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Which is the best to have between Cox vs T Mobile Home internet? Should I Go for the fixed wireless or cabled service? Which is good for online gaming or live TV streaming? And most importantly, which will be more reliable for working from home?
Well, this review is all about the two internet service providers. And I intend to help you make the right connectivity decision.
So, I’ve not just focused on what Cox and T Mobile want you to believe while signing up. But also the common drawbacks you should know beforehand.
Cox vs T mobile: A Summary of the Internet Service Providers
| Feature | Cox Internet | T Mobile Home Internet |
|---|---|---|
| Parent Company | Cox Communications | T-Mobile USA |
| Service Availability | Residential & Business | Residential & Small Business |
| Internet Technologies | Cable & Fiber | Fixed Wireless & Fiber |
| Internet Speed Tiers | Five (residential) | N/A (no tiered plans) |
| Highest Internet Speeds | 2000Mbps (business for residence) | 500-700+Mbps |
| Data Caps | YES | NO |
| Cheapest subscription | $29.99 (introductory price) | $30 (w/ Magenta Max phone) |
| Affordable Connectivity Program Discount | YES | NO |
| Coverage Across the U.S. | About 7% | About 39% |
| Subscribers | About 6.5 Million | About 1 Million |
| Out-of-home WiFi Access | YES | N/A |
| Phone Discount | YES | YES |
| Contract Buyout | N/A | YES |
| Other Extra Perks | N/A | Discount on streaming device, Philo TV, YouTube TV, & Paramount+ |
Cox Internet Mini-Review
Do you game a lot or own a server? Cox internet might be an excellent pick for you here. True, the upload speeds on the residential packages aren’t the best at the moment. But you have the option to configure your equipment with advanced settings like port forwarding and UPnP/ Static IP that some applications demand.
The Cox Gigabit cable plan also promises up to 1000Mbps (or 1Gbps) of download speeds. And even though slightly more expensive than the Spectrum or Frontier Gig plan, the speed is enough to stream in up to 8K quality.
Pros:
- It has competitive rates
- Includes cabled TV bundles
- Offers free online protection suite
- Has both prepaid & postpaid packages
- You can bring your own modem/ router
- It has over three million public WiFi hotspots
Cons:
- It has capped data on standard rates
- Charges monthly fees for equipment
- Unused add-on data doesn’t roll over
- It has a high risk of overage fees
T Mobile Internet Mini-Review
T Mobile usually ranks third after AT&T and Verizon the cellular coverage and data speeds. But on the home internet category, it now ranks second on coverage as it’s using the existing cell infrastructure that covers 39% of US population.
Moreover, T Mobile home internet is available in the latest 5G technology. And for that, you can expect browsing speeds at 600Mbps and above in the supported areas.
Pros:
- It has reasonably-priced plans
- Has unlimited data with no caps
- Includes no installation/ equipment fees
- Provides contract buyout of up to $500
- Has extensive coverage across the country
- It features decent download & upload speed
Cons:
- It offers deprioritized data
- No support for static IP address
- You also cannot change the NAT type
- It requires MetroPCS service for prepaid subscriptions
Cox vs T mobile: Comparing the Features & Perks of the Internet Service Provider
Fans Favorite
T-Mobile is currently one of the most popular home internet services. In the 2022 American Satisfaction Index, it ranks second, with a score of 71 out of 100 points. And even though there are no records to contrast, this means many people are contented with it.
On the other hand, the latest customer satisfaction index for Cox internet has a score of 61 points. And that’s a 3% drop since the provider had 63 points in 2021.
Coverage & Availability
T-Mobile Home internet is the clear winner here. In the fixed broadband deployment report that FCC published sometime back, the carrier shows to cover about 39% of the US population. And that’s over 47.7 million households (or 128.5+ million people) in 40+ states to be connected at any given time.
Nonetheless, the 2022 T-Mobile first-quarter report shows a little over 980,000 subscribers to the home internet for now. And that would mean the carrier has had over 700,000 net additions within the 2021-2022 period.
As for Cox internet, it’s currently available to 8.5 million households (or 23.1 million people) in the nineteen supported States. But in the company overview report, the total connections appear to be around 6.5 million customers (both residential & commercial customers).
Internet Technologies
T Mobile currently has fixed wireless internet as the main line of connection. Hence, the reason they have been able to cover a large section of the population.
But in the AT&T vs T Mobile phone review, we concluded the latter’s predominantly in the metropolises. And considering the home internet is also running on the same cell towers, you might want to consider a provider like Cox in remote areas like Kansas.
The Cox internet has most of the packages running on the hybrid fiber-coaxial cable. And while the speed is faster than the ADSL service, it still carries asymmetrical bandwidth with slower upstream than the downloads.
Of course, you can get a Cox fiber connection (which covers about 5% of the total connection footprint). But you’ll have to first contact the company to get your home connected since it’s under the business category.
FYI: the T-Mobile fiber internet is under a pilot program available only in Manhattan, New York areas.
Internet Speeds
On the T Mobile vs Cox speed test, the latter could be better since it has the option of 2Gbps fiber internet in several areas. Of course, it’s kind of infuriating you’ll have to send a request that might not be responded to instantly. But after approval, you can get a symmetrical connection with up to 2,000Mbps on both uploads and downloads.
As for the Cox cable internet, the highest plan offers up to 1000Mbps downstream and 35Mbps upstream. But a handful of users have complained about getting lesser speeds than they’re paying for per month. Hence, one of the reasons for the drop in the customer satisfaction index.
On the other hand, T Mobile doesn’t have standard tiered internet rates at the moment. Be it on the prepaid or postpaid package, your home connection speed will depend on the tower you’re using. And in that case, you can record up to 700+Mbps on the downloads and 110+Mbps for uploads.
Internet Plans & Pricing
Chart 2.0 Cox Residential Internet plans Structure
| Features | Starter 25 | Essential 50 | Preferred 250 | Ultimate 500 | Gigablast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introductory Price/ month | $29.99 (12 Months) | $39.99 (12 Months) | $59.99 (12 Months) | $79.99 (12 Months) | $99.99 (12 Months) |
| Regular Price Rate/ Month | $44.99 | $65.99 | $83.99 | $99.99 | $119.99 |
| Installation Fee | $20 – $100 (One-Time) | $20 – $100 (One-Time) | $20 – $100 (One-Time) | $20 – $100 (One-Time) | $20 – $100 (One-Time) |
| Equipment Fee | $13/ Month (avoidable) | $13/ Month (avoidable) | $13/ Month (avoidable) | $13/ Month (avoidable) | $13/ Month (avoidable) |
| Data Caps | YES (1.25TB) | YES (1.25TB) | YES (1.25TB) | YES (1.25TB) | YES (1.25TB) |
| Download Speeds | 25Mbps | 50Mbps | 250Mbps | 500Mbps | 1000Mbps |
| Upload Speeds | 3Mbps | 3Mbps | 10Mbps | 10Mbps | 35Mbps |
| MCAfee Security Suit | NO | YES | YES | YES | YES |
2.1 T Mobile Home Internet Plan Structure
| Features | 5G/ 4G LTE Home | 5G/ 4G LTE Home (Prepaid) | T-Mobile Fiber (pilot program) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regulate Rate Price | $55/ mo. | $55/ mo. | Not Listed |
| Price with AutoPay | $50/ mo. | $50/ mo. | Not Listed |
| Installation Fee | NO | NO | NO |
| Equipment Fee | NO | NO | NO |
| Data Caps | NO | NO | NO |
| Download Speeds | Up to 700+Mbps | Up to 700+Mbps | 940Mbps |
| Upload Speeds | Up to 90+Mbps | Up to 90+Mbps | 940Mbps |
| Discount on YouTube TV, Paramount+, Philo TV | YES | NO | YES |
| Streaming Device discount | YES | NO | NO |
| T-Mobile Tuesday Deals | YES | YES | NO |
As in the first chart, you can get the lowest Cox internet plan at a $29.99 introductory price before reverting to the regular rate of $44.99. Then, the highest cable plan (Gigablast) of 1000Mbps speed at $99/ mo in the first year and later $119.99.
Disappointedly, Cox has not listed on the page the cost for the fiber packages. You’ll have to contact them to request an installation, which they can approve or deny.
Oh, yes, you should know Cox also charges a rental fee of $13/ month on their internet gateway device. But you can bring your own equipment (modem and router) at no monthly fee.
Meanwhile, T-Mobile Home internet isn’t compatible with third-party gateways. But the company does provide you with one at no extra cost during signup (a $370 fee might apply if you cancel service and fail to return the gateway).
As for the service, the T-Mobile Home internet is available at $50/ month with AutoPay, whether on the postpaid or prepaid subscription. The prepaid service, though, requires an active MetroPCS voice service.
Speaking of voice service, the customers on the T-Mobile Magenta Max phone plan can get a $20 discount on the Home internet. Thus, dropping the price to $30/ mo. with AutoPay.
Deprioritization & Throttling
T-Mobile doesn’t throttle data (reduce data speed based on usage) on the home internet. But as mentioned earlier, it offers deprioritized data, where you’ll experience a temporary drop in speed than other traffics during congestion.
Cox Internet also tends to have significant packet loss that temporarily drops the speed. But most of the users are more unhappy with the data caps that the carrier has set at 1.25TB (or 1280GB) per month. Then, the overage fees that they charge at $10 per 50GB block.
Common Related Questions
Is 5G faster than Cox?
The T-Mobile 5G Home internet is faster than Cox cable packages on the uploads. On cool days, it can peak over 110Mbps (uploads) and 700+Mbps download.
How reliable is Cox?
Cox internet’s more reliable if you can manage to have the 2Gig fiber plan with symmetrical data speeds. The cable internet’s also okay for day-to-day applications, including streaming, gaming, and downloading files. But you might find the cable upstream speeds inadequate for uploading large files.
Is T Mobile any good?
Yes, indeed, T-Mobile is a good home internet if you’re within the strong coverage areas. It has reasonable rate plans with no equipment fees, unlimited data with no caps or overage charges, and decent browsing speeds.
Is Cox Only in Louisiana?
No, Cox internet is not only in Louisiana. You can also get the service in Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Georgia, Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, Idaho, and ten other states.
Which Should You Pick?
Both Cox and T-Mobile are great home internet providers. The question of what to choose comes down to the convenience, which, of course, is based on your online activity.
If you’re an avid gamer, frequently share large files, or have a personal server, Cox internet will be a better option. The business-fiber-for-residence will be the ideal plan for the high upload and download speeds if you won’t mind the cost. But the Cox cable rate plans are also okay.
However, T-Mobile home internet will be a much better option for the common applications if you can manage the few drawbacks. It has a good balance of speed (both download & uploads), reasonable pricing, and unlimited data with no risk of overage fees.