COX here is not coaxial cable but the ISP that is famous all over the US to provide phone and internet services. They also offer some cool TV and smart home security features for you that you can have for your house and have complete peace of mind regarding all the services. However, there are a few things that COX is not doing right as well, that you can see from a good glance over their deals, packages, and services but, that is not what we are going to discuss today.
We are going to review a router that you can get rented through Technicolor. The router is said to be the best one you can get out there but that is not entirely true. It might be a fine thing to cover the needs for a regular household but there are tons of other options available as well out there that would compete well against the technicolor CGM4141. To have a deeper understanding of the router and all its features, you need to know that what it contains under that pretty casing and if is worth the money that you will be paying for it.
COX Technicolor CGM4141 Review:
Specifications
The most important thing that would matter for a user is to have top specifications for a router they have. But on the COX Technicolor CGM4141, you don’t get to know those either. COX has never released an actual account of the processor or RAM that is on this router. They market it as a next-gen Panoramic router that is able to cover the needs of your complete household for all types of applications and multiple users. What they have released so far about the technicolor CGM 4141 routers are as follow:
DOCSIS 3.0 support
You get a DOCSIS 3.0 support on the router that would support up to 1 Gigabit internet connectivity. This is a pretty basic feature that you can get on almost every device out there in the market. It might be a good one 5-6 years back, but in current times there are not only plenty of better and more advanced technologies but also additional speed supports as well. However, since COX doesn’t even release exact speed numbers on their packages but the whole coverage so you can pretty much expect this from them.
3×3 MIMO Support
The router also supports 3×3 MIMO connectivity, again a pretty basic feature that comes on almost every other reasonable router out there in the market. You get to enjoy multi-device connectivity with this feature. The utility would be only good for you if there are devices that can support MIMO connectivity. The catch is that all the devices on your network should be MIMO compatible otherwise you will not be able to use the feature or have an internet connection on the device that is not compatible with the service. So, you might not need or want to use this feature at all if you want to have complete connectivity for your house.
802.11ac Wi-Fi access point
This should not even be in the list of specifications as the feature is universal and basic for a Wi-Fi router. You need that access point to be able to connect with other devices over a Wi-Fi and showing this as a feature doesn’t seem right.
Pricing
The pricing structure on this router is something a bit tricky. There are no possible options for you to buy this router for yourself. COX only offers you to pay $10 a month to that is deemed as the rent for this router. So, it means that you need to keep paying the amount if you continue to use the Wi-Fi services. This would make the router a bit more expensive in the long run if you keep using the service for a year or so.
Comparing the specifications, you get on this router, you can buy a router on a lesser price than you will be charged for this router over a year. So, it would not be wrong to call it a tad bit overpriced.
Design
The design on Technicolor CGM4141 is given due consideration and it is probably the only thing that we personally liked about this router. Instead of a flat device that needs to be laid on the desk, you get a futuristic design that reminds you of a speaker that you might have loved. With the sturdy finish on all ends and a rigid body, you don’t only get a better-looking device to keep on your desk but you will also get great utility on this router as connectivity for the whole house is guaranteed and it lives up to the mark on that factor.
The additional plus point that you can get on this router is that there are no antennas hanging out so you won’t have to worry about sticking your hand or cables there or breaking them accidentally if you keep your router at an accessible place.
Ports
You get a few ports at the back of this router as well, and a brief summary of available ports would be:
Telephone ports
These ports are connected to home telephone wiring and to conventional telephones or fax machines. There are two ports available on the router that you can use to connect up to 2 devices simultaneously on the connection.
Ethernet ports
There are also 2 ethernet ports on the router that might be a tad bit less compared to normal routers out there in the market with 4 ethernet output ports. You can use these ports to connect with a PC or some other ethernet supporting device.
Coaxial Input port
Unfortunately, the only input port available on this router is coaxial. As the router is made to fit COX internet services, you don’t get an ethernet input port on the device. This is not a good thing to have, but you don’t own the router and it is rented from COX so you cannot complain there.
As someone who currently has this router in their house – I should explain that the first Ethernet port acts as an input port (even though it is not labeled as such).
So does that mean there really is only one fully functioning ethernet port?
I don’t get why all these darn manufacturers have decided one port and a switch is needed. I like having one box for all network functionality. It’s annoying to have to buy a modem and router (with an movable antenna) and a switch all just to stick into a living room entertainment center. I realize that some people want them to be separate. But this industry went from selling good $150 all-in-one modems to now having only a $150 modem and then having to buy another $200 in equipment or only getting that all-in-one for ridiculous $350-$450 prices. The people making these don’t even have a hundred dollars worth of parts inside and yet sell them for such high markups. I guess the days of $100-$150 good all-in-one modem/router/switches are gone?
Cox has always bragged on how great they are, thus is just an illusion of smoke and mirrors,
Claims of Superior equipment that you can not buy only rent and not list the specs is a major red flag.