Terrible awful Cox internet support

Just spent a day with Cox and Cisco tech support regarding a DPC3825 combo modem router wireless device bought used by me.
Just don't buy one, dont even consider a combo unit.

Even though this device is on Cox's recommended list, they will not allow it to be configured unless you buy one new from them. They just will not come right out and say that, but that is what happens.

Tech support will tell you they don't know the username and password to configure the local wireless account as it is separate from the modem function, but according to Cisco tech support they are lying. Cisco says it is all part of the admin setup which is what you need and the Cox people refuse to tell you even though the tech people will swear it is not because you have not purchased the modem from them.

IMO, the Cox tech support actually does not know as higher ups in the Cox company have set policies to prevent fully functional third party modems from working properly, as an incentive to get $9 per month modem rental from the customers.

So not only could I not configure the wireless setup, the modem also runs at half speed, deliberately, as Cox only allows it to use one downstream channel instead of 8. So it is like an invisible policy as Cox tells me the device is defective.

Well as it boots up, before it goes fully online, you can go to the 192.168.0.1 setup page and view entire menus of various options and settings, then when it is fully online all menus vanish and all you see is user and password login. So when the modem is fully connected to Cox, Cox software turns every configuration for the user to off.

So my next plan is buy a modem only SB6182 Docsis 3.0 modem with no router builtin.
This whole disgusting day happened because Cox no longer officially supports my SB5120 docsis 2.0 modem. They have been for the last month causing lots of connection errors to of course force me to upgrade.

I would switch to Verizon Fios except for the price being much higher since I hate Cox internet more and more.

Last two months, my connection was being dropped 80% of the time. Prior to this Cox was extremely reliable. So I call to complain and ask what is wrong, and they say the modem they no longer want to support it, got to get a new modem. Immediately after my complaint, their service improved quite a bit, so they deliberately I think threw in a monkey wrench to force me to upgrade. But when I upgrade they claim the new modem is defective but really they refuse to support it since I did not buy from them. This is what Cisco technical support is saying, but Cox continually denies. And they also refused to push my issue to tier 2 tech support, Tier1 knows nothing, they just push button, and they claim my problem is not worthy of Tier 2 support.

How odd. I've, in the last month or so, been through not 1, not 2, not 3, but 4 Surfboard 6183's on Cox. Previously I had a 6180 that had been completely reliable, when it died I assumed it was age related.

Had a tech out, checked all the coax, no problems. Plugged in one of the cox modems, wahla, no issues. So modem it is. The above series of modem swaps begins. Finally I get one the techies suggest that perhaps I should upgrade to the 30% more expensive 6190. Ok, if it will keep me from doing this, swapping modems every week or less, great!

As I pick that up at my local retailer, after returning the 4the 6183, I mention my new challenges with electronics to the returns clerk who confirms that they were seeing "a lot of modem problems with Cox". She thought it was a change to their system.

So...when I called to get the new modem registered, again, I asked. Any changes to the "back end", silence......

I ought to send them a bill for my time dealing with it.

If I were you I would switch to Verizon FIOS. I've had ever since it was available in my area, 12 years or so, and have never had s problem with it. Never a outage and lightning fast.