A study shows that awareness of Wi-Fi is growing but misconceptions about it are rampant: Most of the findings from the study seem to be expected, given the stage of maturity of the industry. The study done by Ipsos-Insight found that 59 percent of Americans 18 and older knew about Wi-Fi, an improvement over last year when 41 percent said they were aware of it. The study also found that 5 percent of the population has Wi-Fi either at home or work, up from 3 percent last year.
But just 20 percent of those who don't have Wi-Fi say they plan to get it in the next six months. The study concluded that number might be higher except that people tend to think Wi-Fi is costly and, oddly, that Wi-Fi is slower than a broadband connection. It's understandable that people might still think that buying Wi-Fi gear is expensive but the speed part is surprising.