Forum Discussion

dhgunit's avatar
dhgunit
New Contributor
3 years ago

Data Usage doesn't make sense

I got a message 75% of data has been used (1750 GB Total) and we still had 10 days left in our billing cycle.  Kids and wife were sad to here it but Wifi getting turned off for a couple of days.

I turned it off for 36 hours.  I check data usage on the site and it says I used a combined 97 GB of data on both those days.  Is Cox scamming us to upgrade?  How is that possible?  On a "normal" day I use about 40 GB.

  • BenS1's avatar
    BenS1
    Former Moderator
    3 years ago
    Hi @Dhgunit
    . There are numerous factors that impact data usage. I’d first suggest that you change your home network password to something new. We’ve heard from several customers recently, who—after noticing discrepancies in their data usage—were able to restore their data usage to what they considered ‘normal’ for their household simply by changing their network password. Have you checked all of your household devices for viruses and malware? Spyware running in the background can cause sudden spikes in data usage. Our computers, smart home assistants, game consoles & mobile devices may be sending or receiving data even if we are not actively using our Internet service.

    Ben S.
    Cox Support Forums Moderator
    • dhgunit's avatar
      dhgunit
      New Contributor
      3 years ago

      How could they use it if the Wifi is turned off?

    • Bruce's avatar
      Bruce
      Honored Contributor III
      3 years ago

      Hmm...if WiFi is off, how can malcontents consume data?  Perhaps there is a hole in the wall behind your router big enough for a hand holding an Ethernet cable.

      Moreover, what customer after complaining about data spikes, changing their password and then concluding an unauthorized user would notify Cox this was the corrective action?  Not just 1 customer but "several."  I like to see those metrics.  Maybe after a customer complained, Cox had stopped tampering with the cap to make it appear "normal."