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[CM1000] Are MAC Addresses guaranteed to be unique?

forkrul
Aspirant

[CM1000] Are MAC Addresses guaranteed to be unique?

I'm also contacting support through traditional channels, but I wanted to see if I could get a more informative response through this:

I have a CM1000 modem that I recently bought; while it seems to function fine, when attempting to activate with Comcast, they claim that the Mac address for my modem is actively in use by another household in a completely different part of the country.

 

Given that I both have the modem in hand and I bought it new, this seems unlikely if the Mac address of the modem is truly unique.

 

While I am currently more suspicious of Comcast's book-keeping than of a lack of uniqueness in the Mac addresses of Netgear modems, I am nevertheless curious whether there is any guarantee from Netgear that the Mac address on a particular device will be globally unique.

Model: CM1000|DOCSIS® 3.1
Message 1 of 4

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antinode
Guru

Re: [CM1000] Are MAC Addresses guaranteed to be unique?

> [...] CM1000 modem that I recently bought; [...]

 

   New?  Used?  Other?

 

> [...] while it seems to function fine, when attempting to activate
> with Comcast, they claim that the [MAC] address for my modem is
> actively in use by another household in a completely different part of
> the country. [...]

 

   I know nothing, but:

 

      https://community.netgear.com/t5/x/x/m-p/1664467

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Message 2 of 4

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antinode
Guru

Re: [CM1000] Are MAC Addresses guaranteed to be unique?

> [...] CM1000 modem that I recently bought; [...]

 

   New?  Used?  Other?

 

> [...] while it seems to function fine, when attempting to activate
> with Comcast, they claim that the [MAC] address for my modem is
> actively in use by another household in a completely different part of
> the country. [...]

 

   I know nothing, but:

 

      https://community.netgear.com/t5/x/x/m-p/1664467

Message 2 of 4
forkrul
Aspirant

Re: [CM1000] Are MAC Addresses guaranteed to be unique?


 

   New?  Used?  Other?

 

New

 

   I know nothing, but:

 

      https://community.netgear.com/t5/x/x/m-p/1664467



Huh. That exactly describes my issue.

Message 3 of 4
forkrul
Aspirant

Re: [CM1000] Are MAC Addresses guaranteed to be unique?

Called Netgear support and they are going to send me a new modem. Great on Netgear support; a bit disappointed that I had to do this in the first place, and Comcast support was manifestly unhelpful, but Netgear has handled as well as could be expected.

Message 4 of 4
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