INCREASED WILLINGNESS TO UPGRADE WIFI

– Simply ask how many devices customers have at home. Many will probably answer two or three – a PC, TV and mobile phone – and then you need to help them list everything: appliances, one or more TVs, mobile phones, robot vacuum cleaners, smart home devices, and so on, says Mikael Axelsson at Netgear.

When we meet him at the Elon Expo training fair in Örebro before the summer, he is clear that the number of connected devices should be the starting point when customers are choosing a network solution.

– Then you can plan the capacity they need, and future-proof it for an additional number of devices with wifi that can handle it, Axelsson tells trade magazine Elektronikkbransjen.

Great need at home

He points out that many people in the Nordic countries have a great many devices connected.

– Yet they are still using a router that may only handle around ten devices. When the eleventh is connected, the router restarts or throws another device off. There is a great need to upgrade wifi at home, says Axelsson.

At the same time, more customers are willing to pay more for quality, he believes.

– We are not the lowest-priced, but we have very high quality. Many are tired of weak wifi and are willing to invest more money. In 2026, we have noticed a shift, says Axelsson.

– Very many people make do with what they have, accepting coverage gaps, downtime and reduced speeds. Shops, and above all departments that do not normally sell networking products, should become better at informing customers about what can actually be solved, he says.

Recommends mesh networks

For customers with poor coverage, Netgear primarily recommends mesh networks.

– The best solution for coverage gaps is to buy a mesh network that covers the entire home. Alternatively, it can be extended with a Wi-Fi extender. We also have mesh extenders that help at the edges of the coverage area, says Axelsson.

He points out that many choose to live with poor coverage in parts of their home.

– The toilet is a typical place where you use a lot of Wi-Fi. Many use 5G and make do with that because they do not have coverage in there, he says.

He says that Netgear's mesh networks do not have preconfigured antennas in fixed positions.

– They “move” and adapt to the traffic pattern. Let the network settle for up to two weeks. The antennas then adjust themselves optimally to support one another, he says.

– There may be periods of half an hour or an hour with weak coverage in certain places, but once the network has settled, we guarantee the performance stated on the packaging, says Axelsson.

Dedicated network for IoT

Netgear has also enabled a dedicated network for IoT products in its mesh solutions.

– Many “dumb” devices need a network connection, but do not have the latest chips or modules. We are talking about robot vacuum cleaners, coffee makers and other smart home products, says Axelsson.

– Ground-source heat pumps, solar panels and battery chargers. We have solved this by ensuring that these devices do not interfere with equipment that needs a lot of bandwidth, through a dedicated IoT network, he says.

Wants to secure the home

Security is another area he believes deserves greater attention.

– Overall, home security is somewhat poor, I think. We have a service called Armor, based on Bitdefender, which protects all devices on the network when it is installed in the router or mesh system. You lock the front door of your home, but many do not lock the front door to their Wi-Fi, says Axelsson.

– Even if you are not hacked through a fridge and lose banking data, the fridge can become part of a botnet and help bring something else down, he says.

He points to a number of attacks recently.

– We have had a lot of trouble with banks and checkout systems, particularly in Sweden recently. Unprotected devices in people's homes contribute to attacks. Armor is among the market-leading services available, says Axelsson.

At our expense

Netgear also believes that the supply situation is now under control.

– There was genuine concern regarding memory early in 2026. As we now approach summer, we have secured access to everything we need for all sales for about a year ahead. We have resolved the memory shortage for our needs. We have also succeeded in securing access on the 5G side. As a company, we have chosen to absorb this cost ourselves and make savings in other areas to avoid price increases, says Axelsson.

Global with eSIM

Netgear also highlights the Nighthawk M7, a mobile router with eSIM.

– eSIM is important when travelling, so you do not have to roam on your subscription. I live in Sweden and used this in Norway, where roaming is not included in my mobile subscription, or is limited. I bought an eSIM online with unlimited data for three days, considerably cheaper than my data package, says Axelsson.

– Our hotspots are completely unlocked and have all frequencies available. Wherever in the world you travel, they work. You can then buy an eSIM locally, cheaper than roaming with your home subscription, he says.

– It costs money, but it has all frequencies, and there are licensing costs involved. If you want coverage worldwide, it costs money, but you can also be confident of full support wherever you travel, says Axelsson.