How Many Devices can I Connect to my Cox Router?
As more smart devices make their way into homes today, starting with smartphones and tablets, smart speakers, security cameras, smart appliances, and so on, people ask themselves if their router can deal with all of that load. If you are a Cox home internet subscriber and you are using the home router supplied by Cox, this is what you should know about the number of devices you can connect.
What is The Definition of Capacity of a Device?
There are a few key factors that determine just how many devices your Cox router can handle at once:
- Router model – There are more advanced and new models of routers, and these are capable of supporting more devices. The number of devices that a specific router model can handle ranges from 10-20 devices for a basic model of the router to 50+ devices for the advanced routers.
- Internet plan speed – This is the amount of internet bandwidth that you pay for and if you have higher speeds on your internet service plan then you can have many more connections on your router. Gigabit plan provides the connection with the highest device capacity.
- Device usage – The usage of devices that connect but are inactive means that more connected gadgets are achievable compared to those streaming, gaming, or transferring data actively. Most smart home devices may consume a small amount of data, depending on their functionality.
- Network bands – The routers have two wifi bands which include 2.4GHz and 5GHz. It can reach faster speeds and more bandwidth per user because the 5GHz bands are less congested. Thus, it makes sense to connect capable devices to 5GHz so that more devices can get access to the 2.4GHz band.
Cox is a telecommunications company that has several routers in the market; some of the common routers that Cox has are:
In general, most of the Cox router models have the estimated number of supported devices written on the product packaging or in the manual. Here’s a rundown:
- Panoramic Wifi Gateway (Model WP61): Provides connection for 60+ connected devices in the event of utilizing the premier internet speed tier.
- Panoramic Wifi Modem (Model CM61): Up to forty-five devices and ideal high-speed internet connectivity.
- Contour Record 6 DVR: Enables an additional 7 to 10 devices on the Panoramic routers’ capacity, when used as a wifi booster.
- Attach a Netgear Nighthawk C7800: It is stated in official documentation that it supports over 64 backward compatible devices. Actual performance in real-life environments has stable connections with 75+ users.
As you can see in the above settings, under the right settings, advanced routers such as Nighthawk will support up to 75 gadgets at a go. Although that is true, it does not mean you should connect that many devices all at once! But it’s useful headroom.
How to receive the ultimate from COX Router Panoramic?
Follow this expert advice to maximize just how many laptops, tablets, phones, smart home devices, and more your Cox Panoramic router can handle in your environment:
Update Firmware You can upgrade your gateway’s firmware through the gateway web management interface and do this at any time when a firmware update is available. There are usually changes that release more wifi capacity.
Enable 5GHz – Ensure that the two bands of wifi are on for dual-band devices to establish the connection to a faster 5GHz for more space for 2.4GHz to breathe.
Switch between bands If you observe that the normal channels are being interfered with or busy with traffic, then switch both bands to other less crowded channels for better results.
Avoid Overloading Signal – You should place your Panoramic router in a central part of your house where there are no barriers to wifi signals to enhance the wifi signal. Do not bury it under tvs, or pack it in entertainment units.
Utilize Wired Connection Whenever Possible If you have a smartTV, gaming console, PC, laptop, or other similar devices that can be connected with the ethernet cable, connect those devices to the LAN ports available at your WiFi router or mesh satellite modules. This relieves congestion on the devices with mobile features.
Step 1: Mesh network – Obtain Cox Fiwi Pods and integrate them into a mesh network by extending the wifi coverage to a broader radius so that every corner of the larger house gets a Cox Fiwi Pod for a faster, reliable internet connection. If there are more meshes, the device can have a larger capacity.
Are You Doubting If You Can Add More Devices? Run a Speed Test!
The question is, will the new smart display, security camera, or tablet overburden your home network? The simplest way of determining if the router is capable of handling additional devices is to conduct an internet speed check of the current connections.
The website I prefer for speed testing is SpeedTest.net since it provides you with a tool that can be used on any device with internet access. Simply try running a speed test during breakfast, a show in the evening, or while playing games, and that should show you what the true speeds are. But if your speeds still read what your Cox plan has to offer, then it seemingly means that your router still has some leeway left to run one more device. But if speeds are much lower as compared to what Cox offers you with the paid package, do not hook anything else to your cable modem until you fix the problem of congestion.
Sometimes it is also important that you get to know when is the right time that you have to start looking for a new router.
This is quite overwhelming to imagine that modern households can have more than 50 connected devices in the house nowadays if you count phones, laptops, IoT devices, TVs, and so on. If your current Panoramic gateway slows down a lot, loses connections, overheats, or behaves erratically, upgrading it was the only sane thing to do.
Cox introduces new router models with high speed, longer range, and the capacity to manage a larger number of devices. It is also possible to add a couple of mesh network configurations or go full throttle with equipment such as the Netgear Nighthawk series and its 75+ device limit. This saves us from wifi headaches even as your family goes on adding more and more connected gadgets to it.
Ready to upgrade your internet experience? Call us now at +1 844-349-7575 to explore the best Cox Internet plans for your needs!