problem - NTL Ethernet connection: cable modem (USB cable - no probs!)

JonnyXXX

All - I cant connect to NTL broadband with my ethernet cable. always had no problem with the USB cable connection but now i need to use ethernet cable as i am setting up a Belkin wireless router which only allows me to use the ethernet cable. i think the NTL lad set up initially with ethernet but when i changed PC i couldnt get it to work so i used the USB.

any advice please!!

thanks

MunsterCycling

You need to clone the MAC of the original machine to the WAN port of the router (please tell me you haven't yet bought the Smelkin?, Ohh the pain to come!!!).

Thinking about it I dunno what the NTL modem was bound to if you only ever used USB to connect it, maybe the software that came with the modem had a way to fake a MAC for the USB bus thus allowing the modem to bind to it. Anyway the solution is to find out how the modem and USB bound and to what MAC and enter that MAC in the clone MAC address config page on the router.


MAC


Opps:

If only i'd read that fully. You need the MAC of the network card in the machine that he used to originally set it up, if you still have this then your sorted if its now in some skip somewhere then oh oh spagetto...

Give NTL a ring and explain what you want to do, they will be either able to tell you the MAC or how to reset it or send someone to do this for you depending how tight they are about this sort of info.


MC

watty

I have no idea why they still do this old security scheme as the Cable Modem MAC and DOCSIS1.1 or DOCSIS2.0 makes this un-needed.

I use a four port switch + 108Mbps MIMO wifi/NAT/Router from Dlink and find it 100% good on my Cable Modem and LAN.

I'm no fan of Belkin at all. Their advertising on cables is misleading and they seem expensive for what you get.

irlrobins

Cloning will work but you can also release the ip assigned to the mac address by switching off the NTL modem for a period of time. Usually 15 mins will do it, but sometimes it can take a few hours. Then connect ntl modem to the router and it should work.

wayne040576

irlrobins wrote:

Cloning will work but you can also release the ip assigned to the mac address by switching off the NTL modem for a period of time. Usually 15 mins will do it, but sometimes it can take a few hours. Then connect ntl modem to the router and it should work.

15 mins? Do they have different types of modems out there? I can switch mine off for just 30 seconds then connect it to a different machine or network card without any troubles. I thought all of that information was just kept in volatile memory that gets wiped in a very short time period.

irlrobins

I'm not sure if the ip lease is done by the modem or by remote dhcp server. Time to release can vary. 10 mins does it for most people, but I have heard of 4 hours for others. Whatever works, eh?

wayne040576

irlrobins wrote:

I'm not sure if the ip lease is done by the modem or by remote dhcp server. Time to release can vary. 10 mins does it for most people, but I have heard of 4 hours for others. Whatever works, eh?

I'm fairly sure it is the modem that handles it (correct me if you know sure). I've tested it before when the modem wasn't connected to the tv point. It gives out the usual 192.168.60.x ip address and will refuse a different mac address unless powered down for some time (30 seconds in my case). This lead me to belive it held the information in its own memory.

MunsterCycling

Or just clone it and get back online immediatly

JonnyXXX

thanks all, sorted!!