Need Wi-Fi for Cabled TV?
A relative had a very simple Cox setup: one cabled TV plus a basic modem for internet and phone. We wanted to add a TV cable box in another room. Got one from the Cox store and followed the basic plug-and-play setup instruction: coax to box, HDMI from box to (brand new) TV. It said it couldn't get a signal.
After multiple trips to the store and extended phone calls to resolve this, finally needed a Cox rep to come out and set up panoramic Wi-Fi to make the new cabled box work. Huh? I wasn't there to get the explanation why this is so, but wish I had. Maybe someone here can explain:
- Why is a Wi-Fi connection needed for a cabled TV box? (All the phone agents could say was "these devices all talk to each other. One store visit was supposed to 'hard wire' the box for cable.)
- If this is needed, why don’t the cable box setup instructions state this?
- If this is needed, how was the original cable box operating without it?
Note: The original cable box and modem were of some vintage.
Thanks for the replies. Using the help email address provided (where is this on the Cox site?), Cox reps explained that "some" boxes require Panoramic Wi-Fi so as to support MoCA and IPTV capabilities. These basically turn your coax connections into an ethernet, albeit with an adapter.
So you need Wi-Fi to control your cabled connections. Crazy.
That said, I didn't need one of "those" boxes - just a basic one with a coax signal in and HDMI out to a TV. Apparently the other box in the house was one such, but Cox just couldn't find another one even the box was "hard wired" for cable.
Geez.
