Data usage

Is an unsecured WiFi network a possibility? or a simple WiFi password?  Could also be a computer virus or Trojan.

My Cox Data Meter is fairly accurate, I monitor it daily, but I doubt everyone's is accurate 100% of the time.

https://myaccount.cox.net/internettools/datausage/usage.cox

Can you post your usage graph? Like is all the download on one day? Spread evenly? At the very least if you can find out exactly when the change occured it will give clues on what the change is. 

I will try.  As you can see, the usage changed dramatically overnight. I did change my wifi password last night to make sure we were secure. But usage is still high. 

I agree wholeheartedly, Cox has lost my TV service, my home phone service, and I can guarantee you this bogus data useage thing will cost them my internet business.  I have been a customer since before 2005 and this is the first "data overage" nastygram I have ever gotten.  One day spike in useage to 66 GB on December 28th.  No other day comes anywhere near that, and no change in routine of useage.  I will be looking for alternative services from other vendors.

The point is, data usage went from less than 2g on 12/6 to 32g on 12/7. Literally overnight.  How in the world am I supposed to have used that much data in 24 hours? It is just the 2 of us at home. My husband does less than I do technologically. Between us we only use about 1g of data on our phones all month. 

I've been reading the forum and it seems Cox has a problem with the meter. So how is that affecting my usage?

What happened between December 7th and December 28th? And when did you change your password, was it on the 28th? If so, then that was probably your problem.

Also, what kind of router do you have? Some routers have the ability to track bandwidth use on your network, and might be able to pinpoint what computer is using that bandwidth.

If I knew what happened, I wouldn't be asking here. Yes, I did change my pw yesterday late.  The router is just a simple Netgear.  So, we will see if it stays down. 

If your bandwidth went down right when you changed your password, then it looks like someone either knew, guessed, or hacked your password. So that wouldn't have anything to do with Cox. What kind of security are you using? WPA2?

The OP scenario looks almost spot on with mine currently... we cut out the cable TV and phone services about 6-7 months ago, as we literally never watched anything on TV, but kept the Premier Internet service.  Magically, in the last 4 months i've gotten an overage email every month.  It shows me sitting right about 25GB downloaded per day up to 65GB on 1 day a week or so ago.  Currently the meter says I'm at 345GB (45GB over) with 17 days left in my billing cycle.  

I'm sorry, but there's no *** waay.  I do have Netflix, but it's not running 24 hrs per day.  I've changed my wireless password twice just in case with no change in usage so it wasn't a neighbor as has been suggested.  

We did call Customer Service to ask whats going on and they said there's no extra charge (thank god) and the email was just letting us know we were using a lot of data.  I'm more worried that Cox may not be charging for overages NOW, but at some point I'm sure that will change... I'd like to find out a way or program to monitor my own usage as the Win8 estimated usage is showing me only at 75GB in the last 60 days and i'm by FAR the heaviest internet user in this house!

There are a number of possible scenarios that can account for heavy usage:
Netflix uses up to ~3GB per hour for high-definition streaming.
A computer on your network could have some kind of malware as Tiffany mentioned above.
Someone in the household could be using some type of high-volume uploading or downloading programs without your knowledge, and you may not be the heaviest internet user in the home as you believe.
One or more computers, game consoles, or other connected devices may be automatically updating itself or installed applications.
We send the data usage alerts to advise customers to be on the lookout for these things they might not be aware of. Our page at cox.com/datausage has more info on managing data usage.

I don't even see how you guys can get a reading of your data usage. Every time I have tried checking ours I get the same message:

Your Data Usage Meter is undergoing maintenance. Please try again in 24 hours.

I have checked this over and over and never have I been able to check it because of this message!!!!!

Hello mcurtiss57,

That shouldn't be happening.  I can look into that for you see what may be causing yours not to display properly.  I will need your account information so if you could email me at cox.help@cox.com please, I will investigate this right away.

Sorry. Netflix is not the answer either. I have never used it. Ever.  And I don't have any malware. I keep track of it with 3 programs. I'm not an ignorant person. No one in the house is using this much data. My husband doesn't mess with it ever. We are the only 2 home.  No game consoles either. We aren't gamers. We are 50+ and are too busy to game. Our grandchildren are not allowed on the password protected pc. Ever. 

None of this happened until after we cancelled some of our Cox services. I can see that someone apparently hacked from outside. BUT, BUT, BUT......................

I had thought Cox would have said, Hey, let us look into this for you. It does appear strange. But, no so. Instead, I was told anyone but Cox was to blame. I found both the letters and the comments on here from Cox quite belittling and infuriating. And it seems to be that way for anyone having issues with the data meter. 

Just another reason for me to find a company with better customer service.

I get that message nearly all the time too - and i checked from 3 different browsers.

SmithL said:
I had thought Cox would have said, Hey, let us look into this for you.

How so? Cox isn't responsible for the security of your network any more then they are responsible for the security of your car or house. If you were "hacked" that stinks, but Cox's only responsibility was what it did, alert you of the increase and give general tips on how to troubleshoot.