Using a Business HH3 as a spare for HH5 home hub

[andyhudson1979]

Hi,

I am on BT Inifinty 1 using a HH5. My employers were getting rid of some old equipment and they have a Business BT Hub 3 with a white Openreach box.

My questions are:

1. if my HH5 broke, could I use this as a spare or is there a difference ?

2. Would I need to do any configuration or can I just plug it into the phone socket and it would work (assuming there was no fault on the line of course). For example, do I need to put a username / password for it to log onto the broadband account (I don't even know what it is) given this is a business hub, and I am a residential customer at home.

3. What's the white openreach box for? Would I need that?

Thanks,

Andy

[imjolly · Accepted solution]

the white openreach box is a modem which you need for fibre conenction unless you use a modem/router like the hh5

you can use the modem with the business hub 3 and just change username to bthomehub@btbroadband.com and any password   should then conenct

[licquorice]

The hub3 is an ADSL device and won't work with Infinity (which is VDSL technology) directly. The Openreach box is probably a modem which will be a ADSL/VDSL capable device and could be used in conjunction with the Hub3 on Infinity.

[andyhudson1979]

@imjolly Thanks for the quick response. Just clarification on the password please. You say 'any password'? So literally my broadband account will accept anything for the password like 'password' or 'letmein'? 

@licquorice the Hub 3 has a red socket labelled 'Infinity' on the back. I have read somewhere that before the HH4/5 that BT hubs needed another box alongside it as that was the modem, and the old Hubs were the router. I may have misunderstood this though. 

[imjolly]

the password can be anything as hub authenticates on your phoneline as long as you use the correct username as I said.  the hub will need a password and many just use BT

only the hh5 has modem built in and any hubs before that require the use of the modem

[licquorice]

Yes, that is the white Openreach box you referrred to. The Openreach modem DSL lead connects to your phone line and an Ethernet lead from LAN1 port on the modem to the red WAN port on the Hub.

[andyhudson1979]

Thank you both for your replies.