Forum Discussion

Tcox's avatar
Tcox
New Contributor III
2 months ago

Replacement for Arris cornerstone NIU

My Cox internet connection is via a legacy Arris NIU. The coax from the street connects to the Network port and the coax feeding my cable modem connects to the Home port. There are a couple of voice ports which are disconnected since I have my own VOIP provider and a separate box for that on my LAN.

I have some noise on my network so I think removing this obsolete equipment and replacing it with a simpler junction box is probably a good idea. I think the NIU must provide some type of filtering and surge/lightning protection so I don't think you can just screw the two ends of coax together with a grounded coupler. 

Does anyone know what these old boxes are replaced with when all you need is the cable connection for internet? 

 

  • WiderMouthOpen's avatar
    WiderMouthOpen
    Esteemed Contributor II
    2 months ago

    Should just need a grounding block, assuming the NIU was correctly grounded. However the NIU is Cox property so just contact them to come out and remove it and do everything required. No replacement since it isn't used anymore and serves no function. If anything, it just causes problems. I am surprised it's still there. When was the last time you had a technician out?

    • Tcox's avatar
      Tcox
      New Contributor III
      2 months ago

      The box would have been removed long ago except it is inside the garage so they did not see it or think to ask. I would gladly pull it and put it a grounding block myself but since the NIU has voice ports/splitters, it will likely change my signal levels when pulled. I will get a tech out to look at that. 

      • DannyS's avatar
        DannyS
        Moderator
        2 months ago

        Tcox, voiceports will slightly alter your transmit/receive levels when connected. Being inside the home, harvesting teams would have been unable to retrieve it.  They may have pulled power from the main drop though.  It should be removed to reduce the chance of it creating concerns in the future.  We would be happy to help with setting up a visit.  Reach out to us via email at cox.help@cox.com for assistance.

  • WiderMouthOpen's avatar
    WiderMouthOpen
    Esteemed Contributor II
    2 months ago

    I saw this previous post which pointed to a possible ground hum issue. Did you ever get that looked at and fixed? I know you likely have, since it was 10 years ago, but that would line up around the time Cox used NIU's, so it's possible a tech hasn't been out in that long.

    • Tcox's avatar
      Tcox
      New Contributor III
      2 months ago

      Old issue no longer relevant as I don't have that equipment or get TV from cable. 

      • WiderMouthOpen's avatar
        WiderMouthOpen
        Esteemed Contributor II
        2 months ago

        So you have a direct connection from the NIU output to the modem/gateway? If so, there is unlikely to be any problem with removing the NIU. I had one when I had Cox and they removed mine and if anything, it only helped things.