The best broadband hotspots to WFH revealed
Wandsworth, Southwark and Kingston upon Hull are amongst some of the best locations across the UK to keep calm, and WFH with lockdown now extend for a further three weeks.
These areas are home to the best download speeds at the cheapest cost, according to new research by Get Agent, with Argyll and Bute and Devon amongst some of the worst connected areas.
With the vast majority of us looking at a long stretch of working from home we’re about to find out how good our broadband provider really is, as our whole neighbourhood puts pressure on the service through heightened use during working hours in particular.
While we may be fine streaming our latest binge-worthy Netflix show, many of us might struggle when it comes to those company-wide video conference calls or opening those mile-long spreadsheets. With this in mind, Get Agen has looked at where the best and worst areas to work from home-based on the quality of internet connection and cost.
With an average download speed of 95.1 Mbps and an average monthly cost of 33p per MBps, London’s Wandsworth is the best place to be working from home during a long stint of self-isolation. With an average of 92 Mbps at 34p per Mbps, Southwark also ranks high as a working from home hotspot.
Kingston upon Hull is the best area outside of London at 73.4 Mbps, while Westminster (72.5 Mbps) and Harlow (72.5 Mbps) also rank in the top five.
Rushmoor, Tower Hamlets, Kingston upon Thames, the City of London, York, Richmond upon Thames, Salford, Luton, Waltham Forest and Reading also made the list for best broadband hotspots for working at home.
With less than 25 Mbps and a cost upwards of £1.25 per Mbps, the Shetland and Orkney Islands, Argyll and Bute and Mid and West Devon were amongst some of the worst connected broadband hotspots.
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Primary level – nations
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Location
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Average download speed (MBps – 2019 Q4)
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Average monthly cost per MBps
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England
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40.1
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£0.82
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Scotland
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34.8
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£0.96
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Northern Ireland
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33.8
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£0.97
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Wales
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32.6
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£0.99
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United Kingdom
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35.3
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£0.94
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Secondary level – English regions
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Location
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Average download speed (MBps – 2019 Q4)
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Average monthly cost per MBps
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London
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52.38
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£0.62
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North East
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41.41
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£0.78
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East of England
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39.66
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£0.84
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North West
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39.52
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£0.82
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West Midlands
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39.29
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£0.83
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South East
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39.17
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£0.83
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East Midlands
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38.47
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£0.85
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Yorkshire and the Humber
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37.78
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£0.89
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South West
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35.45
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£0.93
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Rankings – by best speed
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Location
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Average download speed (MBps – 2019 Q4)
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Average monthly cost per MBps
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Wandsworth
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95.1
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£0.33
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Southwark
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92.0
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£0.34
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Kingston upon Hull
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73.4
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£0.43
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Westminster
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72.5
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£0.43
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Harlow
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72.5
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£0.43
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Rushmoor
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63.7
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£0.49
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Tower Hamlets
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61.3
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£0.51
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Kingston upon Thames
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58.1
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£0.54
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City of London
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57.8
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£0.54
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York
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56.9
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£0.55
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Richmond upon Thames
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56.8
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£0.55
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Salford
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56.8
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£0.55
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Luton
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56.1
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£0.56
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Waltham Forest
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56.0
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£0.56
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Reading
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55.8
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£0.56
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Rankings – by worst speed
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Location
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Average download speed (MBps – 2019 Q4)
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Average monthly cost per MBps
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Shetland Islands
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21.0
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£1.49
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Argyll and Bute
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22.0
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£1.42
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Mid Devon
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22.1
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£1.42
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Orkney Islands
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22.2
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£1.41
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West Devon
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23.1
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£1.35
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Rother
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23.5
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£1.33
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Dumfries and Galloway
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23.6
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£1.33
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Denbighshire
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23.7
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£1.32
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Fermanagh and Omagh
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23.9
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£1.31
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Highland
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24.1
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£1.30
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North Devon
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24.3
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£1.29
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Moray
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24.5
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£1.28
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Mourne and Down
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24.5
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£1.28
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Eden
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24.9
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£1.26
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Tendring
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25.0
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£1.25
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Sources:
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Average broadband speed
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Average broadband price
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