Survey reveals new rules of ‘Wi-Fi etiquette’

Sending large files and opening ‘dodgy’ links when connected to someone else’s network are among the top ‘Wi-Fi-faux pas.’ Hyperoptic, the UK’s largest Gigabit full fibre provider, commissioned a survey of 2,000 adults to get insight into the ‘new Wi-Fi rules.’
The average Brits spends six hours a day connected to their home Wi-Fi. The typical home has six devices which require Wi-Fi, including smart TVs (56 per cent) and heating devices (10 per cent). The survey revealed people typically wait less than half an hour to ask for the Wi-Fi password at someone else’s home and a tenth ask within the first 10 minutes.
Top 10 Wi-Fi etiquette rules, according to the survey respondents, are:
1. Never connect to someone’s Wi-Fi without asking them
2. Never change someone’s Wi-Fi password
3. Never hijack a neighbour’s Wi-Fi
4. Don’t give that person’s Wi-Fi code to anyone else
5. Don’t use your phone at the dinner table
6. Don’t use a shop’s Wi-Fi without buying a product
7. Don’t open any ‘dodgy links’ when using someone else’s Wi-Fi
8. Don’t overuse a gadget when you are in someone else’s house
9. Don’t send or download large files on someone else’s internet
10. Don’t go somewhere just to use their broadband

Charles Davies, MD ISP at Hyperoptic said: “Quality home Wi-Fi has never been more important than this year, with increased members of households sharing the connectivity to either work or keep themselves entertained. These new digital rules of ‘Wi-Fi’ etiquette have developed in part to the limitations of the home broadband connection.
“With full fibre from Hyperoptic users can use the Internet without compromise. However, we are committed to continue to go beyond the expected. That’s why we have just launched a UK-first with the new Nokia Hyperhub. All new customers on 500 Mbps and 1 Gbps will now receive a new dual-band Nokia Hyperhub, which will ensure they enjoy the best experience possible.”
Hyperoptic’s new Nokia Hyperhub sits at the heart of the connected home, ensuring all devices receive the right bandwidth they need to work optimally. With 4 antennas on the 5GHz band, it supports the latest MIMO technology, which means data is transmitted faster so the user can enjoy a seamless Internet experience. It’s Hyperoptic’s most powerful router to date and is ideally suited to customers with high bandwidth demands – such as homes with multiple users and households with lots of connected devices.
The study found 61 per cent of adults have become more reliant on their household Wi-Fi in recent months than ever before. This is due to 38 per cent of them working from home, but 27 per cent admitted to multi-screening – such as watching TV while using their phone - more than usual.
More than one in 10 (13 per cent) have become more reliant on a decent connection because their children have spent more time than usual on games consoles. However, a quarter of those polled have had to ask others to stop using the Wi-Fi because it was slowing things down when they were trying to do something, such as watch a film or take a video call. Nearly two thirds (63 per cent) have had disagreements over slow internet speed because of how many gadgets have been connected at once since the start of lockdown.