Cox or Fios? (Centreville, Fairfax: rent, taxes, price)

[kfos]

So it's been pretty confusing trying to decide which one to get for Internet only - Cox or Fios? Anyone have any recommendations? We will be in the Centreville/Fairfax area.

I've been reading that Verizon's customer service is horrible, but the the Internet speeds are great... Cox has a 5/1 Mbps for Download/Upload for $34.99/month, while Fios is 15/5 Mbps for $29.99/month.

Any help on deciding what to get would be appreciated!! TIA!

[gomason]

Never have had a problem with FIOS and it is very quick.

Cable has always been a nightmare.

[LakeLifePA]

Verizon customer support is superior to Cox, but I've been happy with both services as far as reliability and speed.

[boyd888]

5/1 is pitiful speed for the price and I'm pretty Fios internet only is more like $70 a month after the first year.

FiOS Quantum Internet - Fastest Internet | Internet Speed Test | Verizon Official Site

[mormegil27]

Cox had us at $60/month for 5/1 alone. It went out about once/month.

I just got fios 50/25 for less money, but that is only for 1st 2 years - also, if you get cable with fios they make you rent the box for $12/month which is not listed in their initial pricing bundles. Didn't have cable with Cox, not sure if it is the same. Fios throttles netflix such that it is not possible to stream at 1080p. I'm not so fussed about this that it made a difference to me, might matter to some.

[Bigfoot424]

FIOS. No decision here.

[yolli71]

I've had Cox for about 6 or 7 years now and am extremely satisfied. I have the 25/10 internet service with unlimited local phone (w/ caller ID and call waiting) and pay $66/mo (after all taxes and fees).

The service is very reliable...rarely ever goes down. The few issues I've had over the years, I've found their tech support to be very helpful. The service fits our needs great as far as streaming Netflix, web surfing, etc.

[kfos]

Thanks! So it seems to be mixed.... I've heard Verizon adds random charges to the bill and their customer service is horrendous with long hold times?

I will have my own modem and router... does wireless work great with either of these 2 companies?

[boyd888]

I've had Fios for several years and never had a single issue. So have tens of thousands of other people in NOVA. However, the same thing goes for COX.

Likewise, many many people have had problems with both companies. The people with problems are going to the most vocal, especially on the internet. Do you really think Verizon randomly adds charges? You are over thinking this.

[abistro]

Had Cox for a number of years and once FOIS was available, we switched over and never looked back. Cox was constantly going down and bandwidth issues at high peak hours, never had any issues with Verizon FOIS.

Now if only Google Fiber (https://fiber.google.com/about/) would come here...