Research commissioned by Amazon Devices and conducted by YouGov has revealed poor internet connections costs Australian businesses 100 hours a year (2.1 hours a week) in lost time, per worker. This finding comes as Aussies are working from home more than ever. Personally I have yet to formally return to the office, not that I have ever really been office based in the first place.

The research reveals that over one in three (36%) Australians admit that internet issues are a major burden when working from home, with 62% of us wishing we had better internet connectivity. In addition to time lost, over one in four (26%) of Australians say that poor Wi-Fi has impacted their work, with 15% not able to complete tasks due to poor internet connection and 12% losing work due to a poor connection.

It’s not just our work that is suffering either, but our patience and enjoyment of our free time too. Almost a sixth of Australians admitted to becoming irritable and arguing with friends, family or partners due to poor Wi-Fi, whilst 31% of us have struggled to connect to streaming services to watch movies and TV shows.

Whilst working from home has proven to have many benefits for the Aussie workforce, it appears our Wi-Fi connection is still one of the few burdens. Other key findings from the YouGov report include:

  • One in three (32%) Australians take to using their phone’s hotspot in order to maintain their connection
  • For almost one in ten (8%), connectivity has been so bad they’ve had to go to a public venue to access free Wi-Fi

It’s not just poor Wi-Fi which is affecting the at-home workforce:

  • For 26% of Aussies working from home, having a lack of space or an appropriate work set up is most frustrating
  • A further 26% say it’s having noisy housemates/ neighbours or family that are the biggest frustration.
  • Ergonomics and comfort is also a concern. Just under one in five Aussies (18%) working from home say they have an unsuitable work chair.

Personally I am just shuddering at the idea of connecting to “free public Wi-Fi”, let alone the idea people resort to them for work related purposes.

The newly launched eero 6 mesh Wi-Fi system, an all-new mesh Wi-Fi system, features Wi-Fi 6, the latest technology supporting faster speeds, higher performance, and more simultaneously connected devices than Wi-Fi 5, all to help keep Aussies connected whether they’re working on an important presentation, sitting down for a family movie or streaming their favourite dinner party playlist.

Customers around the world need reliable home Wi-Fi now more than ever. Many of us are working from home, helping kids with online learning, keeping in touch with friends and family, and streaming 4k content and gaming —often at the same time,” said Nick Weaver, Co-Founder and CEO of eero. “eero 6 gives customers the speed and reliability of Wi-Fi 6 at an affordable price.

About eero 6

eero 6 3 packeero 6 mesh-Wi-Fi system works with your existing internet service to help improve performance, reach and support for up to 75 devices at once. Further features include:

Simple setup – install the system in minutes. Simply unplug your old router, connect your eero 6 router to your modem, sign in to the app, and you’re ready to go—no expertise required.

Seamlessly manage your smart home – eero 6’s built in Zigbee smart home hub allows you to control compatible devices, including smart lights, locks and plugs as well as managing your network, pause the internet, share your network with friends or guests, and more—whether you’re at home or on-the-go.

Safe and secure Wi-Fi – with ongoing software updates providing the latest security patches, bug fixes, and feature upgrades. You can add advanced security and privacy features and parental controls with eero Secure ($4.99 per month), or sign up for eero Secure+ for additional protection (eero Secure+ $15.99 per month)

eero 6 systems will be available on amazon.com.au and from leading retailers including JB HiFi, Bunnings, Officeworks and Bing Lee: eero 6: $229 (router), $199 (extender), $499 (three-pack)

 

About the research

The research conducted by YouGov is based on an online study carried out between 8-12 April, 2021 with a nationally representative sample of 1,056 Australians aged 18 years and older. Following the completion of interviewing, the data was weighted by age, gender and region to reflect the latest ABS population estimates.

Results by gender:

  • Men (67%) are considerably more likely than women (58%) to say they wish they had a better internet connection in their
    home
  • Men (18%) are notably more likely to say that juggling working from home when kids are around is their biggest frustration,
    compared to women (12%), with men also more likely to say they are most frustrated by Wi-Fi connectivity issues in areas
    of their home (men being 12% compared to 7% of women).
  • Men (20%) are almost twice as likely as women (11%) to say they lose between thirty and forty-five minutes each day due
    to their failing internet connection.
  • Men (30%) are more likely than women (23%) to say that poor internet had impacted on their work while at home.

Results by age:

  • The importance of having better internet connections is most prevalent amongst younger generations, Millennials (69%)
    more likely to wish they had a better internet connection at homes, ahead of Gen X (59%).
  • Millennials (31%) are more likely to say they only lose between five and fifteen minutes of connectivity when working from
    home each day, compared to Gen X (21%).