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Router conflicting with someone elses
This router has been working fine for about 7 months. This week it would not allow access to the internet. Suddenlink cable service kept redirecting to verify my account. The account that it pulls ...
ISP chaged the MAC address. It's working now.
The Internet and TV Cable Service is provided by "Suddenlink".
The TV Box and Internet Modem are seperate and hooked up to seperate coaxial cables.
The Modem is hooked up to the Router which has one wired connection to the TV Box.
The internet is used for the TV Cable box to provide media- such as Netflix. I have another cable box that is not wired to the Router- wireless connection from the TV Box that is connected to the Router.
AbiTex wrote:
The TV Box and Internet Modem are seperate and hooked up to seperate coaxial cables.
The Modem is hooked up to the Router which has one wired connection to the TV Box.
As I read it, this means that the router is the hub that brings all of those together. Anything that does not use the router as the host may well be seeking IP addresses friom something else.
You said earlier that "My Network Map also shows 11 devices connected, when there should only be 4."
What provided the map? Browser? Desktop app? Mobile app?
Remember, your count of only four may miss out bits and pieces that have a connection that you don't see. Wifi stuff is particularly good at that. But 11 is stretching it.
Did you look at their IP addresses?
Yes- the connected device's IP addresses are visable- no named devices. These device's don't show unless the TV Cable bax in connected to the Router. I'm using the Netgear Router Genie App to map the network.
Suddenlink says that its the Netgear Router and Netgear Router's may not be compatable with Suddenlink. Why did it work fine for the past 7 months. smh (Someone should tell Netgear what Suddenlink said about compatability- that's lots of customer's).
(I hooked up another Router- had the same problem- called suddenlink again) Suddenlink changed the Mac address or IP for the Modem- the Router works now. Took Suddenlink 1 Tech and 4 others before figuring it out over 3 days. Got ahold of the right person- fixed it in under 10 minutes.
The tv cable box may have modem like device in it so when you connect the modem and the tv cable box with the coax cable from the street and then connect a network cable from you router between them you may have been seeing the others network connection on their network feeding your cable box.
Spectrum does not interconnect their modems and cable box together with a lan cable just the coax cable.
> (I hooked up another Router- had the same problem- called suddenlink
> again) [...]
Sounds like an effective approach. Blame assignment is Job One, I
always say.
> [...] The tv cable box may have modem like device in it [...]
I know nothing, but that makes more sense than a claim that you "must
be accessing the internet through the other persons Netgear router".
> [...] Got ahold of the right person- fixed it in under 10 minutes.
I had similar experience once with CenturyLink (DSL). There's
usually someone in the organization who actually understands the
technology, and can solve a problem. Such a person is usually protected
from actual contact with an actual customer.
In any case, thanks for the update. We may never get enough details
to reconstruct what was actually happening, but some future victim may
get some value from what you've reported.This seems very odd if not impossible. Your ISP uses the routers MAC Address to establish the connection. The MAC like your IP Address is unique, so it shouldn't be happening. Sounds like your ISP has assigned your neighbor's router MAC Address to your account. Just a guess. In any event it definately seems to have something to do with the MAC
ISP chaged the MAC address. It's working now.
Awesome to hear. Glad it's fixed. My networking skills are limited but I do know something about MAC Addresses and using your own equipment with your ISP. They require the MAC Address so I figured it had something to do with a fouled up MAC Address entry on their end.