Demand for Wi-Fi Enabled Gadgets Expected to Explode

From laptops to cell phones to television sets, our desire to share information over broadband is making wireless connectivity a must-have feature for a range of devices. And, according to a recent In-Stat report, the demand for Wi-Fi enabled devices is expected to explode over the next four years as more consumer electronics incorporate Wi-Fi technology.

In-Stat projected that, over the next four years, annual shipments of Wi-Fi enabled appliances and devices will exceed 3.5 billion.

• Wi-Fi enabled “stationary devices,” such as TVs, Blu-ray players, photo frames and set top boxes, are expected to see the largest growth, shipping more than 200 million devices in 2014.
• Shipments of Wi-Fi digital televisions alone are projected to increase tenfold as the Wi-Fi attach rate (the percentage of products with embedded Wi-Fi) grows from just four percent in 2009 to 33 percent in 2014.
• Nearly 50 million tablet PCs, including the Apple iPad, and 265 million notebooks are projected to ship.
• Mobile handsets will remain the highest volume Wi-Fi enabled device, with 515 million handsets projected to ship in four years.

Reflecting on the rapid increase and expansion in our wireless use, , In-Stat’s Vice President of Research Frank Dickson said it is Wi-Fi’s “manifest destiny” to see ubiquitous adoption in consumer electronics.

For manufacturers looking to capitalize on this growing demand, Allion offers a WFA-accredited Wi-Fi Testing Lab and supports development, validation and testing throughout a product’s development life cycle. Allion offers manufacturers complete end-to-end test, validation and engineering services with 20 years of validation service excellence. By utilizing a third-party validation service, manufacturers are able to cost-effectively speed development time and deliver the highest quality product to their customers.