‘Weather it’s right or wrong’ – 1 in 3 believe poor weather is the biggest cause of bad Wi-Fi

Research carried out by Virgin Media Ireland shows that a reliable internet connection is equally as important as speed for Irish consumers. While younger generations are likely to choose speed over reliability, the opposite is true among older generations.

Our obsession with the Irish weather also extends itself into our Wi-Fi theories; with 1 in 3 believing poor weather conditions has the greatest impact on the performance of Wi-Fi at home.

The survey was completed among 1,000 adults by Coyne Research for Virgin Media Ireland. It asked people questions related to Wi-Fi at home:

· 88% have experienced problems with their Wi-Fi at home

· 51% believe reliability is more important than broadband speed for home Wi-Fi

· 51% also believe that rebooting their modem will help improve their Wi-Fi at home.

· Only 8% know that “Wi-Fi” is a made-up word, with 62% incorrectly believing it stands for “Wireless Frequency”.

Paul Higgins, Director of Consumer at Virgin Media Ireland said “In recent years, the focus around Wi-Fi has been on the speed of service but, here in Virgin Media, we want to improve not just our in-home broadband speeds but also the reliability of our WiFi Hub to ensure the best connection possible, no matter how many devices are connected.”

“As these results show, consumers are now equally as focused on the need for a reliable connection, and with the recent launch of our new ‘Smart WiFi’ features, we have it covered.

“With Virgin Media’s ultrafast broadband connectivity and our new summer sale offer for just €55 per month, football fans can stream multiple matches in confidence while other family members never need to worry about gaming, streaming or video chatting at the same time.”

Virgin Media Ireland recently unveiled upgrades to their In-Home WiFi Hub, with the technology activated in all customers’ WiFi hubs automatically.

Channel Optimisation will automatically change WiFi channels. The system chooses channels with the least amount of interference ensuring the best connectivity and fastest service is obtained by all devices being used in the home.

Airtime Fairness is a second addition that will ensure equal allocation of airtime to connected devices an ensure they achieve their highest possible speeds.