Returning Comcast Modem - without power cable?

GotNoRice

[H]F Junkie
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Jul 11, 2001
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I was on Comcast Residential a few years back with a Motorola SB5100 modem that I purchased myself.

When I switched to business, they moved me to an SMCD3G-CCR combo unit. That's where the problem occurred.

The tech, for some reason that is beyond my understanding, never gave us the power pack for the SMCD3G-CCR. He simply plugged the existing power pack that I had for my SB5100 into the SMCD3G-CCR. Apparently it's compatible. I didn't notice this until after the tech had already left, and my calls to Comcast about this were basically ignored (they don't really seem to care much unless something is actually "broken"). Time went on, and I got busy with other stuff and didn't continue to pursue the issue.

Fast forward to now. I just replaced the SMCD3G-CCR with a Motorola SB6121 that I bought myself. In the process of getting the SMCD3G-CCR ready to take back to Comcast, I remembered the power pack issue (I had pretty much forgotten about it over time).

I'd like to keep the power pack for the SB5100 so that I could sell it on eBay or something while it still has some value to it. That would mean returning the SMCD3G-CCR to Comcast without a powerpack though.

Even though this is 100% their fault for not giving me the power pack for the SMCD3G-CCR in the first place, I still feel like I'm going to run into trouble turning this in without a power pack.

What do you all think? Any experiences with something like this?
 
see if your receipt from the install mentions the power pack, if it dosent then if they give you a hard time show them that there isn't one on the receipt and it was never provided.
 
I've never returned my modem to any carrier... I'd just ignore the whole process (referring to DSL and cable... can't say a provider doesn't keep better tabs on DS3 routers)
 
I've never returned my modem to any carrier... I'd just ignore the whole process (referring to DSL and cable... can't say a provider doesn't keep better tabs on DS3 routers)

Well going from renting a modem to using my own should knock the ~$7 rental fee off the bill. That's only going to happen if they have a record of me turning in their modem.
 
wait a second, you can use your own modem with comcast business? I've thought you had to use theirs. (Sorry for being slightly off topic)
 
Yes you can, the SB6121 has been on their approved modems list for business since ~January.
 
interesting! i might just have to get one, see if it makes a difference in my speeds hehe.
 
If you have a Static IP you have to use the SMC (8014 or D3) rental. Otherwise, definitely get the SB6121.
 
If you have a Static IP you have to use the SMC (8014 or D3) rental. Otherwise, definitely get the SB6121.

That makes no sense why you would need a different modem for a static IP. The modem doesn't give a shit if it's a Dynamic address or Static; it's the router that does.
 
That makes no sense why you would need a different modem for a static IP. The modem doesn't give a shit if it's a Dynamic address or Static; it's the router that does.

You can't use your block of statics without their equipment. They do something with the gateway and your range of statics, so you have to use their equipment. Took about 30 minutes for the smc gateway to grab the config from them and then a phone call to finish setting it up.
 
You can't use your block of statics without their equipment. They do something with the gateway and your range of statics, so you have to use their equipment. Took about 30 minutes for the smc gateway to grab the config from them and then a phone call to finish setting it up.

Retarded. I'm guessing they charge you to rent that modem from them as well? Money grab.
 
Cable companies give static IPs out via RIP, RIP needs to be supported in the modem firmware. I wouldn't be surprised if modem manufactuers offered 2 different "levels" of firmware support, one with RIP (and other advanced business related features) and one without, the one with RIP obviously being more expensive than the basic one. SMC probably arranged a better contract than moto, arris, etc... did so if you want a static IP, you gotta have an SMC. At least that's what I'm guessing since my arris modem's config page does have a RIP section but I've never heard of a comcast business customer NOT using an SMC.

Might be a money grab but on the part of the cable modem mfg as much or more so than the cable company.
 
Cable companies give static IPs out via RIP, RIP needs to be supported in the modem firmware. I wouldn't be surprised if modem manufactuers offered 2 different "levels" of firmware support, one with RIP (and other advanced business related features) and one without, the one with RIP obviously being more expensive than the basic one. SMC probably arranged a better contract than moto, arris, etc... did so if you want a static IP, you gotta have an SMC. At least that's what I'm guessing since my arris modem's config page does have a RIP section but I've never heard of a comcast business customer NOT using an SMC.

Might be a money grab but on the part of the cable modem mfg as much or more so than the cable company.

Is this something you've heard for a reliable resource or what? I don't see why the modem would need RIP on it to get a static IP. As long as you set your gateway to their router which DOES know the routes, it'd be fine.
 
I used to do network support at comcast. They can't "just set a static IP" because any time a customer moved or they had to move the modem between CMTSs then the static routes would have to manually be modified. If you shuttle your cable modem back and forth from home to work every day and you pay for a static IP you want your static IP at both locations. So either comcast could waste an absurd amount of time for network techs with write access to the route tables (who are much smaller in number and much higher paid than the average phone jerk) to rewrite the static routes every time a modem is registed, unregistered, or moved, and customers who do move modems would have to call in and wait for this manual move to be done, or they can use RIP and it all works automagically without any manual intervention past setting up RIP.

They use RIP.
 
That makes sense, but how many people take their modem with them as well as their static IP to work and back all the time?

My brain isn't working today and I'm still learning all the CCNA material. So the modem would advertise it's static IP subnet to the ISP and the ISP router's would update their tables, correct? I was thinking you wouldn't need RIP on the modem because why would you need to advertise your private network, but you can advertise the Public IP to the ISP. Is my thinking correct on this?

Thanks for the info. Interesting to know.
 
Yeah I do use a Dynamic IP and not a Static. I specified that when I first signed up to make it easier to use my own modem. The main reason I didn't ditch the SMC back then was because the Motorola Docsis 3.0 modems were way more expensive when they first came out.

The "Dynamic" IP that I have didn't change for over a year, not until I swapped the modem. It's basically static for any purpose I'd ever have.
 
That makes sense, but how many people take their modem with them as well as their static IP to work and back all the time?

My brain isn't working today and I'm still learning all the CCNA material. So the modem would advertise it's static IP subnet to the ISP and the ISP router's would update their tables, correct? I was thinking you wouldn't need RIP on the modem because why would you need to advertise your private network, but you can advertise the Public IP to the ISP. Is my thinking correct on this?

Thanks for the info. Interesting to know.

There's way way too many static IPs on the network, too many routes period, to just run OSPF and let things just find their way, route tables are finite. Big ISPs use stuff like BGP, IS-IS, RIP (RIP is more limited than OSPF but also uses less RAM and CPU), and good ole static routes to help keep things simple.
 
Retarded. I'm guessing they charge you to rent that modem from them as well? Money grab.

I wouldn't call it a money grab. Business Class internet comes with much better guarantees of reliability as well as priority support. In order to make that possible, they have to use equipment they know how to diagnose and troubleshoot. If everyone was using any old modem, it would be a huge problem for them, how could they see if your modem is the problem if they can't access it remotely, or the tech is unfamiliar with the modem's interface, or the firmware doesn't have the diagnostic readouts that they need?
 
He didn't specify business class. He only said static IP. Anyways, it doesn't matter.
 
You can't get a static IP without business class with comcast, it's always been that way.
 
You can't get a static IP without business class with comcast, it's always been that way.

Didn't know that. With my ISP they don't have business or home class. It's all the same. You can get business grade fiber lines, but that's a different story.
 
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