Comments
boulevardofdef t1_iuocdrp wrote
I legitimately don't understand why anyone would have Cox when Fios is available. Cox just sent me mail last week to tell me I could have a third of the download speed I have with Fios for only $10 a month more than I pay now. And that's before we even get to the upload speed. I know that many people don't have Fios as an option, but still, how do they stay in business?
LateToSapphos t1_iuoj4r5 wrote
Because… that’s the only option. If you’re only two choices are no internet or cox then obvi cox gonna stay in business cause no one else want to supply.
PM_ME_YOUR_LUKEWARM t1_iuvm3su wrote
Starlink is an option too, no?
drnick5 t1_iuojerc wrote
Cox stays in business because many have literally no other option. If I didn't game and care about ping, or upload large files, I'd consider a 5g hotspot from T-Mobile or something, but it's not an option for me.
If tomorrow Cox said "we're doubling our prices and giving you half the speed" there is literally nothing I could do about it.
I'm hopeful that fiber eventually comes down this way (not likely) or that starlink or some other wireless internet becomes a viable option.
Vo_Mimbre t1_iup7ptb wrote
I3 is not an option for you?
Asking seriously because I know what lock in feels like so am hoping i3 can be for you. I switched on 2020 and not only was the service actually real, the download speed was triple. Upload wasn’t great at first but what it lacked in speed it had in consistency, and in the last two years uploads gotten way better.
boulevardofdef t1_iupcnwz wrote
I believe i3 is East Bay only.
Vo_Mimbre t1_iutudpg wrote
Oh maybe. There’s i3 here and in Illinois, but I thought it was RI in general not just this side of the city…
drnick5 t1_iupd4rc wrote
It's not, i3 is only Warren and parts of Bristol I believe. I'm a few towns away from Bristol
jxs74 t1_iupq5vn wrote
i3 is in Barrington too, but limited to East Bay. I've been happy with in the past 2.5 years. Prior to this I lived in Silicon Valley and avoided cable internet and took 50Mb xDSL. Hence trying non-Cox here.
I don't recall if it is 3.0 or 3.1. Upload has been good, although most of my use may be limited by VPN.
drnick5 t1_iupsepg wrote
Yeah most VPNs will limit your speed (some more than others) Don't get me wrong, Cox in general is ok (could be worse.... We could have Xfinity) but I just wish we had some competition. I'd kill for FIOS
Silentjosh37 t1_iuoxwbc wrote
If I can ask where(generally speaking) are you? Might be able to get you some info about services that might help.
PM_ME_YOUR_LUKEWARM t1_iuvm8oj wrote
Isn't starlink already available here?
I think I tried adding it to my card a couple years ago and it worked for my location.
drnick5 t1_iuw18an wrote
It is available yes, but it's not any cheaper than Cox, and the speeds are slower and ping is higher.
Rickshmitt t1_iuol4yb wrote
Fios goes literally around my road. Id buy two plans if they let me have it
abaum525 t1_iup23bj wrote
Cox was the only option where we moved, but it's not been that bad. Download and upload speeds have been fine for our usage. People talk about Cox likes it's the worst service ever but I've had far less dependability with providers like Comcast and Verizon.
Silentjosh37 t1_iuowntf wrote
Moving everyone off the older DOCSIS 3.0 modems and to the newer 3.1 and 4.0(only in test labs at the moment) modems providers (Cox and i3broadband) will allow for higher upload speeds as they are able to reclaim signal by using the more efficient OFDM channels for traffic. It is a limitation of RF networks that have to be reworked and that takes time and money.
Some providers are upgrading the modems at no cost actually giving a free rental modem to get people off the older modems. It is hard to get people to upgrade their technology because they don't understand that their "brand new"(9 years old) modem is very out of date and 8 docsis channels just doesn't cut it and they are dragging down the rest of the herd.
The majority of people don't need to worry about upload speeds, yes there are some people that need higher upload speeds but most people won't notice a difference. Yeah its great to see symetrical up and down but the majority of people need more down than up.
You would be surprised how little bandwidth people use in a day. Streaming 4k video can be done with as little as 15mbps and yes as you add more devices youll need more bandwidth, but simply dropping down to 1080p and 6 will do you just fine most times.
Higher speeds are coming but it takes time to do things like mid band and high band splits as well as for the technology to catch up.
drnick5 t1_iupczet wrote
Oh I understand fully why they're moving everyone to docsis 3.1. I used to run into old modems all the time (talking docsis 2) and I'd tell them to order a new one off Amazon and call Cox to activate it. in some cases they were paying for faster speeds (100/10) but still on a modem that couldn't get anywhere close to those sleeds.
As you said, most people don't need Gigabit or even anywhere close. But I've had friends and clients call for internet and are told something along the lines of "You can pay $X for 25 down/5 up" or very slightly more for Gigabit (I can't remember the speeds exactly so 25/5 could be a slight exaggeration. But it was so drastic that it made sense to go to gigabit.) In my case it was literally $5 more a month to go from 200 to gigabit. But every year I have to call and play the game and get a new promo.
Never let Cox give you a "free" modem. They did that to me at my business years ago and I found out a year later they started charging me for it at one of my renewals. This went on for almost 3 years. Thing is.. 2 years prior it died, so I replaced it with my own 3.1 modem (I keep a few in stock at work) and sent back their broken one. they were literally charging me for my own equipment.
At any rate. While "higher speeds are coming" we won't see that til docsis 4 which is guess is years and years down the road.
Tortankum t1_iupu4xw wrote
The average person has absolutely no need for high upload speeds. It’s a complete waste of money
degggendorf t1_iur4egn wrote
> The average person has absolutely no need for high upload speeds.
I think you may be a bit out of date. The average person these days is absolutely backing up data in the cloud. Whether it's iCloud or Google One (I think that's what they call it) to back up everything, or just backing up media like through Google Photos, a lot of people are uploading a lot of data now.
drnick5 t1_iupvok7 wrote
I'm confused by the whole statement. I never said "everyone needs fast upload" more so.. how is it a "complete waste of money"?
If you are get FIOS, you get the same speed upload or download. (100/100, 500/500, etc) You aren't paying more for faster upload. In some cases, you're paying less than what Cox charges
Tortankum t1_iupx307 wrote
Your original comment clearly makes it seem like have having low upload speeds is a big deal, or that cox is being deceptive.
Its a waste of money in that, hypothetically, I would never pay extra for higher upload speeds.
drnick5 t1_iupzk1n wrote
It's a big deal to me, yes. For the average person, it doesn't matter. Just because you think it's personally a "waste of money" for higher upload speeds for yourself doesn't mean that it is for everyone else. Even "hypothetically", as I don't believe any internet provider has plans that give you higher upload without also getting higher download. (with all cable companies, they give you 10% of your download as upload, but it caps at around 35mb. So 100/10, 200/20, 500/35, 1000/35).
I don't believe I ever said Cox is being deceptive, the issue is with docsis 3.1 itself. Since it goes over coax, it has a limit of about 50mb. (Cox keeps that at about 35 believe) if we had, Xfinity, spectrum, etc. Doesn't mattter, it's the same limit as they all use coax.
Overall I've been reasonably happy with Cox, but I'd love faster upload speeds which they can't provide. And as I said, if they decided to start price gouging, there is literally nothing I can do.
Just
Rhodysurf t1_iusb6es wrote
That’s just not true anymore. Your video on video chat looks like shit with bad upload speeds
PM_ME_YOUR_LUKEWARM t1_iuvm1h0 wrote
What is docsis 3.1? I've never heard of it on the FiOS forums, is it specific to cox?
drnick5 t1_iuw104h wrote
It's specific to cable internet. Since FIOS doesn't use coax anywhere, they don't use Docsis modems. Fiber is bright directly to your house and they'll typically use an ONT instead of a modern with FIOS
kdex86 t1_iuox63v wrote
Isn’t Verizon Fios widely available in the state? The “cable” option, Cox, sounds like a total ripoff. I think Rhode Islanders finally came to their senses when the pandemic hit and folks switched from Cox to Fios for the symmetrical speeds (and a lower monthly cost).
Silentjosh37 t1_iuozwgw wrote
There is a good portion of the state that Verizon doesn't cover. Basically outside of the "95 corridor" their service starts becoming harder to come by. So Cox does kind of rule the roost, though the East Bay does have an option.
kdex86 t1_iurchub wrote
This image suggests that Verizon Fios is available virtually everywhere west of Narragansett Bay.
Proof-Variation7005 t1_iutkmxy wrote
I'd maybe not rely on 1 super out of focus graphic. There's a lot of parts of the state that can't do FIOS
drnick5 t1_iupwu14 wrote
No, FIOS isnt availability in a lot of the state. This has to do with Verizon taking a ton of tax money to run fiber to "99% of homes that currently have copper" then stopping expansion during the 2008 downturn, and never starting again. They never got close to their 99% number, but due to loopholes in the contract, got to keep their money. (This happened in the entire US, not just RI)
Newport, Middletown, Portsmouth, Tiverton, Bristol and Warren, and I believe parts of south county can't get FIOS, not sure about Barrington.
Odd-Independent4640 t1_iuqqovm wrote
In Barrington, FiOS is only avail to a small portion of town
kdex86 t1_iurcksn wrote
Where in Rhode Island is "south county"? I thought counties were an afterthought in New England.
drnick5 t1_iurf5eo wrote
Sometimes they are, sometimes they aren't lol. South county would basically be the south west corner of the state. Charlestown, Exeter, Narragansett, North and South Kingston, Wakefield and Westerly among others.
camodious t1_iupp9rr wrote
I’ve got the option for both and I’m on Cox because I was under the impression that Verizon was fairly unreliable and had absolutely terrible customer service. Are those points inaccurate or no longer true?
johnnyrockets527 t1_iupq7og wrote
I’ve never had a problem with Verizon in the three years I’ve had them except for one day where all Google services weren’t reachable. I get $15 off of my internet (from $80 to $65) and another $15 off of my cell phone plan ($145 to $130 for two unlimited lines) for using both services.
Customer service blows (see the day google didn’t work - they denied there was an issue on their end while there was a thread about it on here), but it’s no better or worse than the dozens of ISPs I’ve worked with in almost every state and worldwide as part of my job.
I point everyone I know their way. $65 for gigabit fios, where I consistently get 800 mbps up/down while wired is hard to beat.
mydrivec t1_iupuo1o wrote
This is the way!
Both Verizon and Cox have generally awful customer service. Like cell companies, they all suck. However, I've had FIOS for 7 years now and had one 30 minute outage that I'm aware of...I would never go back to COCKS.
camodious t1_iuqus2h wrote
Sounds like it’s time to switch then, thanks!
mpm4q2 t1_iuptqjp wrote
Yup!
Davecasa t1_iuqs21q wrote
My FiOS has literally never been down since I got it maybe a decade ago. Tree falls on the lines and everything looks destroyed, start up the generator and the internet is working great. Customer service I don't know, I've never had a problem.
degggendorf t1_iur46gg wrote
I don't really know about their customer service since I've never had to call. The service always works as expected, and they've always charged me what i was expecting. I have had fios for around 4 years, and I don't think there has ever been a time when the power has been on and the internet has not worked.
[deleted] t1_iups9cb wrote
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Cinema_King t1_iuo4oqn wrote
Hey Trump cultists, if high gas and oil prices are Biden and McKee’s fault do they get credit for this?
Try not to spin too hard, you don’t need to get any dizzier than you already are
The-Gnome t1_iuq6b4o wrote
Trump cultists can go fuck themselves. They lack critical thought. That being said there’s more to this story than meets the eye, just read the comments.
Cinema_King t1_iuqwk18 wrote
I know, I was just mocking the idiots who blame everything bad on Biden.
techsavior t1_iup9n3n wrote
Lots of complexes and developments have a contract to 1 supplier, and it’s usually Cox.
Ragnaroknight t1_iupqw8x wrote
In the Tiverton/Little Compton area we don't have FiOS as an option despite not being on Aquidneck Island.
But honestly the gigabit Cox is pretty good IMHO.
NoxxedNauticus t1_iupw0sp wrote
Is this an ad technically?
12bitlife t1_iupetqg wrote
"Most improved"
dishwashersafe t1_iuphyhb wrote
The faster speeds are nice but not when they're forced on you for a higher cost. The slowest FIOS I can get now is 300 Mbps for $40. I'd gladly take 100 Mbps for $30, but that's not even an option anymore.
degggendorf t1_iur4o9u wrote
> The slowest FIOS I can get now is 300 Mbps for $40.
You could drop down to a slower speed with Cox if you wanted.
But it's $10 more lol.
mdurg68 t1_iuppd2d wrote
$50 for 250 down/ 10 up with Cox. Works for me. Although you have to redo your deal once it expires. I had to do the same back in NY with Spectrum.
degggendorf t1_iuppu9y wrote
$39.99 grand total for 300/300 fios for me. They haven't tried to change the price at all.
mdurg68 t1_iupqlpq wrote
Good deal! I live on a new (3 years old) street and they never ran phone lines. Verizon stops at the end of the block :-(
degggendorf t1_iupr0uk wrote
That sucks, we really need to build out better infrastructure, or at the very least allow competition on the existing copper.
Edit: oh and fios is all fiber optic, not phone lines (not sure if you meant "phone lines" literally in your comment, but figured I'd clarify anyway)
PunjiStyx t1_iuqc706 wrote
I was renting in 2021 and i paid to have Verizon installed because it was half the price for >2x the speed compared to cox. Apparently cox has since then improved their service to equivalent levels. Even just a little competition is so fantastic.
Westreacher t1_iuqp6oh wrote
No FIOS available in Jamestown, but Cox has recently begun installing fiber optic cable. I have buried utilities on my street, and was very pleased to see them undertaking the expensive digging required to provide us with the new service. All I need now is the drop from my utility box to my house, and the necessary new hardware inside the house. DL speed now with copper cable varies between 100-120 Mbps, with very occasional bursts of 800-900 Mbps. I’m paying for 500, will happily pay more for 1,000. Overall satisfied with Cox and find their live support pretty good. Just wish they weren’t a monopoly so that their prices were better. Always fun to call them up and ask for a retention specialist when one of their bundle offers expires and the bill goes up…just did that and got a lower bill with more services.
[deleted] t1_iux65mn wrote
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Cash50911 t1_iuowsup wrote
Probably not a coincidence that Gina is pushing this at a federal level...
Silentjosh37 t1_iuozd5l wrote
There is a lot of money for upgrades and expansion of competition in the internet service space. Rhode Island alone is getting $100 million in Federal funds to build up the internet infrastructure with the passage of the infratructure bill.
[deleted] t1_iupcbmk wrote
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drnick5 t1_iuo4wvh wrote
While it is cool to have access to high speeds, it's mainly because the 1 cable company in the state is pushing everyone to upgrade to docsis 3.1 modems and gigabit plans. At a higher cost of course..... The article also conveniently calls it "internet speeds". While the download is good, unless you have FIOS your upload speeds are awful.
Half the state (maybe more) has Cox as it's only option.