Cox Internet Review

Overview

Cox Communications is one of the largest telecommunications organizations in the United States. It has 3.5 million people signed up for its internet services throughout 18 states. The company is headquartered in Sandy Springs, Georgia.

Cox first started offering high-speed internet in 1996 and has since grown into a cable internet provider that features speeds up to 1 Gbps (that's 1,000 Mbps). The plans are straightforward and don't have a lot of surprises. Most of them will support smooth video streaming, although you may encounter some problems during high-demand times if you have a lot of people in your neighborhood using the cable lines.

Pros

• Strong selection of high-speed plans
• Most plans sufficient for streaming
• Panoramic Wi-Fi to address dead zones

Cons

• Plans pricey compared to similar service tiers offered by competitor ISPs
• Slow upload speeds
• Download speeds are affected by usage in your area

Service

Cox Communications offers five speeds of cable internet service, many of which are sufficient for video streaming. Since Cox internet relies on a cable connection, the actual speed that you get depends on how many people in your neighborhood are using that bandwidth at the same time. During peak periods, you may experience slowdowns that result in speeds that are significantly lower than your plan's advertised speed.

Speaking of Cox internet speeds, they start at 5 Mbps and go up to 300 Mbps. Customers in limited markets have access to Cox's top speed option of 1,000 Mbps.

Cox doesn't have the most impressive service offerings on the market, at least not for the price: other ISPs offer similar speeds for less.

One unfortunate characteristic that all Cox internet plans have in common is an upload speed that's 10 percent or less of the download speed. If you like to do video calls or upload large files, then you may need to get a higher tier plan than you were originally intending.

If your house is prone to a lot of Wi-Fi dead zones, Cox may be a good choice for you. Cox offers a Panoramic Wi-Fi add-on to end the Wi-Fi dead zone problem. The Panoramic Wi-Fi uses extenders to replicate your signal throughout the house, so you have coverage even in locations that are far away from the router or separated from the router by walls and floors. Customers that choose Panoramic Wi-Fi have to get it professionally installed by Cox.

The Cox Connect app gives you mobile control over your Wi-Fi network so you can troubleshoot issues and keep an eye on its status without going to your computer.

Customers with service at Cox's 100 Mbps tier or higher can enjoy internet on the go when they connect to any of Cox's 500,000 Wi-Fi hotspots. This benefit means you won't have to rely on your mobile data or hotel internet for a connection — which is good news for cord cutters, as streaming may be costly or poor quality on those sorts of connections.

The Cox Security Suite Plus helps you keep your network protected with an anti-virus program, firewall and other internet security features. McAfee is the company behind this software, and it supports five devices. You can keep Windows and Mac computers, Android mobile devices and iOS devices secure.

If you need an email account, Cox has you covered: you'll get 10 email addresses with a minimum of 2 gigs of storage included.

Cox Communications also has bundles available with television and home phone service.

Customer Service

Cox's customer service isn't the worst out of large internet service providers, but it's also not going to win many popularity contests. You may need to call back multiple times to get your problem fixed. Communicating through text mediums like email will give you a paper trail that may prove useful in complex cases.

The self-help customer service portal gives you several useful tools that may reduce the times that you need to call in. The “reset your modem” feature can fix a lot of problems, so that's always a good starting point for support.

You can look up step-by-step resource guides, watch videos, ask questions on a community forum, contact support via live chat, email, and phone, and even get quick answers via social media.

Availability

Cox internet service is available in 18 states and is found in urban and suburban areas. This company focuses solely on cable internet.

Price

Cox pricing sits in the middle of Internet service providers at these speeds. They aren't the least or the most expensive in a market. When you look at the costs and the advertised speeds, keep in mind that the download and upload speeds you'll get on Cox's cable network will depend on how many people in your neighborhood are using the service at the same time.

The Internet Starter plan is $29.99 per month and has 10 Mbps download speeds and 1 Mbps upload speeds.

The Internet Essential plan is $39.99 per month with 30 Mbps download speeds and 3 Mbps upload speeds.

The Internet Preferred plan is $59.99 per month with 100 Mbps download speeds and 10 Mbps upload speeds. Cox's national network of 500,000 Wi-Fi hotspots also becomes available starting with this plan.

The Internet Ultimate Plan is $79.99 per month with 300 Mbps download speeds and 30 Mbps upload speeds.

A 30-day money-back guarantee applies to these plans.

The top-tier plan is Internet Gigablast, which is only available in limited markets. Internet Gigablast customers pay $119.99 per month for 1 Gbps download speeds and 35 Mbps upload speeds.

All Cox Internet plans have a 1 TB cap per month. You can pay more for an unlimited plan or get overage data at $10 per 50 GB.

If you self-install your internet service, you'll pay a $20 fee. If a technician comes out to your home for to install the service, you need to pay $75 for that.

Cox also has a plan called Straight Up Internet, which is $50 per month for 3 years. This is a flat price that won't change throughout this period, and you can pause your service when you're not using it. It comes with a free Wi-Fi modem and has speeds up to 25 Mbps (download) and 3 Mbps (upload). Once the three-year period completes, you go back to regular pricing. It's prepaid and doesn't need a credit check, deposit, or contract. You even get installation included.

Contracts

With the exception of the Straight Up Internet plan, internet service through Cox requires a minimum of a 12-month contract. The promotional pricing that you sign up with only lasts for a year, and these plans need a credit check.

Cancellation Policy

Early termination fees cost up to $120 for internet-only plans and can go up to $360 if you have a bundle. If you cancel within 30 days, you receive your money back and don't face any penalties. All equipment must be returned, or you'll be charged for it.

Summary

Compared to its ISP peers, Cox Internet is right in the middle of the pack. The pricing isn't great, but most of Cox's internet packages offer speeds that are sufficient to smoothly stream your favorite shows without issue. You do have to deal with data caps and annual contracts, as well as the customer service issues that many ISPs are plagued with.