On Fri, 18 May 2007 00:40:17 +0100, in uk.telecom.broadband , "News
Reader" <no@email.invalid> wrote:
[color=blue]
>I have some questions about (former) NTL / Virgin Media cable broadband
>services.
>
>I understand that they now only supply a single ethernet port cable modem
>(i.e. / e.g. no more USB via a STB[/color]

I think they're trying to phase out the STB with modem model, as most
STBs won't handle 20Mbps.
[color=blue]
>Their modems /
>service used to bind itself to the first MAC it met - is this still the
>case?[/color]

Not been the case for several years. If you reboot the modem, it binds
to the first mac it finds after the reboot, up to (I think ) a max of
three different MACs in a 24-hour period.
..[color=blue]
>route the modem ethernet connection through a hub or switch before it meets
>its "one PC"?[/color]

Sure, but pointless - you can't connect anything else to the hub.
..[color=blue]
>I.e. for cabling reasons (not any long enough cat5 cables[/color]

You need some cat5 couplers. Cost about a quid each from maplin.

--
Mark McIntyre