Cannot connect with wired LAN connection

Since you state you are connecting directly to the cable modem, rather than through a router, it could be your cable provider is blocking the AA1 because its wired NIC has a different MAC address than the other computer. They usually want you to contact them and you'll have to give them this information. Check your cable provider's web site to see if they have any steps for connecting a new computer. Note that I'm assuming you've tried the usual of powering off the modem and then on with the AA1 connected to it.

While there are ways to make the AA1 fake its MAC so that it is the same as your other computer, you might not be interested in doing the steps. Just search for "linux change MAC" to find them if you are. To obtain the MAC address of the wired NIC as it is now, open a terminal and run:

Code:

/sbin/ifconfig eth0

Look for the "HWaddr:" It will be 6 pairs of alpha-numeric characters separated by colons.

An alternative is to purchase a little wired (and/or wireless) router. These often have simple setup screens to let you change their MAC address, but you'll need the MAC for the computer that was working or will need to still call the cable company to give them the new MAC of the router. The advantage is you can then plug in any computer to the router and will never need to call because of a different MAC. Also, today, the majority of these routers come with a firewall built in which is handy even if the computer has its own.

 

If the modem power down works, then yes you would need to do that again when you wanted to (re)hook up the other computer. Again, getting a simple router (wired and/or wireless) would eliminate that step. Not just because it would have more than one port, in the case of wired, but because it will have the logic to handle things being plugged/unplugged (or turned on/off). But the router's only worth it if you're going to be doing this often, yet it would also give you the ability to access content on one computer from the other (*additional setup may be required depending on what you want to do).