7 out of 10 Flemish consider Wi-Fi as indispensable as water and electricity

Tuesday, March 20, 2018 - Seven out of ten (70%) Flemish admit that they consider Wi-Fi as indispensable as water and electricity. This is the conclusion of a large-scale study carried out by iVOX among thousand families, commissioned by Telenet. We also have increasingly higher expectations about the quality of our Internet connection: no less than 1 out of 3 Flemish gets annoyed by poor Wi-Fi. Telenet wants to eliminate this and other frustrations. The company will prioritise a smooth and seamless experience in all its products and services as part of the ‘The Good Flow’ concept to improve the daily routine of all Flemish people.

The study by iVOX shows how much digitisation affects our daily lives. The results confirm that technology plays a prominent role. The most striking finding is that 70% of Flemish state that they are unable to do without Wi-Fi. They consider their wireless connection as important as water, electricity or gas. The study also shows that nearly two out of every three Flemish (64 percent) need a good Wi-Fi connection in every room of the house.

 "Our expectations have shifted: the speed is already there, now everything needs to be flexible and seamless. We find it self-evident that we can chat, look up information or watch films everywhere. However, there are often obstacles that counter these expectations. Customers expect us to remove these: they do not need to know how complicated a Wi-Fi system is and do not want to configure their smartphone, modem or television. Our ambition is to ensure that our technology makes the lives of our customers run smoothly: easily managing online calendars from different smartphones, working from home in the room of your choice, asking your remote to start all seasons of Game of Thrones; everything must be possible and work smoothly. We will now combine all these applications and technologies under the name ‘The Good Flow’.” - Jan Van de Perre, product manager connectivity, Telenet

Annoyances

The fact that wireless Internet has become a permanent part of our daily life is also clear from the results of the iVOX survey. No less than 87% of the Flemish would browse the Internet from their seats while watching TV and 61% uses Wi-Fi while cooking. More than half (54%) browses the Internet in bed before going to sleep or even on the toilet. Almost half (48%) would like to have good Wi-Fi in the garden on the patio during the Summer holidays. And even more remarkable: more than one-fifth (22%) uses their smartphone in bath.

We also want to make our house increasingly smarter to make everything run smoothly. Nearly half (47%) wants to turn the heating of their homes on or off when away, 40% wants to check remotely if the lights are still on, and one in ten (11%) wants to turn on the coffee machine using their tablet or smartphone from their bed.

But there is work to be done.  No less than one in three Flemish is annoyed by their Wi-Fi at home: the connection drops or the Wi-Fi does not work throughout the entire house.

Solution

Telenet will proactively address this common question. All Internet customers will from today get a Wi-Fi booster at their disposal besides their modem, if necessary. This device can be placed in any room and extends the Telenet Wi-Fi signal from there. The booster can easily be taken with you and be used on the patio during the day and in the bedroom at night, for example. Customers can request their free copy during the installation or pick it up from a Telenet store or have it delivered home after 3 April.

"Offering this Wi-Fi booster is the first actual initiative under ‘The Good Flow’. Customers want good Wi-Fi to be a default part of their Telenet product. But their home installation often no longer matches how they use their Internet product today. Customers expect us to solve this. A booster is the solution in the majority of cases. This is why we have decided to proactively address this issue and offer it to customers for free. As part of ‘The Good Flow’, we as Telenet will continue to invest in technological solutions like this, but also in social initiatives to enable us to grow along with the daily routine of our customers in its role as an operator.”

The booster and the modem together automatically form one stable Wi-Fi network with one network name. They will automatically receive updates when Telenet improves its network. If desired, the customer can rent additional boosters for €2/month.

The Wi-Fi check: 5 tips to improve the Wi-Fi signal in your home

In the bedroom or at the back of the garden, we want Internet everywhere. But this does not always work. Telenet gives 5 do's and dont's

1/ Avoid obstacles
​Wi-Fi works using radio waves that are transmitted by your modem. The waves can be blocked by external factors. Insulation, concrete, glass, metal, doors and other objects affect the Wi-Fi connection. In new buildings or major renovations, it is important to place the modem as centrally as possible in the house to have as little obstructions as possible for the radio waves.

2/ Provide sufficient ethernet connection points
​Are you going to build a house or renovate? Place an ethernet connection point everywhere you want Internet. Just like you provide electricity using a wall socket in all spaces.

3/ Impact of other devices
​Since the bandwidth of the Wi-Fi connection must be shared among all connected devices, the Wi-Fi will be slower if more devices are connected. A group is only as strong as its weakest link and the same applies to Wi-Fi devices. The older the device, the slower the connection. A five-year-old iPad can have a negative impact on the quality of the signal, which may affect the speed of the Wi-Fi on your brand-new smartphone.

4/ Internet everywhere
​People want Internet throughout their home. The best solution for this is to use an access point or a ‘Wi-Fi booster’. The first device improves the network using an ethernet cable, while the second device using the electricity grid. Pay close attention when you buy a Wi-Fi booster like this. Some types can disrupt the initial signal and make the situation worse. Another hint: always stick these boosters directly into the wall socket, not in a power strip!

5/ Shorter distance = stronger signal
​The distance between your smartphone, tablet or other smart device and the modem, Access Point or Wi-Fi Powerline remains important, of course. The fastest and most stable connection will always be near your modem, Access Point or Wi-Fi booster. The closer the devices are, the stronger the signal is. The handy Powerline can be moved easily and used on the patio during the day and in the bedroom at night, for example.