Booming laptops boost wireless router market

Mobile infrastructure technology is mushrooming but VARs are getting a smaller share of the market

The wireless router market has grown by more than 250 per cent in the past year, but resellers are eating a smaller slice of the pie, according to figures from market watcher Gfk.

According to the research, 72,333 units were shipped in June, with resellers taking 4.8 per cent of the market. This compares with 28,392 units shipped in June last year, with resellers taking 13.1 per cent.

A Gfk representative said: “The growth of wireless routers is phenomenal because of laptop sales, with even the cheapest units having a wireless connection. Broadband is outsellind dial-up, and with multiple computers in operation, a wireless router is the best method.”

Mark Power, country manager for the UK and Ireland at wireless router vendor Netgear, claimed end-users are beginning to feel safer using wireless routers as security has improved.

“We see a future with wireless networking as the dominant technology for media distribution and connectivity,” he said.

David Gould, trading director at PC World Business, said: “Customers are accelerating the wireless router market: wireless is moving into people’s homes, and this will increase the business in time.

“For the reseller, networks were the holy grail for the past 10 years and they have become specialists in their area. Some did not see networking as significant as before,” he said.

Peter Gaskin, director at wireless router reseller Team Discovery, said: “People are starting to trust the wireless router market a little more. The security side was a concern, but the new routers coming onto the market have overcome this problem.