Modem online, PC not.

[RichEO]

Hi there, I think I'm pretty close to getting connected, but have gotten stumped.

On my surfboard 4100 (from Lincsat) I have entered several MAC addresses from another area*. Config is set to cmreg-mota4100-bund03.cm.
All lights green, power, recieve, send and online. Activity light flashes a lot at 1st, when the modem initially connects, then it only occaisonally flashes.

When the cable is plugged into the modem I can not connect to it via 192.168.100.1
My PCs IP is 169.254.17.146
When the cable is unplugged, my IP is 192.168.100.11, and can connect to 192.168.100.1. So when the cable was connected I manually set my IP to the same range as the router (192.168.100.18) and connected to it so I could try and diagnose it:

Status:
Task Status
Acquire Downstream Channel Done
Obtain Upstream Parameters Done
Establish IP Connectivity using DHCP Done
Establish Time Of Day Done
Transfer Operational Parameters through TFTP Done
Register Connection Done
Initialize Baseline Privacy Done
Cable Modem Status Operational

Signal:
Downstream Value
Frequency 402750000 Hz Locked
Signal to Noise Ratio 35 dB
QAM 256
Network Access Control Object ON
Power Level 0 dBmV
The Downstream Power Level reading is a snapshot taken at the time this page was requested. Please Reload/Refresh this Page for a new reading
HFC MAC Address *removed*
Upstream Value
Channel ID 1
Frequency 34800000 Hz Ranged
Ranging Service ID 3461
Symbol Rate 2.560 Msym/s
Power Level 49 dBmV

So, does all this mean the modem is connected fine and working?
Is it just my modem to PC that is wrong somewhere? What IP should my PC be automatically assigned?
Ipconfig says:
Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::10b5:fadb:ff1e:1192%8
Autoconfiguration IPv4 Address. . : 169.254.17.146
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.0.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . :
So is the problem that the default gateway is missing?
Just incase it matters, my PC has Vista installed.

I connected a Windows XP PC to the modem to see what results I got. The IP address assigned is 81.103.134.8 with a gateway of 81.103.134.1 and a DHCP server of 82.3.32.21. It also has DNS serviers of 194.168.4.100 and 194.168.8.100 These settings look like they could be correct but internet explorer is unable to find a webpage. I get "Website found. Waiting for reply...." in the status bar for about a minute until it times out and gives a cannot display webpage error.

If anyone can help me over this last hurdle that would be great!

*The MAC addresses are from 5miles away, so I assume they are from a different area, what are the symptoms of using a MAC from your own UBR? I haven't gotten online yet to be able to check what my UBR is.

Rich.

[lincsat]

The IP address in XP looks correct, the vista details look wrong.

If you use a MAC from your own gateway, it will connect then disconnect, then re-connect etc.

I'm wondering if the MAC address you're using isn't assigned to a valid config - go into the hack tab, what is the "ISP default Config File"

[RichEO]

ISP default config file: unreg.cm

I have taken the vista PC out of the loop for now, just using th XP PC as it is getting the correct settings and I can log in to the modem when it's online but with the vista PC I couldn't without manually assigning a different IP.

I have tried 5 or more MAC addresses. Should I be changing HFC MAC Address and USB CPE MAC Address or just ignore the USB one as of course I am using ethernet? Also, I have been trying to stick to the MAC addresses with a mota4100 config file (only have about 4), does this matter? I can use MACs with ntlhm120 configs too?

Thanks for the help.

[lincsat]

You should be able to use any MAC with an attached config file. Are you sure the MAC's are from your franchise area, because if not you would get an unreg.cm and no internet - just like you are doing. You only need to change the HFC MAC, some also change the USB MAC to either the same value or 01 higher.

With the Vista PC, you probably need to disable IPv6 and only use IPv4

[RichEO]

Well I went round to someones house 5 miles away in Leicester to scan. As I said before I am not sure what my URB / franchise is as I haven't gotten a connection yet to check.

What are the chances of there being 2 different franchises in Leicester?

Is there a network map anywhere I can check, or is the only way to get connected and see what the whois lookup is?

[lincsat]

I've just whois'd the first IP address you listed - the 81.103 one and it comes back as cur1-leic4-0-0-custxx.lei3.cable.ntl.com. What is the Whois lookup from the site of your scans?

[RichEO]

The MACs I am using are from: cpc2-nfds5-0-0-custxxx.lei3.cable.ntl.com

[lincsat]

The nfds signifies they are from a different Headend and that's why they are not working. nfds will be an abbreviation for a Town/City that hosts the Network headend.

Mine comes back as cpc4-linc2-0-0-custxxx.nott.cable.ntl.com - the linc signifies Lincoln and the nott is Nottingham, so although we are part of the Nottingham franchise, we need MAC's from the Lincoln network.

[RichEO]

No idea what nfds could stand for.

Looks like I might have to drive about looking for an open access point. But before I try that (and get arrested) are there any public hot spots that are likely to be connected with a cable modem, eg library, cafes, T-mobile hotspots?

If I go looking for an unsecure access point, about how far does a gateway usually span for? Would half a mile be ok, or is a couple of miles a better bet?

Cheers for the help, at least I know what the problem is now!

[lincsat]

Not sure if you can sniff for MAC's through an open wireless connection - if you have any success, please let me know.