Forum Discussion

Shawn's avatar
Shawn
New Contributor II
2 months ago

What are your fastest Gigablast 1Gig plan speeds with your hardware?

I am trying to find out if my modem is not able to get the full Gigablast 1gig speeds for my plan.
I am pretty sure my router is a bottleneck, but I don't want to replace my router until I know my modem is not the final bottleneck.

Cox dashboard test. Las Vegas, NV to Glendale, AZ. I forgot to test using speedtest.net.
806 / 39 / (down/up Mbps) 16ms: Ethernet direct to my Netgear CM1000 cable modem. 

Speedtest.net results below. Phoenix to Glendale, AZ. (2025.01.29)
822 / 40 / (down/up Mbps) 9ms: Ethernet through Asus AC-RT68U Wifi 5 router. 
311 / 40 (down/up Mbps) 9ms: Wifi 5G 5.0 ghz link speed 650, through Asus AC-RT68U Wifi 5 router.
82 / 36 (down/up Mbps) 10ms: Wifi 2.4 ghz link speed 144, through Asus AC-RT68U Wifi 5 router.

Plan: Gigablast (Details from Cox:)
Typical Download Speed: 1173 Mbps
Typical Upload Speed: 40 Mbps
Typical Latency: 13 ms
Typical speeds represent national median test results.
Listed at  https://www.cox.com/residential/internet/gigabit.html as of this post.
Date, time of day, and network activity in the home at the time can affect results.

 

speedtest
  • ChrisJ2's avatar
    ChrisJ2
    Moderator
    2 months ago

    Hi, Shawn. That modem has 32 downstream channels. As we're addressing each channel at 25Mbps, you are likely going to hover around 800 and would benefit from a different modem. 

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

      It may only have 32 QAM downstream channels, but it also has the capability of using OFDM downstream channels which can support higher speeds. Cox lists the modem to support up to 1Gbps as per here. Can you explain? What model would you suggest?

      • ChrisJ2's avatar
        ChrisJ2
        Moderator
        2 months ago

        Alright, thank you for that information. 

    • Shawn's avatar
      Shawn
      New Contributor II
      2 months ago

      As WiderMouthOpen mentioned, it's on the list of modems that support 1Gig. My CM1000 currently has 32 of 32 locked channels, plus 2 of 2 locked OFDM channels for downstream. I am just curious if my speeds are what other people are seeing from Cox Gigablast using a similar 32+2 (down) 8+2 (up) OFDM modem. If other people in my area are getting faster with the same spec modem, I am wondering if the DMARC point to my house needs to be looked at.

      • WiderMouthOpen's avatar
        WiderMouthOpen
        Esteemed Contributor II
        2 months ago
        Shawn wrote:

        I am wondering if the DMARC point to my house needs to be looked at.

        I wonder that too. As per your old post here, there might be a filter on your line that blocks out some of the signal that kept you from getting the TV signal. That was before Cox encrypted their signal, since now they don't have to block/filter signal to stop service. Since it requires a box/CC now, all they have to do is flip a switch in their computers. That same filter may be stopping some of the signal needed to allow your modem full speed. Just a guess. 

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

    I saw your post on Reddit. You won't get much input here from users. There are only 3-4 of us here(besides the moderators).

    With that said, most problems are related to signal and not hardware. AFAIK all DOCSIS 3.1 modems support up to 1Gbps(hyperthetically) while actual speed maxes around 940Mbps because of overhead. You can squeak out a bit more by getting a D3.1 modem with a 2.5Gbps ethernet port like the S33, but that won't help a signal issue. See here for a full list.

    Can you post your signal levels? See here.

    As for your router, that model is EoL as per here, so even if just for security reasons, probably a good idea to replace. I have the RT-AX86u and love it. They have a Pro model though which is better and I think the same price now. The gl-inet FLint 2 router is also a good choice. You won't get gigabit over wifi though unless you invest in a Wifi 6e or above and you have devices that support it. 

    • Shawn's avatar
      Shawn
      New Contributor II
      2 months ago

      Thanks, I figured Reddit probably has more activity. I would like to get 900+ since that should be possible when including the overhead. I am guessing that the 1173 Mbps number listed by Cox is by using a 2.5GB cable modem on the gigablast plan. Which for the sake of future proofing (again), I might consider that route since my desktop supports it. Though I would need to upgrade my switches to 2.5GB as well. 

      My signals look great with an SNR of 43-45.5 across the 32 QAM channels. And 40-42 for the OFDM channels. The RT-AC68U is still great and Asus still keeps updating it for security. My last firmware update was Nov 2024. But yes, it's old. I plan to upgrade to another Asus router as I really like the firmware, free VPN, free DDNS, and other controls/monitoring. Though I would prefer a separate router and access points. The Asus Ai Mesh doesn't work great with this model so I currently only use 1. Maybe the new Asus Ai Mesh actually works great. lol. 

      I would love to get the ASUS RT-BE92U BE9700 since it has a 10G and 2.5G WAN, plus 2.5G LAN ports. Under $300, so I might go that route. I could do that since my main desktop goes straight to the router switch and the rest of the house can get 2.5GB switches later. lol. As for wifi devices, I just want to hit the 600 range which a new Wifi router should solve. :) 

      And thanks for suggesting another brand. I will check out the Flint 2 for prices and specs. And to see if they have a firmware emulator like other brands do.

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

        Well if Asus lists the model as EoL, I don't think they plan to update the firmware anymore. Last update was a month ago and it didn't have any security patches or bug fixes or anything like that, and I think that will be the last update.

        If you want to stay with Asus, the RT-BE92u is probably great. Haven't heard too much about it to be honest, bad or good. Main thing I notice is it has 1 10Gb WAN port and 4 2.5Gb LAN ports. Why do you need a switch? Have more then 4 wired devices?

        If you are going to buy it, but ASAP. With the new tariffs on chips that routers use, I think prices will go up. Not meant as political, just a warning from one Asus user to another. If you want a separate router and AP, look into Unifi. That is the way to go if you have the ability to run ethernet to backhaul the AP and set up a controller to improve roaming. More expensive and complex to set up though. Unifi also has a site/app to help you decide what hardware you need and where it should be placed.