Forum Discussion

PGriffin's avatar
PGriffin
New Contributor III
6 years ago

Gigablast download speed issue

I recently signed up for the Gigablast plan. I am renting the Panoramic Wifi modem/router from Cox. Hooked it up to the coaxial cable outlet in the wall, and connected via ethernet to my laptop (which has a gigabit ethernet card btw.) Ran speed tests (speedtest.net) several times on different days/hours but the maximum download speed I can get is about 300-350 Mbps. Ran Cox's speedtest, same results. Cox sent out a technician, he unplugged the coaxial cable going into the modem and hooked it up to his meter and got over 1Gbps consistently. He checked all the wires, everything looks good, we did a speedtest again - no change in speeds, still about 300-350 Mbps.

I am using original Cox equipment (modem, coax cable, Cat5E cable - all came in the box with the Panaromic Wifi modem.) I have not connected a separate router. There is only one ethernet connection going from Port1 on the modem to my laptop, no cable in ethernet Port2. I don't understand why I get slower speeds when the device the technician used directly with the coax cable gave 1Gbps speeds consistently. I have tried all the usual things - rebooted the modem, my laptop, checked connections - everything looks good. The tech who came out is very experienced. He said he's never seen anyone actually get 1Gbps in my state of Rhode Island. He said 300-350 Mbps is the maximum I could expect, and that Gigablast is really meant for speed sharing over several devices, not high speeds for one wired device. Is this true?

Thought I'd post this on the forum in case there is a way to achieve 1Gbps downloads (btw uploads are 37Gbps as advertised.) I am considering downgrading to the Preferred 150 or 300 plan otherwise (that's what the technician recommended btw...)

Becky, help me! 🙂

  • David_Jewel's avatar
    David_Jewel
    New Contributor II
    6 years ago

    Yeah if you want decent speeds your best bet is going to go buy a new cable modem you own.. When I got Gigablast upgrade the panoramic modem they supplied wouldn't give anymore then around the same speed you mention at the modem (speedcheck showed similar results when they had a tier 2 tech crew come out it was 900-950Mbps there were getting at the connection outside and they re ran the cabling to the house even and couldn't understand why they couldn't get more then 400-500 on their network analyzer at the modem) amazingly I went to Best Buy and bought my own Docsis 3.1 modem and suddenly yep sure as heck speeds went up significantly where my higher end router could speed check and even during busy times I was getting in the 800Mbps range and at night Id hit 900 or so..So the tech likely was full of it.. Go buy your own modem that listed as supporting gigablast (I agree we shouldn't have to because cox should supply hardware worth something to its customers but ya do whatcha gotta do sometimes). 

    • PGriffin's avatar
      PGriffin
      New Contributor III
      6 years ago

      I was planning to buy my own modem at some point, but I wanted to make sure that I could actually get the advertised 1Gbps speeds before making that investment. So are you saying Cox's own new fangled Panaromic Wifi modem can't support Gigablast speeds? That'd be a crying shame.

      Could you share which modem worked for you?

      Anyone else see their speeds go up with a personal Docsis 3.1 modem?

    • PGriffin's avatar
      PGriffin
      New Contributor III
      6 years ago

      Hey David, which modem did you buy? I might give it a try, anything to get full Gigablast speeds...

  • Allan's avatar
    Allan
    Moderator
    6 years ago
    Hello PGriffin. You should be able to receive higher speeds that what your device is reporting. I recommend having another tech come out and take a look since you are still experiencing this issue. Please send us an email with your full name, address, and a link to this thread. Thanks. -Allan Cox Support Forums Moderator.
    • PGriffin's avatar
      PGriffin
      New Contributor III
      6 years ago

      Hello Allan, I have sent an email with the above information. Please follow up. I hope we can get this issue resolved.

  • AdmiralJackass's avatar
    AdmiralJackass
    New Contributor II
    6 years ago

    Might be worth looking into a newer generation of Ethernet cable as well. I experience significantly higher speeds with a cat 6a cable. 

    • PGriffin's avatar
      PGriffin
      New Contributor III
      6 years ago

      I am using a Cat6 cable (not Cat5e, sorry my bad.) The cable is more than capable of 1 Gbps speeds, so I have a feeling it's not that... Thanks for the suggestion though.

      • ChrisL's avatar
        ChrisL
        Former Moderator
        6 years ago
        Do you have another PC with a gigabit Ethernet port you can try testing with?

        -Chris
  • PGriffin's avatar
    PGriffin
    New Contributor III
    6 years ago

    Third technician visit today. His verdict - modem and PC are fine, but there might be a wiring issue in the cable room.Wait 1-2 weeks to hear from Cox.

    Speeds still no better than before (Wired: 350/37 Mbps, 5 Ghz Wireless: 60-80/37 Mbps.) Not even close to Gigablast downloads.

    Could anyone in the support team really take an interest and sort me out?

    • KevinM2's avatar
      KevinM2
      Former Moderator
      6 years ago
      Hi PGriffin, I do see a work order in place to have your outside cable line (your drop) replaced and buried. Based on the on-site assessment, some replacements may require a permit. State and town permit codes vary and may cause a delay in the completion of replacing and burying the line. On some occasions, this can take up to three weeks. Inclement weather such as rain or ice can cause a delay in completion. -Kevin M. Cox Support Forum Moderator
      • PGriffin's avatar
        PGriffin
        New Contributor III
        6 years ago

        On to my fourth technician visit today. Tech came in, looked around for a bit, then said he might need to break open the ceiling from my apartment to the access point in the hallway outside and run a new cable. Alternatively, I could downgrade my service from Gigablast to a lower plan. Left saying he needed to talk to a supervisor and would call me back in a few hours. Haven't heard from him since...

        Before breaking open the entire ceiling, can you guys make sure that replacing the wiring will indeed fix the problem? If the speeds remain the same after going through all that hassle, I would not be very happy.

  • MichaelB2's avatar
    MichaelB2
    New Contributor
    6 years ago

    I'm also having the same issue. I signed up for Gigablast, installed a new Gigabit modem and activated it. Have all CAT6 cabling and have absolutely no change in speed. I ran multiple speed tests before and after (even Cox's powered Ookla tool) and there is no change in download. My upload did change from 30Mbps to 35Mbps. Please Help 

  • MichaelB2's avatar
    MichaelB2
    New Contributor
    6 years ago

    I'm also having the same issue in the state fo Rhode Island. I signed up for Gigablast, installed a new Gigabit modem and activated it. Have all CAT6 cabling and have absolutely no change in speed. I ran multiple speed tests before and after (even Cox's powered Ookla tool) and there is no change in download. My upload did change from 30Mbps to 35Mbps. Please Help 

    • KevinM2's avatar
      KevinM2
      Former Moderator
      6 years ago
      @MichaelB2, I understand you mentioned CAT6 cable, so I'm assuming these speed tests were conducted on a hard-wired connection and not WiFi? I am providing information on how to achieve Gigablast speeds:

      www.cox.com/.../achieve-gigablast-speeds.html

      What download speeds are you receiving? Please make sure your device is capable of obtaining those speeds, and that it is up-to-date with the latest software/firmware. For additional support, please feel free to reach out to us at cox.help@cox.com, Twitter, or Facebook. -Kevin M. Cox Support Forum Moderator