A recent report released by OpenSignal has revealed that the proportion of data traffic across Wi-Fi is almost at 90% overall for users in the US, and over 80% in almost all cases away from the home, confirming suspicions that Wi-Fi is carrying most smartphone traffic.
You probably won’t be surprised to hear that here at Geekabit we’ve always thought that Wi-Fi is the most important technology when it comes to technology, as well as being the most successful.
This fresh data from OpenSignal confirms what we’ve always thought, as Wi-Fi starts to take an even bigger share of smartphone traffic than originally expected.
Across all US mobile providers, the share of data for Wi-Fi is pretty much uniform.
With thanks to OpenSignal for the above graphic.
What We Already Knew
Historically, the Wi-Fi data share among users was approximately 80%, as indicated recently by Spectrum Mobile (Charter). Whether this was a conservative estimate or that the proportion is growing remains to be seen.
Once 4G hit the scene, it was suspected that Wi-Fi carried about 60-70% of US data traffic, but here in the UK during that period of time the figure was above 80%.
Wi-Fi Used More Than Mobile Connectivity, Even Outside the Home
Interestingly, perhaps the most surprising element of the report is that Wi-Fi connectivity outside the home is at more than 80% compared to mobile.
The outlier seems to be T-Mobile, perhaps revealing that their coverage is considerably better than their competition.
With thanks to OpenSignal for the above graphic.
In Conclusion: Wi-Fi Used More Than Mobile?
For everyone in the tech and telecoms industry, including regulators, this report gives us much to be interested and excited about.
When looking at the data, it’s clear that Wi-Fi is continuing to grow its share of data traffic – Even when people are away from home.
5G meanwhile seems to be falling rather short of expectations. Early on when 5G was just emerging, many were shouting about how it was going to give Wi-Fi a run for its money. The mobile industry might have thought this was the way it was going but the data seems to be saying otherwise.
The fact that data consumption over Wi-Fi is only 10% less when people are outside of the home is pretty remarkable. It seems that wherever a smartphone user tends to be – home or out and about – the preference is to use Wi-Fi over 5G.
What Will the Regulators Make of Wi-Fi Significantly Outdoing Mobile Connectivity?
Let’s remember that mobile operators spend billions of dollars for 5G spectrum licences, yet they’re losing out on their share of traffic to Wi-Fi, which doesn’t need a licence at all.
Obviously, we’re not saying that mobile connectivity isn’t necessary – Of course it still is. In order to have coverage wherever we go, we still need mobile connectivity. But are the large amounts of licensed spectrum still required? That’s the question.
For those in the Wi-Fi industry – Like us here at Geekabit! – It’s very exciting and affirming to see how well Wi-Fi is doing out there. We love the work we do and it’s great to see how Wi-Fi is so needed out there in the world.
We’re expecting Wi-Fi tech to go from strength to strength over the coming years as we welcome in Wi-Fi 7 and other future technologies.
Are you trying to enhance and improve your connectivity indoors? If so, you might be weighing up whether it’s best to go for Wi-Fi 7 or 5G. Both of these technologies offer their own unique strengths. Perhaps you’re leaning towards the increased bandwidth and efficiency that comes with Wi-Fi 7 connectivity. Or maybe you’re more interested in the low latency and reliability that 5G can offer you. Which is the one for you?
We live in a world where we are extremely reliant on a continuous, reliable and secure connection – Whether that’s using a device for work or relaxing at the end of a long day. We need online video conference calls that don’t drop out and Netflix binges that don’t buffer.
So how do we meet this demand? The tech world increasingly offers us solutions that evolve alongside our digital needs. We’ve gone from 4G/LTE to 5G when it comes to mobile connectivity, and from Wi-Fi 5 to 6 to 6E and now the emerging Wi-Fi 7 in the wireless networking world.
Everyone wants to know which is best! Which tech development will offer the better improvements on previous issues and limitations – 5G or Wi-Fi 7? Unfortunately, it’s not a straightforward answer.
Focus on Outdoor Mobile Coverage
Both the tech industry and government have predominantly focused their improvement efforts on outdoor mobile coverage.
Whilst undoubtedly worthwhile schemes like the Shared Rural Network have helped to improve outdoor 4G mobile coverage in hard to reach areas, they still have a way to go when it comes to poor indoor mobile coverage.
Interestingly, this is despite knowing that the average person spends 90% of their time indoors, with 80% of all mobile data traffic being generated or terminated indoors.
Meeting the Growing Demand for Indoor Coverage with Emerging Wireless Technology
Back in 2020, both Wi-Fi 6 and 5G entered the commercial wireless market. The connectivity requirements of most domestic indoor environments can be met by Wi-Fi 6. However, in terms of reliability and quality of service with increasing service demands, 5G steps up to the plate and outperforms Wi-Fi 6.
But now that Wi-Fi 7 is arriving on the scene, the tech world needs to have another look at the growing demands for indoor coverage for both public and private places, and what the role of Wi-Fi and 5G is within that space.
Performance Capabilities of Wi-Fi 7 and 5G
As you can see in the graph above, there is a significant jump in theoretical bandwidth for Wi-Fi 7, from 9.6 Gbps (Wi-Fi 6) rising to speeds of 46 Gbps. The speed of 5G sits at 10 Gbps.
When it comes to latency, 5G can offer a latency as little as 1 ms (with a range of between 1 and 10). Wi-Fi 6 sees latency of approximately 20 ms, with Wi-Fi 7 showing an improvement here with a latency of under 5 ms, rivalling that of 5G.
However, we must remember that the speed and latency rates shown here are theoretical only and unlikely to be experienced by users.
When it comes to range, Wi-Fi 7 and 5G have faster speeds due to sacrificing smaller cell coverage range. Wi-Fi 7 can reach 50-100 metres on the 2.4 GHz band, whereas 5G can reach between 500 metres and a few square kilometres depending on the frequency band and transmission power.
Is 5G Most Likely to be Adopted by the Manufacturing and Logistics Sectors?
5G has particularly appealed to the manufacturing and logistics sectors, but many industries are showing interest.
Integrating smart technologies indoors has become a big part of many private businesses, leading to them choosing to deploy 5G networks with access to licensed and unlicensed spectrum.
5G offers much when it comes to speed, capability and low latency, lending itself well to real-time applications for example, tracking lone-workers in industrial and potentially hazardous environments, and tracking last-mile logistics in the manufacturing sector.
Businesses, homes and venues can also make use of mobile broadband with 5G for the likes of high-quality streaming, VR/AR and other broadcasting services being used indoors.
What Stands Out About Wi-Fi 7?
In what ways can Wi-Fi 7 help to improve indoor connectivity? The following features are expected to help indoor activities for domestic, industrial and public sector use within the UK economy and wider society in a significant way, offering a valuable addition to indoor connectivity infrastructures.
It operates across 3 frequency bands, 4K QAM and increased channel width (320 MHz)
More reliable wireless connection
Greater transmission rates
Increased efficiency
Can handle large amounts of devices and large volumes of traffic
Will maintain high speeds with low latency
Let’s remember that whilst almost all devices can run on Wi-Fi 7, to be able to fully harness the available efficiencies with speed and latency consumers will need to be using devices made in 2024.
For this reason, it’s tricky to measure the overall impact and benefit of Wi-Fi 7, however it’s likely to become much clearer over the next few as we see the prevalence of Wi-Fi 7 capable devices increase.
As the adoption of Wi-Fi 7 technology is most prevalent in the industrial sector, we’re most likely to see the biggest impact of Wi-Fi 7 in that arena.
Could 5G Be Deployed Alongside Wi-Fi 7?
A deployment of 5G alongside Wi-Fi 7 is likely.
We’re expecting to see this combination in public and private spaces that switch between indoors and outdoors where reliability and low latency are important considerations for both spaces.
From public 5G networks in shopping centres to private 5G networks in manufacturing factories, we already see how mobile connectivity plays a big role and we would expect that to continue alongside Wi-Fi 7.
What are the Challenges for the Deployment of 5G and Wi-Fi 7?
To meet sustainability targets and reduce energy consumption, there has been an increase in the use of foil-backed insulation and energy-efficient glass within building construction. As well as the concrete, metal and brick already in use within buildings, these additional sustainability-meeting measure can significantly impact signal strength, especially when it comes to 5G networks.
Ways to tackle this issue include:
Small cell deployment
Signal boosters
Antennas designed for 5G
In order to enable the best use of the spectrum, the hybrid sharing model of the 6GHz band between licensed mobile and Wi-Fi was designed. This ensures:
Greater capacity
Faster speeds
Innovative services
Ofcom has supported and pushed this hybrid use method for 5G and Wi-Fi 7, but there does need to be more understanding of the practicalities, costs and complexities.
Hybrid solutions could however solve the issue of signal-reducing building materials, for example, LiFi, which concerts 5G signal to Wi-Fi.
There also needs to be policy and guidance from the UK government in terms of improving indoor connectivity. Last year in 2023, we saw stakeholders across the telecommunications sector get help for improving mobile connectivity with the Wireless Infrastructure Strategy setting out a clear plan.
We now need a similar strategy to address indoor connectivity specifically so that the industry can be challenged to improve indoor coverage and have targets similar to those of outdoor coverage targets.
Wi-Fi 7 vs 5G – Or Should They Go Hand in Hand?
Wi-Fi 7 and 5G will play a vital role in addressing the issue of poor indoor connectivity.
Here at Geekabit, we’re experts in all things wireless and deploying the best network for a specific property and use. We see how important it is to recognise that 5G and Wi-Fi 7 don’t need to be competitors pitched against each other, but as complementary technologies that could transform indoor connectivity for businesses both large and small.
We’re excited to see how both these technologies continue to develop. As the number of use cases develop, it will help us and others in the wireless networking industry to build bespoke solutions for those facing indoor connectivity issues.
We fully believe in maximising the potential benefits of both these technologies by joining them together rather than having to choose just one.
If you’re eager to see what connectivity improvements we can deliver for your business, get in touch with our Wi-Fi experts here at Geekabit today.
Independent British political public policy think-tank the Social Market Foundation has released a new report ‘Growing Connections’ highlighting how the UK still has a while to go before achieving prevalent 5G mobile connectivity.
What’s the reason for this? The report claims that this is partly due to investment being unintentionally hindered by previous mobile telecoms policies. Solving this isn’t likely to be easy or straightforward.
Data from Ofcom earlier in the year (January 2024) revealed that 85-92% of UK premises can now get outdoor 5G coverage from at least one operator. When combining all operators, this figure for outdoor coverage drops to just 16-28%.
Ofcom doesn’t currently offer a figure for 5G geographic coverage, but we’d imagine that it would be quite a bit lower than the aforementioned 85-92%.
The new labour government has reiterated a previous pledge by the last in power where “all populated areas to be covered by ‘standalone’ 5G (5G-plus) by 2030.” Labour plan to follow through with a renewed push to achieve the ambition of full gigabit and national 5G coverage by 2030.
UK Trailing Many Countries When It Comes to Active 5G Connections
‘Growing Connections’, this new report from SMF, looks at crowdsourced data from Opensignal in 2023, which showed that 5G availability and the amount of time users spent with an active 5G connection, found that the UK was trailing behind many other countries.
Did you know that UK mobile users have access to 5G around only 10% of the time? In comparison, other countries show figures of:
India (43%)
South Korea (38%)
France (20.6%)
Italy (17.9%)
Further data from Opensignal was used in the report, looking at the analysis of international 5G download speeds. The UK, again, is amongst the slowest, with a score of 111Mbps. That might not sound too awful, but when compared to some other countries (like 133Mbps in Italy and a whopping 437Mbps in South Korea) it finds the UK lacking.
The UK was one of the first countries to start rolling 5G technology out, so it is rather disappointing to see that we are considerably behind other countries.
Furthermore, the SMF report also highlights how findings from another study had shown that, by 2035, “widespread availability and use of 5G could add £159 billion to the UK economy“. That’s a big thing to potentially miss out on.
But let’s remember that the world doesn’t yet revolve around 5G. Predictions such as this should be taken carefully, especially as we have good 4G services that do deliver many of the benefits we’ll get from 5G.
So What Went Wrong for the UK When Starting the Deployment of 5G?
Previous Mobile Telecom Policies
As we touched on earlier, the report mentions investment being hindered unintentionally by some policies in the mobile telecoms sector. We found it surprising that the report didn’t specifically mention the decision to ban Huawei after the beginning of the rollout, which set the deployment plans back with a pretty significant blow to mobile operators.
Mobile Spectrum and Investment
The report does instead discuss the approach to spectrum by the Government and Ofcom, looking at the associated high costs involved with accessing and using mobile spectrum alongside the shortness of spectrum licences that are awarded. This in turn then deters the ‘very long-term investment’ and makes it ‘less useful as an asset.’
Slow Release of Spectrum Bands by Ofcom
Ofcom has also been slow to release more spectrum bands for 5G. Other countries around the world have had access to mmWave bands for years, yet here we are in the UK still waiting for mobile operators to have this same access.
Cost Cutting Exercises Result in Less Land for Infrastructure
The SMF report mentions how making it cheaper for Mobile Operators to operate mobile masts (ie. cutting the costs of building infrastructure) has actually resulted more land disputes between landowners and builders, less land being supplied for said infrastructure and an increase in expensive litigation.
Planning System Delays
Delays in the planning system have been well documented, with objections to new masts from the public and the reluctance to resolve these causing complex situations.
The roll-out of better broadband and mobile networks – especially those in remote, rural, hard to reach areas – Must be supported by those in powerful positions. There needs to be a balance.
Mobile Operator Mergers
Another limiting factor to investment is the low level of profitability for mobile networks. The SMF report looks at the encouragement of consolidation and mergers (such as that of Vodafone and Three UK), but the evidence of the success of this is a mixed bag.
The CMA (competition watchdog) have noted that whilst mergers will reduce competition between operators, it could also cause a hike in prices for consumers. Apparently there are negotiations taking place to try and address this potential issue.
Report Supporters
It’s important to note that the SMF report was supported by APWireless – A company viewed by operators as being a land aggregator. They seem to adopt a lease premium model that would involve buying out the expiring leases from landowners and then charging a higher cost to mobile operators for that same land lease.
A company with a business model such as this would perhaps not welcome the possible plans from the government looking to reform the Electronic Communications Code. This code governs land and property access.
What’s the conclusion for UK 5G deployment weaknesses?
Whilst the report is a high level summary of the current problems facing the UK rollout of 5G, it doesn’t go as far as making suggestions or recommendations of what to do about it.
It is also potentially influenced by the perception of a company with a vested interest in the areas being discussed. It certainly makes an interesting read, with the added opportunity to flex your critical thinking skills.
Recent activity from Starlink hints at the prospect of delivering gigabit speeds to consumers. Starlink currently offers ultrafast broadband via a mega constellation of satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) across the globe. Recently filed statements to the FCC (a board that regulates interstate communication and broadcasting by radio, television, satellite, wire, and cable) have suggested their plan to offer gigabit speeds (1Gbps+) and how they’ll do it.
What is Starlink Satellite Broaband?
The Starlink network currently consists of 6,458 satellites in orbit, just over 2000 of which are v@ Mini / GEN 2A. Most of these are orbiting at an altitude of c.500-600km. Elon Musk is in the process of adding thousands more to this constellation by the end of 2027.
UK Starlink customers pay around £75 per month for 30 days, with the cost of hardware on the Starlink Standard plan on top costing £299 plus £20 postage.
The Standard plan from Starlink promises:
Latency times of 25-60ms
Download speeds of c. 25-100 Mbps
Upload speeds of c. 5-10 Mbps
How Many UK Customers Do Starlink Have?
By the end of last year, Starlink had 2.3 million customers worldwide, a figure currently at 4 million. There were 42,000 UK customers (up from 13,000 in 2022), most of which were in rural areas.
At the original commercial launch, Starlink originally aimed to deliver up to 1 Gbps speeds to their customers, with hopes to rise to 10 Gbps in the future. However, once launched, the service has often seen speeds around 200-300 Mbps, and with average performance being lower than that.
It would seem that the Starlink network is still a way off the 1 Gbps mark, with the average UK customer seeing download speeds of 90.7 Mbps. For the top 10% of fastest connections, this figure rises to 156.9 Mbps. Average upload speeds are 11.2 Mbps, rising to 16.4 Mbps for those in the top 10% fastest connections. However, this does mean that Starlink satellite broadband remains affordable.
Are gigabit speeds in Starlink’s future?
The capacity for gigabit speeds via Starlink satellite broadband lies in the ability to launch more of the larger, heavier fully sized next generation (v2 / v3) satellites.
In order to do this, Starlink need a rocket to handle commercial launches. Their new Starship rocket is currently still a work-in-progress but is nearing the point of completion.
The more progress Starlink makes, the closer we will get to seeing those gigabit speeds.
SpaceX recently made a request to the FCC which would allow them to update their second generation (v2) satellites, bringing them closer to earth. This would lower their altitude from circa 520km to circa 480km. This in turn would allow Starlink to use additional radio spectrum in the E band (71-74GHz downlink and 81-84GHz uplink).
These recent filings talk about how these changes would make it possible for Starlink to deliver gigabit speeds, low latency broadband and ubiquitous mobile connectivity to people around the globe who are lacking in adequate broadband.
This goal was reiterated by the VP of Starlink Engineering at SpaceX, who on the 13th October shared:
“The next generation @starlink satellite will launch on Starship and deliver gigabit connectivity anywhere in the world. We got one step closer to that reality today with an amazing Flight 5!”
It’s worth remembering that LEO satellites are becoming an increasingly competitive environment for broadband operators, and Starlink competitors may well try to block any requests made to the FCC.
We don’t know when gigabit speeds will become viable for UK Starlink customers. Whilst exciting steps forward are seemingly being made in the right direction by SpaceX Starlink, these things (as we’ve seen before) are complex, expensive and take time. But it would seem that Starlink firmly believes that gigabit and fibre-like speeds are on the horizon for their consumers.
The team here at Geekabit are thrilled to share that we are a Finalist at Hampshire Business Awards in the Technology Innovation Award category. You might even say we’re ‘Wi-Finalists’…
Geekabit, originally founded in Winchester in Hampshire, has gone from strength to strength in recent years. We’ve been helping businesses and event holders secure stable and reliable wireless internet connectivity across Hampshire and beyond. With coverage growing year on year, we currently cover London, much of the South Coast and Cardiff from our 3 main bases.
We are delighted to be recognised for Technology Innovation by Hampshire Business Awards and look forward to continuing to share our Wi-Fi expertise throughout the region as well as London, Cardiff and beyond.
What Are Hampshire Business Awards?
The Hampshire Business Awards celebrate excellence in the region, recognising the cream of talent among the Hampshire Business community from start-ups and scale-ups, and leaders from SMEs.
These awards are a partnership between The Business Magazine and Hampshire County Council. A diverse range of categories means there’s something for businesses of all sizes.
This highly respected awards programme recognises and celebrates the best in business and the people behind their success in Hampshire.
Technology Innovation Award – Finalists
We are in good company amongst the Technology Innovation Award finalists. You can see the full list of awards and finalists on the Hampshire Business Awards website here.
It’s an honour and a privilege to be recognised for our work in Technology Innovation. To be a finalist for an award in the region where our business was founded and first started to grow into what Geekabit is today feels really special.
We can’t wait to celebrate with all the other incredible finalists at the Awards in November.
Broadband Genie, the independent UK comparison service for telecoms and broadband, have published a new survey revealing some pretty shocking statistics when it comes to internet safety.
3,045 internet users were surveyed between the 1st January and 26th April this year, revealing that:
89% of respondents have never updated the firmware of their home router
86% have never changed the device’s administrator password
72% have never changed their Wi-Fi password
75% have never checked to see what or who is linked to their router
52% have never changed or updated their routers settings
Are you guilty of any of these? No shaming from us, but let’s take a little look at why ignoring these things when it comes to your router and security isn’t a great idea.
Why should I change my router from the default password?
If you leave your router set to the default password, it could allow hackers to identify which make and model of router you are using and work out the password.
Thankfully, many ISP’s supply long, randomised passwords with no real structure, making it harder to identify.
Do I need to update firmware on my router?
Many routers that come as part of a bundle directly from your ISP are thankfully set up to auto-update their firmware – Meaning you, the customer, don’t have to actually do any specific actions in order to keep your device up-to-date.
However, it’s probably a good idea to check with your broadband provider to confirm this is the case.
If you have purchased your router separately from an ISP bundle, then you may be required to carry out this action yourself to check for recent firmware updates. Remember that not all firmware updates are particularly accessible or easy to find, so you may need to seek support from the manufacturer.
It’s vital not to leave security vulnerabilities unpatched – And even some relatively modern pieces of kit could be susceptible to security risks.
What’s the reason behind people not changing their router password?
The survey respondents who had answered that they had never changed their router’s factory settings were then asked why they had not. The answer that 75% of those surveyed gave was that they didn’t know they needed to change it.
Your router is the single most important security device in your home network
It’s often the case that the router is the most important device in your home network when it comes to internet security.
Changing your router’s password from the default to a strong alternative protects your network, particularly if the password from your ISP is not properly randomised or ineffective.
It’s a good rule of thumb to assume that your router does not come secure out of the box. And if consumers are unaware of the risks, then clearly more awareness needs to be raised surrounding these security risks.
That’s where the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act comes in.
The Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act
On the 29th April 2024, the Government brought in the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act. This includes their new Secure by Design policy, which means that device makers (retailers and manufacturers) that fail to comply can be hit with financial penalties.
Changes include:
The banning of easily guessable default passwords (like ‘admin’ or ‘12345’) so that vulnerabilities and hacking are prevented
The prompting of users to change the default password
Improved support for security issues by supplying contact details of manufacturers so that bugs and issues can be dealt with
The requirement to state how long related network products will be supported by security patches (firmware updates)
These changes don’t just apply to routers – They also cover smartphones, televisions, games consoles, internet-connected fridges and other smart home devices such as doorbells etc.
Ofcom, the UK telecoms regulator, has recently published their latest Mobile Matters report for 2024. The report, using crowdsourced data from Opensignal collected between October 2023 and March 2024, has been used to benchmark how UK mobile broadband networks are performing. It includes data for Three UK, O2, Vodafone and EE.
You might be a bit surprised by some of the results – The study was full of interesting details and revelations.
Prevalence of 4G Connections Over 5G
Interestingly, over this 6 month period, 78% of cellular network connections were to 4G networks. Just 19.6% of connections were on 5G.
Where a 5G network was available from their mobile network operator, mobile users were able to access data services on that 5G network on 98.4% of occasions. This is compared to 97.2% on 4G and 85% on 3G.
More 5G Mobile Connections in Urban Areas than Rural
Mobile Connections via 5G in urban areas were double that of rural areas (20.9% compared to 10.4% respectively).
Generally, 4G was more prevalent in rural areas than urban.
Rural – 4G (85.6%), 3G (3.8%)
Urban – 4G (76.9%), 3G (2.1%)
You may also be interested to see how this differs across the nations.
And by mobile network operator (MNO).
As you would expect, 5G networks were found to offer faster downstream connectivity than 4G and 3G.
The percentages of an average download speed of 100 Mbit/s (or higher) were
5G: 47%
4G: 11%
3G: 3%
The percentages of an average download speed of under 2Mbit/s were
5G: 1%
4G: 5%
3G: 22%
Which mobile network had the best download speeds over 5G?
The highest share of those higher download speeds on 5G (100Mbit/s and above) went to Three UK with 60%. O2 had the least connections with that download speed over both 5G (32%) and 4G (3%).
Which Mobile Network Has The Fastest Response Time? (Lowest Latency)
For 5G connections, Three UK had the fastest average response time (16.3 milliseconds). In comparison, the fastest average response time over 4G was EE (18.3ms). O2 again lagged behind, with customers revealing the slowest average response time on 5G (21.4ms) and over on 4G it was Vodafone with the slowest response time (23.7ms).
A Wealth of Mobile Data
This report is packed full of interesting data – Far too much for us to be able to share in one article unfortunately! We’d be here all day.
We’d certainly recommend perusing the data tables and reading through the results of what Ofcom and Opensignal have to report from consumers over this latest study’s 6 month period.
You can read the full report here. What stood out most to you?
Last year, broadband service provider Virgin Media (O2) undertook a censuswide survey of over 2000 UK based customers. The survey revealed that 18% of those who responded switch their router off overnight.
In the current climate, we wouldn’t blame you if you were scrutinising every appliance and electric unit in your home, sussing out what’s eating up electricity and identifying where savings can be made.
Consumer electronics account for 6-7% of our energy bills. Think laptops, games consoles, televisions. These devices, when left on standby, can gobble up more electricity than you might think. Many people turn these things off when not in use – But what about things that stay on all the time, like your router? With the prevalence of smart homes comes the need for constant Wi-Fi connection – When is the internet never not in use in your home?
You might think that it’s not needed at night, but if you have smartphones, odds are that when they are connected to Wi-Fi and plugged in to charge overnight, said smartphones complete important updates.
Switching off your router at night could actually have quite a number of unintended consequences, for both your router itself and other devices.
Should I Turn My Router Off Overnight to Save Electricity?
Forums dedicated to saving energy and money might have suggested turning your electricals off overnight to save electricity – Including your router. But Internet Service Providers are warning against this.
For the small amount of money it could save, it may actually cause a lot of disruption.
Many routers receive security updates overnight so as not to cause any issues during the day. If you switch your router off every single night, then you could miss one of these security updates which could cause issues later down the line with device vulnerability.
Desperate to stay up to date with the latest Sky series but can’t stay awake long enough to watch it in real time? Then you might be someone who ‘series links’ your shows so you never have to miss a moment. Except – In order for Sky (other providers are available) to be able to record said show, the TV needs to be connected to the internet. And oops – You switched the router off before you went to bed. No show for you.
Do you charge your smartphone overnight? Most use this opportunity to update to the latest software. If you’re not connected to the Wi-Fi then it likely won’t make any necessary updates. Likewise, if your phone stays on overnight, any notifications like WhatsApp or social media platforms will connect via your data rather than Wi-Fi which could result in your using up your data sooner than expected.
Are these massive issues that you couldn’t possibly cope with? No, probably not. But if you’re used to things just quietly and consistently running in the background – Updates, show recordings, notifications – You might need to consider whether switching off your router overnight would work for you.
Switching Off Router Overnight Could Disrupt Connectivity
It’s also important to remember that most homes use broadband connections that are based off older style copper broadband lines (for example ADSL2+) or a hybrid of fibre optic and copper (e.g. FTTC / VDSL). These often use DLM technology (Dynamic Line Management) and its associated services.
A potential issue with these services is its negative response to repeatedly getting disconnected and having to reboot the router. DLM services may detect this ‘turning off’ as connection problems, resulting in it making the connection slower. To avoid this kind of connectivity issue, it’s generally recommended to keep the router switched on.
A typical home broadband router uses between 5 and 20 watts of power, which can cost between £0.03 and £0.14 per day. This adds up to roughly £10 to £50 per year on your energy bill.
So turning off your router for an average of 9 hours per night isn’t going to save you much cash at all, at the expense of good connectivity, device security and efficiency of updates.
Of course, it’s completely a personal preference but we’d agree with the ISP’s – Keep your router turned on.
Ofcom, the regulator for telecoms and media here in the UK, are beginning the enforcement of new rules regarding how Internet Service Providers use the words ‘Fibre’ and ‘Full Fibre.’
ISP websites and contracts listing terms like ‘Fibre’ and ‘Full Fibre’ will only be able to do so if their service network actually brings their fibre optic cables into your home, under the new rules. This means FTTP, FTTH and FTTB services.
In the past, many ISP’s have misleadingly used terminology like ‘Fibre’ to describe a wide range of internet connection technologies. This has included hybrid or part-fibre solutions involving some copper wiring (like FTTC) or even services using wireless connectivity to cover the final part into homes.
These technologies can actually be a lot slower as well as less reliable than the more modern full-fibre (FTTP) services. It’s these services that take an optical fibre cable all the way into the home.
Network operators, ISP’s and consumers have argued about fibre descriptions for quite a while. And with the roll-out of FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) lines over the past few years, capable of multi-Gigabit speed, this has only increased.
If a consumer believes that they already have fibre, even if it’s only via a FTTC (VDSL2) line that is a lot slower, that consumer is more unlikely to consider upgrading to FTTP.
This isn’t the first time the distinction between ‘fibre’ services has tried to be corrected. The Advertising Standards Authority attempted a review, but it was ineffective. CityFibre also attempted a court challenge, but this also failed.
Then in 2021, GigaTAG (the Gigabit Take-Up Advisory Group) made a proposal to change several things, one of which was the clearer labelling of broadband packages. This was so consumers could better understand the differences between technologies, and this was successfully adopted by Ofcom at the end of last year.
As of today, 16th September 2024, the new guidelines for residential and small business services have been formally introduced and enforced by Ofcom. Better late than never!
It’s important to note that this doesn’t yet apply to advertising. Ofcom doesn’t cover advertising, as that is the remit of the Advertising Standards Authority. So let’s hope the ASA follows suit.
Ofcom’s New Guidelines on Fibre Terminology
The below are a summary of points from Ofcom’s website.
Providers should give a short description of the underlying network technology of each broadband product using one or two terms that are clear and unambiguous, such as ‘cable’, ‘copper’, ‘full-fibre’ or part-fibre’. These descriptions should be offered at point of sale on the website, and before the final purchase in contract information, and in the contract summary;
The term ‘fibre’ used in isolation is ambiguous, so it should not be used on its own to describe the underlying broadband technology. This would mean, for instance, that ‘full-fibre’ (or a similar term) is only used to describe networks which use fibre-optic cables all the way from the exchange to the home. Similarly, ‘part-fibre’ (or a similar term) would describe those services with a fibre-optic connection from the local exchange to the street cabinet and then usually a copper wire connecting the street cabinet to the customer’s home; and
Providers should give a more thorough explanation of the underlying broadband technology – for example through a link – so that consumers can understand in more detail what it means for them. This information must be provided in an accessible form that is easy to understand.
Underlying technology information should be given to consumers irrespective of how they sign up for a service. Under Ofcom’s new guidance, those signing up online will be given this information on the broadband provider’s website. Those purchasing a service over the phone or face-to-face will be provided with this information in the Contract Summary and in the contract itself. A Contract Summary with key information on the service must be provided before the customer confirms the purchase.
Ofcom have concluded that this is the most proportionate approach to ensure appropriate information is provided to consumers and reduce customer confusion, while limiting the costs of implementation.
9 Months to Welcome Change
Ofcom announced this change back in December of last year, giving ISP’s plenty of time to implement changes.
Thankfully, a good chunk of the telecoms industry, noticeably the more alternative full fibre networks, have welcomed this change.
But is it too late to make a difference? The terms ‘Fibre’ and ‘Full Fibre’ have long been dished out by ISP’s – Will the new change from Ofcom actually change the perspective of consumers? Years and years of misuse of these terms will mean that it’s entrenched in the subconscious mind of consumers – Can it be changed and will we see a positive impact?
Some ISP’s have already adjusted their approach to communicating their broadband services with consumers. Let’s remember that many if not most consumers pay a lot of attention to service speed and price, and less to what is seen as industry jargon.
One example of the changes being implemented is from Sky Broadband who have re-labelled their packages according to the new rules. Their broadband packages are now described as:
We see upgrades all the time in the tech world – They’re almost constant! As soon as one upgrade launches, the next is already on the horizon. But Wi-Fi 7 isn’t just going to be the latest in Wi-Fi standards while we wait for the next one – Wi-Fi 7 is a massive leap from Wi-Fi 6 and brings with it huge upgrades for our digital world.
Wi-Fi 7 is a monumental evolution from Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E, giving us:
Faster speeds
Lower latency
Significant capacity increases
What we need from wireless technology is ever increasing, and whilst Wi-Fi 7 is very similar to its Wi_Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E predecessors, it will be able to meet the growing data requirements of both home and business users through key significant improvements.
Are you looking to upgrade your hardware to Wi-Fi 7? It’s a very real consideration now that Wi-Fi 7 routers are on the market. So what do you need to know about Wi-Fi 7 to help make up your mind?
What’s Different About The Wi-Fi 7 Standard?
Speed
Perhaps the overriding feature of the new Wi-Fi 7 standard is the speed – Wi-Fi 7 is considerably faster performance wise when compared to Wi-Fi 6.
Faster internet connections are continually offered by ISP’s for both home use and businesses. How does your local network support the increased download speed? Wi-Fi 7, ensuring there is enough capacity.
How are these speed improvements made possible? Wi-Fi 7 has 2 major upgrades that help with speed:
Doubling the channel width from 160Hz to 320Hz
More data density, which increases the amount of data that can be encoded onto a radio signal
Bigger Channel Width
Within each Wi-Fi band are small bands in which they operate – 20/ 40/ 80/ 160MHz. These are used to connect to individual devices.
With Wi-Fi 7, the bandwidth is doubled to 320MHz. This means that the Wi-Fi speeds to individual devices are doubled, whilst also adding more bandwidth so more devices can be supported.
Increased Data Density
So far we’ve seen how Wi-Fi 7 increases both speed and bandwidth. In addition to this, Wi-Fi 7 can also increase the amount of data that can be encoded onto a radio signal.
This is where a standard called QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation) comes in. The amount of data that can be encoded onto a radio signal is measured by QAM. The QAM limit for Wi-Fi 6 was 1024, whereas Wi-Fi 7 offers 4096 (also known as 4K or 4K QAM).
Throughput is increased by boosting its peak rates. For each symbol transmitted, 12 bits can now be carried instead of 10 bits – a 20% higher theoretical transmission rate.
The 2.4x improvement in Wi-Fi speeds between Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7 comes from the greater channel bandwidth (320MHz) and increased data density (4K QAM).
Multi-Link Operation (MLO)
The 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi bands are supported by the Wi-Fi 6 standard and previous generations. Wi-Fi 6E then brought a major additional feature by supporting the 6GHz band which offered a new way to connect that avoided the congestion of 2.4GHz and 5GHz. This provided a real boost for urban areas where there can be many Wi-Fi networks in range.
Up until now, a client could only connect using one of these bands on Wi-Fi technology. Wi-Fi changes this – Wi-Fi 7 routers can connect to a client device across 2 different bands.
In simple terms, it’s like having two routes on a map to get you to your destination, and the traffic flow can be moved between the two. This flexibility means that traffic can either be split across both routes, or moved from one route to the other if there is congestion.
Mesh systems take this a step further and benefit even more from MLO. It gets the best performance by allowing a router and a satellite the capability to transmit simultaneously across two different bands.
This particular feature will allow a mobile device to not drop a connection by switching from one band to another. For example, imagine you are working from home and hop on a Zoom call. This feature will allow your device to move from 6GHz to 5GHz to 2.4GHz whilst you walk from the middle of your house out to the garden without the call buffering or dropping out. Sounds good, right?
Flexible Channel Utilisation
Let’s talk about interference. One of the main limitations when it comes to i-Fi is how big an impact interference can have on a whole channel. This is where ‘puncturing’ comes in. Puncturing is when an affected portion of the channel can be blocked whilst the rest of the channel can still be used for data transfer. In this way, Wi-Fi can be made more resistant to interference, ensuring critical flow and lower latency.
If we go back to our map analogy – Imagine one of the routes has a pothole making it unusable. Puncturing with Wi-Fi 7 would mean that the pothole could be blocked and the traffic could go round it, keeping use of the route.
What Elements of Wi-Fi 7 Have Stayed The Same As Previous Wi-Fi Standards?
As we’ve just covered, there are some brilliant new specifications with Wi-Fi 7 that make this Wi-Fi standard pretty special.
However, we shouldn’t overlook the features and infrastructure that the previous Wi-Fi standard already offers and how Wi-Fi 7 builds on these.
We mentioned above how Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 both offer the same 3 bands, including the super fast 6GHz band. They both also feature huge bandwidth.
Let’s also remember that these new and enhanced features are only as good as the device we’re accessing them on. Tech providers are still currently catching up with Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 – We need these new devices to fully be able to unlock the full potential of both of these standards.
Many mobile devices are still using Wi-Fi 6 or earlier standards. The most up to date devices from Apple now support Wi-Fi 6E, as well as many of the latest Windows laptops and Android phones.
The future of the digital world is Wi-Fi 7, so we would expect a swift adoption of this new standard across wireless devices, especially laptops and phones with announcements of new devices supporting Wi-Fi 7 already appearing.
Wi-Fi 7 for Business Use
Now might be the time to consider making an investment in a new mesh system or Wi-Fi 7 supported router to help future-proof your wireless network and ensure you’ll have the most robust wireless performance for your business.
Whether you’re a small or large business, these environments can massively benefit from the new features that Wi-Fi 7 has to offer. Future proofing the connectivity of your business is critical.
As we’ve laid out above, you can improve performance and productivity through added capacity and bandwidth from Wi-Fi 7, supporting a greater number of wireless devices across your business.
If you’re responsible for the network of your business, then you’ll already know that there are many considerations to make:
Reliability
Security
Ease of deployment
It’s only natural as an IT manager, to be cautious of introducing any type of risk to a working environment. Therefore, the final certification of the Wi-Fi 7 standard earlier this year is important to guarantee a consistent feature set in all devices.
There are many areas of a business that will likely benefit from the enhanced performance that Wi-Fi 7 has to offer, like:
IP cameras
Access points
IoT devices
Business routers
Workers devices
Could Wi-Fi 7 improve efficiency across your entire business? Will you be investing in new Wi-Fi 7 supported devices for your business? Let us know what you think.
