Checking train times, booking restaurants, watching video’s online… We use the Internet every day to do many different jobs. The Internet has completely reshaped our lives since its introduction. And its use is only growing, which is why people increasingly rely on Internet management tools like Fing to control all their connected devices. But what do you really know about the Internet? Here are 21 incredibly interesting Internet facts that you probably didn’t even know about.
- The Internet was invented over 40 years ago, in a beer garden! Who says the best ideas don’t come over a drink!
- Right now, 5.16 billion people are using the Internet – that’s over half the world’s population connected to the world wide web just like you are.
- It may seem like only yesterday we were all dialling in for our Internet connection, but wireless internet was actually founded in September 1990! Wi-Fi was only introduced to the public 25 years ago!
- Over 90% of Internet users across the world use a mobile device to connect to the Internet. Mobile Internet traffic makes up 55% of the total web traffic.
- Previous names for wireless Internet were WaveLAN, FlankSpeed, DragonFly, WECA and IEEE 802.11b Direct Sequence, before the more consumer friendly name of Wi-Fi was adopted.
- Interbrand invented the term “Wi-Fi” as a play on words of the term “Hi-Fi” or “High Fidelity”. However, Wi-Fi doesn’t actually stand for anything. What added to the confusion was the Wi-Fi Alliance’s use of a nonsense advertising slogan, “The Standard for Wireless Fidelity,” which led many people to think that Wi-Fi was an abbreviation of “Wireless Fidelity”.
- With the global average fixed Internet speed sitting at 120.33Mbps, Monaco is storming ahead as the fastest country in the world, with an average fixed Internet speed of 270.25Mbps! Want to know how fast your own Internet is? Check it with Fing, it’s free!
- Wireless Internet signals generally emit from your router in a doughnut shape. Tasty.
- Ethernet – the most commonly used wired Internet – was invented almost half a century ago in the early 1970’s, by Bob Metcalfe.
- In the early days of computer networking, coaxial cables were used, the same type of cabling that is commonly used for cable or satellite TV today.
- You may have only heard it recently, but the term Internet of Things (IoT) has actually been around for 23 years! It was first coined in 1999 by Kevin Ashton, a British visionary and engineer.
- In 2020 there were approximately 7.7 billion people living on the planet, and over 35 billion devices connected to the Internet – that’s an average of 10 devices per household.
- By 2030, it is estimated there will be over 125 billion Internet-connected devices – with every household projected to own, on average, 15 connected devices.
- Shipments of the latest versions of Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E) reached 2 billion in 2021, which is 50% of all Wi-Fi shipments and they are expected to surpass 5.2 billion by 2025. The new Wi-Fi will bring faster wireless Internet and better performance for a world increasingly reliant on technologies like virtual reality and cloud computing.
- Some of the strangest devices that connect to the Internet nowadays include mirrors, pillows, bathtub drains, bird houses, card wallets and desk mats. We’ve left the particularly odd items off this list!
- There are currently around 258.54 million smart homes worldwide – it won’t be long before Internet-connected homes are the norm.
- The main drivers of smart home adoption in the world are the increasing need for energy management, government initiatives like smart cities and the growing home security market. If you’re looking to secure your own smart devices, try our Home Network Security apps.
- The average person now spends nearly 7 hours a day using the Internet.
- 5.6 billion Google searches are performed on the Internet each day! What are all these people searching for?!
- China leads the way with the most Internet usage – over 854 million users, making up a 5th of the total number of people online.
- Google is ranked as the most popular website worldwide, with YouTube coming in second and Facebook third.
It’s amazing how little we know about something we use so much every day! – We’re just scraping the surface when it comes to incredible facts about the Internet, but now you can go and dazzle your friends with your new-found knowledge. Next time you have a beer with them, we expect you to show off that the Internet was invented in a beer garden. And next time you Google something, you can think about how your search is just one of the 5.6 billion other searches performed that day.
As you can see, the Internet is a vast place. Make sure your home network is secure before you connect to the world wide web. Get Fing App or Fing Desktop for free and browse the Internet in full control of all your devices. And if you are looking for a full monitoring tool, check our plans to get advanced protection for your home network!
