Q My BT Infinity (fast fibre optic) broadband came with a BT OpenReach white box, and a separate black box. This causes issues with port forwarding for remote access to my Elgato EyeTV. Can I change the modem-router to help?

A On your system, the white box is the cable (VDSL) modem which most users try to avoid replacing.

The black box is a router which can readily be substituted by another suitable model. Favourites among BT Infinity users are the Asus RT-N56U, and Netgear R6300-100UKS AC1750, which are generally reported as working flawlessly. They should also offer better support for port forwarding and other features that you want.

If you were to have a more recent Infinity installation, you are likely to have been provided with an integrated cable modem and router. One solution is to buy an OpenReach VDSL cable modem through eBay, and match that with one of the compatible routers. Other users recommend integrated solutions such as the TP Link TD-W9980.

As BT Infinity installations have become very popular, there is now a wide choice of options to suit all pockets.

Updated from the original, which was first published in MacUser volume 29 issue 10, 2013.