modem question

Howdy:

Charter is my ISP. I use a modem that they supplied and installed, along
with a linksys router. It is attached to my Dell 2400 desktop. I have two
laptops. All computers use XP HOME.

I was paying $3./month for the modem. Charter has now raised that to $5. per
month.

My question is: can I just return the modem to Charter and buy one that will
work just as well with my linksys? If so, can you recommend a brand/type.
Would it be easy to install? What would the price be? Would I have to
re-program the router (in terms of security settings, etc.).

Mel

Hi!

> My question is: can I just return the modem to Charter and buy one that
will
> work just as well with my linksys?

Yes. You may wish to call Charter and ask if they have a list of modems they
would recommend. If they do not, search the web against the model # of your
current modem to find out what standards it supports. Buy one that
advertises similar specifications. (Usually not a problem, as nearly all
cable modems are expected to be what is known as DOCSIS compliant.)

> If so, can you recommend a brand/type.

Although I do not believe it is marketed any longer, I've been very happy
with a Linksys BEFCMU-10 cable modem. Their newer modem offerings should be
similar.

> Would it be easy to install?

Yes. The longest part will be getting through to Charter, to tell them the
MAC address of your new cable modem. (Every network device has a MAC (unique
hardware) address "burned in" at the factory.)

Other than that, just connect the cables, turn the modem on, and then you
can get on the phone with Charter.

> What would the price be?

About $70-90 depending upon features and where you buy from. I have not
noticed a lot of variation in price.

> Would I have to re-program the router (in terms of security settings,
etc.).

That should not be required, as the router can continue to do its thing. All
you might have to do is power-cycle it after the modem comes up.

William

Bill:

Thanks for the quick response. I called Charter and they said it just has to
be docsis 2.0 compliant. I then checked on BUY.com and found this
refurbished Linksys. What do you think?

Also, how do I get the MAC address that I have to mention to Charter? I
gather that I don't have to communicate this address to my router?

http://www.buy.com/prod/linksys-by-c...209342351.html

Mel

"William R. Walsh" < m>
wrote in message news:g2vHm.117844$la3.60723@attbi_s22...
> Hi!
>
>> My question is: can I just return the modem to Charter and buy one that
> will
>> work just as well with my linksys?
>
> Yes. You may wish to call Charter and ask if they have a list of modems
> they
> would recommend. If they do not, search the web against the model # of
> your
> current modem to find out what standards it supports. Buy one that
> advertises similar specifications. (Usually not a problem, as nearly all
> cable modems are expected to be what is known as DOCSIS compliant.)
>
>> If so, can you recommend a brand/type.
>
> Although I do not believe it is marketed any longer, I've been very happy
> with a Linksys BEFCMU-10 cable modem. Their newer modem offerings should
> be
> similar.
>
>> Would it be easy to install?
>
> Yes. The longest part will be getting through to Charter, to tell them the
> MAC address of your new cable modem. (Every network device has a MAC
> (unique
> hardware) address "burned in" at the factory.)
>
> Other than that, just connect the cables, turn the modem on, and then you
> can get on the phone with Charter.
>
>> What would the price be?
>
> About $70-90 depending upon features and where you buy from. I have not
> noticed a lot of variation in price.
>
>> Would I have to re-program the router (in terms of security settings,
> etc.).
>
> That should not be required, as the router can continue to do its thing.
> All
> you might have to do is power-cycle it after the modem comes up.
>
> William
>
>

MZB,
NewEgg.com has a modem that you can use, and there is no need to mess with
the router network that you already have set up.

MOTOROLA SB5101U USB and Ethernet 10/100Base-T SURFboard Cable Modem -
Retail for $ 49.99 plus shipping from NewEgg.com
Its DOCIS 2.0 rated.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16825122011

When it arrives, call Charter tech support and give them the MAC number that
is on the sticker on the unit. Then plug the power supply into the unit, and
the ethernet cable in your current router (same connector as the Charter.com
cable modem is connected to). You should not need to use the USB cable or
drivers included with the modem.Once the modem is up and running, I would
wait a week to make sure that all is running as expected, then return the
Charter cable provided modem, to a pay center near by, for credit.

--
Have a Good Day,
Rich/rerat


"MZB" <> wrote in message
news:hcltgh$e9g$...
Howdy:

Charter is my ISP. I use a modem that they supplied and installed, along
with a linksys router. It is attached to my Dell 2400 desktop. I have two
laptops. All computers use XP HOME.

I was paying $3./month for the modem. Charter has now raised that to $5. per
month.

My question is: can I just return the modem to Charter and buy one that will
work just as well with my linksys? If so, can you recommend a brand/type.
Would it be easy to install? What would the price be? Would I have to
re-program the router (in terms of security settings, etc.).

Mel

MZB wrote:
> Howdy:
>
> Charter is my ISP. I use a modem that they supplied and installed, along
> with a linksys router. It is attached to my Dell 2400 desktop. I have two
> laptops. All computers use XP HOME.
>
> I was paying $3./month for the modem. Charter has now raised that to $5. per
> month.
>
> My question is: can I just return the modem to Charter and buy one that will
> work just as well with my linksys? If so, can you recommend a brand/type.
> Would it be easy to install? What would the price be? Would I have to
> re-program the router (in terms of security settings, etc.).
>
> Mel
>
>
>

Mel,

My experience matches the responses of others here. One of my good home
office customers had the Charter-supplied cable modem fail. They were
told by Charter to bring the modem to the nearest Charter office, 25
miles away, for an exchange. Both adults in the family work long hours
(who doesn't?), so an exchange was impractical.

They called me instead, and I sold and installed a cable modem I keep
around for times like these. I called Charter tech support, gave them
the MAC address of the cable modem, after which the Charter tech waved a
magic wand and the cable modem was operational. Been that way for two
years, and no added monthly payment to Charter by my customer... Ben Myers

Hi!

> Thanks for the quick response. I called Charter and they said it just has
to
> be docsis 2.0 compliant.

That is usually the case these days. Most any recent modem on the market
will meet the requirement.

> I then checked on BUY.com and found this refurbished Linksys. What
> do you think?

I don't know precisely about the CM100 from Linksys. I have the BEFCMU-10
model and have been very happy with it. I doubt there is a lot of difference
internally. If you are OK with buying a reconditioned modem, I'd call that a
pretty good deal, as it is a fairly new product.

> Also, how do I get the MAC address that I have to mention to Charter? I
> gather that I don't have to communicate this address to my router?

The MAC address is printed on the modem itself (and labeled as such) as well
as on the packaging itself. Since the MAC address of every device is
supposed to be unique, the cable company maintains a list of addresses that
are allowed to get on their network. That is why they have to know it. It is
a number that takes the format of XX-XX-XX-XX-XX-XX.

William

Ben:

I trust your customer eventually returned the modem to avoid paying the
monthly rental fee!!!

Mel




"Ben Myers" <> wrote in message
news:hcmjse$2l9$...
> MZB wrote:
>> Howdy:
>>
>> Charter is my ISP. I use a modem that they supplied and installed, along
>> with a linksys router. It is attached to my Dell 2400 desktop. I have two
>> laptops. All computers use XP HOME.
>>
>> I was paying $3./month for the modem. Charter has now raised that to $5.
>> per month.
>>
>> My question is: can I just return the modem to Charter and buy one that
>> will work just as well with my linksys? If so, can you recommend a
>> brand/type. Would it be easy to install? What would the price be? Would I
>> have to re-program the router (in terms of security settings, etc.).
>>
>> Mel
>>
>>
>>
>
> Mel,
>
> My experience matches the responses of others here. One of my good home
> office customers had the Charter-supplied cable modem fail. They were
> told by Charter to bring the modem to the nearest Charter office, 25 miles
> away, for an exchange. Both adults in the family work long hours (who
> doesn't?), so an exchange was impractical.
>
> They called me instead, and I sold and installed a cable modem I keep
> around for times like these. I called Charter tech support, gave them the
> MAC address of the cable modem, after which the Charter tech waved a magic
> wand and the cable modem was operational. Been that way for two years,
> and no added monthly payment to Charter by my customer... Ben Myers

I read some reviews and folks are commenting on the increased speed of their
new modems (compared to the ISP modem).

Could that be true?

Should I expect a speed difference with a new modem?

Mel

"MZB" <> wrote in message
news:hcltgh$e9g$...
> Howdy:
>
> Charter is my ISP. I use a modem that they supplied and installed, along
> with a linksys router. It is attached to my Dell 2400 desktop. I have two
> laptops. All computers use XP HOME.
>
> I was paying $3./month for the modem. Charter has now raised that to $5.
> per month.
>
> My question is: can I just return the modem to Charter and buy one that
> will work just as well with my linksys? If so, can you recommend a
> brand/type. Would it be easy to install? What would the price be? Would I
> have to re-program the router (in terms of security settings, etc.).
>
> Mel
>
>
>

Hi!

> Could that be true?

I'd doubt it, unless the old modem was held to an old enough revision of the
DOCSIS standard that it could not communicate at the highest possible speed.
Or, maybe if the modem was of poor quality or attached to a USB port
(instead of Ethernet). Cable modems do have an onboard processor, miniature
operating system and some memory, but even the puniest of modern embedded
CPUs ought to be able to keep up at current cable data rates.

Cable companies send parameters to cable modems (such as the maximum
permissible communication speed) via TFTP when the modem starts up. If the
modem has a clock (and many do have at least a software clock) it is usually
set at that time.

It used to be that cable modems would accept TFTP settings file downloads
via either the cable or Ethernet interfaces. This led to people making
'cooked' settings files that would--at least in theory--allow their cable
modem to communicate at faster than allowed speeds. Cable modem makers were
pretty quick to close this loophole in newer hardware and with newer
firmware for many existing models.

> Should I expect a speed difference with a new modem?

I very much doubt it, unless the old modem was of poor quality or
malfunctioning.

William

Ok, that's what I thought, but as I said I read some user reviews that
mentioned a significant speed increase.

Anyway, I did order that "linksys certified" refurbished modem. It was
$27.99 delivered.

Mel
"William R. Walsh" < m>
wrote in message news:q5MHm.112795$5n1.49548@attbi_s21...
> Hi!
>
>> Could that be true?
>
> I'd doubt it, unless the old modem was held to an old enough revision of
> the
> DOCSIS standard that it could not communicate at the highest possible
> speed.
> Or, maybe if the modem was of poor quality or attached to a USB port
> (instead of Ethernet). Cable modems do have an onboard processor,
> miniature
> operating system and some memory, but even the puniest of modern embedded
> CPUs ought to be able to keep up at current cable data rates.
>
> Cable companies send parameters to cable modems (such as the maximum
> permissible communication speed) via TFTP when the modem starts up. If the
> modem has a clock (and many do have at least a software clock) it is
> usually
> set at that time.
>
> It used to be that cable modems would accept TFTP settings file downloads
> via either the cable or Ethernet interfaces. This led to people making
> 'cooked' settings files that would--at least in theory--allow their cable
> modem to communicate at faster than allowed speeds. Cable modem makers
> were
> pretty quick to close this loophole in newer hardware and with newer
> firmware for many existing models.
>
>> Should I expect a speed difference with a new modem?
>
> I very much doubt it, unless the old modem was of poor quality or
> malfunctioning.
>
> William
>
>