Changing MAC address on box

F

flds

New member
Jan 29, 2018
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Yes, I do
#1
Hello,
I purchased a Global Media Box 3 months ago. I subscribe to IPTV with a Service Provider (SP). I found another SP close to home and cheap. I would like to change the SP.
When I took the box to configure it won't let me change the MAC address on the box. Is there a way to change the mac address, how do I change my SP? My previous SP will not release or deactivate the mac address, what should I do.

On the other forum I was told to request the previous SP to release it, I did try with no success.

I need some help. Someone please reply, I am desperately trying to change the SP.

Thanks
 
#2
I don't know who your new SP is gonna be but if they offer m3u Playlist method, then you do not need the MAC attached.

Your old SP should release your MAC for you, if not then I'd say that they are 'bad actors'.
But once that old code expires, the MAC may be released automatically anyway.
 
#8
At times a member may get a message stating that MAC they are trying to assign to their code 'already excists'

Only way around this is to have the member send me a picture taken of the MAC showing it on their receiver. Send to me or directly to server admins. Either way that's is where the picture ends up (in server admins inbox).
Then they review it and release the MAC in all cases (long as the picture shows prove of the MAC). So then maybe after anywhere from 24 hours up to a few days later, the MAC gets released and the member can then use it.
All this is because somewhere, somehow, that MAC was spoofed and used on another box. This is never really a malicious act, just someone that by chance spoofed that exact MAC and is using it on the system.
When i get these messages, the first question I ask is if they are using a buzztv box and if answer is yes, then I tell them how to change the MAC themselves on their box (on the iptv app actually).
That always is a success for the member and saves them countless hours of waiting for the administration to release that MAC.

But it is kind of a catch 22 situation :eek:
Because the member has now just created a new MAC and may have unknowingly spoofed a MAC from a receiver that has not yet gone online, but is about to in about a week.
And of course that new member with his new box sends me a message asking why they get a "MAC already excist" message and on their new box. And that member may not have a receiver that can change the MAC, so they wait ..(they would not need to wait thou as there are other methods to use your code without a MAC attached).
Then I get the MAC changed for them (because their pic proved it was theirs) and then that other member that had earlier changed his MAC on his box...... is now locked out again... and the cycle continues :eek:

catch 22 :eek:
 
Last edited:
#10
crazed 8.4 said:
At times a member may get a message stating that MAC they are trying to assign to their code 'already excists'

Only way around this is to have the member send me a picture taken of the MAC showing it on their receiver. Send to me or directly to server admins. Either way that's is where the picture ends up (in server admins inbox).
Then they review it and release the MAC in all cases (long as the picture shows prove of the MAC). So then maybe after anywhere from 24 hours up to a few days later, the MAC gets released and the member can then use it.
All this is because somewhere, somehow, that MAC was spoofed and used on another box. This is never really a malicious act, just someone that by chance spoofed that exact MAC and is using it on the system.
When i get these messages, the first question I ask is if they are using a buzztv box and if answer is yes, then I tell them how to change the MAC themselves on their box (on the iptv app actually).
That always is a success for the member and saves them countless hours of waiting for the administration to release that MAC.

But it is kind of a catch 22 situation :eek:
Because the member has now just created a new MAC and may have unknowingly spoofed a MAC from a receiver that has not yet gone online, but is about to in about a week.
And of course that new member with his new box sends me a message asking why they get a "MAC already excist" message and on their new box. And that member may not have a receiver that can change the MAC, so they wait ..(they would not need to wait thou as there are other methods to use your code without a MAC attached).
Then I get the MAC changed for them (because their pic proved it was theirs) and then that other member that had earlier changed his MAC on his box...... is now locked out again... and the cycle continues :eek:

catch 22 :eek:
Click to expand...
Whatever happened to the 00:1A:78 rule for STB Emulator apps (Stalker based), reserving 79 for the STB's with hard coded MAC's?
If you have to internally change the MAC# in a STB app, they should use 78, avoiding the problem of someone randomly making up a MAC, that will "eventually" get registered to a new STB.

...Just an observation!
 
#11
Shooty said:
Whatever happened to the 00:1A:78 rule for STB Emulator apps (Stalker based), reserving 79 for the STB's with hard coded MAC's?
If you have to internally change the MAC# in a STB app, they should use 78, avoiding the problem of someone randomly making up a MAC, that will "eventually" get registered to a new STB.

...Just an observation!
Click to expand...

BIO who was one of the original staff members when all this iptv started getting more popular, he had predicted back in 2014 that MAC spoofs would happen.. it was identifiable.

His solution (and BIO was a computer/networking genius), his solution at the time for them '78' MACs was to use the last 6 digits of the receiver's own MAC (that statement from BIO is still posted here somewhere).
That receiver's MAC would start with the first 6 digits as a number of different digits other then 00:1a:79... but the last 6 were sure to be an original sequence so could be attached to the created '78' MAC and have the knowledge that you did not spoof another MAC.

I do not know much about how the connectivity on them methods that use the '78' as I actually have never went that route, believe it or not :)
 
#12
Shooty said:
Whatever happened to the 00:1A:78 rule for STB Emulator apps (Stalker based), reserving 79 for the STB's with hard coded MAC's?
If you have to internally change the MAC# in a STB app, they should use 78, avoiding the problem of someone randomly making up a MAC, that will "eventually" get registered to a new STB.

...Just an observation!
Click to expand...

Stalker and other similar middleware, use that 79 MAC thru their IPTV platform. It is not the receiver's MAC
Them devices that do not have this iptv platform can not log on with a 79 mac as the server would know it is not coming thru a stalker platform, so would be rejected.
It must have the 78 so the server sees it as a emulation of said platform. And vise versa for receivers with the middleware. If they tried logging on witha 78 MAC, the server would see it does not compute as it is coming from a stalker application.

or something like that :)
 
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#13
What a poorly thought out system!
So, 79 MAC #'s, must be issued, or controlled, by Infomir, and provided to STB manufacturers that incorporate apps that use the Stalker(Ministra) Middleware client.
*(No 2 STB's can have the same MAC#)

But, ...they allow a feature that lets a user "make up" a random 79 MAC#, to overide the STB's actual MAC. ???

IMO, ...Asking for problems!

Anyway, nice to brainstorm with you.
 
#14
Shooty said:
What a poorly thought out system!
So, 79 MAC #'s, must be issued, or controlled, by Infomir, and provided to STB manufacturers that incorporate apps that use the Stalker(Ministra) Middleware client.
*(No 2 STB's can have the same MAC#)

But, ...they allow a feature that lets a user "make up" a random 79 MAC#, to overide the STB's actual MAC. ???

IMO, ...Asking for problems!

Anyway, nice to brainstorm with you.
Click to expand...

my buzz's actual mac addy is no where close to being either 78 or 79...lol
 
#15
you are not quite understanding it Shooty.
The middlewere is not only on the receiver but also the server has a middleware solution program that works on their servers.
That program is what sees the MAC and that MAC is not the receivers MAC... it is the IPTV platform's MAC (the stalker).
All receivers will have their own MAC and each sets of digits all mean something.
All receivers with a middlewre program will not only have their own unique MAC for the receiver but the middleware IPTV application will also have a separate MAC as well (that's the 79 MAC).
 
#16
crazed 8.4 said:
you are not quite understanding it Shooty.
The middlewere is not only on the receiver but also the server has a middleware solution program that works on their servers.
That program is what sees the MAC and that MAC is not the receivers MAC... it is the IPTV platform's MAC (the stalker).
All receivers will have their own MAC and each sets of digits all mean something.
All receivers with a middlewre program will not only have their own unique MAC for the receiver but the middleware IPTV application will also have a separate MAC as well (that's the 79 MAC).
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info.
I do get it, though I probably did not explain it well enough.

wiki info;
A Media Access Control (MAC) address is a 48-bit (6 bytes) address that is used for communication between two hosts in an Ethernet environment. It is a hardware address, which means that it is stored in the firmware of the network card.


Every network card manufacturer gets a universally unique 3-byte code called the Organizationally Unique Identifier (OUI).
Manufacturers agree to give all NICs a MAC address that begins with the assigned OUI. The manufacturer then assigns a unique value for the last 3 bytes, which ensures that every MAC address is globaly unique.


00:1A:79 is most likely issued to Infomir, and used as the MAC prefix & encoded "Uniquely" in the MAG Firmware or each disseminated Stalker Client.
----
Making up a MAC#, is what is causing the problem that you mention.
 
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