[geeks] Stoopid question re: cable ISP, modem, router bonding

[James Fogg]

> I've got a Comcast cable modem, and I finally decided to dump my
Sveasoft
> firmware'ed WRT54GS in exchange for a DD-WRT'ed WRT54G (I used
different
> hardware so I could swap back the original config if I had problems).
So,
> I throw the DD-WRT firmware on the box, set all the settings to mirror
my
> outgoing box, then swap them.
>
> It didn't work.
>
> It wouldn't get an IP address (via DHCP) from the comcast network.
After a
> bit of hair-pulling I power-cycled the cable modem, and the link lit
> right-up.
>
> Here's the question - am I correct in assuming that the cable modem
bonded
> to the MAC address on the previous router and wouldn't release another
IP
> address to another MAC? My thinking is that by power-cycling the
"router"
> I wiped the old DHCP lease from the tables and the router could hand
out a
> new IP.


Yes, Comcast tracks MAC addresses. Most cable modems do by design, its
part of the protocol they use on the cable side.

I'm a Comcastian too, though I use smoothwall firewall on a PC.