How WiFi powered our lives in 2021 and whats next

Let’s face it, a solid WiFi connection is essential in order to function these days. It doesn’t matter if you’re working from home, spinning on your ebike, schooling the kiddos, or gaming into the wee hours. Our connected devices are an integral part of our everyday lives.

According to the Comcast 2021 WiFi Trends Report, the number of WiFi connected devices has skyrocketed by a factor of 12 since 2018, and Xfinity households connected nearly 1 billion devices — that’s billion with a ‘b’ — in 2021 alone. Some of this surge was likely fueled by the pandemic, but WFH and homeschooling aside, consumer tech expert Katie Linendoll doesn’t see the demand for bandwidth letting up anytime soon.

Here’s a glimpse at what the data from Comcast, the nation’s largest internet provider, reveals about current connectivity trends — and what Linendoll thinks the future of WiFi might look like for all of us.

The internet of all things

According to Comcast’s report, almost 60% of Americans made improvements to their home networks last year. Linendoll thinks the reason for these upgrades goes way beyond the demands of our pop-up home offices. “From fitness equipment and smart thermostats to streaming and gaming, we’re using our WiFi for so many things now,” she said. “This means the demand on our networks has increased, as well.”

Health devices take first place

The data also tells us that health is the fastest rising connected-device category — and Linendoll expects this trend to keep growing. “I think people realize they can get in fantastic shape at home by utilizing smartwatches, fitness apps, and connected exercise equipment,” she explained. “Personally, I use an interactive smart mirror, which needs a good WiFi connection. If you don’t have supersonic WiFi, you’ll be doing abs for hours.”

Smartphones still rule

We may love our smartwatches, but according to the Comcast report, smartphones still account for over one-third of all devices — a number that Linendoll says makes sense. “I think the smartphone is arguably the most useful piece of technology and the screen we look at the most,” she said. “It’s just so accessible, and I see this trend continuing in the future.”

Parents are taking control

All of the homeschooling over the past couple years meant that kids were online more than usual. But, according to Linendoll, the online time was also closely monitored by parents. “More than 1 million households used Xfinity xFi parental controls last year and paused and unpaused WiFi access nearly 100 million times, with peak pause times being bedtime, homework and dinnertime,” she said.

Quashing cyberattacks

More connected devices invariably means more cyberattacks — and the need for us all to be smarter than the hackers. To this point, Linendoll says Xfinity has really stepped up. “xFi Advanced Security has blocked billions of cyberthreats, from malicious websites to targeted network attacks,” she said. “Consumers can feel confident that Xfinity is doing the due diligence for them and has their back.”

Equip yourself

If your boss is raising an eyebrow over your dropped video calls, or if your bandwidth lags whenever you have friends — and their devices — over for drinks, Linendoll wants you to know how Xfinity can help. She recommends the newest Xfinity xFi Advanced Gateway, which is WiFi 6E capable and will increase the bandwidth in your home by about 3x, and she also likes the xFi pods for bigger houses. “Basically, you need to ask yourself if you have the best technology and strongest connection to handle all of your new WiFi needs,” Linendoll said. “If the answer is no, you need to do something about it now, not tomorrow.”