Does anyone have Cox Whole Home DVR?

**backspur** · 09-02-2012, 09:36 AM

Does anyone have the whole home DVR service from Cox? Any thoughts or opinions?

**gunluvingirl** · 09-02-2012, 12:17 PM

I would also be interested in knowing since the current DVR I have from them has issues. Sounds like it would be great but there has to be a catch besides being more $$$

**BigTulsa** · 09-02-2012, 12:45 PM

I have it (Tulsa) and have since they offered it.

Some things you should know first:

Make sure the technician wires each connection point separately and doesn't run off splitters from anywhere in the house. This was done on mine for nearly a year and I had problems about every three months. Demand that they do this. You're paying the 70 dollar install fee; they get to do the work for it.

Understand that their current marketing saying recording up to 16 shows at once. Sure. With 8 receivers networked together (and you'd pay for those).

Each receiver works as a media 'host'. Those receivers, or hosts, can serve up to three client boxes. The client boxes cannot 'backbuffer' shows you are currently watching, although you can set recordings there.

You get the Advanced TV option (Plus channels - for Tulsa, that includes more options for the premium channels in HD than you would get without it). Plus some other regular HD channels that non whole home dvr uses currently don't get (DIY HD and some others).

Program guide has info for shows two weeks out, and the guide has the option of being formatted in 16:9 HD.

That's about all I have. If you guys have questions I'll answer them the best I can.

**gunluvingirl** · 09-02-2012, 01:23 PM

Thank you for all the useful info. Okc has scientific Atlanta boxes and I'm pretty sure Tulsa has Motorola. I wonder if there are any differences due to box manufacturer? Hopefully an OKC'r can chime in on this one for comparison.

**bettingpython** · 09-02-2012, 02:16 PM

Originally Posted by gunluvingirl

Thank you for all the useful info. Okc has scientific Atlanta boxes and I'm pretty sure Tulsa has Motorola. I wonder if there are any differences due to box manufacturer? Hopefully an OKC'r can chime in on this one for comparison.

Whole home DVR uses CISCO boxes.

**Commander Keen** · 09-02-2012, 03:36 PM

Originally Posted by bettingpython

Whole home DVR uses CISCO boxes.

The whole home boxes can be configured to work on either of the networks, Oklahoma City or Tulsa. I may or may not work tech support for Cox right now, so feel free to ask any other questions.

**Backstrap** · 09-02-2012, 04:10 PM

I was one of the first to sign up for the whole home DVR system when Cox first debuted it around a year or so ago - couldn't stand it. Primary gripe was with the Cisco DVRs - unless they've upgraded them drastically, they were a big step down from the standard Motorola DVR boxes. I lost several neat features going from Motorola to Cisco DVRs. The only advantage I remember having with the Cisco/whole home setup was a very good search feature on the program guide - for example, I could search a movie name and it would tell me if it was available anywhere on the system, including PPV channels. The Motorola boxes won't do that. When I requested they come out and replace the whole home setup with the normal Motorola boxes, it was the same tech who removed them as had just installed them. I explained to him why I was switching back and asked him if he sees a lot of that (customers dissatisfied with the whole home setup and going back to regular). He politely declined to answer, but in essence told me he does see it a lot. Commander Keen, have they worked the bugs out of the whole home system and the Cisco DVRs? I was told at the time that some of the problems I was experiencing would be resolved in future software updates to the Cisco boxes - has that happened? I'd still like to have the whole home system, but not unless they've brought it up to par with the Motorola DVRs.

Read this thread from Cox's own forum before you decide to take the leap into whole home DVR system: http://forums.cox.com/forum_home/tv_...f/4/t/558.aspx

**Commander Keen** · 09-02-2012, 04:26 PM

Originally Posted by Backstrap

-snip- Commander Keen, have they worked the bugs out of the whole home system and the Cisco DVRs? I was told at the time that some of the problems I was experiencing would be resolved in future software updates to the Cisco boxes - has that happened? I'd still like to have the whole home system, but not unless they've brought it up to par with the Motorola DVRs.

Read this thread from Cox's own forum before you decide to take the leap into whole home DVR system: http://forums.cox.com/forum_home/tv_...f/4/t/558.aspx

Can you say specifically what bugs you're referring to? There have been updates to the whole home boxes, but I would like to know exactly which issues you had with them.

**Backstrap** · 09-02-2012, 04:58 PM

Everything as detailed in the thread I linked to - no slow motion on the Cisco boxes; no frame-by-frame advance; etc. I also remember not having the '"swap" ability on the Cisco boxes as I had on the Motorolas. They just seemed like a generation behind the Motorola DVRs I gave up to get the whole house system. And I notice that the folks on the Cox forum are still complaining about the same issues I experienced a year ago, so it doesn't appear they're being addressed that rapidly.

**Commander Keen** · 09-02-2012, 05:23 PM

I'll check on these things as soon as I can and let you know.

**bettingpython** · 09-02-2012, 05:28 PM

I have had 0 problems with our total home, once I finally called and complained enough to get a guy out to do thorough line analysis and they discovered the had not properly routed the cable line and left a section of it exposed and not buried, and it had been destroyed by animals. Our installer also failed to install a required filter and our internet was crap.

I had complained the first 3 years we owned the house and they just kept swapping boxes not analyzing the problem, we went to uVerse and at&t made me so mad we went back to COX last summer.

We went from a -54db line signal at the house to a -32db signal at the house and a -38db at the boxes.

**Shadowrider** · 09-02-2012, 07:57 PM

Originally Posted by bettingpython

I have had 0 problems with our total home, once I finally called and complained enough to get a guy out to do thorough line analysis and they discovered the had not properly routed the cable line and left a section of it exposed and not buried, and it had been destroyed by animals. Our installer also failed to install a required filter and our internet was crap.

I had complained the first 3 years we owned the house and they just kept swapping boxes not analyzing the problem, we went to uVerse and at&t made me so mad we went back to COX last summer.

We went from a -54db line signal at the house to a -32db signal at the house and a -38db at the boxes.

Must be a Tulsa thing. I've had two techs at the house here in Moore since the first install and both were very sharp and fixed me right up. They had to change the outside box once. He did all sorts of testing before he did it and after had to go to the switch to reverse a couple of ports because they had made changes since my install.

O/P I've had total crap service with Cox digital anything. That's my whole experience with them. My mom and sister both have Cox and hate them. At my mom's location they are the only game in town except satellite. My uverse whole house system has been pretty good, I got no complaints. And that's quite surprising since it's Windows CE based. I've had uverse (now), Dish (last) and Cox. And Cox is the only one that just sucked. Didn't have the bandwidth to run my location and the only one that would kinda sorta own up to it was a supervisor that came out to help the two techs at my house scratching their heads. The first one had to call a more experienced tech in to help him out, and he couldn't figure it out either. Bottom line was HD didn't work (pixelation eventually freezing up) and they never did get it to quit. Wouldn't refund a dime or cancel the contract either...

**cichlid-dave** · 09-02-2012, 10:46 PM

Working from home and using cox was a nightmare for some time. I don't have the whole home DVD and had been thinking about it. But since the Internet for home was my concern after 2yrs we finally went to a dedicated line for the modem and it made the only difference

**Pistol Packin' Honey** · 09-02-2012, 11:22 PM

We have Cox's whole home DVR. It works great for us. We can record more shows at a time. And if I don't wanna watch what the hubs is watching, I can watch stuff I recorded on the tv in the bedroom, regardless of what DVR it was recorded on.
Our installer was thrilled to see our set-up. He says a lot of houses have everything spliced in, and the signal strength is not enough.

**Commander Keen** · 09-03-2012, 11:17 AM

Originally Posted by Backstrap

I was one of the first to sign up for the whole home DVR system when Cox first debuted it around a year or so ago - couldn't stand it. Primary gripe was with the Cisco DVRs - unless they've upgraded them drastically, they were a big step down from the standard Motorola DVR boxes. I lost several neat features going from Motorola to Cisco DVRs. The only advantage I remember having with the Cisco/whole home setup was a very good search feature on the program guide - for example, I could search a movie name and it would tell me if it was available anywhere on the system, including PPV channels. The Motorola boxes won't do that. When I requested they come out and replace the whole home setup with the normal Motorola boxes, it was the same tech who removed them as had just installed them. I explained to him why I was switching back and asked him if he sees a lot of that (customers dissatisfied with the whole home setup and going back to regular). He politely declined to answer, but in essence told me he does see it a lot. Commander Keen, have they worked the bugs out of the whole home system and the Cisco DVRs? I was told at the time that some of the problems I was experiencing would be resolved in future software updates to the Cisco boxes - has that happened? I'd still like to have the whole home system, but not unless they've brought it up to par with the Motorola DVRs.

Read this thread from Cox's own forum before you decide to take the leap into whole home DVR system: http://forums.cox.com/forum_home/tv_...f/4/t/558.aspx

Originally Posted by Backstrap

Everything as detailed in the thread I linked to - no slow motion on the Cisco boxes; no frame-by-frame advance; etc. I also remember not having the '"swap" ability on the Cisco boxes as I had on the Motorolas. They just seemed like a generation behind the Motorola DVRs I gave up to get the whole house system. And I notice that the folks on the Cox forum are still complaining about the same issues I experienced a year ago, so it doesn't appear they're being addressed that rapidly.

It seems these issues are still present in the white home system, although I'm sure the higher-ups would say it is all "working as designed".