Why TP-Link Archer C5 router can't restablish without mac cloning

[james]

1. Do a full factory reset on your router

1. Power off your modem, router and computer

2. Power up the modem and wait for it to fully connect with Comcast's network.

1. Power up the router and wait 3 minutes.

2. Power up the computer.

You should now have a connection.

If not, throw that TP-Stink POS router in the trash and buy an Asus.

[Ken Cito]

Basically, it seems that reference implies Comcast, even though they might not even know it themselves, is requiring *two* MAC addresses for authentication:

1. The MAC address of the docsis3 Costco cable modem, and,
2. Some other MAC address (which seems to be the router, by default).

Had I known that when we set it up, I would have made the router DE:AD:BE:EF:CA:FE, which at least I can remember.

There was one disturbing sentence in your reference:

"some ISPs have started to recognize the MAC addresses of popular routers and disconnect service if a router is detected."

A router is a requirement, not an option; so if they are doing that, they stink as ISPs.

[Ken Cito]

Thank you for that explanation. It had never occurred to me that the ISP (in this case, Comcast), was requiring, for authentication, *two* MAC addresses!

Apparently the second MAC address is that of the router because I looked up the OIC which shows it to be a TP-Link MAC address:

So, the cable company is *indiscriminate* in that they'll take *any* Mac address, probably set up at the time we started the service.

Sheesh. Why didn't they just tell me this?

[Gab]

replying to Ken Cito, Gab wrote: I have same problem in Canada, work at an ISP which is also my cable provider, ONLY ARCHER C5 have that problem, will try to make a firmware update on it