Cable Reliability

Since I went to cable service several years ago, I have noticed that the service goes down 2-3 times a years from several hours up to a day. That wouldn't be too terrible, except that takes out my telephone service also. It is for this reason that I have been thinking about reverting my telephone service back to a regular landline, but I keep waffling.

All that aside, I'm wondering if this is typical of most cable services, or if I'm just "blessed" by only having Cox to choose from?

I dropped cable 7 years ago when I went to satellite tv. I started using DSL and have found it much more reliable and even faster than my old cable was, at least in my area.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't DSL strictly for TV, rather than internet? Internet is what I want, not TV.

DSL comes from my phone provider (windstream), but you can get your internet from them also. I do have to use a filter so that the internet signal doesn't interfere with my phone signal.

depending where you are (US), you may be able to get Verizon FIOS and/or at&t Uverse.
These are fiber optic cable.
They each have websites where you can enter your address (maybe phone #) to check if the service is available to you.
I have Uverse (FIOS is not available for me).
Occasionally the Gateway resets itself and internet, phone, and TV are down for apx. 5 minutes.

Unfortunately FIOS is not "to the door". I wish it was...

Do you mean Uverse (not FIOS)?

I'm under the impression FIOS is FTTP (fiber to the premise).
It may also be called FTTH (fiber to the home).

Verizon FiOS - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Uverse uses FTTN (fiber to the node).
I recently read somewhere Uverse may be FTTH in newer subdivisions.

They added Uverse in my neighborhood apx 2 years ago, and did not lay new fiber cable to the homes...

I just got off the phone with Cox support, because my internet and telephone service has been very volatile since early yesterday morning. One time I check it on speedtest.net and it's normal, the next time it will barely move the needles...or not at all.

The tech seemed to think it is a problem with my cable modem (Cox provided), so he scheduled a service call tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully, they replace the modem and all will be well.

While talking with him, I brought up the subject of using the service for sending and receiving faxes, which I have not been able to make work. When I discussed this on another forum in the past, I was told that it is because the cable service is digital, and the fax machine works on analog, but he said that the telephone portion of the service is analog, and that it should work.

I know that I played around with this a lot in the past, but I will try once more, after getting the modem squared away.