Epitiro Chief Innovation Officer

A technology study released Wednesday by Epitiro suggests that broadband consumers lose an average of 30 percent of download speed when using Wi-Fi within the home in place of a wired broadband connection. The U.K. based network measurement and analysis firm as well said that Wi-Fi users faced an increase in latency of 10 to 20 percent, which it recommended could impact the performance of online gaming, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) telephony services and video streaming.

The same default communication channel

Many Wi-Fi routers share the same default communication channel, which can cause interference in urban areas, which consumers can fix by selecting an alternate modem channel. In addition, Wi-Fi speeds are impacted by physical barriers just as walls, doors and furniture, as so then as interference from other wireless devices just as baby monitors, television remote controls, microwave ovens, garage door openers and cordless phones.

"Our data shows that connectivity over Wi-Fi degrades broadband performance considerably in typical circumstances." said Epitiro Chief Innovation Officer J.P. Curley. "Consumers who are experiencing performance issues with Wi-Fi should take steps to improve their home environment or connect directly via wired ethernet."

Epitiro's new report is based on one million test results collected by a test application embedded on the computing devices of 14,000 volunteer consumer panelists based in four countries. Epitiro as well conducted lab tests on a selection of popular routers, which revealed that even a small loss in signal strength can result in an average Wi-Fi speed decline of 30 percent in comparison with wired service.

The variations in Wi-Fi performance between nations could be due to a combination of factors, just as the availability of different Wi-Fi routers as so then as the proximity of interfering devices in urban areas. Broadband providers don't routinely upgrade consumers to the latest and greatest home Wi-Fi equipment, which is found in their new higher-priced bundles, noted Lisa Pierce, an independent wireless analyst at the Strategic Networks Group.

The consumer Wi-Fi in use in the U.S.

"Most of the consumer Wi-Fi in use in the U.S. is not speedy 802.11n," Pierce observed. "Just in case to bandwidth limitations, most consumer Wi-Fi networks as well lack quality of Service" enhancements.

For example, Wi-Fi performance inevitably takes a hit whenever consumers depend on Wi-Fi at home locations just as a patio or a back garden. In exchange, these are the very places it would be difficult or impossible to access broadband over wires.