Home Wireless a Must-Have This Back to School

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Teens and their parents will want to shop for more than backpacks and binders this back to school season as results of a new survey show that 9 out of 10 teens feel students with home wireless have an easier time completing school assignments. When it comes to improved learning, parents and their teen children strongly agree – with nearly 3 of 4 parents of teens saying students with home wireless were better equipped to complete their school assignments.

Opinion Research conducted the Home Learning survey of teens and their parents in August for Cisco's Consumer Products group and found the following results that are significant to families preparing for the new school year:

• Eighty-nine percent of teens (12-17) surveyed felt that students with a home wireless (Wi-Fi) connection have an easier time completing their school assignments because they have better "anywhere, anytime" access to the Internet.
• Seventy-two percent of parents with teens think students with a home wireless (Wi-Fi) connection are better equipped to complete what is required and assigned for them by their teachers and school.

"For today's student to succeed, education must go beyond the traditional classroom and provide a 24/7 learning environment," said Moustafa Mourad, Interim President of One Economy, a global nonprofit that delivers the power of technology and information to low income people. "Home wireless connects teachers, parents and students for enhanced learning before and after school."

Although parents recognize the importance of home wireless for improved learning and school success, the survey also reveals overwhelmingly that parents are concerned about how and when their teens use the Internet.

• Ninety percent of parents with teens say that teens with home wireless need to be monitored by their parents to make sure they are using the Internet to access appropriate sites at acceptable times of day.

Cisco, a longtime advocate and supporter of education, recently launched the Valet line of home wireless routers that make it easy for families to set up and manage their own home wireless network.  With Valet, parents have complete control over their teen's Internet use through Cisco Connect software, as well as simple guest options to allow their friends highly secure and private online access to the family home wireless. Valet sells for less than $100 and is designed for everyday consumers to easily get set up.

"Home wireless can have a very positive impact on families by enabling an environment of anywhere, anytime learning in the home," said Scott Kabat, director of marketing for Cisco Consumer Products.  "The need for a seamless school-to-home connection is even more important than ever, yet only one-third of U.S. homes are equipped with wireless.  Cisco is addressing this need with a simple and affordable way to help more families benefit from home wireless."

Other results from the Home Learning survey show that teens enjoy the mobility and flexibility that home wireless provides them and their guests.

• Sixty-one percent of teens felt that students with home wireless would study outside of their room around the home often or very often.
• Sixty-one percent of teens said teens with home wireless were more likely to have classmates over for group studying at their homes.

About Cisco

Cisco (Nasdaq: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate, this year celebrates 25 years of technology innovation, operational excellence and corporate social responsibility. 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 Valet can be found at www.thevalet.com. Further information about Cisco and its full line of consumer products including Linksys and Flip Video can be found at www.linksys.com, www.theflip.com, and www.cisco.com/consumer.

Cisco, the Cisco Logo, Flip Video, Linksys, and Valet are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. A listing of Cisco's trademarks can be found at www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company.

SOURCE Cisco Consumer Products