Survey Says: The Surprising Number of Internet-Connected Devices in Your Home

If you're anything like us, you love your smart devices. The ability of our electronics and appliances to connect to the internet (and to each other) has opened up a new world of convenience and functionality. However, it also creates something else: a need for more bandwidth! The solution seems simple—ensure your internet connection has sufficient bandwidth for your internet usage and number of devices. However, a new Ting survey shows we may all be underestimating that device count.

We’re even more connected than we think

We surveyed 1,500 families across the United States to analyze their current usage of internet-connected devices at home. On average, families said they had eight connected devices. After being presented with a detailed list of options, however, that number jumped to 13 after they added those they had missed. That means the average American family’s home has 68% more connected devices than they realize.

The most commonly reported devices were what you might expect—smartphones, computers, tablets, smart TVs, gaming consoles and the like were included by the majority of respondents.

Common household connected devices

However, those surveyed were often surprised to realize that they’d either forgotten about smart devices like toys and fitness equipment or never even considered them to be connected devices in the first place.

Interestingly, being “more techy” wasn’t an indicator that respondents would more accurately report how many devices they had. The more devices in the house, the larger the difference between the perceived and actual number of devices. And while adults aged 35-54 tended to own the most devices, all age groups similarly underreported these numbers.

Perceived vs. actual connected devices by age

Fiber is the best internet for our connected lives

Here’s the thing—the number of connected devices in our homes is only going to increase over time. Traditional internet technologies like cable and DSL simply aren’t up to the task of handling our streaming, video conferencing, gaming and other high-bandwidth needs in addition to supporting a growing number of connected devices. That’s why you need a fiber internet provider like Ting.

Fiber is well known for offering incredible internet speeds. With Ting, you’ll get consistent upload and download speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps. That’s 10 to 20 times faster than most cable internet connections. However, fiber’s true strength lies in its enormous bandwidth capability. This means that fiber internet can transmit large amounts of data at once without slowdown, making it the perfect technology for homes sending and receiving increasing amounts of data.

Get future-proof fiber internet with Ting

For the best fiber internet, look no further than Ting. We use a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) connection which utilizes fiber-optic cable all the way up to your modem, avoiding the loss of speed and bandwidth experienced when providers use copper cable in parts of their infrastructure.

Our symmetrical connection means your upload speeds are just as fast as your downloads. And with our optional Whole Home Wi-Fi router, you can connect over 75 devices and get lightning-fast speeds throughout every corner of your home. See if Ting is available in your neighborhood, and experience the next generation of internet service!