So, initially I was convinced this was a connectivity issue (since when does Cox service work so well for so long??). But then I started noticing that the entire cable modem would reset itself every few minutes, and even the PC connection would disappear for intervals. I swapped out the router for a few minutes with an old but working one, same thing still happened, so I knew it wasn’t a problem with the router. Given the symptoms, I had inkling that the cable modem itself was at it’s end, so I went out and bought a (cheap) zoom cable modem.
Let me tell you, this thing isn’t pretty like the D-Link I was looking at, or colorful like some other blue brands. It’s a black brick, simply put. But five minutes after connecting it up and calling cox, it was not only running smoothly without resetting every few minutes, it’s faaaaaaaasssssttttt. Maybe I should remember to refresh network hardware every few years too….