What is Normal Cox Internet Speed?
Owned by Cox Enterprises, Cox Communications is one of the biggest cable internet providers in the United States it operates in 18 states and the firm serves more than 6 million households. Of course, when you are subscribing to the Cox internet service, you are bound to come across some of the internet speeds that are as follows- But what is normal internet speed for Cox, and how much of that speed is provided to each customer? Here you will find a brief guide to what it will be like.
Cox Internet Speed Tiers
Cox offers several tiers of home internet plans with varying download and upload speeds:
- Starter – from 10 Mbps for download.
- List of plans and offerings: Essential 30 – download speeds up to 30 Mbps.
- Preferred 100 - It offers download speeds up to 100 MBS
- Preferred 150 – This plan offers download speeds that can go up to 150 Mbps.
- Ultimate 500 – download speeds of up to 500 Mbps.
- Gigablast – Download speeds of up to 940 Mbps
The company uses ‘up to ‘when promoting the above-mentioned speed tiers for the DSL service. It means that you can get such speeds as those spikes but during regular periods, you may find that your average download speed is lower because of congestion of other users and other factors. The speeds can also fluctuate from day to day and can be the same with the results obtained during different times of the day.
From the three tiers mentioned above, it can be assumed that the most common and possibly ‘average’ Cox internet speed is the Preferred 100 plan. However, usage of the internet has risen tremendously in the past decade with more connected devices in homes. The Preferred 150 or the Ultimate 500 plan might be a much better fit for households with numerous devices or those who consume a lot of data.
Indeed, choosing the right speed for your website is critical, but what speed do you require?
Predicting what internet speed tier is suitable for you is mainly influenced by how you access the internet at home. Here are some general guidelines based on usage:
Light Use
The Essential 30 plan should be enough if you only spend time surfing the web, responding to emails, and occasionally streaming. This amount provides you enough leeway to have a few devices connected with little to no lag or buffering.
Moderate Use
For households that heavily consume streaming shows, engaging in online gaming, video conferencing, online downloads, and multiple-device connections, a speed of around 100 Mbps is desirable. Although the Preferred 100 plan allows for streaming in high definition, it was not effective in handling simultaneous streaming on multiple devices.
Data-Intensive Use
Families with many interconnected smart devices, performing high usage of high definition, 4K video streaming, gaming, video conferences for working remotely or learning, and other bandwidth-intensive uses need higher speeds. Packages such as Preferred 150, Ultimate 500, or Gigablast (940 Mbps) will be sufficient to ensure the network can accommodate the capacity needed while minimizing the lag.
It’s important to note that the ‘actual speed’ being referred to here is the physical speed of a connection and not the ‘throughput’ or actual data rate of a connection which is explained in the next section.
For example, Cox offers speed tiers up to certain hours, and is crucial to check your actual speeds to see whether you are paying the right amount for them. You can easily test your Cox connection using one of these methods:
- Go to a speed test website, such as Speedtest.net, and make sure no other users are connected to the internet in your household. This will display your current download and upload speeds at the indicated time. Repeat this several times and then average the time taken to get a better estimation.
- Try the one provided by Cox itself on the internet speed test which is usually accessible once you log in to your account online. This checks the speeds offered from their servers to your home.
- The recommended tool is to rely on the Cox Panoramic WiFi modem/router app which has the speed test function included.
It is also recommended to use a wired connection for the test instead of WiFi because it provides more precise results, and you should plug your computer directly into the modem with the help of the Ethernet cable. This keeps out other factors that can influence wireless speeds in a given surrounding.
If the speeds that you are receiving are well below the tier that you are subscribed to constantly, then, you need to contact Cox customer service and report the issue or request for a technician to come and sort the issue.
Several factors may cause variation in speeds such as;
While internet providers quote optimal speed tiers, many factors can slow down your actual speeds:
- It gets congested - when watching videos or streaming a series during evening peak hours with neighborhood usage your percentage of bandwidth declines.
- Interference with other wireless networks: range, walls, appliances, and other signal networks from neighbors may cause hindrance to the Wi-Fi speeds.
- Poor connection cables and faulty hardware – Coaxial cables, splitters, loose connections, or a modem are old or faulty and will restrict speeds.
- Distance from node – in the case of cable internet the further away from the node the customer is, the weaker the signal strength.
- Number of users or devices using the connection - This means the more devices attaching to a specific bandwidth, the lower the speed each device gets.
If you are continually experiencing a slow connection, then you can improve your home network setup. Also, if you need more speed or capacity, there may be an option to switch to the next level of speed plans.
The following table compares Speed Tiers and Pricing:
When considering purchasing an internet plan from this provider, one should compare the provided offers with the prices and access speed in the selected region. Still, Gigablast can boast of peak download speeds, which are as high as 940 Mbps, although it is unlikely that an ordinary client requires such speeds for home Internet access. Preferred 100 or Preferred 150 plans provide fast and stable connections for most families for lower prices.
Have an insight into the usage of the family and determine whether it is worthwhile to spend more to have extra speed capacity in case it will not be used often. Selecting a 1 or 2-year pricing plan also can shave a few dollars off the monthly rate if you bundle the service with TV or other services. Just ensure the chosen speed level will ensure enough bandwidth for all the devices in your home and for all the activities you and other users do both now and in the future as use intensifies.
Ready to upgrade your internet experience? Call us now at +1 844-349-7575 to explore the best Cox Internet plans for your needs!