The increased complexity of smart home networks can lead to poor customer experiences, increased returns, and brand reputation challenges. If not addressed, this trend could impact future growth of the smart home market. The market is currently expected to exceed $163 billion by 2028.

So, what can equipment manufacturers do to prevent these issues from impacting their bottom line?

problem found

When customers have trouble connecting smart home devices to their home network, it's usually not an issue with the product. Regardless, this may become a problem to solve. Too often, when "smart" devices connect to a home WiFi network, the customer experience fails.

WiFi-related issues can be caused by a variety of factors, including interoperability conflicts with other smart home systems, intermittent internet connectivity, network congestion, and automatic band control.

When a smart home device doesn't work as expected, many consumers assume there's something wrong with the device. When this happens, smart home brands risk unnecessary product returns, increased support costs, brand devaluation, and lost revenue.

In many cases, connectivity issues have nothing to do with smart home device functionality at all. Therefore, it is crucial that WiFi problems are resolved before they escalate. When customers call, your chances of ensuring customer satisfaction and brand loyalty are running out. In fact, approximately 50% of customers will switch to a competitor after a poor customer experience.

wireless network issues

Generally, there are two types of WiFi problems that are most common. Firstly, customers are unable to set up the device correctly initially and secondly, device connectivity becomes chronically intermittent in the long run. Such issues may be related to the device chipset, WiFi operating frequency, network configuration, or even the customer's home layout and building materials. Of course, all of these factors come into play when troubleshooting device and WiFi connection issues.

Although some WiFi-enabled consumer electronics offer dual-band operation on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies, most smart home devices only use the 2.4 GHz band. The main reason is that the 2.4 GHz frequency penetrates walls and furniture better than 5 GHz, which means 2.4 GHz generally provides longer range and better coverage. The 2.4 GHz frequency also has a longer wavelength, which makes it easier to get around objects, reducing WiFi dead zones in your home.

Additionally, 2.4 GHz chipsets and modules are more cost-effective than 5 GHz components. For many device manufacturers, this may be a more compelling reason for still using 2.4 GHz. However, the traditional 2.4 GHz band is also used by many other household devices, from microwave ovens to all types of Bluetooth connections. As a result, devices operating in this band often experience connectivity challenges due to network congestion.

To further complicate matters, the 2.4 GHz spectrum spans 14 channels at 100 MHz, 13 of which are used in Europe, while only 11 are available in the United States and Canada. Each channel is measured 20 MHz wide, and the centers of each channel are only 5 MHz apart, so the channels overlap to some extent. This creates signal interference that reduces the range, bandwidth, and performance of the network.

Since channels 1, 6, and 11 do not overlap, most wireless routers will default to these channels to prevent interference. However, this further reduces the number of available channels that the device can connect to. In large apartment buildings or apartments, residents may experience significant interference from their neighbors due to the long range of 2.4 GHz signals.

Matter connection

An additional 21 non-overlapping channels are available for wireless routers and mesh WiFi systems using the 5 GHz WiFi band. To alleviate network congestion, many of the latest network routers and smart home controllers use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to guide wireless devices to prioritize the use of the 5 GHz band. This can be an issue for smart home devices that only use the 2.4 GHz band. And, since automatic band control is not covered by WiFi standards, each manufacturer has its own approach, which can further complicate troubleshooting.

Likewise, new industry standards like Matter are also impacting the connectivity of smart home devices by taking over the network debugging process. Matter allows controllers, such as Apple HomePod, Amazon Alexa, Google Nest Hub or Samsung SmartThings, to load and control new devices and collectively manage WiFi communications and automation for the smart home ecosystem. This process is not always compatible with every device.

The inconvenient fact is that trying to prevent these connection issues from a hardware perspective is nearly impossible. However, understanding the variables that can disrupt the customer experience allows for proactive measures. This includes customer education and robust troubleshooting support, which helps reduce potential risks.

Intelligent Insights

The home WiFi ecosystem can be a dynamic environment where various types of smart home products can present unique challenges with varying levels of complexity. For example, portable and mobile devices, such as smart vacuum cleaners or connected music players, may work well in certain areas of the home but lose connectivity in other areas. Security cameras or streaming video devices require a consistent, high-bandwidth connection for optimal performance. On the other hand, low-bandwidth devices like smart light bulbs or ovens require less data; however, you can still occasionally have issues if you're too far away from your wireless router.

Whether a customer is having trouble connecting a device for the first time, or an existing device is starting to lose connectivity intermittently, having a good understanding of what's going on in the home network is key to resolving the problem. In most cases, neither consumer nor device manufacturer support agents have this level of visibility, resulting in long resolution times, customer frustration, and unnecessary product returns.

WiFi troubleshooting and support software can provide the end-to-end network visibility and tools necessary to quickly and accurately identify and resolve connectivity issues. Implementing and maintaining such support software, from deployment through the entire device lifecycle, enables device manufacturers to provide their support teams with real-time connectivity insights that facilitate effective resolutions without the need to update firmware or hardware.

Manufacturers can also provide customers with self-service apps that provide WiFi network diagnostics, troubleshooting guidance and resources, allowing customers to resolve most connectivity issues themselves before they escalate. This self-service approach not only avoids initial support calls but also reduces the need for future WiFi-related calls by up to 50%, helping to minimize support costs.

Smart home brands thrive on delivering a superior customer experience. Having the right support tools sets the stage for an unparalleled support experience before network connectivity issues arise. This in turn increases customer satisfaction, reduces product returns, and increases revenue.