How Fast is Cox WiFi Hotspot?
With its WiFi hotspot service, Cox Communications has WiFi hotspots in many of the cities in the United States. A wireless connectivity service offered by Cox Communications to its internet customers is Cox WiFi, through which users can connect to wireless access points within their city and surf the internet on the go. Yet, the key question is: how fast is Cox WiFi hotspots? Below please find a summary of Cox WiFi hotspot speeds and performance.
We know that Cox WiFi offers various speeds, but let’s look at the different packages and what is offered in each one.
The internet speed Cox WiFi hotspots can offer is up to 50 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload. Based on the WiFi technology available, data, or the number of users connected, the speed may vary. You can find many hotspots with download and upload speeds that enable web browsing, email, social media sharing, streaming music, and light video streaming.
Cox premier and ultimate internet customers receive the fastest hotspot speed, up to 50 Mbps. Still, it is worth mentioning that the essential and any starter pack customers may be provided with hotspot speeds of about 25-30 Mbps.
How Does Cox WiFi Hotspot Speed Compare to Cox Internet?
Wireless Broadband: this is essentially a public-access WiFi service whereby Cox WiFi hotspots can offer fairly good on-the-go broadband connection in terms of speed. Here’s how Cox WiFi speeds compare to other public WiFi options:
- Starbucks WiFi has a connection offering speed of around 10-15 Mbps, which is slower than what Cox provides.
- You can get up to 150 Mbps speeds at Xfinity WiFi hotspots, for Xfinity internet subscribers more than Cox WiFi.
- Cox WiFi speeds range from 10-50 Mbps, similar to what one gets from purchasing a WiFi hotspot from a mobile carrier.
Thus, Cox WiFi hotspots provide Internet connection faster than many public WiFi networks, but it is not the fastest WiFi hotspotter available. From the results tested, it appears that Xfinity WiFi hotspots offer better maximum download speeds compared to Cox.
The following are the factors that affect the Cox WiFi hotspot speeds:
There are a few key factors that impact internet speeds from any WiFi hotspot, including Cox WiFi:
- Connected Users – Many users connected to a single hotspot reduce the bandwidth available to the extent of slowing down the process.
- Punctual Signal Interference – Signals coming from distant directions or barriers hinder WiFi speed while interference from other devices also slows down WiFi.
- This means that the internet speeds at the hotspot are determined by the bandwidth capacity that has been put in place. I think that increased capacities allow for higher speeds.
- WiFi Technology – WiFi 6 is a more recent technology compared to WiFi 4 and WiFi 5, so it can generally have higher peak data rates.
This is because when you hop onto a Cox WiFi hotspot and you find that speed is far from what you expected it to be, it might be due to things such as; competing usage, weak signals, the technology behind WiFi, and how it works among others.
Some of the common scenarios in which Cox WiFi is used include:
Certain aspects of wireless connectivity are advantageous when using Cox WiFi and some that are not as favorable. Here are some typical use cases:
Good for:
- Web browsing
- Email
- Social media
- Maps/navigation
- Music streaming
- SD video streaming
May Struggle With:
- Large file downloads/uploads
- HD video streaming
- Video calls/conferencing
- Online gaming
- VPN connections
Well, less demanding tasks suit it superbly, however, data-intensive actions such as HD Netflix streaming may lag or slow down over Cox WiFi. In such cases, you may wish to use a faster hotspot or your home/office wireless internet connection.
Enhance the Speed and Performance of Cox WiFi
If you’re experiencing slower-than-expected Cox WiFi speeds, here are some tips to boost performance:
1. Bend towards or walk closer to the hotspot - If one is not already within sight range of the hotspot, then moving closer will enhance the strength of the signal received. If the walls and floors of a building are made out of concrete and metallic structures, then it weakens the signals of the WiFi.
2. Check Subscription – Ensure the Cox account subscription type you have utilized permits you the fastest hotspot speeds. Premier/Ultimate packages are available with a maximum internet speed of up to 50 Mbps.
3. Avoid Big File Downloads/Uploads – do not transfer/enumerate very large files, which would put pressure on the hotspot capacity and negatively affect other users. Use local WiFi or cellular data to upload/download files that are larger than the allowed size.
4. Use Few Gadgets – One gadget should be connected at a time rather than linking many of the personal gadgets together simultaneously whenever possible.
5. Turn off WiFi Assist on iOS since this automatically switches to the mobile network when the WiFi connection is bad.
6. Restart Connection – Turn on and off WiFi or Airplane Mode to try to reconnect more strongly to the hotspot provider.
Adhering to those Cox WiFi hotspot tips, you will certainly have a chance to get some fairly tolerable and stable Internet connection speed for occasional web surfing and recreational media streaming via Cox WiFi available hotspots. However, if you are to perform intensive internet-related activities, search for other WiFi network available that has higher bandwidths for performing the operations.
Ready to upgrade your internet experience? Call us now at +1 844-349-7575 to explore the best Cox Internet plans for your needs!