ASUS provides the most consumer friendly router according to a new report.
J.D. Power’s inaugural Wireless Router Satisfaction Report measures router reliability, Wi-Fi range, security, speed of upload/download, ability to restore service with minimal effort
The report measures overall satisfaction with wireless router manufacturers among consumers who purchased a router during the 12-month period prior to responding to the report survey. Overall satisfaction in 2015 is 821 on a 1,000-point scale.
ASUS ranked the highest with a score of 838 followed by Apple (835) and TP-Link (834).
Fully 18 percent of customers experience problems with their wireless router. The most frequently experienced problems reported include slow Internet speeds (42 percent), frequency of resetting router (38 percent), initially connecting to the Internet (38 percent), limited Wi-Fi range (25 percent), installation process (20 percent) and slow upload/download speeds (20 percent).
The percentage of customers who access the Internet via a wireless router in their home varies by device. Most customers use a wireless router to connect their laptop (80 percent), followed by smartphone (73 percent), tablet (65 percent), desktop (55 percent), gaming console (51 percent), printer (51 percent), smart TV (39 percent) and streaming device/media player, such as Chromecast or Roku (37 percent).
Price is the primary reason for choosing a wireless router brand (45 percent), followed by brand reputation (38 percent), range of signal strength (38 percent) and ease of use (35 percent).
The average price paid for a wireless router is $108.
Kirk Parsons, senior director and telecom, media & technology practice leader at J.D. Power said in a statement that consumers want to be able to rely on their wireless router when accessing the Internet from their smartphone, laptop, tablet, smart TV or other wireless device.
“What’s critical to customers is the ability to easily establish a reliable online connection through their wireless router regardless of the type or number of wireless devices they are using,” Parsons said. “Router manufacturers providing a product that’s intuitive to set up and operate and that functions with few connection interruptions are well positioned to increase satisfaction, customer loyalty and repurchase intention.”