[shadybirdstan]

I am movin to an area with Comcast cable so hopefully you can help me with some growing pains. I have yet to move into my new place but had them setup cable before I got there. Here's what happened when they setup the internet connection:

#1 - They tried to get my wife to install something on my computer and she knows I guard it with my life so did not let them. Magically he made a call and did not need to install anything.

#2 - I got home and tried to hook up my wireless router. No go. It wasn't even pulling an IP but I was able to connect to the router wirelessly but obviously not get online.

So without calling them I am guessing the following:

#1 - The software they install grabs your MAC address and sends it to the Comcast mothership.

#2 - If I try to connect with any computer other than this original machine, it will not work without calling Comcast first and paying extra.

#3 - I should clone the computer-that-can-connect's MAC address and set that on the router.

So.........

How close or far off am I?

Does Comcast try to charge you extra to setup a router?

Thanks in advance.

[BkueKanoodle]

You may be right about the cloning, but try this first if you haven't. turn off your comast modem, plug your wireless box directly in to the ethernet port of the modem and turn off the wireless router. Then turn back on your modem, wait for it to boot up and turn back on your router. Recently on some of my neighbors connections, that worked.

[Apfhex]

Comcast doesn't do anything as nasty as that. The software they want you to install will:
1. set up your account with them, something you can do over the phone if you bug them, I'm guessing this is what happened when your wife didn't let then touch the machine.
2. Set some unneeded proxies in your Network preferences that probably won't work right anyway.

The modem won't provide a connection to a new device you attach to it unless you power cycle it and then attach the device. Follow the steps BkueKanoodle suggested and it'll work fine.

Comcast does NOT charge you extra for anything and the only MAC address they care about is the one of your cable modem.

[shadybirdstan]

Cool, thanks guys. I'll be over there tomorrow and give it a shot.

I signed up for there phone, cable and internet package so you would think they would be a little friendly but I did go in with a little prejudice from some of the things that I have heard.

I'll let you know what happens.