cable modem not working over USB

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Hello.

I'm attempting to connect to the internet using my cable modem's USB port (Motorola SB5101), but it doesn't get an IP address.

I'm setting up a Mac Mini with OS X Server and am configuring it as a gateway. Since for that it needs two network interfaces and has only one ethernet port I want to use the USB port to connect to the WAN, and the ethernet port to connect to the LAN (switch).

I can use the modem through the ethernet port just fine (currently am), it picks up the public IP on its own. But when I plug in the USB cable instead (one cable at a time) and restart the modem, the computer does recognize a new network interface ("Ethernet Adaptor (en1)") but never gets the public IP, just remains with the self-assigned IP.

Comcast's tech support told me I have to install the USB drivers first, which of course don't exist for the Mac. I even read in the Motorola documentation that the USB connection is not supported for Mac and Linux, but I'm stubborn enough to doubt that.

Anyone know how to get this modem to work over USB? Or knows another cable modem that will work with a USB connection? Or should a third-party mac-friendly USB-ethernet adaptor do the trick?

Many thanks!
Hagenaer
 

dtravis7


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I doubt there is a driver for that Motorola and OSX but I will check around and get back if I can find something. Can you use the modem that way with both USB and RJ45 at the same time? I remember reading somewhere that would not work.
 
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I doubt there is a driver for that Motorola and OSX but I will check around and get back if I can find something.

Great! I hoped I could get it to work without a driver though, since I don't believe there will be a driver for it.

Can you use the modem that way with both USB and RJ45 at the same time? I remember reading somewhere that would not work.

No, I have to use one or the other. Using the ethernet works fine, switching to USB doesn't work. I use both the USB and Ethernet on the mac mini server as network interfaces, and that should work fine.

Thanks for your help!

P.S. I've tried maniually configuring the network addresses for the USB connection instead of using DHCP, but that didn't help either.
 

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