| [HSI] Cisco dpc3010 and NetGear WNDR3700 Just upgraded Charter HSI with their new Cisco dpc3010 modem. Worked fine and fast directly connected to computer but refused to operate when connected to (any) router, including my old one. Much frustration, time and phone calls where wasted as the problem is simple. MAC ADDRESS CLONE.
This router (at least on Charter network) accepts only one internet device validated via MAC ADDRESS . Even if left off for 6 hours (dpc3010 DHCP lease time is 60 minutes), it will not pass data. Ping of external IP allowed 1 packet to return all others timed out. Activating router MAC ADDRESS CLONE and putting in the MAC ADDRESS of the first computer and everything ran perfect after that. Validated this by putting in a MAC ADDRESS from another computer (into the router) and everything was blocked again.
You cannot get into the modem to change anything but pay attention to the MAC ADDRESS clone issue, that was the only thing that makes the Cisco dpc3010 work on the Charter system. The modem seems to integrate the ..."FIRST"... MAC ADDRESS that connects to it into the modem config file at Charter.
Everything else is basically simple and easy to setup. If you have issues, reset everything back to normal and try this method, I expect this will help fix the problem. I hope this helps other stuck on the Charter system. |
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| Power cycling the modem will clear the MAX CPE counter (what determines how many devices will receive an IP address).
Just unplug the modem for a few minutes (it's possible that Charter's DHCP server saw your device as a"chatty client" and put it in a time out queue for a few minutes), then plug it back in. Plug it into the router (do not hook it up to anything else first), and you should be fine. |
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| reply to ravbrat
Re: [HSI] Cisco dpc3010 and NetGear WNDR3700 While I don't question your credentials, what you describe sounds very much like any other cable modem on the Charter network that "remembers" that MAC of the first device attached to it. Usually (not always) a power down of 60+ seconds clears that out and allows another device to attach; alternatively, one can clone the MAC as you did.
It's certainly plausible the Cisco modem is more stubborn about remembering the first device attached, but it's also reasonable that cablegeek saw this as a complicated workaround to a typical issue encountered when users add/change a router, etc.
No worries. |
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 DaSneaky1Done wall to block them allPremium,MVM
join:2001-03-29
The Lou
 ·Charter
| reply to ravbrat
Re: [HSI] Cisco dpc3010 and NetGear WNDR3700 I know this topic is dead and done, but what you described is exactly what every other user explained was incorrect. In order to hook up a router after you initially activate your modem is to unplug your modem's power for a few min and power it back up. Next, plug in your router, power cycle it, and it will obtain it's own IP registered to it's own MAC address. Cloning is not necessary.
The only time you have to clone your first connected devices MAC is when you do not have access to power cycle your modem. |
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| Re: [HSI] Cisco dpc3010 and NetGear WNDR3700 This was not created to start a flame war but the simple fact is that no one got the point and they all think you have the answer.
Leaving the Cisco OFF for up to 6 hours did NOT clear it's memory to allow other MAC Addresses to connect. No matter what was done, the ONLY address that it accepted and that it allowed to pass traffic was the FIRST device I originally connected-no other devices (even when I reset the device).
I am proposing, that Charter cable has specifically written their Cisco config file to include the first MAC address it see's and to allow no other devices; Since the Cisco config file is kept at Charter and downloaded to the device upon it's initialization and synch. This would easily allow them to restrict connections and charge for service calls and even charge extra to connect 'more than one computer'.
My point was to alert users to use the MAC ADDRESS CLONE settings in their routers and set it to the first device that was connected to the modem (if they are having problems).
If you have issues with any router you connect to the Cisco, try this method and I expect it will fix your problem - Good Luck. |
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| Why would Charter single out this make of modem and restrict connections as you describe (at least intentionally)?
Why would they take the time to do this yet not for the other makes and models of devices that are supported?
Given what you've described, I'd say the likely answer falls into one of two buckets: faulty hardware or mistake in the config file. A third bucket exists but is much less likely, in my opinion: the Cisco has a config file that intentionally restricts connection.
People come on here daily looking for assistance and often do not provide the whole picture. It takes lots of back-and-forth to get a clearer idea, so the answers provided are those that fix 80%-90% of the problems. Don't be offended, especially when not all the key information was provided up front.
Take the help for what it's worth (free) and gently steer those trying to help instead of resorting to condescending dismissal of suggestions. |
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| reply to ravbrat
Not very likely ravbrat. That would require custom config files for each device, and I can't for the life of me think of why they would need or want to lock a single device from a single vendor onto a single MAC statically instead of using dynamic MAC learning, with a max CPE setting of 1 in the config file. (also, I have a DPC3010 running behind a WNDR3800, and it's working fine)
Again, what firmware are you using? If you'll be kind enough to IM/email me, I can mock this up in a lab environment and try to duplicate the problem. Who knows, maybe you stumbled across a bug where the DPC3010 on a certain firmware refuses to accept a particular MAC address or group of MAC addresses (or inversely, the wndr3700 may have a bug where it won't properly request an IP address from Charter's DHCP server). It wouldn't be the first time it's happened.
If you want to really dig into this on your own, just set up a hub, or s switch with span/monitor capabilities between your modem and the router, with a PC running wireshark on the monitor port. then watch the DHCP request/reply transaction and you should be able to spot the culprit pretty quickly. |
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| I don't take it personally (usually). I have no idea why they single out this model, if that is what they are doing, (but I have a good theory at the end). When upgrading the account to higher speed this is what they provided. It does make sense that they would restrict the MAC traffic to one unique device. This prevents (new or non-technical users) as it locks in only one computer and would lower the bandwidth that account would utilize. All ISP's are working to restrict users bandwidth in order to charge us more. Maybe they are just starting to roll this out when people upgrade. Maybe it would take a config file for each Cisco on the network, but a config script could easily be written to collect the data, write the config file and save it in their system. It would be called up and installed during the synch process. Config files are not that big so data storage in their server would not be a big deal. Why else with all the security of keeping everyone out of the Cisco, it did not used to be that way but now it is... why??
This is a perfect way for them to choke an account. They can claim not to support more than one computer or charge for a tech to come verify that their stuff is working. From an ISP profit perspective, this would be a no-brainer. We all (usually) assume the ISP would not do something like this but in reality, why would they NOT do it???
I know it is not the router. I went through several (5+) routers of different brands and 4 different computers. The last time I saw MAC cloning in use was when Pac-Bell originally rolled out DSL in the early 90's in Orange County, CA. Ironically, my friend nearby had the exact same situation with Charter right after I figured this out. I setup his MAC clone on his Linksys then everything was fine after that.
My point in ALL of this - is to make people AWARE of the possibility that they might need to look into this. If it works for them - great, if not, then good luck. MAC Cloning is not a regular or normal thing so we all got used to it. Maybe now the ISP's are revisiting it to regulate their networks.
Don't forget, the ISP's are all planning together to begin packet sniffing of all data transmitted in order to prevent copyright infringement issues & MAC addresses will tie data directly to a device and a user. Thanks Follywood...... |
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| What speed did you upgrade to and what was your old modem? The DPC3010 is a Docsis 3.0. If your old modem was Docsis 2.0, it could only handle 25 Mbps. Anything above this requires Docsis 3.0. As far as throttling your connection, I doubt it. I got the exact same modem from Charter and it was in a factory sealed Cisco box. I doubt they are flashing each of them with different config data. What may need to do is reset your router. It may still trying to use the old DNS and MAC info from the previous modem. Even though you are connecting to the internet to the same DNS server, you yourself have a different IP address now. Resetting your router may help with this. |
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mtf06
join:2006-09-28
Reno, NV Reviews:
·Charter
| reply to ravbrat
I had the same problem with this modem dpc3010 and the previous one (6120).
I think it's just a syncing problem.
Do what DaSneaky1D said, because thats what I did.
First I activated my new modem "directly" connected.
I made sure router was connected after that but not plugged in.
Then I unplugged modem and plugged back in and let it boot.
Once it was completely booted I plugged in router and boom it worked. But sometimes it takes a couple extra minutes for the modem to recognize the router.
I didn't even have to clone MAC. |
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| I had the same problem since yesterday. After many fruitless calls to Charter tech support, and one trip to OfficeMax for a brand new router, the only way to get it up and running is "MAC Address Clone".
"power cycle" trick did nothing to me. |
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| I had the install yesterday with the free Cisco DPC3010 and my own netgear
WPN824. Connection did not register with the router. Connection to my linux
machine did not register either. I booted Windows XP on a laptop with a direct
connection, and everything worked OK. I thanked the tech and let him go. He
did mention that if I bought a new computer with windows, I could upgrade to
windows 8 professional for only $14.95
I spent several hours trying everything I could think of with no luck. I began to
wonder if the Cisco was set to reject. anything but windows. Somehow the tech
didn't leave any documentation, so searched the internet looking for the default
password to get in to the modem web interface. Unfortunately
attempts to load google with internet explorer were failing. Using BING
to search for answers gave nothing but crazy nonsense web pages when
I search for "DCP3010 web interface password"..
There is no way I would ever use windows, and even if I did I would want
to use my router. I decided to give up and cancel the service. But then
I tried one last thing. I disconnected the cable and my computer from
the MODEM. With the power on I pressed the RESET button and held
it down for five seconds. Then I removed power and waited five minutes.
When I plugged everything back in and powered up, linux and the Netgear
router connected just fine, but now windows does not see the connection.
Windows won't see the connection even through the router.
That makes me very happy to know that I have broken windows.
It looks to me as though this free MODEM is a ploy to get us to buy
a new computer with a new paid copy of windows. Most people will
think their old XP computer has gone crazy when they get those weird
pages through BING.
The connection speed is 100x what I was getting from clear.  |
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| Correction...
It was late last night when I had everything working. I went to bed right away.
After I posted I decided to check windows again with a wired connection to
the router. It works just fine. I forgot that I had changed my network
password since the last time I booted XP.
So the status is *everything* works through the router after doing the hardware
reset of the cable modem. Internet explorer now correctly accesses google
under XP. But direct connection from the cable MODEM to a windows XP
machine now fails.
What must have happened is the someone reconfigured the CISCO so it would
work with windows. They also changed the default password for the web
interface. I think it is possible to reconfigure the firewall to redirect certain
sites such as google to other sites that will crash explorer.
While I think firewalls are essential in broadband internet, I really must insist
that *I* control the firewall into my network. The very last people I want
setting up my firewall are MS zombies.
BTW the buzz online is that there is nothing to configure in this cable modem,
but that is not true. They moved the web address to 192.168.100.1. Set your
browser to that location and it will ask for a username and password. |
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| reply to ravbrat
A big thanks to DaSneaky1D. The tech just installed a Cisco dpc3010 and it worked great when connected to my laptop, but would not even look at my router. It was frustrating.
Using your advice, I shut it all down and disconnected everything from the router. I waited a few minutes and then powered up the modem. Once that was linked, I plugged the modem into the router and then powered up the router. Once the router was up and running, I plugged in everything else and it all worked great.
Seems like that modem is kind of like a baby duck. It breaks out of the egg, looks around and bonds to the first thing it sees.
Ma-Ma!
Good stuff....thanks |
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| reply to cablegeek01
Iam not trying to jump the subject her, Recently I got charter internet, the modem of course is a cisco 3010, coming from Ohio and bein new to South Carolina, I tried to connect a Netgear 3700 router and as the story goes it fail, complete lost of cable signal. How ever I do own a brand new remstream modem that seems to work, charter told me if I used it I would loose some speed. Now is that thrue? Please give me some Ideas!
Now let us go back to the first subject. |
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| said by MercedTusc:Iam not trying to jump the subject her, Recently I got charter internet, the modem of course is a cisco 3010, coming from Ohio and bein new to South Carolina, I tried to connect a Netgear 3700 router and as the story goes it fail, complete lost of cable signal. How ever I do own a brand new remstream modem that seems to work, charter told me if I used it I would loose some speed. Now is that thrue? Please give me some Ideas!
Now let us go back to the first subject.
Interesting. I'll have to look at the DPC3010 with different firmwares as well as the Netgear 3700 and see if I can duplicate the issue.
On the Remstream side, since it's a D2.0 modem, you'll have a maximum throughput of around 33-35Mb (could be considerably lower depending on what the modem is capable of), and that's ONLY if no other users are attempting to download using the same RF channel that you're connected to. (you're sharing an RF channel with your neighbours, and it only has 37.5Mbps of capacity)
If you have a D3 modem, you're likely bonded to 4 downstream channels, and that gives your modem a larger pool of bandwidth to work with (approximately 150Mbps of available bandwidth).
So what Charter is saying, is that you're more likely to be impacted by congestion with a D2.0 modem versus a D3.0 modem, which is accurate.
I tend to recommend D3 modems over D2 every time since they generally have better firmware supporting them (the DOCSIS 3.0 MULPI spec from cablelabs has significant enhancements over the old D2 specs) |
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