Unlocked modem for bt infinity

Hi Guys

I've moved to bt infinity due to my dad wanting sky sports. I would prefer to have a separate openreach modem so I can use the openreach hub 5 as a free wireless access point for the garden/garage workshop.

I have also read online you need to match the openreach modem with your cabinet. How do I know what cabinet I have?

This checker tells you the PCP (phone cabinet) number for the phone number. The FTTC cabinet will be near it. Usually within 50 metres and almost certainly under 80 metres.

Pictures of cabinets.

However, only the Huawei HG612 modem is easily unlocked. The ECI one need soldering work on the circuit board - not for the faint-hearted. For most of use that means only the Huawei is available.

The Hub 5 isn't Openreach. It is BT Consumer (Retail).

Note that when unlocked, the HG612 can be kept in bridge mode or changed to being a VDSL2 router. It isn't clear what you envisage doing. Where would you put the Hub 5 and how would your dad connect?

I now know via the checker am served by cabinet 45. The plan is to have the openreach modem connect upto the cisco router I have. I then have an 8 port netgear switch which the youview box will plug into.

That sounds fine.

Get an HG612:

- unlock it, (dead easy so no point in paying more for one that's already done);

- keep it in bridge mode, (it is actually a two port VDSL2 router);

- make sure it is on the same subnet as your Cisco, and connect its LAN 2 to a Cisco LAN port or perhaps to one on the switch. That makes accessing its GUI and also using telnet from any machine on the network a doddle;

- disable DHCP on the Home Hub if that's possible, otherwise you have a problem, and there's your extension WAP.

- if DHCP cannot be disabled on it, consider a cheapish WAP instead.
_{Strikeouts due to BatBoy's post.}

Edited by RobertoS (Sat 05-Sep-15 22:34:42)

One problem may be getting multicast to work on the Cisco, but see https://community.bt.com/t5/YouView-Boxes/Cisco-1812... for example.

You can turn off DHCP on a HH5 and turn into a WAP easily.