CUJO AI, a global leader in cybersecurity and network intelligence solutions for Internet Service Providers (ISPs), today released its annual Device Intelligence Report. The data, collected from April 2021 through March 2022, reveal Internet-connected device usage patterns and trends from 1.7 billion connected devices.
This year, the report was conducted in collaboration with Airties, a leading provider of managed Wi-Fi solutions to operators around the globe. The company contributed to the report by providing its insights on Wi-Fi use in Europe and North America.
“The device landscape is changing in tangible ways, as people use more and more connected devices,” says Kimmo Kasslin, VP of Research Laboratories, CUJO AI. “Some of those devices have certain risks to their users, which often fly under the radar of the average consumer.”
“While the world faces an unavoidable surge in consumer IoT devices and smart gadgets continue to populate living spaces, the report provides a detailed assessment of the connected device landscape in the United States and Canada,” explains Indre Raviv, SVP of Marketing, CUJO AI. “Based on anonymized data, the report examines the most recent trends, areas of growth, and opportunities for network service providers.”
Mobile Devices Surge Post-Pandemic
Smartphones are the most common connected devices, reaching 41% of all connected devices compared to 38% the previous year, followed by computers and tablets at 17.5% and 9% respectively. Since April 2021, smartwatch usage continues to grow, making it the 4th most popular device type with Apple dominating the market (91%).
Home Entertainment Shifts Towards Gaming
Among consumers, interest in gaming continues to grow even after the lockdown. Game consoles – particularly Nintendo, PlayStation, and Xbox – remain popular. Notably, Nintendo has a slight lead in terms of gaming platform popularity as a percentage of all new connected devices every month with Nintendo at 35.65%, PlayStation at 35.55%, and Xbox at 28.69%. In addition, 25.27% of households have at least two consoles from different brands.
Home Automation and Energy Management Gaining Traction
As energy management is becoming a concern, the popularity of energy management devices continues to grow by 10% annually. The report provides details about the growing popularity of such devices across categories and brands.
Connected Cars Populate Garages
Globally, it was predicted that nearly 70 percent of light-duty vehicles and trucks will be connected to the Internet by 2023. Throughout the year, connected cars have gained around 25% more popularity in relation to other connected devices, with Tesla and Ford vehicles leading the way.
Wi-Fi Technology Mix
The report also shows the increasing complexity and range of the Wi-Fi technology of our connected devices within the home. Across Europe, 50.2% of connected devices are Wi-Fi 5, 28.2% are Wi-Fi 4, and 20.2% are Wi-Fi 6. In North America, 42.8% of connected devices are Wi-Fi 5, 35.7% are Wi-Fi 4, and 20.5% are Wi-Fi 6. Managing this complexity is one of the key challenges for service providers and requires a robust cloud-based mechanism to ensure all devices get their fair share of Wi-Fi airtime.
“The dependency on home connectivity has accelerated over the past two years and shows no signs of slowing. As our usage habits evolve and more devices connect, our home networks become highly complex environments that require careful management,” says Nicolas Fortineau, CMO, Airties.
Today, CUJO AI serves the largest inventory of devices in the world, with the broadest ability to detect, categorize and protect. “Device characteristics enable network service providers to offer personalized and optimized online experiences for streaming, gaming, video calls, and other use cases. Precise device identities are also crucial for network operators, facing major challenges in transforming into truly data-driven businesses. Having a future-proof device inventory can improve almost every aspect of a telecommunications company,” claims Ivar Beljaars, SVP of Sales, CUJO AI.
