Wi-Fi in the home experienced "staggering" growth in 2003, according to a market study released this week by In-Stat/MDR.

The US research firm said that unit shipments of homebound network adapters and access points increased 214 percent last year.

That translates into sales of 22.7 million units, it said.

Driving the growth was the release of products based on the 802.11g standard, which drove down prices for 802.11b equipment, the study claimed.

The study predicted that 802.11g sales will overtake those of the older, slower 802.11b standard in 2004 as prices for the newer technology begin to fall.

Critical in the rapid growth were laptops from vendors such as Dell, Hewlett-Packard, and Toshiba that came with built-in Wi-Fi.

The study also noted a surge in sales and interest in wireless devices connecting PCs and home electronics such as stereo systems and televisions.

Various vendors will deliver 802.11g media adapters that focus on streaming media in 2004, the study claimed.

Copyright (c) 2004 CMP Media LLC