Uncapping a modem

By JayArias
in Smart Home, Network & Security

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Proficient

Tuffgong4

Posted
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I've never done it for reasons

Internet companies send out the firmware for the modem (if it's cable or dsl) so most of the time they either render the modem useless when the find the hacked firmware (which is usually how you uncap it) or it just goes back to working normally. There used to be ways to do it physically but most modems nowadays you can't do it to.

It's a lot more hassle than it's worth and usualyl doesn't work for that long.

Grand Master

Stonkwell Bogtrotter

Posted
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  klatz said:
I found a couple things

thnx

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If you're on Blueyonder (UK) and they find out, (which they will within then hour), they will instantly cancle your account. You will lose your Internet, Telephone & Television services (if you have them with BY).

You will be blacklisted and other TelCos maybe warned of your activities.

Beware.

Grand Master

Garry

Posted
Posted

Which ISP do you use? Uncapping used to be possible on UK Blueyonder because of a firmware bug in the Motorola modems they provided. So they added an md5 hash to the DOCSIS config. If the contents of the DOCSIS didn't match the hash, the modem wouldn't connect. Anyway, in time we got around that problem so now Blueyonder send out the firmware update to close the bug that allowed us to uncap upon every connection.

I suspect a lot of ISPs do something similar now.

Mentor

SaguratuS

Posted
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Realistically it's really quite simple to uncap, it all depends on what modem you have (and of course what DOCSIS the cable company is using). I've made my own SB4100 firmware for diagnostics (and web interface customization of course), rather ironic that I've never once bothered with uncapping it :happy:

Mentor

SaguratuS

Posted
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  Adamb10 said:
It's illegal because you are essentially stealing bandwidth and stealing is againest the law.

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It's not illegal everywhere, but in the US, it's theft of service, which is extremely overpunished, although ISP's typically just tell you to stop, or in a severe case permanently drop you as a customer.

Mentor

SaguratuS

Posted
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  OPaul said:
No, it will not damage the modem.

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I must warn you that in the process of changing your firmware, it's EXTREMELY easy to brick your modem. If you don't have a Motorola Surfboard, you may very well likely permanently brick it (versus having to spend ~$4 for supplies to make a serial cable)

Grand Master

OPaul

Posted
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  SaguratuS said:
I must warn you that in the process of changing your firmware, it's EXTREMELY easy to brick your modem.  If you don't have a Motorola Surfboard, you may very well likely permanently brick it (versus having to spend ~$4 for supplies to make a serial cable)

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You don't have to touch your firmware to uncap your modem.

Mentor

SaguratuS

Posted
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  OPaul said:
You don't have to touch your firmware to uncap your modem.

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Well, that depends on what modem you have. If you're using any of the Motorola Surfboard series, it is almost certain that you will have to load up 3rd party firmware. Likewise with many of the 3com modems. Most of the other modems simply cannot be uncapped, and DHCP force rarely works on any networks anymore. SNMP is also regularly disabled on the ethernet side, and MD5 protected.

Veteran

Ryan V

Posted
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  klatz said:
I run on a WebStar Cable Modem

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Oh God, Not a WebStar :no: . Anyway, it could be quite easy or quite hard to uncap the modem. With the old Non-DOCSIS Modem's it was said that if you had "shocked" the modem slightly, it would reset and uncap it self. With the newer DOCSIS it depends. In either case, Your ISP will almost notice right away that you uncapped your modem because of an usual amount of info coming in due to the modem being uncapped.

Grand Master

Vice

Posted
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uncapping is like playing chicken over a railway just blindfolded (as you cant see if your ISP has seen what you are doing you don't know if you should stop jumping across the rail or not)

I would say don't do it, its not worth having your Internet disconnected and have to get another ISP.

I do have a Question about it though if you can uncap your modem fully and get all the speed which is possible on the network is it possible to say lock it at 1.5MB or 2MB ?

Situation: I'm on 1MB Blueyonder is it possible to lock it at 1.5MB ? (I don't plan on doing this I am just curious how it works) Surely if my friend has the same modem as mine (and is on a higher Blueyonder Package then me) I could take everything off his and put it on mine? (again I don't plan to just curious if this is possible)

Grand Master

Stonkwell Bogtrotter

Posted
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  WinMacLin said:

Situation: I'm on 1MB Blueyonder is it possible to lock it at 1.5MB ? (I don't plan on doing this I am just curious how it works) Surely if my friend has the same modem as mine (and is on a higher Blueyonder Package then me) I could take everything off his and put it on mine? (again I don't plan to just curious if this is possible)

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If you're on 1mb, you should be on 1.5mb? It was upgraded recently.

Or were you on 750k which upgraded to 1mb?

Packages were upgraded free in December.

750k --> 1mb

1mb ---> 1.5mb

2mb ---> 4mb

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