Inviting a cable guy to swap out a box when you're not there is inviting Mayhem into your life. Remember when people here were complaining that after having a cable box installed, clients would call to say their DVD players weren't working? You'd leave a set of connecting cables for a cable box and the installer would steal the cables from the DVD player. That's the kind of mentality we're dealing with.
A good answer is easier with a clear question giving the make and model of everything. "The biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." -- G. “Bernie” Shaw