You can get NAT done, but I'm not sure how long that will last.  I don't think 
the modem itself does NAT, though they require you to use dhcp behind it to get 
an address.  I run a 486, use IP chains with static 192.168 address behind the 
modem.  They allow you to purchase your own modem, but it must be one they 
approve of.  The future of NAT and other services on Cox is not sure, but all 
indications are bad.  Getting anything done is going to cost you time and 
effort.

They tollerate NAT as they tollerate many other services.  Their unilaterally 
changeable service contract is intentionally vauge and includes a "no servers" 
clause that does not define banned services.  Cox has put port bloxks up to 
prevent normal web and email service.  You can't send mail from your computers, 
except through their smtp server and have not been able to recieve mail for a 
long time.  You can offer normal ftp service because AOL instant messenger, 
which also runs a server, uses port 21.  Web service is obviously discouraged 
by a block on port 80.   Cox has been forced to degrade their service at the 
cost of comptitive advantage before.  Cox has so restricted their service that 
it is impractical to offer anything through a Cox Modem, regardless of how 
clever you are.  I've never heard of anyone getting a call from Cox for running 
anything, but other Cable companies have called the FBI to raid homes of 
uncappers.  

Do not count on files at your house being accesible.  Upload speeds are 
painfully slow due to capping at the modem.  I've rented a server to share 
things with family and friends, and uploading is so slow that I have to really 
want to share before I do it and the 500MB provided looks impractically large.  
A crummy 4MB tar file can take 10 minutes or so to upload.  Yes, uploads really 
can be just as slow as dialup and it's never very fast.  Depending on the size 
of the file you are after, it might be quicker to drive home and get it.   It's 
not network congestion.  At Home's service was fast enough to be practical and 
had no blocked ports.  All of Cox's new equipment has been technically superior 
where they are not using exaclty the same equipment.  Content that takes 
forever to upload downloads lickty-split.

Tech Support calls to Cox take a minimum of one hour.  Calls to sales are 
answered quickly, then routed to local service with prejudice.  The local 
service people are difficult to get in touch with and you will have to listen 
to much bad phone radio, mostly adverts telling you how wonderful Cox is.  Once 
you get one, they will want to walk you through a standard script that involves 
rebooting your Windows computer and down powering your modem.  They will try 
hard to connect to the back doors they install on your Windows PC and will be 
nonplussed if you don't have said back doors.  The stock response to that is, 
"We don't support anything but Windows and Outlook Express".  You may be able 
to short circuit the standard script by mentioning that you just bought a new 
cable modem and would like to have it provisioned.  The magic words around 
Outlook Express support is "Tier One".  You will be assigned a ticket number 
and then have to wait some more before one of the Tier One people attend to 
you.  They are becoming less clueful and are more often repeating the "we don't 
support that" mantra themselves.   If you don't have an hour to burn, don't 
make the call because you will just have to start all over again.  Speaker 
phones are helpful.

Still, you have little choice.  Bell South is worse.  For a time, I did NAT 
from a dialup account.  I could tollerate that because I use Mozilla's advert 
blockers and I'm not intersted in sites that don't work that way.  My wife, 
however, hated it to death.  Like I said before, wellcome to hell.  I'm told 
that there are a few places, like Chicago, that don't have problems like this 
but I'm afraid it's getting worse for everyone.

On 2003.07.21 15:16 Bryce T. Pier wrote:
> 
> 
> Does the cox modem do NAT? I don't mind having to share the outgoing IP
> address but do want to have at least 3 machines on the network. It's
> interesting that down here several ISPs want to charge more per month
> for multiple machines behind a NAT, how the heck would they even know?
> 
> -- 
> Bryce T. Pier              [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 

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