Forum Discussion

NCM's avatar
NCM
New Contributor
5 years ago

Upgraded to Gigablast - Can't get anything over 400mbps download speeds

We've been with Cox for about 14 years without any issues. During the lockdown we upgraded from the 150 plan to Gigablast because it was the cheapest upgrade option at the time. With 19 devices in the house, we should be comfortably able to stream and work from home all at once. After two Cox techs have been out, 4 different Cox modems (we are using the Panoramic modem now), we still get horrible speeds. Last tech came out and connected our coaxial directly into his device, and could get speeds in the 900's. Once he plugged the coax into ANY modem at all of theirs, speeds dropped dramatically. We range from 60 mbps to maybe 300 mbps download speeds on a good day. Because the speeds are inconsistent, only one person can use Zoom at a time, which is a huge problem.  We were eventually told that Cox had a nationwide software issue with new upgrades to Gigablast that was causing this problem and they were having their engineers work on it to find a fix. A few weeks later with no improvement, we were told that "that particular issue" was solved weeks ago and we shouldn't be experiencing any issues. We even tried downgrading our plan to the 300 plan to see if it was a problem specifically with Gigablast, but the speeds were unusable, so we switched back. 

Meanwhile we cannot get another tech to the house due to current health restrictions. Our household is all working from home indefinitely, so I feel like I'm begging Cox for help. IS THERE ANY WAY THAT COX HAS ALLOWED US TO PAY FOR A SERVICE THAT IS NOT ACTUALLY AVAILABLE TO MY NEIGHBORHOOD? I have asked multiple times for some kind of coverage map from Cox that would show that our area definitely can achieve these speeds and they have nothing. Other websites that show Cox's fiber coverage do NOT include my neighborhood. I don't know what to think, but have lost my faith in Cox's desire/ability to solve the problem. I realize we are all struggling through this time and have been very patient with them. But I am paying through the nose for this service and actually need it. Our state is mostly opened up now, so I would've thought the strain on our network would've eased up a bit, but there has been no difference.

  • LatitiaS's avatar
    LatitiaS
    Moderator
    5 years ago
    Hello NCM,


    We certainly don't want you to feel this way. I truly regret this experience has left you with an unsatisfactory perspective of our business. Please send us an email to cox.help@cox.com with your account details so that we can look into each of your concerns. I look forward to working with you.

    Latitia
    Cox Support Forum Moderator
  • Mike5381's avatar
    Mike5381
    New Contributor III
    5 years ago

    I dont have Gigablast so excuse my ignorance but, isn't just fiber to the home and then copper on Coax once it hits the demarc point of your home? I ask because your existing coax cable was not designed or installed with anything except television in mind - analog TV at that in most cases. Do you know if your coax is RG6 or the older RG59 standard? RG6 has a larger copper core which means a larger pipe if you will. It is possible you have a poor SNR (Signal noise ratio) which could come from a variety of sources including too much power, not enough power, amplifiers on the line that help TV signal but hurt internet, etc.

    Unless we, as customers, are prepared to contract out a specialist who is going to open the drywall up throughout our homes and run Cat 6 and new coax throughout, we cannot expect to get the "ideal lab tested results" that are advertised. When a telecom trenches to your home to bring you 2020 technology, but it is connecting to 1970s-1990s technology, you are only as strong as your weakest link.