Third party router on BT Infinity 2

I'm dissatisfied with Virgin, so I want to switch to BT Infinity 2 when my contract expires in a few months. I started using a TP-Link TL-WDR3600 router, flashed with OpenWRT, with the Virgin Superhub in modem mode. It's got some useful features which would save me having an extra PC switched on 24/7 for the same purpose so I'd like to go on using it. Does BT Infinity 2 still use a two box system so I can simply replace the wifi router with mine, or does it have a modem only/bridging mode like Virgin's Superhubs, which is also compatible with 3rd party routers?

Edited by ngolian (Tue 16-Dec-14 00:08:33)

No, the HH5 supplied by BT is an all-in-one modem-router without a modem-only mode. However, you can configure your router to obtain an IP address from the HH5 and put it into the DMZ on the HH5, and even turn off the firewall on the HH5.

I asked the openreach installer if I could swap the HH5 for a modem, which he did. I'm using a Billion router on my setup.

That's interesting. Did you have to ask them in advance to bring a modem instead of/as well as their hub?

No: HH5 was included in the original order, and shipped to arrive in time for installation. When the engineer arrived, I asked him to do the swap. You effectively lose the p&p paid on the HH5.

I too am using a Billon 8800NL in place of the BT modem and Technicolour (Plusnet router). The only caveat is that if any ISP diagnosis is required for a problem they seem to insist on the 'original' set up. Whether they would 'notice' if you lied..................

There are plenty of cheap second hand Openreach VDSL modems available on eBay. Use one of those, and keep the HH5 as a backup. Always a useful option to have if there is a problem as you can revert to a "standard" setup which can be useful when dealing with help desks.

In reply to a post by nevans:

I asked the openreach installer if I could swap the HH5 for a modem, which he did.

So your ISP supplied you with a router which you gave to an Openreach engineer? Sounds like you owe the ISP for a router.

So you owe the ISP for a router: you're probably correct, but as far as I am concerned it was done by a BT openreach engineer, as a legitimate install.

In response to the the guy with the Billion 8800, that's a slightly different case, as you are not terminating the line with BT supplied equipment; whereas with an openreach modem you are.

I have now had BT Infinity 2 for a few years and I have never used the BT supplied modem/router equipment for longer than a few weeks as I have never thought much of the equipment BT distribute.

Originally BT supplied me with a Home-hub 3 and the Huawei Modem, (with equipment, PSU's and wires everywhere), and I soon changed that for a Fritzbox 7390 which simply and neatly plugged straight into the BT master-socket and is a much better router.

When BT introduced the Home-hub 5, (I obtained one of those as it was much cheaper than the Fritzbox and had a 5ghz wireless option) but the general performance of the BT Home-hub 5 was inferior to the Fritzbox and I now just keep the BT Home-hub 5 in case of a line fault.

Since we first had BT Infinity installed we have moved house and I found that the BT Infinity/open-reach engineers did not care what router/modem combination that you use as long as you know how to set it up yourself but if you do get a fault on your BT line and you need to contact the BT India based call centre the BT call centre staff will insist on you plugging in a BT router while they carry out their line tests and that is why I keep a BT router to hand.

You can if you wish to just set the BT equipment up and put it away in a cupboard in case you need it when/if there is a fault on your line and in between times you can set up and use a router of your choice while the line is OK.

Fido