US Telco Support > AT&T > AT&T U-verse > Any way to waive the modem fee for new customer?

Any way to waive the modem fee for new customer?

Like you said you can buy your own 3600 (ONLY that model) but odds are you will have to pay the $100 up front still, than just return the one sent for the refund.

A few people have been able to get it waived but is rare, the buying used and returning the new one with the label it comes with when purchased is prob going to be it.

One thing to keep in mind is often you can get a $100 rebate on the modem also.

When i got service I also paid $100 but got a $100 rebate a few months later to make up for it.

If you can't find any AT&T promo for that try sites like offerwire.com etc. as they normally offer them.

I have used that site for AT&T and Comcast and so long as you follow all instructions you get the rebates fine.

reply to wolfofone
Another bit to note: If you do the eBay/Craigslist route, the 3600 you buy there needs to have this firmware version to work: 6.3.7.50-plus.tm

Any previous firmware versions will not authenticate with the AT&T U-Verse network

Hi, thank you for the responses. I checked with the seller and he said the firmware was 6.3.7.50-plus.tm so I should be good there.

How would the install work though? Will it be similar to Comcast in that I have to call them and give them a MAC address, or is the firmware/certificate what takes care of the authentication?

Also, when looking around the internet for an answer to the question I read a few posts stating that third party 3600HGV modems would not work as AT&T provisions the RGs on a customer by customer basis per address (which makes no sense to me why they would do that but...). Is that true at all?

As long as you are getting VDSL2 U-Verse Internet, and the 3600 has the appropriate firmware, the modem will be plug in play.

Once it connects & authenticates, you do have to do a web-based registration to unlock the "walled garden" -- but after that, you are surfing

Ah neat, thanks for the information . Of course, i got sniped on the auction so I'll need to find another one heh.

One thing you might want to consider is that if you purchase the modem from AT&T, it will be under a warranty. If you purchase one on eBay and it stops working, you are SOL.

reply to wolfofone

Re: Self Install Question

Hmm, well it's after 8PM so I hooked everything up and got the blinking red broadband light of doom. Sigh.

If you can identify your feed line/pair from outside on that board, and then identify the line/pair that goes to your jack where the modem is, leave those connected to your punchdown board, and then disconnect all the other Cat 5s from the punchdown board

Does your building have an Apartment building Network Interface? A Building phone room/Inside Terminal? A phone terminal on the side/rear of the buidling?

Basically trying to identify your Main Point of Entry -- and then making sure the right color pair is wired to your jacks

Are you getting flashing green/flashing red back and forth, or constant flashing red?

It's a flashing red, no green.

The power and ethernet are green but the Broadband and service lights have never turned green.

Yeah, there's a large closet with more punchdown boards, though i'm not sure which one is mine.

I would guess that your unit's Inside Wire (IW, in your case, Cat 5) is not connected to your assigned Inside Terminal (IT) binding post

Can you get into the closet? Or can your building maintenance person? If you can terminate your Cat 5 to your serving binding post at the phone closet/IT, you should at least get flashing red/green/red, if not full sync. Your assigned post should be tagged/identified, if the self-install technician was able to attain access to the phone closet/IT

Alternately, you can set up an appointment with AT&T to make the connections from the building IT to your unit's IW and get sync all the way to your unit, then phone jack of the modem, but on self install order, this work past the main point of entry, in this case the apartment building phone room, would be billable work, which incurs a $100 technician visit fee

Yeah the wiring closet is open. I saw other labels but did not see min apt #. I'll have to look again. Really don't want to have to pay another $100 to have them connect the wires between the two boards if I can figure it out...

It may be tagged/labeled with either your apartment number and/or your U-Verse Account number (which is a 9 digit number, should be in 12XXXXXXX format for new customers)

hmm okay, I did see tags in there with just number so maybe that's it. Do i look for the Cat5e cable with a tag or something from the phone box. There's a smaller gray box next to the big punchdown board.

reply to wolfofone
Ah, sorry missed that post above. Where would the inside terminal binding post be located?

heh, well I snapped a few with my smartphone. Can try to get better ones if needed. »www.dropbox.com/sh/vfs3tu2p19you···YWr1B1_A

reply to wolfofone