pressure on a home’s network and, in turn, consumers will see their WiFi performance starting to struggle and their devices will begin to lag. The addition of smart devices, such as internet connected fridges, personal assistants and even smart hairbrushes and toothbrushes, throughout the home are all going to add to this pressure on a home’s network.

Britain is going through a major revolution with the Internet of Things (IoT) and smart home technology is really stepping up a gear. For example, the Amazon Echo, a smart speaker that operates as a personal assistant, has sold over 5 million units as of November 2016. Despite this, most households simply don’t have the correct home networking to handle multiple devices competing for high-speed usage from every room in the house. Technology, therefore, must move forward to cope with the extreme demands home networks are, and will continue to be, under. If they don’t, WiFi will lack in terms of quality, coverage and reliability, resulting in a sub-standard experience. If we want to keep using our newly acquired gadgets as they were intended to be utilised, we need to start looking at how we can integrate the technology into our homes to better cope with the influx of internet connect devices.

Home routers now offer solutions like Quad-Stream Wave 2 WiFi and Multi-User Multi-In (MU-MIMO) technology, so even large homes only need one router to support all internet connected devices, now and in the future. Taking steps to future-proof your home’s connectivity will ensure that devices you are using , will be supported by reliably fast, stable WiFi. With this technology in place, British households will be able to enjoy the latest gadgets, movies and TV shows in the highest quality possible.

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