Wireless Devices Expected to Be Among Top Gifts This Holiday, According to Linksys Consumer Survey

IRVINE, CA--(Marketwire - Dec 1, 2011) - Laptops, game systems, tablets and smartphones are just a few of the new wireless devices expected as hot gifts this holiday season, according to a new consumer survey of U.S. adults conducted this fall by Opinion Research for Cisco's (NASDAQ: CSCO) Home Networking business unit. The Holiday Wireless survey found that of those surveyed, 96 percent expected that they or someone in their home would be receiving new wireless gear, yet more than one-half (56 percent) surveyed were not aware that new wireless devices might require an upgrade to the latest home wireless network standard -- Wireless-N. Furthermore, nearly one-third (31 percent) of respondents did not yet have a wireless network in their homes.

"The Holiday Wireless survey shows that while wireless devices are among the hottest gifts this season, consumers may not have the necessary wireless networking products to make all those great presents work to their full potential," said Scott Kabat, director of marketing, Cisco Home Networking business unit. "With our Linksys E-Series wireless routers and the entertainment bridge, consumers get the performance and ease-of-use for best-in-class video, music and gaming experiences."

'Tis the Season of Wireless Devices
According to the survey, consumers expect to see a wide range of new wireless devices in their homes this holiday. Twenty percent of respondents said they expect a new computer or laptop in their home, while 19 percent chose game systems, 16 percent predicted tablets and 14 percent expected smartphones.

Deck the Home with a Wireless Network
The survey found that consumers chose a wireless network as the second most important technology in the home that they could not live without, following only the smartphone category with 28 percent. However, 85 percent of respondents did not know what type of network they had, and only 44 percent were aware that many of the new devices they expect this holiday will require the latest network standard, Wireless-N.

Don't Let the Grinch Slow Wireless
Fifty-one percent of consumers surveyed said they had problems with their current home wireless -- even before bringing in new wireless gifts and gadgets. Of those respondents, 25 percent reported delays for buffering when streaming movies, 25 percent said they had periodic disconnections from the wireless network, 20 percent noted problems with slow downloads, 20 percent said they experienced starts and stops when playing music, and 13 percent had issues with slow game playing.

Home wireless routers that use the latest Wireless-N technology are the best equipped to support the full range of wireless home entertainment experiences. Cisco's new Linksys® E-Series routers use Wireless-N to not only provide the high performance required for today's connected home, but also address the requirements of new media technologies such as Internet-enabled TVs, game consoles, tablets and smartphones. Linksys products also include Cisco Connect® software, making it easier for consumers to set up and manage new devices on their home network.

The Holiday Wireless survey was conducted in November 2011 by Opinion Research for the Cisco Home Networking business unit. The online survey included 1,000 adults from across the U.S.

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Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Cisco's vision for the consumer is to enable people to live a connected life that is more personal, more social, and more visual. Further information about Cisco and its full line of consumer products including Linksys can be found at www.linksys.com, and www.cisco.com/consumer.

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