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Laptop with wifi symbol in center icon in white

Learn about wifi pods

Bring on the wifi bars

What are Panoramic Wifi Pods?

Pods are optional wifi extender devices that work with your Panoramic Wifi Gateway to help extend wifi coverage around your home and eliminate dead zones in the process. Pods won’t make your internet faster than it already is, but they will help to make your wifi signal more consistent.

 

Not everybody will need pods, but if you're getting a weak wifi signal in parts of your home, pods can help extend the signal.
 

icon wifi pods

Peak coverage

Pods constantly adapt to your home network to give you the best possible wifi experience.

Icon wifi in blue

A reliable connection

Pods provide a consistent signal for all your connected devices, even as you move around the house.

Manage wifi with the panoramic wifi app

Put your network in your hands

Download the Panoramic Wifi app to set up your pods, view connected devices, manage network settings and pause your wifi for family time. Learn more >
 

Installing and activating wifi pods

Get connected in minutes

Follow these steps below and you’ll be up and running in no time. For more of a detailed step-by-step process, read this support article.

 

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After logging into the Panoramic Wifi app, select the Account icon at the top left of your dashboard. From the Account screen under Devices, tap Activate Panoramic Wifi Pods to start installation.

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From the Choose Which Panoramic Wifi Pod You're Installing screen, choose either the one port icon or two port icon depending on your Pod device. The screen will show Say Hello to Your New Panoramic Wifi Pods!. Tap the Get Started button to begin the process

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Plug in your first Pod to an active electrical outlet in your home. Place it into the bottom plug of an electrical outlet with at least one room separating it from the Panoramic Wifi Gateway device (ensuring it's within approximately 20-30 feet away)

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Once plugged in the ideal spot, complete the steps within the app. If first generation Pods are on the account, then follow the prompts to remove them before proceeding to the next step of activation. To reinstall first generation Pods after the Wifi network optimization is complete, see this article.

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Once your Pod is connected in the Panoramic Wifi app, you can tap Finish Setup. If you have another Pod to install, follow the prompts to associate your remaining Pods throughout your home; make sure that they're evenly spaced out from each other and the Gateway to ensure even coverage.

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Once you're all set up, tap All Pods Ready to Go! from the Remember These Tips screen. You can specify each pod by selecting Name Your Pods.

  1. Tap a Pod to name it and hold your device close to that pod.
  2. Assign the Pod a name.
  3. If applicable, then repeat the steps above to name each remaining Pod.

Note: You can name your Pods in any order.

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Once the Pods are installed and named, tap Finish Setup on the Your Pods Are Ready! screen. A screen that says Pods Are Now Active will confirm that they're set-up.

 

Tap Back to Overview to return to the main dashboard. A notification at the top of the dashboard will indicate the Panoramic Wifi Gateway and Panoramic Wifi Pods are online. The light on the device stops flashing and remains off after the Pods are activated.

A couple of tips to remember:

  • Pods use the first 24-72 hours after activation to learn and optimize your in-home wifi network.
  • Panoramic Wifi Pods pair with your Panoramic Wifi Gateway to create a mesh wifi network. Mesh wifi networks are designed to extend your wifi coverage and not your internet speeds.

Tips for setting up your pods

Find the right wifi solution for your home

You may need pods if you’re getting a weak signal in parts of your home, which is more likely if your home is larger, multi-storied or unusually shaped. In most cases, you’ll only need one. If you need pods, here are some tips on where to place them.

 

  • Make sure they’re at least one room away from your Panoramic Wifi Gateway
  • Plug them in near an open area that’s not blocked by furniture or other large objects
  • Keep your pods evenly spaced from each other and from your Gateway

Panoramic Wifi Pods FAQs

When you open the app, you’ll see easy-to-follow instructions on how to activate your pods. If the app isn’t working, you may need to update your operating system.
 

Heads up: Make sure your pods are plugged into active outlets. Don’t connect your pods directly to your Panoramic Wifi Gateway using the Ethernet port on the bottom of the pod. The pods connect wirelessly to the Gateway and won’t activate if one is connected directly.

Not at this time, but take it from us, they’re easy to install.

No. Panoramic Wifi features, including pods, are only available on a rented Panoramic Wifi Gateway that isn’t in Bridge Mode.

No, they can’t. To get wifi outside, place one of your pods inside, closest to the area outside where you want wifi.

To activate and use your pods, make sure your Panoramic Wifi Gateway isn’t in Bridge Mode and you’ve enabled these settings:

 

  • A password to join your wifi network (your wifi Security Mode setting needs to be password protected, not Open).
  • One wifi network name and password. (you can’t have a separate wifi network name and password for your 2.4 and 5 GHz networks.)
  • An enabled and broadcasting wifi network (your wifi network can’t be disabled through the Gateway's Admin Tool (10.0.0.1)).
    If any of these settings aren’t enabled when you activate your pods, you may be asked to change them.

Once you've activated your pods, advanced settings like Wifi Mode, Channel and Channel Width will be managed automatically to provide the best coverage.

No. Simply plug in the pods you want to use, and when activating your pods on the Panoramic Wifi app, select All Pods Ready to Go. On the following screen, select Not Using All Pods.

After activation, the unused pods will show as Offline.

From the Panoramic Wifi app or wifi.cox.com, go to Network, select the pod you want to name or rename, then select Edit next to the name of the pod.

 

Using your Panoramic Wifi Pods

No. Once devices join your home wifi network, they’ll automatically connect to the best wifi access point, whether that’s your Gateway or pods. You can easily see what devices are connected to your Gateway or pods on the Panoramic Wifi app. Just scroll to Network and choose Gateway or a pod.

Pods only work if you have one wifi network name and password. Your network still has both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, but now your Gateway will choose the best connection for your devices at any given time. Remember, you may need to reconnect devices to your wifi name and password if they were previously connected to a name designated for a single radio band.

Check your pods’ status in the Network section of your Panoramic Wifi app. Pods that have a green status are online and working. Pods that are marked as offline will have some troubleshooting steps you can follow.

No, you shouldn’t have to reactivate your pods. Your pods should automatically reconnect to your new Gateway once it’s activated and online. Make sure you keep your same settings if you’re asked during the activation process.

After activating your Panoramic Wifi Gateway at your new address, you may need to reactivate your pods. If your pods don’t show up in the Panoramic Wifi app after your Gateway’s been activated, you’ll need to contact us and request that the pods be removed from your old account. An agent will then contact you within a few days when your pods can be reactivated at the new address using your Panoramic Wifi app.

 

Troubleshooting

You may have had a separate wifi network name and password for your 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks. For pods to work, each of your network names and passwords need to be the same, so all your devices can connect to the network providing the best wifi signal at any given time.

If your network names and passwords were different when you activated your pods, you should have been notified. The wifi network name and password previously used for the 2.4 GHz wifi network should now be the wifi network name and password used for all your devices, unless you changed it. Make sure all your devices are connected using the current wifi name and password for your home network.

If you're getting wifi coverage in areas of your home where there was once no or limited connection and none of the pods are showing as offline, then the pods are doing their job. If you're having issues with specific functions like streaming video, try one of these:

 

  • Connect your device to your pod or Gateway with an Ethernet cable
  • Move Pods closer to the Gateway or another pod
  • Add more pods
  • Disconnect the device from your wifi and then reconnect

In a wifi mesh network, the best connection for a device may not be the closest. Pods talk to each other and the Gateway to track the number of connected devices, their location and the type of wifi connection that each device needs. This makes sure your device gets the best signal.

From the Panoramic Wifi app, go to Network and select Edit next to the pod you want to remove, then select Remove Pod.

If a pod is offline, it will be marked in the Network section of the Panoramic Wifi app. To troubleshoot, choose the pod from the list, then select Help Me Fix It for tips on how to get the pod online or boost its connection.

Keep in mind that while troubleshooting, it make take up to two minutes for the pod to update in the Panoramic Wifi app.

 

Speeds

Pods need to connect to the Gateway and, depending on where they are, they may “hop” through other pods to get there. The number of “hops” the pod needs to make to the Gateway will affect the speed.

There are a few other things that affect your speed, like your connection type (Ethernet vs. wifi), the number of devices you’re using, the age of the device, site traffic and other techy-sounding network factors.

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Prices, and/or when applicable, term agreements, may differ from those presented here as a result of customer’s existing account features, such as pricing, packages, term agreements, or service address. Pricing, packages, and policies are subject to change. Other restrictions may apply.