My company is an IT shop with and R2 cert in e-waste and asset recovery. Therefore, we get computing and networking devices all day long.

Recently we entered into an agreement to handle retired Comcast internet and cable devices including MDTAs, nodes and amplifiers. I know there's a market for these but this isn't my main business.

Who can tell me more about who I should be dealing with or who to market to for such equipment? This was the original 2008 digital signal conversion equipment and have hundreds of items coming through in the near future. Hence, I have some time to figure this out.

Your advice is much appreciated!

You know theres a market?

Why exactly would there be a market for retired comcast equipment that comcast no longer uses or installs?

They are being retired because they no longer work with the compression comcast/xfinity is using going forward. Comcast would absolutely still be using the equipment if it wasnt obsolete.

The Comcast boxes must be authorized by serial number. I expect that Comcast would be able to detect one of their "retired" boxes has come back to work. Doesn't your salvage agreement with Comcast specify that the retired boxes will be salvaged, not resold? Also, there is not much incentive for Comcast to push firmware updates to these retired boxes.

Around 2001-2 I was on a project to remove analog cable converters and if I remember correctly the old units were going to Ireland. Perhaps foreign cable companies could use your stock?

There is indeed a market, both abroad and here in the USA. Furthermore, these boxes are the first generation digital conversion at 720 out of Philadelphia. We'll be getting hundreds more from other metropolitan areas and I'd like to find a home for them. large metro areas always get the very best because the money is centralized there. Rural areas get diddly which is why satellite TV and internet is king out in the country.

Also, there's a difference between retired and obsolete. There are regions in the USA that don't even have this and small cable providers would benefit. Second and third world countries also desire these retired units because many are still on analogue. I just don't know who or how to contact such entities.

Please understand that I wouldn't have posted this if I didn't know what I was talking about. I wouldn't waste my time otherwise and am looking for pople with solutions, contacts or a market themselves.

Thanks Buzz. Comcast has decommissioned these boxes through a recycling contractor. The contractor is not R2 certified which is why he contacted us. R2 is an e-waste/e-cycling cert that emphasizes "reuse/refurbish" first and salvaged/recycling as a last resort. It's part of Comcast's environmental policy. Firmware updates are from the manufacturer.

Comcast is now in the midst of an change-over to compete with FIOS. this is nothing more than a competitive upgrade. As these items are removed they are simply written off as part of their contractor's salvage deal. When removed they look brand new.

The MDTA boxes are designated for specific channel spectrum and are basically scrabbler boxes. Smaller, 2nd tier cable providers can (and do use) these when they become available to enhance their network. Comcast doesn't think that repurposing them for their smaller markets is worth while. Also, businesses (hospitals, retirement homes, gyms, hotels, etc. use them for their buildings for limited TV and security applications. A networking/IT engineer can hook these up quite easily.

Again, I simply don't have a market, but if someone else did I'd be willing to work out a deal. Ultimately, I can scrap these as they're choked full of gold, but the units actually have vastly more value in working order to the right buyer.

Thanks sceneselect. You are correct and I'm told this has been done by others. Again, I have no contacts for these markets but would love to find someone who does.

While I could scour the web and canvas regions looking for the right people with an interest that would be a full time job. I'm willing to partner with someone (or several) who has at least one viable contact for such items.

If Comcast (or someone) told you that these boxes can be connected to and used with cable signals, they left out a really important fact:


No matter where these boxes go, if Comcast has not sold or given the authorization software to the company whose signal they're connected to, they are just lightweight boat anchors. They CANNOT work without an authorization signal coming in on the cable that will turn them on. Such signals turn on each box individually, unless the firmware in each box has been modified to leave them turned on. Did Comcast tell you these boxes are authorized?

Note that this means that whoever YOU sell the boxes to has to have the means to turn on the boxes. A proper deal between you and Comcast, with the intention of reuse of the boxes, would probably include Comcast selling YOU the authorization software so you could pass is along with the boxes.

This wouldn't be the first time Comcast has grossly misrepresented the situation. After all, for instance, they claim to have customer service.

The exception would be any cable boxes that are analog only and predate, oh, 1985 or so. And are made to tune in analog signals. This makes them useless in the US. I half-laughingly suggest Greece might buy such boxes.


I doubt this, but the box would not come back to work. It would be a large expensive 75 ohm terminator, and nothing more, without authorization.


Yes and yes.


Challenge accepted. By what means will you get these boxes turned on or authorized or whatever you'd like to call it, one at a time?

Other people have come here and asked for advice, or worse yet tried to tell us what to do, who turned out NOT to understand what they were doing.

We don't have a market for them because, I feel safe to say, we all believe there is no market for them due to the authorization issue.

https://www.virginmedia.ie/

[Link: sky.com]

these companies must have a purchasing department?

Ernie, this guy sounds like a B2B type of person.
You're explaining it as if he purchased a single unit on eBay and was trying to get it to work at his parents basement

Thank you. I will reach out to them. NCTC was interested in them but wants an hefty $1500 monthly fee to have us listed as a member. I'm also trying several other aggregate buying organizations that handle these as well as the manufacturer themselves in a buy back.

Much appreciated!

Eric, as I said, there is a market because my contacts at Comcast and Sonoco have told me there is a market. I am partners with the former because under Comcast's agreement with their equipment salvagers they are not certified under Comcast's recycling policy as we are to handle decommissioning of electronic equipment. That may seem paradoxical to you, but here we are....

You are correct that each has an auth code that Comcast can give us for each serial number for our eventual buyers. We have their permission to proceed with the sale of such equipment because they retired them, we took possession under our accreditation and they understand that these unit can and should be reused in a smaller/foreign cable market. There is nothing untoward bout this.

Thank you again for your technical advice.

There's a small local company in my area that still uses analog cable. You may want to contact them.

http://www.tvcconnect.com

They are in an area where they compete with Comcast too.

KOT

Thanks, KOT. I sent their Headend Manager some info. We'll see if it bears fruit. Now I need a couple dozen more like this. Have about250 MDTAs coming soon.

I didn't think there was. I did not realize the depth of your partnership with them, which has them giving you the means to activate the boxes. If you were, to them, a casual buyer of old stuff, you'd be screwed.

Ernie