Does Cox Limit Internet Speed?
Providing internet, TV, phone, and smart home services to millions of consumers in 18 states, Cox is among the top telecommunication companies in the United States. A fundamental and often requested topic from consumers is: does Cox throttle? Cox offers a wide spectrum of services. Regarding the above-stated question, one can confirm that, depending on the package a customer has selected, Cox does limit internet connection. Still, there are several factors to take into account before moving further with this idea.
Internet Speed Tiers
Like most other big ISPs, Cox groups their internet packages according to the provided speeds. Plans begin with the most basic internet plan—the "Essential Internet"—with a download speed of up to 30 Mbps to the "Gigablast Internet" plan with a download speed of up to 940 Mbps. Between these two, they provide different packages not limited to Internet Starter 50 (50 Mbps), Internet Preferred 100 (100 Mbps), Ultimate 300 (300 Mbps), G1gazelle Internet & Phone 500 (500 Mbps).
Thus, if you are subscribed to the basic 30 Mbps plan and paying for the 30 Mbps speed, then Cox can limit your download speeds to 30 Mbps. That speed cap is raised when one upgrades their account to a bigger tier. Well in that respect Cox does cap speeds and that depends on the plan that the user subscribes to. The speed tiers allow you to get precise and accurate figures that will not be high or low when the specific plan is in use.
Traffic Management Policies
However, Cox introduces a few traffic-shaping policies on their network during congested times apart from speed tiers. This is done in a bid to ensure that all customers are afforded an equal chance in their bandwidth usage, and that network congestion complications are handled comprehensively. Some ways they manage traffic include:
- Reduced speed for a limited period during certain hours of the day, especially for those consumers who have availed the very high bandwidth services for a considerable period. This is only applicable to a few percentage of traffic users who are at the extreme values.
- Traffic shaping where priority to Internet traffic is given such that real-time communications for instance video streaming and online gaming take place with ease. This might affect the speeds, especially in cases that do not require real-time usage of the internet.
- Reducing the speeds of those peering customers using P2P file sharing that consumes excess bandwidth over a long period.
The main purpose of those traffic management rules was to improve Internet performance for the majority of consumers, particularly during evenings as the bandwidth consumption is much higher. They are not built to target individual users or even continuously restrict whole neighborhoods or regions from the platform. Instead, it is a dynamic system that is expected to prevent the overutilization of the services that might have a bearing on the quality experience of the customer.
This paper aims to analyze the impact of Wi-Fi performance on user experience and satisfaction.
I also want to highlight that, often, the Wi-Fi networks that are used at home can greatly affect the actual Internet connection speed. If, for instance, you are using Wi-Fi to connect, have a weak signal, an old router, or many users connected to Wi-Fi at the same time, your connection speed will remain low regardless of the selected Cox plan. It is important to have a strong Wi-Fi connection to the farthest corner of your house; otherwise, those internet speed limits are impossible to achieve through wireless connectivity.
In Summary
Cox does restrict the amount of internet usage based on the amount of data each customer has purchased but they clarify those are maximum or “up to” speeds that are adjusted for Network Congestion during peak hours. As the speeds can often be actual, depending on a host of factors like location, congestion, Wi-Fi, etc. Their traffic shaping policies are designed to ensure that all customers, even those who consume vast amounts of bandwidth, can get a good internet experience but might limit the outliers who use exorbitant bandwidth. In other words, as long as you decide on the correct speed tier for your household usage and have a proper Wi-Fi connection, you should receive speeds that are within the limit of the Cox data plan that you have subscribed to.
Ready to upgrade your internet experience? Call us now at +1 844-349-7575 to explore the best Cox Internet plans for your needs!