AT&T Broadband forcing people to buy extra IP addresses?

[clutz123]

Ok, I just spent all night trying to get my AT&T @Home cable modem running again. Every time I reboot the modem, it connects, and then a minute later the green signal light starts blinking again, no internet. I am using a router to share the one dynamic IP between 3 computers.

I spent a long time on AT&T's help site, and I ran into their help forums, where customers can try to help each other (cheaper for ATT, eh?) Apparently, there is a scary coincidence going on now where:

1) AT&T is pushing their $4.95 per month extra for another IP address option. They are basically saying that the only way to make a home network with them is to buy an IP for each connected computer.

2) It seems that many people sharing their ATT connection with a router are having problems connecting, whereas if you just connect with your one computer (and one IP), it works fine. I haven't tried this yet, as my computers are really far away from the modem, I need to find an ethernet cable connector. Even if you clone your computer's MAC address, can they somehow tell you're using a router to share an IP?

Maybe I'm just paranoid ... but I figured maybe i'm not the only one experiencing this. BTW I am in the Bay Area, CA.

 

[vetteguy]

I ran into this problem with them when they switched from the Excite/Comcast/whatever thing. In your router, you can specify a host/domain name. Just type "computer" or something as the host, and it should work. If it doesn't, try putting "@home" into the domain. I can't remember which was the key (I no longer have ATT) but basically they told me the same thing that I had to buy additionals, but I tried this and it worked.

 

[mitchelt]

I have AT&T Cable out here in Denver and I am sharing the connection via a D-Link DI-604 and have not had any problems.

In fact, the service tech that installed the cable told me that I should avoid buying an extra IP and a HUB, and just buy a Router and use it to share the connection. I then asked him if it was legal, seeing that I am paranoid, and he told me it was.

Worst case scenario is I have to pay an extra $4.95...not the worst thing in the world.

Good luck!

Mitch

 

[clutz123]

Thanks for the input... I also tried putting all zero's for the router MAC address, and then the cable modem wouldn't even give me an IP. I have tried C####### for the host name, which was required under Excite@Home... then nothing for the host name, then C#####@ATTBI.COM... maybe ATTBI.COM would work, although supposedly you don't need anything anymore now with ATT

Yeah, when I first got cable (with Excite@Home) they told me just to get a router, no need to buy another IP. Now, when you call customer service, they said they can only help you if you have bought a seperate IP for each computer. I guess it's not illegal for them to do this, but it sure is annoying... Why should I have to buy and IP for my laptop, which I only use occasionally.

Another thing I noticed.. right now, there is only 1 computer (me) on the router, and the cable modem is fine. Once my roommate and I start using it, it starts to go down. My friend with ATT w/ a router, a couple blocks away has the same problem. Ugh...

 

[Adul]

isnt this illegal some how from the terms of service agreement?

 

[clutz123]

i'm not quite sure, but i did read somewhere when i was researching people sharing their 802.11b connections to the public, you weren't allowed to do that officially... not sure if it is allowed in your own household. I'll have to find the service agreement.

 

[boyRacer]

Ours is fine... only problem is when one of the computers goes on... it momentarily cuts everyone off from their connection... i don't know if that's a wireless thing because it doesn't seem to happen if we use a cat5 cable instead. No problems other than that though. *KNOCK ON WOOD*

 

[WhoDeeny]

Don't change your MAC address, that's why you can't get an IP. Just use vetteguy's suggestions and you should be fine and FYI: most providers do charge for addtional ip's: TWC (Road runneR) charges up to 15 per and a I know SBC also charges...

 

[Dug]

Two things-

Try hooking up just one computer without the router to make sure you can get connection. (More than likely its a problem on their)
If you can not get a connection then its definately a problem on their end.

If the computer does work directly connection to the modem then,
Get the mac address of the computer that is working and hook back up to your router, copy it in your routers configuration. Then hook the router back up to the modem.

If you have a different computer or nic then when the connection was originally set up then you might have to register the modem again.
Do not try registering your modem through a router though.

 

[clutz123]

Yup, I have cloned my main computer's MAC address for my router. I still have to try the one-computer thing when i get home, but the main question I guess I am asking is:

Can they somehow tell you're using a router to share an IP? Even with a cloned MAC address? If they can, can they also selectively block users who are doing so?

 

[Barnaby W. Füi]

also keep in mind that you cannot use '@home' as a domain name. back in the @home days they used the domain "HOME". i use an isp which is on an offshoot of att's network but i have had no such problems. then again i use a computer *for* a router so who knows.

 

[MrChupon]

Well, I got a letter in the mail that stated exactly that. I would need to pay $4.95 a month for multiple IP's if I wanted them issued to me after August 28th. If i did not pay, my "service could be interupted at any time."

My setup at the time of the letter was: Wall to Cable Modem to "8 Port Mini Hub" and then each of my computers are plugged into the hub.

I posted about it on here, and everyone told me to get a Cable/DSL router for 40-50 bucks and that would solve it. I researched and was ready to order one online when August 28th came along. I noticed that both computers still had working IP adresses.

I decided to hold off on the router purchase.

And here we are, Sept 10, almost 14 days later, and my computers both connect to the internet just fine.
Until ATT makes their move, I am just going to continue using my 2 computers until I see a problem with my service.

Does anyone see anything wrong with this?

 

[Jeff7]

I don't see why it would be a problem sharing one IP address to multiple computers. It saves them an IP address, and they could always just cap the connection if that's what they're concerned about. If you've got 1 PC, or 20 on a single cable modem behind a router, you would be limited to a certain amount of bandwidth - I'd think that would be what you're paying for - a certain amount of bandwidth on a single IP address. What you do with it should be up to you.
I've got a residential gateway (single port router) hooked to a network switch - any time I call tech support (the connection out here is kind of crappy, so I have to keep on their case about it; it cuts out about once a week for a few hours) - they say to reboot my modem and computer. I reboot the modem - "ok, I see the modem now; now reboot the computer" - I reboot the router - "Ok, I see your computer now."
It might be possible that network device makers have specific MAC addresses that are relegated to routers - if that's so, then the broadband providers may be able to see that. I don't know if that's the case though.

 

[JasonG]

Well, I also have ATT broadband internet in the Bay area.

We has a wireless router and it worked for about a month then all of a sudden it stopped working a few weeks ago.

We even returned the router and got a new one but it still wouldn't work.

ATT basically wants you to buy all the equipment from them and pay extra for each computer.

It really sucks and we are very pissed off!

We've already invested in PCMCIA wireless cards and don't want to have to pay extra.

I'm sure it will happen everywhere eventually.

Jason

 

[vetteguy]

Originally posted by: JasonG
Well, I also have ATT broadband internet in the Bay area.

We has a wireless router and it worked for about a month then all of a sudden it stopped working a few weeks ago.

We even returned the router and got a new one but it still wouldn't work.

ATT basically wants you to buy all the equipment from them and pay extra for each computer.

It really sucks and we are very pissed off!

We've already invested in PCMCIA wireless cards and don't want to have to pay extra.

I'm sure it will happen everywhere eventually.

Jason

I'm telling you guys, I've had this setup (and these discussions with AT&T) and it does work, you just have to fiddle with the router. The "special equipment" you buy from them is exactly the same as you can get anywhere else. They sell Linksys I believe. DON'T pay them more money than you already do!!

 

[pm]

I don't believe that there is any easy way to distinguish a router from a PC except by the MAC address (which contains the product ID). In any case, a cheap PC with 2 ethernet cards makes a good router (using, for example, Mandrake Linux's Single Network Firewall software), so if they somehow blocked Linksys routers, then it's just as easy to use a PC as a router to get around it.

I have not had a problem with my ATTBI account and the Linksys BEFSR41 router that I am using. AT&T's technicians know that I have it - one tech even commented on it being the same thing that they install. No one seemed to care. When I call them with a problem, I have always done the troubleshooting with a direct connection to the computer (bypass the router) and then just hooked the router back up again when we were finished and it's always worked.

Clutz, have you tried cloning a PC's MAC address to isolate if that's the cause? Have you looked at the cable modem status to check that things are ok inside the cable modem?

 

[BD231]

I'm routing my internet connection just fine as well. Is there anyway to get my full 128k upload speed off attbi? They said I can upload up to 128k a second but I can never get past 30k with a single app

 

[IntelDude]

Originally posted by: BD231
I'm routing my internet connection just fine as well. Is there anyway to get my full 128k upload speed off attbi? They said I can upload up to 128k a second but I can never get past 30k with a single app

You are getting 256KB a sec right now... i was pissed when I asked the guy... its 256bytes = 30Kilobytes!

there ghey like that becuase they want to make it look faster!

 

[pm]

BD, you are getting 30kilobits or 30kilobytes? I seem to get about 205kilobits per second on my upload speed when I send data which seems about right.

If you are really only getting 30kilobits per second, give them a call.

 

[Viper GTS]

Originally posted by: IntelDude

Originally posted by: BD231
I'm routing my internet connection just fine as well. Is there anyway to get my full 128k upload speed off attbi? They said I can upload up to 128k a second but I can never get past 30k with a single app

You are getting 256KB a sec right now... i was pissed when I asked the guy... its 256bytes = 30Kilobytes!

there ghey like that becuase they want to make it look faster!

It's how broadband is sold, a 1.5 meg connection is in bytes, as is a 768k DSL line, etc.

Didn't you ever notice you never got more than a couple hundred K when downloading from a fast server?

Viper GTS

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: IntelDude

Originally posted by: BD231
I'm routing my internet connection just fine as well. Is there anyway to get my full 128k upload speed off attbi? They said I can upload up to 128k a second but I can never get past 30k with a single app

You are getting 256KB a sec right now... i was pissed when I asked the guy... its 256bytes = 30Kilobytes!

there ghey like that becuase they want to make it look faster!

Before I tell you to go back to school because your spelling is worse than mine, Ill tell you to check your math skills. 256bytes / 1000 = 0.256 kiobytes. 126kilobits / 8 = 32 kilobytes.

And yes, it is to make networks look faster. Every piece of networking equipment I have *ever* seen is measured in kb (kilobits) not kB (kilobytes) or mb (megabits) not mB (megabits). Welcome to the world of networking, there should be a supply of clues around here somewhere

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: Viper GTS

Originally posted by: IntelDude

Originally posted by: BD231
I'm routing my internet connection just fine as well. Is there anyway to get my full 128k upload speed off attbi? They said I can upload up to 128k a second but I can never get past 30k with a single app

You are getting 256KB a sec right now... i was pissed when I asked the guy... its 256bytes = 30Kilobytes!

there ghey like that becuase they want to make it look faster!

It's how broadband is sold, a 1.5 meg connection is in bytes, as is a 768k DSL line, etc.

Didn't you ever notice you never got more than a couple hundred K when downloading from a fast server?

Viper GTS

Its how networking equipment is sold. And 1.5mb connection is a 1.5 megaBIT connection.

 

[kgraeme]

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey

Before I tell you to go back to school because your spelling is worse than mine, Ill tell you to check your math skills. 256bytes / 1000 = 0.256 kiobytes. 126kilobits / 8 = 32 kilobytes.

Not to be rude, but you might want to check your own math. I think you meant 256 / 1024.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: kgraeme

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey

Before I tell you to go back to school because your spelling is worse than mine, Ill tell you to check your math skills. 256bytes / 1000 = 0.256 kiobytes. 126kilobits / 8 = 32 kilobytes.

Not to be rude, but you might want to check your own math. I think you meant 256 / 1024.

Mine was still closer.

Hard drives are the ones that dont use computer math.

 

[Imported]

My router works fine with ATTBI.. Hell, I've had 14 people connected to the internet when I hooked up my switch to it for a lan party..