Vonage can not reset Mac ID??

Posts: 4 · New Forum Member Joined: Mar 26, 2005 Posts: 4

Interesting point of view. But, I strongly disagree with ur analogy. MAC addresses are simply ID's. Nothing else. This is a policy decision by the provider.

Cable and DSL providers such as Optinmum Online, Verizon, etc.; change MAC authorizations within their data base upon request.

This is different. Vonage is making a choice. And I submit; a bad choice for their business. Time will tell.

Anyhow, I agree that my only option is to exchange the phone adaptor. My guess is that more customers and potential customers will complain. Also, the retailers will not be happy if a higher than average customer return ratio occurs as a result.

Posts: 482 · Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2005 12:49 am Post subject:

jnuzzi wrote:

ToddlerTN wrote:

There seems to be some debate about that. See this thread for more info:

Vonage bans used VoIP adapters

Also see this thread for more info:

Any truth to this? Regarding Motorola VT1005 activation

And that thread says what, exactly? One poster says he believes it can be done, another guy says a Vonage tech told him it is possible but he's not sure, two other guys say they've been told it's not possible, and one guy says Vonage told him directly they have a policy against it...so what's your point?

Posts: 482 · Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2005 12:51 am Post subject: Re: Post Script

jpizza wrote:

I tried Vonage Tech. support one last time today. He confirmed with me that Vonage tech people will not restore a MAC address after an account has been "terminated" . Period. It doen't matter if the product is brand new.

I was told that my only option at this point is to swap the unit with a new one from the retail store; Radio Shack. New MAC address = New Account.

Well there you go. I really don't understand why Vonage has this policy, but they must feel it benefits them somehow. Sorry to say I was right in this case, but at least you've got a way out.

Posts: 2132 · Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2005 1:08 am Post subject: MAC Reset? No

I would like to step in here and give you my knowledge on this issue.

Technically - Can it be done? Yes.

However, Vonage has a very strict policy against it. It has to do with the early days when the boxes were given out for free (they still are) but users were attempting to hack them for use on another service (which will go nameless, but this service gave instructions on a blog on how to do it). This did not sit very well with Vonage.

So, as the story was told to me by the most senior executives, the method to lockdown the firmware goes hand-in-hand with locking down the MAC.

No one you call (unless things have changed since I had this conversation over two years ago) has the authority to change the MAC on a device. It is a very closely held secret.