Trouble replacing an ISP router (an Actiontec R1000H) with a Sonicwall TZ 100

Question

Title says it all, I've got an ISP provided router here, I'm trying to replace it with the sonicwall (which has the newest licensed firmware (ugh) flashed, from Oct 2017). The setup is:

Fibre comes into a Alcatel-Lucent ONT modem. Cat5e comes out of LAN 1. Cat5e goes to WAN on the R1000H.

What I'm doing:

1: Release the DHCP lease on the R1000H

2: Unplug the cable from the WAN port on the R1000H and plug it into the WAN port on the Sonicwall

3: Set the WAN interface to RFC 1483 DHCP (same as the ISP router). Set the Sonicwall to use the same MAC address as the ISP router. Use the same hostname as the ISP router.

Despite that a DHCP address is never assigned to the Sonicwall. So basically, what gives? Am I missing some important step? Is this ISP tomfoolery? Any help/insight is greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

You need to call Verizon and ask them to release the DHCP to MAC binding.

Their equipment will hold on to the pair until you do. It's nothing you are doing wrong, this is their SOP.

They used to have an option in the automated call system for this. Not sure if they do or not anymore. If the sonicwall has a Mac clone option for the WAN interface you can probably use that without calling.

Edit: when I just tried it here. It seems that DHCP will be locked untill you call, if you pop another router in place and connect it before you clone the address. ( I put a DD-wrt router in place of my of pfsense box without cloning the MAC and it locked DHCP on our account until I called them.) After it was unlocked, it made no difference with the cloned WAN MACs switching them back and forth.

Regards,