Modem hardware requirements for upload speed

WiderMouthOpen I'm not a network engineer, so I'm going to admit that I don't know, mostly because network architecture details don't impact the average user. Let's not derail OP's post. if you have any questions not related to this thread you know where to reach us 😊

"I don't know" is always an acceptable answer. I will make a new post to discuss the issue. Thanks.

WiderMouthOpen  No, problem! Have a lovely day. 

Thanks! If I emailed you, would you be able to escalate the question to a engineer or someone who might know? Or would it be pot luck based on who is answering the email queue? This kind of question is exactly why I miss DSLReports since many of Cox engineers used to post there.

What? How can the info for what is needed to get the best speed on your network be proprietary? What do you tell people or how do you troubleshoot someone who is reporting low upload speed when you can't say what the requirements are for those speeds? You do it for download speeds. Why is upload speed any different?

I know you can use the broadband labels to see what the upload is in your area, but that doesn't tell you what is technically required. For example, if a area offers higher upload because it has a OFDMA channel, then you would need a D3.1 modem to take advantage of it. If the area is mid split, you might need a modem with a switchable upstream filter the Arris S33. However Comcast only offers the highest speed to modem's they have specially been tested for that speed on their network. IE, the S33 isn't supported for 200Mbps on Comcast, but the S34 is, even though hardware wise they are similar/identical. Is Cox like this too?

Hopefully Colleen can find someone who can shed some light on this question.

WiderMouthOpen 
When a new customer enters their address on our site it will only offer speeds available at that location. The same would go for a current customer who signs into their account on cox.com. The broadband facts label will confirm the available speeds. This all happens on the back end based on the network architecture you referenced from the published speed info. I hope this sufficiently answers your question, as it's the only information we have available. 

So are you saying that a customer can get 50Mbps upload on the 500Mbps tier as long as the labels and Cox system find it is available in the area? Any DOCSIS 3.0 and above device will work?

Customers would still need to use a compatible modem from https://www.cox.com/residential/support/cox-certified-cable-modems.html to achieve subscribed speeds. Using your example of the Go Even Faster tier, you'll notice that the Cox issued 3.0 modems on the list state "up to 10 Mbps upload" for this speed tier. The same would be true for other manufacturers with similar channel bonding capabilities. 

Still doesn't answer the difference between 10 megabits and 50 megabits. This is sad. This is why I missed DSL reports. I guess I just won't be able to help people who have problems with their upload speed because Cox doesn't know how to troubleshoot it either. 

This is one of the reasons I don't believe that technical support should always work from home. You get less trending data from the people around you and you can't escalate things to a state of talking face to face. It's all emails and phone calls where people can BS you. Just another reason why the system Cox calls support doesn't work.