Forum Discussion

fromano76's avatar
fromano76
New Contributor
2 years ago

COX Panoramic router suddenly has weak wifi signal

So i have had my router for a few months now and since the beginning of this week my WIFI signal has suddenly become weaker. I have a new TV at the other end of the house, I was able to watch all streaming apps with no issue. Now suddenly the signal is too weak for the TV to work. I have also noticed this on other devices such as phones etc that are brought into that area. NOTHING has changed at all. I tried resetting everything to no avail. I tried to get the PODS but I have the newest panoramic router (can't remeber what code version but it ends in an 8) and according to the COX sales dept, they are not compatable with yet and will be available at some time in the future indefinately SMH, so that is not an option.  Also,I cannot move the router from its location because it has a few physical connections to some devices in my office. Besides, this wasn't a problem until recently but its rapidly becoming a huge aggravation. The actual hardwired connections and speed is great but the WIFI has proven itself to be spotty at best. 

So before I  disable the wifi and use APs or put this thing in bridge mode and get some better stuff, or get rid of it all together, is there something else I can try that I may have overlooked to fix this other than downgrade the router and buy pods?, etc. The functionality is very limited as I cannot adjust channels or power and have to use both the IP address access and app access to get anything done. I have worked in the IT Field for 20+ years and have a very strong background in networking and at this point, there is nothing different about the house that would impede the WIFI signal other than the range (which wasnt a problem a week ago) I have tried all the obivious:

--reset the router on the app and off the ap

--repositioned the router as much as possible

--reset the TV, and internet connections multiple times 

--looking at the logs there is nothing significant that stands out 

--TV will pull the 5GHZ signal and 2.4 GHZ signal, 5 GHZ is too weak to work and while the 2.4 GHZ signal is stronger it still doesnt connect. 

--would turning off the WIFI 6 radio have any effect what-so-ever? as I doubt any devices on my network are using that

Thanks 

  • Allan's avatar
    Allan
    Moderator
    2 years ago

    Hello. I recommend sending an email with your full name, address, and a brief description of this concern to cox.help@cox.com. 

  • WiderMouthOpen's avatar
    WiderMouthOpen
    Esteemed Contributor
    2 years ago

      My guess is the 2.4Ghz signal is congested in your area. Maybe someone got a repeater or different router and is using up more wireless bandwidth. See here for instructions on how to scan the networks surrounding you. You want to find the 2.4Ghz channel that is least congested, choosing between 1, 6, and 11. The problem is I don't think the Panoramic gateway allows you to specify wifi channels, as per here. I think the theory being all gateways on channel auto-scan would mean they could work around each other, each changing channel as the situation changed. I don't think it works well in practice though.  

    As for what does work well, you have have a few options. If you get the gateway for free then bridging and buying your own router is one option. If you have Cox phone service, then swapping the gateway for a eMTA(TM3402) is a better option. If neither of those apply, then buying your own modem and router is best.

  • Darkatt's avatar
    Darkatt
    Honored Contributor
    2 years ago

    take the power off the wifi modem for 10 seconds, then plug it back in. It will rescan the wifi channels and select the least congested. 

    Also, if your tv has 5ghz, turn it off, and use 2.4 only. 2.4 has 2x the range that 5ghz has, so while it's said to be slower, it's got more range and in my home, is capable of a 4k streaming without issue. 

  • fromano76's avatar
    fromano76
    New Contributor
    2 years ago

    OK after hearing from my wife today that she is was having problems maintaining a good signal in other parts of the house now closer to the router. So  I opted to get a good mesh system, which is on its way here. The mesh system I bought can either work in router mode or AP mode. for the time being I will just turn the radios off on the Pano router and connect it to an open port as there is obiviously some sort of issue happening with the WIFI on this thing.  To answer all your questions, The 2.4 GHZ is pretty congested but nothing has changed from that since I moved in. As for turning it off an on...yea i did that first and multiple times. I didn't change anything. The TV in question has the ability to automatically switch from 5GHz and 2.4 GHZ. I thought maybe the TV was the problem until other devices started having issues.

    I have a relatively large house and as stated do not have the ability to move the router to another room. The router is located in almost the top corner room of a two story which is not ideal but didnt have a choice. I will add though that when I first moved in and hooked it up I tested the signal strength around the house with a few analizer tools I have to see if I were going to need to  purchase a mesh or more powerful router. Towards the other end of the house the signal was defanately degraded but where the TV/living room is, the signal on both the 5 and 2.4 GHZ channels were good. so I decided to stick it out with the Pano router and had 0 problems until about a week ago.

    Fast-forward to last night when I tested again, the signal strength at the end of the house is now non-existant and the Living room strength is poor for 5G and fair for 2.4G. As if the antenna gain for the WiFi has been turned down. As stated earlier, nothing has changed in the area that I know of. The signal coming into the router and to my wired devices is strong and fast as it should be. The router WiFi is the only thing effected. 

    I appreciate all the help IDK maybe I recieved a dud, who knows?! There  is something going on with it. I am going to try the AP mesh if that doesnt work I will bridge the pano router or just give it back abd buy my own. Sucks that I have to do that but I really have no other logical options at this point