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Question on 'Use Computer MAC address'
I just signed up fo xfinity service (cable company here in the US). the connection (cable modem=>ethernet cable=> pc) works just great. However, when I put netgear router in between cable modem...
The "Use computer MAC" is for those silly ISP which take and keep the previously connected computer MAC address on the cable modem so the Cable Modem does not have to be rebooted after used/tested with that very same computer [direct connected], and you don't have to call the cable TV operator.
If you don't have a problem, do not enable this feature: Because it will kill your Internet connections because the (again very same silly ISPs) allow just one MAC address - and when changing the MAC address of your router (this is what happens, the computer MAC will be copied to the router WAN/Internet port!) your router will not be able to get a public IP address.
For some ISP, rebooting the cable modem (and wait five minutes till it's provisioned again) and then bring up the router will most likely fix things - and no need for stories or wasting the ISPs support resources.
> [...] I 4 work, then a dozen is expected to work as well and so is
> 1000 as well. [...]
"expected" by you, perhaps. What if there's a limit somewhere, of
which you know nothing. I can hold four eggs in one hand. Does that
prove that I can hold a dozen eggs, or 1000 eggs?
> [...] In statistics, [...]
Not all problems involving numbers are statistics problems.
The "Use computer MAC" is for those silly ISP which take and keep the previously connected computer MAC address on the cable modem so the Cable Modem does not have to be rebooted after used/tested with that very same computer [direct connected], and you don't have to call the cable TV operator.
If you don't have a problem, do not enable this feature: Because it will kill your Internet connections because the (again very same silly ISPs) allow just one MAC address - and when changing the MAC address of your router (this is what happens, the computer MAC will be copied to the router WAN/Internet port!) your router will not be able to get a public IP address.
For some ISP, rebooting the cable modem (and wait five minutes till it's provisioned again) and then bring up the router will most likely fix things - and no need for stories or wasting the ISPs support resources.
Thanks for an explanation. What you say makes sense and does provide an answer.
Every time I switch pcs (ie different MAC), I have to re-login into my account. Initially, I did not think much about it but given what you said I think ISP updates its logs with my new MAC address every time I log in. thats why bunch of different computers work while router with diff MAC does not. It all makes sense now.
Thanks so much again, schumaku !!