Qualcomm Inc’s processors have seized up to a 90 percent share of the market for Wi-Fi mesh, a networking technology used in smart homes, the firm said at Computex Taipei yesterday.
Wi-Fi mesh uses multiple connection nodes in the home to extend a router’s range and connect devices ranging from mobile phones and voice-controlled assistants to tablets and televisions.
Today, Wi-Fi mesh accounts for nearly 40 percent of the market for Wi-Fi networking in US homes — up from just 5 percent 18 months ago — of which Qualcomm Technologies Inc maintains a dominant position, research firm NPD Group said.
Qualcomm Technologies is a fully owned subsidiary of the US mobile chipmaker.
The company’s hardware partners started shipping devices equipped with its mesh processors two-and-a-half years ago, Qualcomm Technologies vice president Gopi Sirineni said.
The company’s customers include Asustek Computer Inc (華碩), D-Link Corp (友訊), Samsung Electronics Co, Netgear Inc and Google, Sirineni said.
Qualcomm is optimistic regarding mesh networking, as AT&T Inc, Verizon Wireless Inc, Comecast Corp and Bell Canada have also joined the market, Sirineni said.
In January, AT&T introduced the first Wi-Fi mesh system to boost subscriber’s coverage by up to 93m2.
The system automatically selects the best and fastest available connection for each in-home device, it said.
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