Home networking devices are expected to increase 18 percent to $13.4 billion in 2014, Infonetics Research.
802.11ac to make up 42 percent of all Wi-Fi-enabled router shipments by 2015 from 2 percent of all Wi-Fi-enabled routers shipped in 2013.
Residential gateway revenue increased 0.5 percent and broadband router revenue declined 7.0 percent in H1 2014 from H2 2013.
Infonetics Research said the residential gateway and broadband router segments will continue to move in opposite directions as operators provide more advanced Wi-Fi gateways to consumers for managed Wi-Fi service in the home.
In North America and Western Europe, service providers are deploying higher-end gateways and set-top boxes with integrated wireless and wired technologies to distribute video to multiple devices in the home. “This is crowding out purchases of retail broadband routers,” said Jeff Heynen, principal analyst for broadband access and pay TV at Infonetics Research.
However, in emerging broadband markets, broadband routers continue to see shipment increases to add Wi-Fi to home networks.
