NTL - MAC Authentication

Could anyone please tell me if NTL require the MAC address of the
computer/router connected to the cable modem, as Blueyonder do?

Thanks in advance,

James

--
James Tappenden
Computer Network & Internet Engineering
Loughborough University

(E-Mail Removed)AMg
http://www.jamestappenden.co.uk

James <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
: Could anyone please tell me if NTL require the MAC address of the
: computer/router connected to the cable modem, as Blueyonder do?

It varies - as NTL now includes all sorts of bought in areas. For
example, in Manchester (ex-C&W), they use the STB as a cable-modem
and registering any new MAC address is necessary (but, I think, there
can be several). In Oxfordshire they use only cable modems and people
tell me that it is NOT necessary to register new MAC addresses.

> It varies - as NTL now includes all sorts of bought in areas. For
> example, in Manchester (ex-C&W), they use the STB as a cable-modem
> and registering any new MAC address is necessary (but, I think, there
> can be several). In Oxfordshire they use only cable modems and people
> tell me that it is NOT necessary to register new MAC addresses.

In Leamington (West Midlands) they do have to register MAC address.

David

The MAC Authentication (first thing I've ever heard about it cauz I'm an
ADSL guy, not Cable)

Do these ISP's only need the MAC for their Cable customers or for their ADSL
customers too?
I've heard about some uni halls of residence and cyber cafs and stuff
requiring you to log your MAC address for the purpose of audit trails. Is
this the same reason these ISP's do it or is there another technical part of
Cable they need it for?

Is there a site or an FAQ on ISP's asking for MAC addresses for connections?
I just find it interesting from a security/privacy point of view.

Thanks!

-Lawrence Stromski.



"David Walker" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:bkvsav$q6g$(E-Mail Removed)...
> > It varies - as NTL now includes all sorts of bought in areas. For
> > example, in Manchester (ex-C&W), they use the STB as a cable-modem
> > and registering any new MAC address is necessary (but, I think, there
> > can be several). In Oxfordshire they use only cable modems and people
> > tell me that it is NOT necessary to register new MAC addresses.
>
> In Leamington (West Midlands) they do have to register MAC address.
>
> David
>
>

James wrote:

> Could anyone please tell me if NTL require the MAC address of the
> computer/router connected to the cable modem, as Blueyonder do?
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> James
>
I thought it was the mac address for your cable modem you had to enter.

But then I don't have any experience at all with cable.

Andy.

In article <bl2cnl$rnf$(E-Mail Removed)>,
Lawrence Stromski <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>I've heard about some uni halls of residence and cyber cafs and stuff
>requiring you to log your MAC address for the purpose of audit trails. Is
>this the same reason these ISP's do it or is there another technical part of
>Cable they need it for?

Cable companies use the MAC addresses at the cable head-end (universal
broadband router) to determine class of service, and eligibility of
service. Remember a cable loop (star) is a broadcast medium consisting of
potentially thousands of subscribers on the same cable. In contrast, ADSL
is a single copper pair from you to the DSLAM.

Zane.

"James" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>Could anyone please tell me if NTL require the MAC address of the
>computer/router connected to the cable modem, as Blueyonder do?
>
>Thanks in advance,
>
>James

If it's anything like my experience, when it all get's connected and
you try acces the Internet using a NIC with a MAC address that's not
been used, you're sent to a authentication page where you key in your
NTL serial number, PIN and username. The system gathers your NIC's
MAC address automatically, reboots the CM (well, it did reboot my
cable-modem automatically) and away you go.

So, for me, I don't need to contact NTL to use another MAC address on
the cable broadband service.

As for the TV set-top-box, I'm not too sure.

Tell you what, go the the following URLs and learn everything you will
ever need to know about cable broadband.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/robin.d.h.walker/

> Do these ISP's only need the MAC for their Cable customers or for their
ADSL
> customers too?
> I've heard about some uni halls of residence and cyber cafs and stuff
> requiring you to log your MAC address for the purpose of audit trails. Is
> this the same reason these ISP's do it or is there another technical part
of
> Cable they need it for?

I always assumed cable companies used the MAC addresses because they provide
the modems, so was just a way to make sure you didn't go selling it off or
anything - the reply from Zane seems more probably though!

For Universities, I'd expect it is partly to do with auditing, but probably
also to do with limiting who is connecting to their network - stops someone
having ten computers connected, or people letting non-students connect
through their port and using the bandwidth, etc. That said, my University
(Warwick) doesn't have any requirement for MAC registration, and i've never
heard of it from any of my friends at other universities, so it doesn't seem
to be very widely used in that environment. Depends on the individual
policies of the University I suppose, since Warwick at least just says its
our network, so we can use it as we wish - they will only intervene in
activities if asked to by external authorities or if particular activities
have a detrimental effect on the rest of the network. A more strict Uni may
have more limitations and auditing, in which case the MAC address would be
more useful.

David