change physical address of Ethernet Adapter

  • Thread starter Thread starter aa
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A

aa

is there a way to change physical address of Ethernet Adapter which shows up
in ipconfig /all like 00-11-2F-00-11-2D ?

My Internet provider uses this address to set something on their end
manually. For the moment I am testing another computer and every time I
switch between the two computers I have to call the provider
 
aa said:
is there a way to change physical address of Ethernet Adapter which shows up
in ipconfig /all like 00-11-2F-00-11-2D ?

My Internet provider uses this address to set something on their end
manually. For the moment I am testing another computer and every time I
switch between the two computers I have to call the provider
Click to expand...

How to do this might differ in different versions of Windows - something
you didn't mention and further confused by multi-posting to newsgroups
that discuss DIFFERENT versions of Windows.

Device Manager
Select your NIC
In its properties, change its network address.
 
aa said:
is there a way to change physical address of Ethernet Adapter which shows up
in ipconfig /all like 00-11-2F-00-11-2D ?

My Internet provider uses this address to set something on their end
manually. For the moment I am testing another computer and every time I
switch between the two computers I have to call the provider
Click to expand...

Isn't that your MAC (media access controller) address ?

Maybe what you want, is "MAC address spoofing".
That is a way to get a computer to have the same
MAC address as another. Obviously a bad thing to do,
if both computers are hooked together to the same
networking device. But if you're swapping computers,
and the other computer isn't being used, then spoofing
should be OK. (The MAC address may be part of Windows
activation, and I don't know whether spoofing counts
as "one hardware change" or not.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAC_spoofing

http://www.klcconsulting.net/smac/

I don't have a cable modem, but I understand that some
ISPs use the MAC address as some kind of authentication.
Normally, to avoid a situation like this, you'd connect
a home router to the cable modem, and the router, having
a fixed and unchanging MAC address, allows you to connect
computers on the LAN side of the router, without worrying
about stuff like this. With this setup, I wouldn't need
to phone anyone.

cable_modem -------- router ----- home_computer_#1
(fixed ----- home_computer_#2
MAC) ----- etc

HTH,
Paul
 
Hello aa,

There is no need to change a MAC address in your computer. MAC addresses
are unique all over the world, depending on a company code and the internal
numbering of the company.

I have never heard that an ISP uses MAC addresses from clients. Please be
more specific what your problem is and also talk to your ISP to free the
MAC address, if this is really used from the ISP, which i can not really
believe.

Best regards

Meinolf Weber
Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers
no rights.
** Please do NOT email, only reply to Newsgroups
** HELP us help YOU!!! http://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/mul_crss.htm
 
As others have said it is somewhat strange that your ISP would be using
your adapter's MAC address to deliver its service to you. If that is
truly the case then install a router and your problems will be over, the
ISP will use the router's MAC address and you will be able to
connect/disconnect whatever you want into the router. If you have a
half decent router you can even tell it to adopt the MAC address
presently in use and your ISP will be none the wiser for it.

John
 
Hello aa,

There is no need to change a MAC address in your computer. MAC addresses
are unique all over the world, depending on a company code and the internal
numbering of the company.

I have never heard that an ISP uses MAC addresses from clients. Please be
more specific what your problem is and also talk to your ISP to free the
MAC address, if this is really used from the ISP, which i can not really
believe.

Best regards

Meinolf Weber
Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers
no rights.
** Please do NOT email, only reply to Newsgroups
** HELP us help YOU!!!http://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/mul_crss.htm
Click to expand...

Some ISPs detect the MAC address and lock their service access to that
specific one. Routers usually have a feature which allows you to
"copy" this MAC address onto the WAN port.
 
Meinolf said:
I have never heard that an ISP uses MAC addresses from clients.
Click to expand...

Rogers in Canada uses (or used to) the mac address as a way of limiting
their services to a single machine (extra machines at extra cost of
course). Routers are/were not allowed. If you change machines, you have
to inform them so they can reset the acceptable mac address at their
end. The internet infrastructure in Canada is essentially controlled by
a few powerful entities: Bell (for dsl) and Rogers or Shaw (for cable)
and restrictive practices such as these are common. It probably accounts
for Canada having fallen so far behind the rest of the world in this area.


In principle Rogers did the same with their cable-tv signal - only one
TV connection allowed (unless Rogers added extra outlets at extra cost).
 
Sid said:
Rogers in Canada uses (or used to) the mac address as a way of limiting
their services to a single machine (extra machines at extra cost of
course). Routers are/were not allowed. If you change machines, you have
to inform them so they can reset the acceptable mac address at their
end. The internet infrastructure in Canada is essentially controlled by
a few powerful entities: Bell (for dsl) and Rogers or Shaw (for cable)
and restrictive practices such as these are common. It probably accounts
for Canada having fallen so far behind the rest of the world in this area.
Click to expand...

I have a Rogers broadband connection at my residence and I have not had
any problems with this, the only MAC address that matters is the one on
the modem. I have plugged different machines directly in the modem and
haven't had any problems, the different machines all connected to the
internet without problems. Routers are certainly allowed, I just
recently moved and the Rogers tech who came to wire the house knows that
I have a router because he plugged the modem into it! Rogers support
also knows that I have a router because a while ago I told them during a
phone support conversation... (when they decided to hijack the DNS
server to point to their spam server), they didn't say anything about my
having a router... and if you don't tell them and change the router's
MAC address they wouldn't have a clue about it!

John
 
As others have said it is somewhat strange that your ISP would be
using your adapter's MAC address to deliver its service to you.
Click to expand...

It's not at all strange. It used to be the norm, but most ISPs are
getting away from it. Comcast did it in stages - some areas continued
to have their service tied to a specific MAC while others didn't. I'm
not at all surprised that the OP's ISP still uses that accounting
method.
 
Nil said:
It's not at all strange. It used to be the norm, but most ISPs are
getting away from it. Comcast did it in stages - some areas continued
to have their service tied to a specific MAC while others didn't. I'm
not at all surprised that the OP's ISP still uses that accounting
method.
Click to expand...

I know that at one time ISP's wanted (or tried) to collect for 'every'
machine that connected to their network, they wanted to assign a
different IP address to all the devices that connected to their network
but NAT threw a wrench in those gears. That some ISPs in this day and
age would still try to accomplish this by way of MAC addressing seems
rather pointless to me when you put routers in the picture.

John
 
John said:
I have a Rogers broadband connection at my residence and I have not had
any problems with this,
Click to expand...

I'm not surprised actually which was why I added the "(or used to)". I
dumped them years ago. Competition with dsl probably forced them to change.
 
Sid said:
I'm not surprised actually which was why I added the "(or used to)". I
dumped them years ago. Competition with dsl probably forced them to change.
Click to expand...

At my residence, they (cable) are the only high speed providers. At
work I use the telco's DSL. Broadband is easier to set up than DSL, you
just plug it in and it works. But our telco's DSL service is much more
professional, their service is way better and their phone support is
much more knowledgeable than the bunch of 'after hours teenagers' who
man the phones for the cable company. When Rogers changed their DNS
server to point to a spam server the punks at the phone support center
told me that my VPN problems were caused by my 'infrequent' reboots of
my computers, he told me that Windows computers *needed* to be rebooted
every day and that doing so would or might help resolve my VPN/DNS problems!

John
 
Hello smlunatick,

If this is the case and i read now from the others posters, that's a kind
of normal, but old fashioned, way, i would choose another ISP. But keep in
mind that the MAC must be unique at least in your LAN.

There are tools in the internbet available to change MAC addresses, if you
really will change it:
http://www.google.de/search?hl=de&source=hp&q=mac+address+changer&meta=&aq=f&oq=

Best regards

Meinolf Weber
Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers
no rights.
** Please do NOT email, only reply to Newsgroups
** HELP us help YOU!!! http://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/mul_crss.htm
 
John said:
When Rogers changed their DNS
server to point to a spam server the punks at the phone support center
told me that my VPN problems were caused by my 'infrequent' reboots of
my computers,
Click to expand...

Can't you bypass Rogers' DNS by configuring another in your router?
 
Sid said:
Can't you bypass Rogers' DNS by configuring another in your router?
Click to expand...

Yes, but why should I rely on a free out of Canada DNS server like
OpenDNS in Chicago and more importantly why should Rogers offload its
DNS server load to someone else? I pay them to provide this service not
to route my DNS requests to a SPAM server! My telco would never try a
stunt like that, as I said they are more business oriented.

John
 
Paul said:
Isn't that your MAC (media access controller) address ?

Maybe what you want, is "MAC address spoofing".
That is a way to get a computer to have the same
MAC address as another. Obviously a bad thing to do,
if both computers are hooked together to the same
networking device. But if you're swapping computers,
and the other computer isn't being used, then spoofing
should be OK. (The MAC address may be part of Windows
activation, and I don't know whether spoofing counts
as "one hardware change" or not.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAC_spoofing

http://www.klcconsulting.net/smac/

I don't have a cable modem, but I understand that some
ISPs use the MAC address as some kind of authentication.
Normally, to avoid a situation like this, you'd connect
a home router to the cable modem, and the router, having
a fixed and unchanging MAC address, allows you to connect
computers on the LAN side of the router, without worrying
about stuff like this. With this setup, I wouldn't need
to phone anyone.

cable_modem -------- router ----- home_computer_#1
(fixed ----- home_computer_#2
MAC) ----- etc

HTH,
Paul
Click to expand...
By your description MAC spoofing is just what the doctor ordered. This ISP
did not vive me any login or pw so MAC seemd to be ised instead. These 2
comps are not going to be on network together
 
I do not know what exactly the ISP did on my computer, but when I attached
another computer and phoned them for settings, they asked for MAC of that
new computer over the phone and in 10 min it worked without me doing
anythoing on my w2k
 
On Oct 29, 7:25 am, Meinolf Weber [MVP-DS]

Some ISPs detect the MAC address and lock their service access to that
specific one. Routers usually have a feature which allows you to
"copy" this MAC address onto the WAN port.

====================
I have no router. The ISP installed Motorola SB5101E Surfboard cable modem
 
You are right about TV - this provider provides TV service to me and
recently started offering Internet. I already have their TV cable and a
block which allows it add more cables for Internet
 
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