Is this Dial-up in Disguise?
I am a new Cox internet customer, and I could not be more displeased. The connection drops EVERY single day. Multiple times. The gateway keeps giving different names to the same devices, apparent...
Forum Discussion
Thanks for these helpful diagnostic questions.
- No wired connections, so can’t compare. Just one light on the top. Remains white and steady even when devices say no WiFi. It’s a CGM4141 Cox gateway.
- No Android devices. Mac Sequoia, iOS 18.3.1, Samsung TV, LG TV.
- Today's reliability seems better than the first two days. I did observe that the Samsung TV was jumping on to another condo's network--that alone may have been the problem. I've taken care of that. Anyway, I'm getting 100-120 mbps even on wireless with multiple connections, so fingers crossed it'll stay that way.
- I'll try to get the gateway swapped out, and if that doesn't work explore compatible modems.
Again, thanks for the thoughtful response.
- If the connection is dropping and the light doesn't change, it's probably not your Cox internet connection having a problem, but the wifi connection between you gateway and devices. The first thing to do is test with a wired connection. If you don't have any devices with ethernet, I suggest buying a USB/lightening> ethernet adapter. Not only will this allow you to isolate the issue, but it will allow you to get online when your wifi goes down or you are somewhere that doesn't have wifi. Second thing to do is use a wifi analyzer on a device (like your phone) to see if other people around you are using the same wifi channel. See here on how. If so, I suggest getting your own modem and router. Cox's gateway is really bad at handling wifi channel issues. I could go into why, but it's not important. Main point is if you live somewhere with a lot of wifi networks around you (like a condo), Cox gateway is bad. Getting your own also saves you on monthly charges.
- What devices are mis-reported by the app? All of them? The TVs shouldn't have randomized MAC so I don't see why they should be affected. For iOS though, see here.
- Why would the Samsung TV change what network it's connected to. If your network goes down, the TV should just disconnect. Not like they use a wifi profile because it's not like people are moving TV's around to connect to different networks. What model TV do you have? What network did it connect to? How did it get the password?
- Not modem, modem and router or modem/router combo, preferably the former. The modem part turns the coax signal to ethernet via DOCSIS. See here for a list of compatible modems. I suggest the Arris S33/34 if budget isn't as much a concern. The router takes the 1 public IP bridged through the modem and uses NAT to create the multiple private 192.168.0.x IPs used by your devices. The main problem with the gateway is its automated systems like channel/mode/band steering. However, with automation comes lack of control. All the routers in your condo are constantly changing what wifi channels they use and like a radio station interfering with another, you have problems. The only real solution is to use a band (5Ghz or 6Ghz) that isn't used as much, find a wired solution (ethernet or MoCA), or come to an arrangement with the people in the condo about who uses what channel. That is where having your own router comes into place. However, everyone would need their own router if using Cox, to make that possible.
