Motorola SB5100 and NTL

N00b202 · 03-06-2006, 00:33

Well i got a Motorola SB5100, tried connecting, realised it had to be registered with NTL, so i got in contact they said register it via the CD....
Went through that and the website registration process and it doesn't recognise my modem.
Rang NTL again and they tried it but said they couldn't do it cause the HFC Mac Code begins with 00:0F

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chris W · 03-06-2006, 00:47

when you sign up with ntl they will provide you with a cable modem. Modems that come from any other source cannot be registered.

Given that ntl provide paid subscribers with free rental modems, looks like whatever you spent on the Surfboard was wasted, so you might as well send it back... or use it as a doorstop.

N00b202 · 03-06-2006, 00:52

Some NTL customers have been using the SB4100, and it is possible to register them since it allows you to select a motorola surfboard on the installation disc....

nfs6600 · 03-06-2006, 01:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by N00b202

Some NTL customers have been using the SB4100, and it is possible to register them since it allows you to select a motorola surfboard on the installation disc....

Where did you get the modem from? Only certain prefixes of cable modems can be added onto the system. As previously sated, if you purchased this from a 3rd party, then your money has been wasted I'm afraid.

nfs6600

Chris W · 03-06-2006, 08:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by N00b202

Some NTL customers have been using the SB4100, and it is possible to register them since it allows you to select a motorola surfboard on the installation disc....

That's a 4100, not a 5100 - they have different mac address ranges. 5100s can't be registered.

Something very dodgy here though- if you have signed up for ntl then you would be provided the free rental, why would you possibly want to use an older modem... hmm.

03-06-2006, 10:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris W

Quote:

Originally Posted by N00b202

Some NTL customers have been using the SB4100, and it is possible to register them since it allows you to select a Motorola surfboard on the installation disc....

That's a 4100, not a 5100 - they have different mac address ranges. 5100s can't be registered.

Something very dodgy here though- if you have signed up for ntl then you would be provided the free rental, why would you possibly want to use an older modem... hmm.

I think you are thinking what i am thinking here. There is only 1 reason i know off why that particular modem is for sale in this country.

James Henry · 03-06-2006, 11:50

It would be extremely cool if they let you connect a modem up, register it and yourself on the database and off you go as they do in the States on some ISPs, but until then it's not really an option unless you go down the dodgier route.

North America do a lot of things differently though, they've no probs with people doing what they want with the cable so long as they don't cause issues with other people's services, in which case they get their return blocked

N00b202 · 03-06-2006, 16:17

crap =(, and no i aint doing anything dodgy, i have a nasty ntl home:100 so it isn't an older modem....i have also read the motorolas are pretty good...
I'll have a look at the 4100 modem =/

jaycee · 04-06-2006, 22:22

The Motorola modems are some of the best cable modems you can get, way way better than the cheap taiwanese crap that NTL dish out by default. It must be possible to buy these, as once upon a time, you had to buy your own cable modem for NTL anyway!

The reason NTL stopped using Motorola's is that they cost more. No other reason. I belive Telewest gave up with their cheapo option (the Scientific Atlanta Webstar modems), and went back to using Motorola, because the cheaper modems were unreliable.

N00b202 · 05-06-2006, 18:21

Yea i heard they are the best, thats why i went for one =), but didn't know a 5100 doesn't work on NTL....
I will be looking at the 4100 anyways, heard their still pretty good even now =)

Chrysalis · 06-06-2006, 01:12

From what I heard motorola are far superior to the lightweight 250s.

Chris W · 06-06-2006, 01:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by N00b202

Yea i heard they are the best, thats why i went for one =), but didn't know a 5100 doesn't work on NTL....
I will be looking at the 4100 anyways, heard their still pretty good even now =)

don't bother- you are still only allowed to use a modem supplied by ntl. If they supply you with a motorola modem (which they won't, because they stopped supplying them about 3 years ago) then you can use it with their service, if they supply something else then you must use that.

N00b202 · 07-06-2006, 20:17

Your actually quite wrong, just got a Motorola 4100 brand new and it works....so their ya go.

The only thing that stops is the way the mac address is laid out, the start has to be in a certain order i guess, from the info i got when a rang NTL multiple times. And the different models must have different start sequences for the mac address.

As long as it is one of the models the NTL let you use previously before they went to the cheapo types it will work.

But i can definatly say you CAN buy a motorola 4100 and use it with NTL, it DOES work.

Ya learn something new everyday =)

carlingman · 10-06-2006, 03:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by N00b202

Your actually quite wrong, just got a Motorola 4100 brand new and it works....so their ya go.

The only thing that stops is the way the mac address is laid out, the start has to be in a certain order i guess, from the info i got when a rang NTL multiple times. And the different models must have different start sequences for the mac address.

As long as it is one of the models the NTL let you use previously before they went to the cheapo types it will work.

But i can definatly say you CAN buy a motorola 4100 and use it with NTL, it DOES work.

Ya learn something new everyday =)

Well from reading this thread I will address a few points.

Firstly there is such thing as a 5100 but this is normally for Telewest Customers.

Secondly if you have bought a 4100 and registered it with NTL you are very lucky and must have caught a Tech on an off day as they would not normally register this modem as they are no longer supplied by NTL.

MAC Addresses for these are usually in the range of 00:20, 00:04 or 00:08 which widely differs from the current range of supplied modems i.e. the terajet 00:E0 or the 100/120 00

0

Existing older customers are fine and can use their Motorolas but most will find it extremely difficult to register or re register this as a Modem so therefore you stating you can buy and easily register it is not very good advice.

Many will find if they have bought this from for example E-bay they will have bought nothing more than a door stop as they will find it increasingly hard if not impossible to register it for use.

Chrysalis · 10-06-2006, 18:15

am I right ntl backward thinking that they dont allow superior hardware to be registered simply because they want to make their scripted tech support easier for supporting minimal configurations?

yet if they allowed it.

customers use better hardware
customers pay for their own hardware saving ntl money
customers replace their hardware if it breaks saving ntl even mor emoney