Swapping cable modems?

D

DellAxim

Gawd
Joined
Feb 14, 2003
Messages
999
I've had cable internet service for several years now and all that time I've been paying to "lease" a modem from the cable company. I could have bought several by now. :rolleyes:

Anyway, I have come into possession of another cable modem. Long story where I got it, but it says "property of comcast" on it. Is it either illegal or against comcast rules for me to use this modem? It was aquired legally.

If not, can I use this for my cable modem and let them have the leased modem back? How would I "activate" this new modem on my cable internet account?
 
Most cable ISP's will require you to give them the MAC address of the new cable modem. The only reason they would say anything is if they have the MAC address of the new modem blacklisted for some reason.
 
What is the model number and what level of service are you currently subscribed to. ?
 
When you want to swap, unplug old modem, plug in new modem, connect router to it...power up router, power up modem..allow to synch up. Routers WAN will only pull a private IP or a walled garden IP..this is expected. Call ISP...tell them you have a new modem and need to have it "provisioned". They will ask you to read the MAC of the modem to them...give them a couple of minutes to find it, upload their config file, the modem will reboot. Once the modem has fully rebooted and synched up...power cycle your router (or if you're logged into the web admin of the router...release/renew the WAN interface). Should now have a legit public IP. Take computer and release/renew so it gets new DNS info (may not have to if your routers uses itself for DNS forwarding, or if you use your own local DNS service). Should be online. Usually the whole ordeal from start to finish takes about 10 minutes depending on hold time of your ISPs support #.
 
my ISP automates provisioning by having my type a bunch of account info into the garden page.
 
I recently had an issue with my ISP whereby I had one of their not-so-superhubs and wanted to replace it with an acquired DOCSIS 3.0 modem as supplied by Virgin themselves but from another area of the country.

In the process of `provisioning` the replacement modem, the guy on the other end of the phone seemingly couldn`t `find` the MAC in their system.

After I explained to him what had gone on, he advised me that as it had come from a different area originally it was locked to their area of the country and my area couldn`t `aqdopt` it.

I`m pretty sure that if they had tried a bit harder, it could have beed sorted out but as it was, they released a new firmware for the not-so-superhub that gave it a modem only mode which I am now using.

Maybe this is a virgin thing!?
 
BigBadAl said:
I recently had an issue with my ISP whereby I had one of their not-so-superhubs and wanted to replace it with an acquired DOCSIS 3.0 modem as supplied by Virgin themselves but from another area of the country.

In the process of `provisioning` the replacement modem, the guy on the other end of the phone seemingly couldn`t `find` the MAC in their system.

After I explained to him what had gone on, he advised me that as it had come from a different area originally it was locked to their area of the country and my area couldn`t `aqdopt` it.

I`m pretty sure that if they had tried a bit harder, it could have beed sorted out but as it was, they released a new firmware for the not-so-superhub that gave it a modem only mode which I am now using.

Maybe this is a virgin thing!?
Click to expand...

He didn;t need to find the MAC in the system, he needed to add the MAC to the system. Dumb shit tech support right there. If it's a standard DOCSIS modem supported by their plant then it shouldn't matter where it comes from, retail or another provider previously.
 
Wouldn`t surprise me, we could hardly understand each other!?

As I say though, I`m not too bothered, they sorted the firmware with modem only mode soon after...
 
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