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There’s nothing more frustrating than the endless buffering of a poor internet connection when you just want to relax with your favourite show.
But while slow WiFi might be a pain for many Britons, some areas of the country have it worse than others.
This interactive map reveals Britain’s broadband blackspots where residents report painfully slow connection speeds.
The data, provided by Broadband Genie, shows that there are five UK postcodes with download speeds slower than the legal minimum of 10 megabytes per second (mbps).
At the very bottom of the table with the slowest connection of all is the seaside town of Salcombe in Devon with download speeds of just 6 mpbs.
With those speeds, it would take a Salcombe resident almost two and a half hours to download this year’s blockbuster hit Twisters.
By contrast, Salisbury is the UK’s fastest neighbourhood for broadband with users clocking in download speeds of 802 mbps – more than 130 times faster than Salcombe.
So, how does your neighbourhood compare?
This interactive map reveals the areas of the country with the slowest broadband connections. To see more information about an area simply click on the coloured region or search for the first four digits of the postcode in the top left box
Where are the UK’s slowest neighbourhoods?
Broadband Genie collected over 200,000 user-generated broadband speed tests from internet users around the country.
By averaging these results across postcode areas, MailOnline has created a searchable broadband speed map.
To learn more about any postcode, simply click on the highlighted region to bring up more data or search for the first four digits in the top-left box.
The shocking map reveals that there are still striking disparities between the best and worst-connected regions.
After Salcombe, the area of the country with the second slowest is the SA2 postcode in Swansea with download speeds of 7.3 mbps and upload speeds of just 1.7mbps.
In third place is Seaton in Devon with average download rates of 7.8 mbps.
This is closely followed by Holmrook in the Lake District and Banf in Scotland with download rates at just 8.5 mbps.
The town of Salcombe in Devon (pictured) has the slowest average broadband connection across Broadband Genie’s test data. Residents recorded download speeds of just 6.13 mbps and upload speeds of 0.56 mbps
Meanwhile, the fastest neighbourhoods in the UK recorded average broadband connection speeds up to 100 times faster than the slowest regions.
Salisbury residents recorded by-far the fastest download rates anywhere in the country – coming in a third faster than the second-fastest neighbourhood of Belfast.
How do the regions compare?
Overall it was the more urban areas, and London in particular, which tended to have the fastest connections in the country.
Broadband Genie’s recent research shows that London is home to the UK’s best-connected street, Tynemouth Street, where residents recorded blistering connection speeds of 921 mbps.
Full fibre broadband is currently available for 71 per cent of homes in the UK and 72 per cent in London, but this drops to just 46 per cent in rural areas.
Likewise, while only one per cent of homes can’t get a connection of at least 10mbps, that jumps to six per cent for those living in the countryside.
Elizabeth Anderson, chief executive of the Digital Poverty Alliance, told MailOnline that regional disparities in broadband connection are ‘absolutely huge’.
Previous research from Broadband Genie shows that the street with the slowest connection is Greenfields Road, Bishop Aukland in the North East of England
She says: ‘The northeast of England is the most digitally deprived part of England across affordability, infrastructure, and skills.
‘You compare that to London and while there certainly is digital poverty but, on the whole, the infrastructure, connectivity and digital inclusiveness is a lot greater than you see in rural or coastal areas.’
This new data shows that two of the five areas where residents recorded download speeds below 10 mbps were in Devon.
That is particularly striking since 10 mpbs is the limit guaranteed for customers under UK legislation.
Under Ofcom’s Universal Service Obligation, every home and business in the UK has the legal right to request a broadband connection with download speeds of at least 10 mbps and upload speeds of at least one mpbs.
Ofcom says that 99.8 per cent of UK premises are able to access 10 Mbps, but that still leaves around 60,000 households unable to access it.
Those pockets of poor connection are clustered in rural or coastal regions because of the increased cost per person required to replace existing copper-based systems.
Additionally, Ms Anderson points out that in areas of digital poverty, people may not know the basic network connection guaranteed to them by law.
The fastest connection, according to Broadband Genie’s results was Salisbury (pictured) with users clocking in download speeds of 802 mbps – more than 130 times faster than Salcombe
A report issued in 2023 found that some of the worst areas for full-fibre rollout were in rural regions such as the Isles of Scilly or the Orkney Islands
Ms Anderson says: ‘No one is going to come knocking at your door saying: “Do you know this isn’t good enough?”.
‘What people should be doing is running these broadband speed tests, realising their internet is well below the limit, getting in touch with their provider and demanding better.’
If you do find that your broadband connection falls below the Universal Service Obligation you can make a complaint to BT, or KCOM in the Hull area, to request better service.
How do the biggest providers compare?
The data also shows how some of the biggest broadband providers in the country compare on their average speeds.
When Broadband Genie users submit their test results they also have the option to note their provider.
This data allows for a rough snapshot of how the biggest broadband providers match up on connection speeds.
According to Broadband Genie’s user-generated speed tests, the slowest of the big providers was NOW Broadband which is operated by Sky.
A number of users reported receiving connections of less than 10 mbps, this is lower than what is guaranteed by law by Ofcom’s Universal Service Obligation (stock image)
The UK’s broadband infrastructure is lacking compared to many parts of Europe with Britain ranking 15th for page loading speeds. These issues are felt particularly strongly in rural areas
On average, NOW Broadband users recorded average download speeds of 34.37 mbps and upload speeds of 11mpbs.
This was followed by Talk Talk which recorded an average upload speed of 44.83 mbps and upload speeds of 11.44 mbps.
Plusnet users, meanwhile, recorded average speeds of 59.97 mbps for uploads and 14.28 mbps for uploads.
EE users recorded slightly faster rates of 65.34 mbps for download and 13.99 mbps for upload.
On the other hand, Virgin Media and Hyperoptic ranked as some of the best performers in the Broadband Genie data.
Hyperoptic recorded an average download speed of 202.12 mbps and an extremely fast upload speed of 166.05 mbps.
While Virgin Media users clocked average download and upload speeds of 226.82 mbps and 34 mbps respectively.
However, it must be noted that these results come from user-submitted tests and therefore might not be reflective of the rates actually offered by these providers.
Virgin Media was found to be one of the fastest major providers in Broadband Genie’s tests. Virgin Media users clocked average download and upload speeds of 226.82 mbps and 34 mbps respectively.
For example, some customers may have submitted repeated tests of the same speed which could have affected the results.
Additionally, speed tests are carried out on-device and the connection recorded can be affected by factors such as the number of devices on the network and router positioning.
An EE spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘The Broadband Genie Speed Test results are individual customer speed tests and should not be used to reflect broadband speed across the UK.
‘The broadband speed a customer receives is based on their location, broadband package they select and the network infrastructure that supplies their property.’
Likewise, a representative for TalkTalk added: ‘We have raised several concerns regarding this methodology; as the data is not linked to specific broadband packages, the results may favour providers with greater proportions of full fibre customers, irrespective of their performance.’
Sky did not respond to MailOnline’s request for comment.
How to improve your connection speed
One of the best ways to improve your broadband speed is to check you are getting the connection you pay for as part of your internet package.
An agreement has already been signed with telecoms provider Openreach to bring gigabit-capable broadband to 96,000 homes across the UK. If your connection isn’t getting better it might be a sign you need to upgrade or change your package
Alex Tofts, an analyst at Broadband Genie, says: ‘Check what broadband speed you are receiving by running a broadband speed test.’
However, since the test can be affected by a number of factors it’s important that you take steps to make the test as fair as possible.
First, ask others in the house to pause their activity on the connection and switch off or disconnect any Wi-Fi-enabled gadgets you’re not using.
If possible, you can even use a wired ethernet connection to get the most accurate result.
Then, record your broadband speed using a number of different tests and at different times of the day.
By taking the average of these results you should arrive at a good reading of your real broadband connection speed.
Mr Tofts adds: ‘Compare the result to what you were promised when you signed up for your deal. If it’s consistently below and your provider can’t fix it, you can leave your contract without a penalty.
‘If you’re not getting what you signed up for, it’s likely you need a faster deal.
One of the simplest ways to improve your WiFi connection is to move your router closer to the centre of the home and reduce the number of devices using the network (stock image)
‘Your current provider will most likely have options you can upgrade to, but if you haven’t reviewed your contract for over 2 years, there’s a high chance you get a cheaper deal by switching to another provider.’
If you still don’t want to change your contract there are also a number of simple steps to take to get better WiFi speeds.
Your connection may be slow because your router needs an update or is poorly positioned.
Try restarting the router and moving it to a position closer to the centre of the house in a place that is free of any major obstructions.
Even a fast connection can become laggy when there are too many devices simultaneously using the network.
If you haven’t been updating your passwords regularly there’s a chance there may be some unscrupulous neighbours freeloading on your connection.
Be sure to regularly check what devices are connected to the network and remove anything you don’t recognise to ensure you get the speeds you pay for.
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