Why is my Cox Data Usage so High?

There are times when one can be shocked to realize that one has used much of the Cox monthly data allowance despite not changing activities on the internet. Herein below are several possible causes of your Cox internet data usage high: This is because, based on the findings, you may be able to make necessary adjustments which may encompass ways to cut on usage hence avoiding extra charges.

What Controlling Factor Defines the Amount of Data You Consume?

The amount of data that is used is solely determined by your usage of the internet. Browsing streaming videos, downloading huge files, making video calls, playing games, and operating multiple devices at a time will use up your high-speed data balance very fast. Things that impact internet data consumption include:

- Video Streaming – companies like YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, etc for standard video, it consumes about 1 GB per hour / and for High Definition about 3GB per hour. However, if the programmes are watched frequently then this can greatly increase the usage.

- Music and Audio Streaming – Streaming music, for example, from Spotify and other music applications, consumes 150MB per hour of usage. Listening for 3-4 hours a day may not seem like much, but after a month, you realize how much time you spent listening.

- Gaming – Offline gaming such as console and PC gaming and mobile gaming generates more data than offline gaming for purposes such as downloading updates and patches, in-game video, and online multiplayer gaming. Gaming often occupies 500MB to 1GB per hour.

- File Downloading and Updating – this activity involves the downloading of new applications, new software, documents, and any other files from the internet and these are also large data users. Files that are downloaded in large sizes that are over the 100MB mark are much heavier in terms of data usage.

- Cloud Backup Services – When backing up photos/videos in a cloud account is often possible to exceed the 100GB monthly usage per service.

- Video Calls and Conferencing – programs like Facetime, Skype, or Zoom, for voice-only calls, use roughly 150MB – 300MB per hour at standard definition. Calls that involve groups are likely to use more data.

- Smartphones, Tablets, Smart Assistants, Smart Home, Security, Entertainment: Every device such as smartphones, tablets, smart assistants, smart home, security systems, or entertainment systems, adds a little more to the total usage and can sum up if one has many devices using home internet.

- Number of Users – In simple terms – more devices and users accessing your home Internet connection generally result in increased usage levels. Multiple users watching videos on different platforms in the same family require a larger data allowance.

Checking Data Usage and Quality

Since several factors cause changes in broadband data usage, comparing your monthly usage with the bills of the recent billing periods can be essential in determining factors that contribute to high Cox data usage. One way you can track your current usage is on Cox or go through the Cox Connect App where you will find a usage meter that separates the data usage for months or billing cycles to identify any surge.

Typically, you can think in terms of your normal data needs based on your usage of the internet and other services. For example:

Light Users include users who use less than or equal to 100GB of data in a month.

General office email use, web browsing, SNS, and light video.
1-2 internet devices such as smartphone/tablet that use your home connection

Moderate users use around 150G to 400G of data per month.

Watching approximately 2-4 hours of high-definition content per day on multiple screens.
Browsing, downloading music and videos, video calls.
Three to five Internet-connected devices in the home.
Cloud backup/photo applications running

The second group is the Heavy Users who download and upload more than 400 GB per month.

Substantial use of High Definition/4K videos across different gadgets
Online gaming and game downloads have become one of the most popular online activities that are widely spread among young people.
Multi-room audio + smart home with streaming players + smart devices on home Wi-Fi
Using several devices and synchronizing them with the cloud, downloading files, holding video calls
A modern home having internet-incorporated consumer durables and a home automation system

You can also check your modem or router interface which shows internet usage graphs and usage stats of particular devices on your network. This aids in singling out the devices that rely heavily on bandwidth consumption.

They asked: Why did my usage increase? Common Causes

There are some common situations resulting in customers noticing a sudden spike in their Cox internet data consumption beyond previous averages:

1. Additional User Moved In

Having more occupants in your household, especially those who frequently use the internet or stream can greatly contribute to the higher usage. Each other steady internet device whether it is video, gaming, or performing network tasks reduces more from your data allowance.

2. Purchased New Connected Devices

Having new smartphones, tablets, computers, smart TVs or any smart home appliances brings new data usage that accumulates from each being internet-connected across the home. A few new devices will be getting and refreshing applications, streaming media, and synchronizing information over the network, which will use up bandwidth.

3. I began to use a new streaming service today.

As consumers get involved in other streaming applications like Hulu, Amazon Prime or new entries like Disney+, the overall hours spent streaming per month in addition to the hours streaming in other services is likely to increase hence, the hours multiplying with more services that are available to stream from.

4. Began Gaming Online More

A few gamers who change their home internet speed to faster note that online multiplayer video games against other people are more interesting compared to other modes where one battles computers only before. Multiplayer gameplay has uninterrupted real-time data connection from your device to gaming servers for the convenience of competition, and as such, utilizes more bandwidth for more extended gaming sessions. Other usage volume comes in from frequently downloading new game updates and patches.

5. Backup/Sync Services Using More Data

Most of the well-known platforms such as Apple’s iCloud photo library or Google Photos can constantly upload gigabytes of photos/videos per month in the background on your smartphone if configured. Customer photos/videos just keep increasing the requirement for storage and hence, the amount of traffic that ebbs between home devices and the cloud every month, and thereby, the Internet usage rises.

6. Unexpected Software Updates Downloading

Your computers, cell phones, and all these gadgets that connect to the internet automatically download the updates in the background to ensure that the apps run smoothly and at the same time beef up the security. These updates you see on Windows PCs, Macs, iPhones, and Android devices can easily go up to 100GB monthly depending on the devices you own and how frequently they update themselves whenever patches are rolled out.

7. Increased Video Calling

Another significant shift in behavior that occurred because of the COVID-19 pandemic was the use of video calls for remote work/learning from home using the FaceTime, Skype, or Zoom apps. Realizing that the current frequent and often longer video calls imply much greater bandwidth usage over time from streaming your camera feeds. The percentage of people using video calls for work is significantly higher in the post-pandemic period compared to pre-pandemic.

8. New Mobile Phone Carrier

For the record, some Cox customers switched their smartphone service to different carriers that allow the use of home WiFi data allowance for downloading apps/updates and streaming video instead of the limited carrier data. This means that usage of mobile network usage by phone is shifted to home broadband to enable usage of phones beyond the limit which in turn translates to increasing your Cox data usage beyond imagination.

9. Possibly found some new app or service

There is often a higher level of internet usage that follows the installation of new programs on the laptops or smartphones such as social media and video streaming sites. New applications have cached contents and data transfers enabling real-time usage that increases the consumption of the bandwidth if used daily. Indeed, the app-related data if not monitored properly can pile up fast.

10. Houseguests Visiting

Whenever your guests spend their vacation or holiday at your house, their mobile phones, iPads, and PCs additionally utilize small amounts of data that accumulate from each visitor’s utilization of the Wifi from watchful videos, playing games, downloading and updating their apps. More so, guests who visit the park on different occasions utilize more services.

What is the best way to minimize their data usage?

If your data usage abruptly grew higher than acceptable limits to avoid overage fees from Cox, there are steps you can take to reduce and conserve more data:

- Cox Data Usage – To avoid using up all your data allowance and being charged high fees, track the usage meter weekly or receive data alerts when the usage reaches 75%, 90%, and 100%. Manage the following reports: Review usage by device.

- Control Streaming – Reduce streaming quality from 4k to 1080p, 720p since higher quality video streaming uses a whole lot of data. Avoid the use of features that auto-play the next episodes to avoid binge-watching.

- Prevent the use of bandwidth-intensive applications during peak hours – Restrict large downloads such as operating system updates to run only between certain hours of the day, for example during night when the internet traffic is low. Use tighter data restrictions for gadgets that may have high chances of using big data.

- Cloud Backup/Sync Management – As for iCloud and me.com, Google Photos, or similar services, one can toggle the background upload of photos and videos, thus mitigating the automatic transfer of data. Upload only the desired item to the cloud instead of uploading the items in the cloud automatically.

- Video Call Less – It is appropriate to use the audio mode when possible or reduce high bandwidth video calls. There is a need to put restrictions on several data used on video chatting applications.

- Game Online Less – Either play single-player video games more often or install disc copies to avoid large downloads. Use the console, and game launchers to limit downloads in the background.

Also, you need to stay up to date on the firmware and settings of your WiFi router for optimization and protection. It is useful to install ethernet cables for devices that remain in one place, such as smart TVs and gaming consoles so that WiFi bandwidth is reserved for mobile devices alone.

Cox Communications is a telecommunications company that offers internet services and other related services to its clients across the United States, in this article we’ll be looking at how to upgrade your Cox internet plan, so stay tuned to learn more.

If your household’s internet usage consistently exceeds the data allowance offered by your current Cox plan and you are frequently paying for overage charges, it would be reasonable to consider switching to a higher-tier Cox home internet plan with more data.

Cox Communications has higher speed internet packages which include additional data allowance to allow the use of current demanding and data-intensive streaming websites and applications without having to Google which site consumes how much data or worry about exceeding some arbitrary limit in use without being able to download a full movie or music album download.

Consider changing your home internet service from pricing plans that restrict your family’s usage to more realistic and appropriate ones that can enable you to maintain your connected lifestyle without unexpected limitations. It is wise to plan for your home bandwidth capacity as virtual entertainment selections evolve.

Ready to upgrade your internet experience? Call us now at +1 844-349-7575 to explore the best Cox Internet plans for your needs!