Cox → [AZ] Possible Changes in Data Usage Reporting

Does anyone know if there has been a change in the way Data Usage is reported for COX in the Chandler AZ Area by reviewing the Data Usage Meter they provide? Here is my dilemma. I have lived at our address since April of Last year. I do have 7 computers in my home for my family, kids and one is my main Media Center PC. I also a Windows Server System Administrator with about 18 years in the IT field so i'm not a non-technical user and I am not using the standard ID10T login account

Also I have cut the cable right after I moved in also so technically in the last 10 months nothing has really changed in my infrastructure aside from the addition of a ROKU 1 for Christmas and the only services I get from Cox are the internet package with the 250 gig / month cap. So since April until around January 6 and on My daily access seemed to have jumped up by a HUGE amount. Before for each month I was averaging around 150 to 200 gig a month and never exceeded my bandwidth. Now for December and January I have more then doubled my usage according to the Data Usage meter. December was just over 500 gig a month and January so far is at 493 gig. I do have a wireless network and all devices connected are restricted by MAC address. so no one gets on to my wireless unless I add their MAC address. I have also installed BitMeter OS on all my windows machines to keep track of my kids data usages and I have been checking the meter daily. I have been shutting down machines for a day at a time and checking the numbers the next day and cant locate what's going on. I was finally discussing this with other people at work and someone else in gilbert stated he had received the same notice for the first time for his home also in December. His said he has exceeded his monthly bandwidth by 300 gig also. So now im wondering if some firmware or new hardware was implemented that may be using different calculations?

So now wondering if there is any useful info I can get at from the modem diagnostics page or can I get access to the same counters COX is deriving this info from. Also is anyone familiar with consumer level wireless routers with built in switches that could also calculate / monitor per port usage statistics so I could at least narrow it down to the proper edge switches where the most bandwidth is coming from.

You added a Roku.... How many hours of HD quality video have you been watching on that new Roku. That seems the most likely suspect.

Streaming HD video can easily use 3GB/Hr

I am near Chandler also, and nothing appears to have changed with my Data Usage and the Meter reporting.

Thanks or the info. the ROKU has since been turned off since this little effort began. I watch more HD streaming on my media center PC but that I have been keeping an eye on using BitMeter OS and that's has been approximately only 8 to 10 gig a day. I do probably watch a bit more streaming services now since I cut the cable and dropped video and phone services, but I dropped those almost 6 months ago. I guess they will get their money either way. either I order and use the video services or drop those and pay the difference in the next tier plan.

Its just really strange that the averages have been consistent since April then all of a sudden doubles basically. I guess the download and upload speeds have not been an issue and since its only the data cap I have been hitting, I will just ignore it for now. either cox needs to adjust the caps or I will have to go elsewhere for my internet only as im not paying more for internet now because I dropped the video.

CenturyLink has a 250gb cap on their residential service. You have to go business class with them (for about twice as much) to avoid the caps. CenturyLink is not consistent in enforcement of the cap, and they have no customer visible usage meter to keep track of it. You have to call in to check usage, or wait for the overage letter.

If all you are doing is limiting via MAC address and not also applying WPA2 you are still leaving yourself open to others use. It is easy enough to capture and spoof a MAC and if you have WPS then almost as easy to get on that way as well.

Even with the new device unless a new person moved into the house you will probably be using about the same amount of bandwidth IMHO. If you had a person previously streaming Netflix or a movie through a computer and are now using a client box instead there is little change in the use just the device making the request.

Check your router and see what it is showing for use, if your router doesn't have meters in it then seriously consider a firmware that does show, the "provider" meters are notoriously inaccurate but generally in your favor so that could also be a part of the problem. DDWRT is the firmware I use and the meter is posted above. If they tweaked the code and are getting a better handle on your use then it is very possible that you have actually been using that amount and the meters have given you a false reading.

Thanks for the info I think it may be time to upgrade to something like DDWRT as currently i'm not getting any data usage reports I can find. I may have to look into this more and play with this using an older Linksys wireless device I have lying around.

As far as the wireless I should have clarified that better. I am indeed using WPA2 along with the MAC filtering as a second level to ensure I know all devices connected. No push button setups around here!

Thanks again for the response.

I use at least WPA-2 with a 20+ digit random password. I change it at least once a month.

DDWRT can give you a general idea of the total bandwidth, but not specifically to which device. But there is a script that you can install on your router with DDWRT that will actually track specific usage.

»www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/vi ··· p=767210 . Also, versions 1.0.15 (and version x.16) has a bug in it, but the fix is on page 40 or so.

Keep in mind, that you will have to see if your router only supports 32bit signed integers, and if so, anything over 2GB will throw your usage reports off. In that case you will have to see about installing the 'bc' library onto your router to get the reports to work correctly.

Also, if someone is spoofing a MAC, then it won't help much in narrowing down which user it is.

I think that something is wrong with their data usage monitor.
We have had Cox for over 10 years and have NEVER gone over the usage...not even close and now dec. jan and starting feb (5 days in and we have used 150GB of the 300Gb plan) The only thing that has changed is adding cox phone svc. Our viewing habits and pc habits have not changed. Our wifi is secure...we don't have a virus.
I don't know how to address/fight it.

Might want to check your logs for reflective traffic. Popular reflective attacks include port 19 Chargen, 23 NTP, 161 SNMP, 53 DNS and I'm sure there are others.

I think this has affected more that the area in the video
»www.ketv.com/news/cox-da ··· 22146048

Well, I have been monitoring my usage now for the last month and my January usage stated I went over my allotment by 411 GIG for a total that month of almost 600 GIG!!! This continued, according to the Data Usage Meter from January 15 until February 5th. Then on Feb 5th is dropped back down to my families normal levels of between 5 to 10 gig a day instead of the previous 25 to 40 gig a day it was reporting for the last 2 months.

At this point since Feb 5th until current my usage levels have dropped back to the norm with no changes on may part whatsoever. well aside from I installed bit meter OS on every machine I have along with reviewing phone and tablet data usages. and none of these tools showed the high numbers like the cox data usage meter showed. my guess at this point is its a cox reporting metrics error.

Thanks

Daryl since you have your own logs, may I suggest putting in a ticket and providing them with data showing their logs dont match yours.