One in ten US households now has a home networking system, up from 8% in 2001, according to a new report from high-tech market research company, In-Stat/MDR.
The group says that home networking – the connection of multiple entertainment, internet, voice and data devices through a single network – is now moving away from the early adopter market to more mainstream, mass market consumers. Demand is predicted to ‘soar’ as electronics manufacturers produce and market entertainment-networking systems and broadband connections become more widely adopted.
“Broadband adoption is spurring home network ownership as consumers look for ways to share their internet connection between multiple PCs,” says Jaclynn Bumback, an analyst with In-Stat. “In-Stat’s research finds that home networks are installed for both business and personal purposes; for tasks including sharing internet, files, printers, digital music, and gaming.”
Currently, ethernet is the most deployed technology for home networking, but In-Stat expects wireless to quickly surpass wired networking in shipments very soon. This concurs with new research from Parks Associates, which found that half of US consumers expressing an interest in installing a home network said that they would choose a wireless system (see Wireless Home Networks Win Consumer Backing).
