Cox Data Plans

[Adam]

Not sure where this should go, so I'm putting it here.

Cox advertises their service tiers by upload/download speed. However, there is also a data cap associated with it.

http://www.cox.com/residential/support/ ... #DataPlans

So those are some numbers, so what does that mean? We don't have cable here, so all of our video entertainment is delivered by the Internet (Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, etc...). We also download video games for various systems (XBox, PS, PC, etc...) over this link, plus what normal people use their tubez for.

So what does this mean for us? This month so far:

cox_usage.png

On average, we are just under 200GB per month.

The good news their "cap" isn't a hard stop:

Usage Over Your Data Plan

If you exceed your data plan, Cox may notify you by email to alert you. Your service will not be interrupted if you choose to stay on your existing package except in the rare cases of excessive usage. In those extremely rare situations, Cox may suspend service after attempting to resolve the issue. See Cox Online Privacy Policy and related terms and agreements for additional information.

Anyone else want to chime in? Cox users can access their Data Usage Meter here:
https://myaccount.cox.net/internettools ... /usage.cox

[kevm14]

What is the problem you are trying to solve?

My monthly usage:

Cox usage jan 2016.png

Remember this usage is for my new address, which is why it doesn't have records older than May and why the first few months are low and increasing. Looks like fairly typical variation from August 2015 and forward.

[Adam]

What is the problem you are trying to solve?

The one where we don't know much about how much cable data we are using. Cox is already trying pilot programs with hard caps and overage fees in Cleveland. Other outfits like Comcast and Time Warner are already implementing these things as major profit centers. When Cox finally rolls this sort of thing out, it will be nice to know how we will be potentially impacted by it.

[Adam]

I probably should have titled this post as "Cable Data Plans" or something...

[kevm14]

Some data use history for me:
fail...Cox is having some major technical difficulties. But I did check recently and some months are over 250GB. Some over 300GB. What is the soft limit again?

[kevm14]

Turns out I haven't hit the limit over the past 12 months.

Cox data usage.PNG

I get pretty close sometimes though. I wonder what happened in April that caused our usage to go down...... ..... .....

[kevm14]

Cox raised data caps to 1TB for all except the select market 1 Gbps plan. Reflected graphically here, with my history:

Cox data usage 10-21-16.png

I was hovering pretty close (but not going over) the previous 350GB cap with very normal usage. 1TB I would deem as very fair and anyone over that is probably worth looking into.

Also worth pointing out that Cox is very reasonable about this. From the FAQ:

Will I be billed if I exceed these plans?
Cox began implementing Data Usage Billing in Cleveland, Ohio in 2015. In all other markets, Cox does not currently charge additional fees if your data plan is exceeded.

Will Cox throttle my speeds if I exceed my data plan?
There will be no change to the speed or quality of your Internet service if you exceed your data plan.