Today we talk Midrand.
Known across the country for NewsCafe, factory shops, roadblocks under the bridge and a Makro which takes a calendar month to exit from. 10 years ago, it was like the road to Vereeniging. Now, there’s Mall of Africa, the tower of Sauron, a whole Gautrain and the only Home Affairs we actually recommend. Here’s the weird part though. Working From Home in Midrand sounds great in theory. We won’t quote the Balwin brochure, but there are enough options for you to live a full, productive life without leaving your estate. Factor in no commuting, not sitting on the N1, and avoiding office small talk, and remote work ticks every box you could think of.
The problem is that every benefit flies out the window the day your Internet decides it’s NOT working remotely. And therein lies the issue. Enter finding a place to work. Hello meeting Midrand highway traffic. Goodbye sanity and free time. If you work in Midrand, your internet isn’t just internet. It’s your office, meeting room, livelihood and beyond.
Let’s unpack it, and try to ease your worries:
First up, what does ANY remote worker actually need?
Most people Internet shop by looking at two things: price, and speed. Remote workers, however, should really readjust their criteria. Focus on the following:
- Reliability: there’s no point having blazing-fast connectivity that drops twice a day (kind of useless, really).
- Upload speeds: video calls, backups, and file sharing rely heavily on upload speed. It’s in fact a key difference between being heard on meetings and sounding like you’re calling from the bottom of the Midmar Dam.
- Latency: if you’re running Teams, Zoom, or a VPN, latency is as important as speed.
- Consistency: what’s better – 200Mbps that jumps like a toddler on the trampoline, or a steady and reliable 50Mbps?
But why Midrand? Why not, say, Sandton?
Simple. Not only has it quintupled in investment and value over the last decade, but simultaneously (not-so) quietly transformed into one of Gauteng’s biggest WFH hubs.
Whether Waterfall, Noordwyk, Kyalami or Carlswald, the Midrand suburbs are littered with professionals splitting between home and office. The result? Much improved connectivity within the entire region over the last few years. That being said, availability still varies depending on exact addresses, estates, or complexes. Some estates are fully Fibre ready; others are still playing catch-up.
And what about backup?
Any true remote worker will testify; you always (ALWAYS) need a Plan B, and outages don’t wait for convenient moments.
Quite the opposite in fact.
Outages have an innate ability to wait for five minutes before a presentation, during your biggest client meeting, and just after you click “upload”. A backup is essential – even if it’s as simple as a
But let’s get back to the original question; what’s the best Internet for Remote Workers in Midrand?
The answer is… surprisingly boring.
The best Internet isn’t specifically Fibre, Wireless, LTE, 5G, or even Satellite. Rather, the best Fibre is the one that’s reliable and available at your specific address.
It’s not always about the best advertised speeds. Nor the cheapest package. And especially not the one your cousin (who works for an ISP) vouches for. It’s the one that lets you join every meeting, upload your files quickly, and go through a workday without having to say “sorry, Internet issues”.
Honestly? As a remote worker, good internet isn’t a luxury purchase.
It’s your entire ability to do your job.
If you’re in the Midrand area, or thinking of moving there, be sure to do some research into the best Connectivity options for you (Spoiler – it’s usually Fibre). That being said, you can use the points above to identify not just the quickest and cheapest, but rather the package most suited to your ever-evolving (and very demanding) needs.
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