4 Billion Wi-Fi enabled devices in use around the world today

A new report from analytics firm Strategy Analytics has been published that looks at the number of Wi-Fi devices that are in use around the world today. According to the report, there are about 4 billion Wi-Fi devices in use globally.

The research firm expects that number to grow to over 7 billion devices by 2017. A more interesting statistic is that Wi-Fi capability is now embedded in 68% of all consumer electronics devices sold in the US. If you look at the number of products with Wi-Fi sold around the world, 57% of all CE devices have Wi-Fi.

The biggest product category for Wi-Fi devices is mobile phones and tablets. Strategy analytics says that 59% of all Wi-Fi enabled devices fall into the mobile phone and tablet category. The second most common category for Wi-Fi devices is in the mobile computer (notebook) category.

Notebook and mobile computer shipments make up 9% of all Wi-Fi devices shipped. The numbers show that the average home has seven Wi-Fi devices inside today. I have more than that in my home and I bet many people out there do too. Wi-Fi is common in DVRs, portable devices, tablets, and even radios today. The report also shows that 802.11n is the baseline in most devices out there today.