Question about MAC Address

Penguin100 · 02-11-2007, 17:51

Just a quick one, and sorry if it has been asked before but the search engine won't allow me to look for MAC Address as MAC is too short a word.

I want my MAC address so that I can leave VM. Is this the same MAC Address that is listed when I go to http://192.168.100.1/?

If I can avoid making a call I really rather would

Thanks
Julie

Sirius · 02-11-2007, 17:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Penguin100

Just a quick one, and sorry if it has been asked before but the search engine won't allow me to look for MAC Address as MAC is too short a word.

I want my MAC address so that I can leave VM. Is this the same MAC Address that is listed when I go to http://192.168.100.1/?

If I can avoid making a call I really rather would

Thanks
Julie

Are you on cable or ADSL

donaldson2121 · 02-11-2007, 17:55

you want your MAC so you can leave VM...... what on earth would you want your modem MAC for then?....unless your planning on swapping it to cloners or cloning a modem yourself??

Sounds like an odd request to me and probably no suitable for on these forums.

I thought you just rung up and cancelled your services?

Perhaps i've read it wrong in which case ignore me.

Cobbydaler · 02-11-2007, 18:06

No it's not.

The MAC 'code' from that IP will be the Media Access Control address of the hardware.

You want a Migration Authorisation Code, which you'll have to ring up for if you want change from VM ADSL to another supplier.

If you're on cable you don't need one...

donaldson2121 · 02-11-2007, 18:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cobbydaler

No it's not.

The MAC 'code' from that IP will be the Media Access Control address of the hardware.

You want a Migration Authorisation Code, which you'll have to ring up for if you want change from VM ADSL to another supplier...

Ahh i see what she was after now

Penguin100 · 02-11-2007, 18:55

Sorry yes, I see that my request may have looked odd (and as I am not technical I may still be asking a daft question!) I am VM 4mb cable and want to swap to Newnet ASDL. They call it switching and have asked on their online form for a MAC address, but in reality its like a new connection for them I think. I'm not sure that I need if, but if I do, is http://192.168.100.1/ the right place to get it?

Thanks
Julie

Edit: Sorry, just noticed that someone has already answered my question. No, not cloning, wouldn't have a clue!

spiderplant · 02-11-2007, 19:08

If you are moving from cable to ADSL you don't need a MAC. Just request disconnection from VM, and you will be treated as a brand new ADSL customer by Newnet.

Bad move, though! Why do you want to switch?

Penguin100 · 02-11-2007, 19:21

Why is it a bad move?

My family play online games, download, and my son broadcasts on an internet radio station and by 8:00 in the evening my online ping is so high that I cannot join games, and my son has breaks in his broadcasting. The internet slows down and life online becomes impossible. Speeds at that time are anywhere between 0.7mb and 2mb. I wanted to upgrade to the 20mb package and two different VM staff promised me I could have it for Ã‚Â£25 a month (and said the chnage had been applied to my account) and when I phoned to check why I had not been upgraded after 24 hours they told me that there was no record of my phone call and and I could not have that price. I simply can't afford Ã‚Â£37 a month for the 20mb package.

Am I wrong in thinking that with Newnet I can increase my basic speed, increase my download limit, and then not be traffic managed but pay additionally for any extra bandwidth that we use?

I find it difficult to find my way around all this stuff, but I want a fairly constant speed and a playable ping.

I'd be interested to hear your views Spiderplant.

Thanks
Julie

MovedGoalPosts · 02-11-2007, 21:50

Cable broadband (Virgin Media) and ADSL (BT type phone line) are supplied in different ways.

To switch to Newnet, or any ADSL supplier, you will need a BT type phone line installed. Factor the line rental for that into your costs as with some Virgin Media packages if you have a phone, the line rental cost can be hidden in your overall budget.

Cable modems do have a mac address, but this is infact the specific identifier of the modem. Normally it can't be used elsewhere, and is irrelevant to ADSL.

ADSL is linked to your BT type phone line. An ISP supplying ADSL broadband has a code to associate the phone line to the ISP. If you want to change ADSL ISPs that code has to be released to the new ISP. This is the MAC, (Migration Authorisation Code) you are being asked for. As your BT type phone line will not have a current ADSL supplier there is no MAC to be released. You should be asking Newnet for a new ADSL connection to be installed to the BT line.

Now the $64million question. Which is better ADSL, or Cable? Both have pro's and cons.

Firstly both are contended services. Thus if you are in an area of heavy use, your bandwith is shared with others and can suffer, leading to slow speeds high pings and stuff. VM's answer to that is traffic shaping, but clearly it's not effective enough in your area which your posts suggest is quite busy.

The biggest difference in the technologies is the overall speed capability. Cable, in theory, is not affected by distance (poor wiring will affect signal resistance and thus quality). ADSL is very much compromised the further from your exchange you are located. This is the wiring distance, not line of sight. You won't really know what speed you can get until you try, but the advertised speeds are rarely achieved. For example my office has line of sight to the exchange about 300 yards away, but on an 8meg connection we rarely see much more than 4 meg.

Further complications with ADSL come in the form of LLU (Local Loop Unbundling). Some ADSL suppliers can claim speeds such as up to 20meg. However this relies on them having their own kit in the BT exchange and you assigning your BT type phone line for phone calls and ADLS to your ISP. Not all exchanges and ISPs can offer this facility, in which case the theoretical maximum is 8 meg using ADSL Max.

Penguin100 · 02-11-2007, 23:13

Thank you Rob that was very useful

I already have a BT line, so rental is already paid. I hope to get 6mb out of the 8mb package that I plan to take, but in all honesty, if I can get a constant 4mb then I would be very happy. We don't have problems when all is running at that speed.

I take on board what you say about distance, quality and demand for bandwidth in my area. My problem lies with the up and down of my speeds and my last exchange with customer support.

Thanks again,
Julie

BBKing · 03-11-2007, 17:29

If your son is using the upload to broadcast internet radio, you need to compare upstream speeds rather than downstream speeds. Also, raw speed isn't going to help with ping latency.

Going to ADSL on its own won't automatically solve those problems.