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btanchors's avatar
btanchors
New Contributor II
2 years ago
Solved

New to Cox Internet, having Intermittent issues

Hello everyone,

After reading many concerns over connectivity and Internet Service on this forum, I am not sure if my problem is unique or just another occurrence of what others are experiencing.  I'm pretty fluent with PCs, but am not network-savvy.  I'm thinking this problem could be my PC, but I am thinking it's most likely the Internet Service.

I have Cox 1GB service with unlimited data.  I just moved across the country from Herndon, VA, where I had Verizon FIOs for years - which all my computers used to be connected to.  That service is not available in my new location, Glendale, AZ, outside of Phoenix.

The problem is intermittent connectivity to websites I KNOW are up and running.  It happens often enough to be very disrupting to my work as well as frustrating.  It seems to happen on websites I have previously visited - I don't recall it ever happening the first time I attempt to visit a website I have not visited previously.

The error message from the browser is "Hmmm... can't reach this page  The connection was reset."  I know the websites are up and running because I can open them using Safari on my iPhone.  The PC is running Windows 10.  I have tried both Microsoft Edge as well as Google Chrome on the PC.  Still get the same error.  I tried doing an "ipconfig/dnflush", but this did not help.  I even uninstalled my Antivirus software (Norton 360), but this did not help, so I re-installed it.  The weird thing is that I can usually go to the same websites that failed earlier and can access them with no issue, but the problem generally comes back.

Of course, I have tried rebooting both he PC and the modem/router, but this did not help.

Anyone have a clue how to solve this, or at least help try to narrow down the problem???  Incidentally, I am only getting about 106 Mbps download speed, but perhaps this is because all my computers are connected via WiFi - they are not hard-wire connected to the Router.

Thanks for any help or hints you might have!!

Dennis

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  • btanchors's avatar
    btanchors
    New Contributor II
    2 years ago
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    After connecting more PCs and running speedtest.net, I get much faster speed on a different PC running Windows 11 - almost 1Gbps, which is what I am paying for.  AND, I cannot reproduce the intermittent connectivity issue on the new computer, at least, not yet.

    So, it would appear the problem is my original PC, a desktop PC.  How can I figure out where the problem is in my PC?

    Note that on my original PC, i tried changing the connection to a hardwired connection, directly into the modem/router.  Speedtest now shows much faster speed, though only half of the other PC that is still connected to WiFi.

    Any thoughts?

     

    • btanchors's avatar
      btanchors
      New Contributor II
      2 years ago
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      It turns out I was correct, the problem is my PC.

      It is a Desktop machine with both WiFi and hard-wired connection ability.  I obtained a new laptop and compared download speeds between the laptop and the desktop.  The laptop was obtaining nearly 1GBps!  Definitely over 900Mbps most of the time.  The best the desktop could obtain over WiFi was about 100Mbps.  Hardwiring the desktop got it up to over 400 MBps.  My desktop is over 5 years old, so I guess it is time for replacement anyway.  I could just replace the WiFi and LAN cards, but might as well get a new PC!

      The Cox technician came out as well and confirmed what I found out.  He also tested my connection from my house outside and found no issues.  So, my problem is solved, and the problem was NOT cox!

    • Darkatt's avatar
      Darkatt
      Honored Contributor
      2 years ago
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      So first, you need to check your PC and see if your ethernet is 100baseTX or 1000baseTX. Ensure you turn off the WiFi on the desktop. If you have a 1gb (1000baseTX) port on the pc, then reboot it in safe mode with networking, and THEN run the speedtest. If the speed jumps tremendously, it indicates you have a software issue causing the slowdown. if the speeds remain the same,. it indicates it's a hardware issue. At this point, then we can take the next steps.