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Posted by KenB on March 27, 2007, 4:10 pm
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> KenB wrote:
>> I just received a D-Link DCM-202 modem, bought on eBay and listed as new.
>>
>> I wrote down the MAC address, hooked it up and was preparing to call
>> Suddenlink until I noticed my PC had established an online connection. A
>> little browsing confirmed that the new modem is indeed connected. The MAC
>> address is totally different from the old Toshiba.
>>
>> How is this possible?
>
> There are a number of ways.
>
> First, it may not really be new. It could be refurbished, or it could just
> be re-shrink wrapped. Retailers are allowed to sell returned merchandise
> as new if it appears to still be new, and shrink wrap machines aren't all
> that rare.
>
> It could also be that if your cable operator allows their customer service
> agents to manually provision a modem, a MAC was entered incorrectly. (This
> is why most operators really, really want people to take advantage of
> automatic provisioning systems.)
>
> Another possibility is that your cable system is configured to provide an
> IP address to any MAC, but when the lease expires, you have to get it
> provisioned properly. Encouraging people to essentially take an extended
> test drive can be a great way to make sales.
>
> It could also be bad design by your cable operator. I mentioned automatic
> provisioning before. For that to work, your cable modem needs to establish
> a connection. That connection should allow connection only to the
> provisioning system, and not the outside world. A poorly designed system
> does this only by using DHCP to configure DNS servers that will resolve
> everything to the provisioning server. If that's the only safeguard they
> use, browsing by IP address, or statically configuring another DNS server
> are easy ways around it. (A well designed bottom-up provisioning system
> may do this with DNS, but will also do things like using private range IP
> addresses, or even more reliable methods to keep unprovisioned customers
> from getting anywhere but the provisioning server.)
>
> And, of course, it could just be a mistake on the part of your cable
> operator. An employee may have made a simple mistake that will eventually
> be noticed. Or not.
>
> Chances are that you won't be able to browse the Internet indefinitely
> unless you get the modem properly provisioned for your account. It may be
> tomorrow. Or it may be a couple years down the line. But chances are
> better that it'll be corrected sooner than later.
>
> --
> Warren H.
>
> ==========
> Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
> employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
> Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
> coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
> response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
> to go outside now.
>
> Maintain your landscape with Black & Decker:
> http://www.holzemville.com/mall/blackanddecker
>
>
>
Some time back I bought a Toshiba modem as a backup, identical to the one
I've had for years, but with a different MAC address. That one did not
automatically work. That was before Suddenlink took over my local Cox
operation.
I'll just wait and see what happens Thanks for the reply.
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