Best Universities for WiFi and Internet 2022

Topping the table this year is the University of Sheffield, with students remarking on the widespread coverage and excellent connection speed of their WiFi offering. This solid infrastructure has allowed the university to maximise the quality of their online teaching and service platform. Security has been considered as well, with multi-factor authentication rolled out across all university IT accounts. Consistent and fast, Sheffield have proved their place at the top.

Bangor University scores an excellent second place, with their Eduroam system bringing in consistently high reviews. The university also offers a secondary WiFi network called ResNet, which provides a separate high-speed connection for gaming consoles and other devices. In the occasional event of an update or servicing, Bangor has been praised by students for their advanced communication on expected downtimes, making them worthy of our number two spot.

Reading moved up into the top three, after a strong top five finish in last year's University Awards. Students report on reliable connection speeds and good coverage across the university's large campus. The IT offering includes ‘AppsAnywhere’, allowing students to stream select software to both university and personal devices, including some off campus. Should any issues arise, the IT team offers a broad range of in-person and online support.

As an institution which scores so highly in league tables for computer science, it’s only right that the University of Cambridge provides excellent WiFi connectivity. The university maintains a strong 'network services' page, providing information on service status for a range of its products. Devices which cannot access Eduroam can be registered on the UniOfCam-IoT service, allowing students to make use of a wide range of streaming options.

The University of Aberdeen flies into our top five this year, offering a range of WiFi networks for its students. Reviews of the institution regularly mention great coverage and fast connection speed. The university also offers a dedicated network for those with consoles and smart devices. Students in need of technical support can get help both online and at the library kiosk.

Moving up into the top 10 this year, Imperial College London continues to operate its three different networks to achieve excellent connectivity. Reviews left by students consistently praise the speed of the network, ensuring that technology does not become a barrier to education. The university also offers an easily accessible network for visitors.

With both wired and wireless connection options, The University of Manchester continues to provide excellent internet connectivity to its students. Through a partnership with ‘Glide’, the university has provided secure wired connections throughout its halls of residence, ensuring that students always have access to digital learning.

Students and visitors alike can make use of Lancaster's connectivity offering, with its Eduroam network providing high speed internet across the campus. Within halls of residence, students praise high download speeds, perfect for accessing online learning or streaming films and music.

The University of Southampton provides extensive ‘step-by-step’ guides for configuring its Eduroam network, which provides excellent coverage across its variety of facilities. They continue to maintain the ‘MySouthampton’ app, giving students access to emails, maps and timetables all in one convenient place. Students who need assistance can visit the IT helpdesk in the library.

Boasting download speeds of “up to 300Mbps”, Warwick provides high speed internet with decent coverage across its campus. With WPA2 authentication, students and staff can work freely without fear of network security being compromised. The online 'help desk' allows students to track service requests and call if they need assistance.

With many students praising its WiFi, connectivity continues to be a priority for Nottingham Trent University. Despite being spread across the city and beyond, the university has managed to achieve excellent coverage across its various locations, with high speed connections supporting students in their online learning.

Northumbria offers a wide range of online student services, including a digital induction to help students get set up as quickly as possible. 'NU Connect', the student app, allows access timetables and helps to locate available computers and software on campus, as well as travel information for routes to campus. The institution's WiFi offering has been praised in reviews for its excellent connection speed.

With 24-hour support, 365 days a year, City ensures that students and staff always have access to its Eduroam WiFi network. The institution also offers its app, ‘CityNav’, to help students find their way both to buildings and through them. ‘AppsAnywhere’ also allows students and staff to remotely access some selected software, without having to visit a university PC.

Students at the University of Bath have access to their Eduroam-based system, with reported good coverage and fast connectivity through institution buildings and accommodation. The university also supports a legacy network for consoles and smart devices which are not compatible with the Eduroam network.

With digital learning becoming increasingly important, the University of Strathclyde remains committed to providing good services to their students. Strathclyde scores consistently highly in the WiFi category, with broadly good coverage and connection speeds moving them into our top 20.

Reviews for the University of Bristol have stayed consistently high through the COVID-19 pandemic, with many positive reviews mentioning the quality of the online teaching. With good coverage across the university and a quick connection, students always have access to the resources they require. The 'wireless homepage’ continues to be an effective host for troubleshooting services.

Moving into the top 20 this year is the University of Leeds, hosting a dedicated IT portal for logging incidents, submitting requests and providing service status updates. This focus on providing a high standard of connectivity has ensured that students have constant access to online learning throughout the pandemic, allowing them to reach their full potential.

With both an IT hub and service portal, the University of Birmingham is committed to providing excellent support to its staff and students. The institution continues to improve its online learning environment and students can expect good coverage across its various sites throughout Birmingham, as well as decent connection throughout its halls of residence.

Greenwich has been committed to providing students with an online learning environment throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, with praise for its digital network featured in student reviews. Through a combination of Eduroam and Govroam, the university provides good coverage for its students and maintains an app for timetable scheduling and campus navigation.

Students praise the online offering of the University of St Andrews, which is why the institution features in our top 20. With consistently high review scores in this area, St Andrews provides students with a fast connection with generally good coverage. IT services also maintain a blog, updating students on industry news, as well as service updates.