Access Point Settings For Internet Service Providers

In my previous posts, i discussed how to unlock both Huawei and ZTE modems to make them universal. Having made them universal, you need to manually create access points for the different network providers since the interface the modem came with will contain the settings for only the network that the modem was locked to. In this post, I will give the different settings for the different GSM networks.
The table below gives the different settings for the different networks.

Unlocking ZTE Modems

In my previous article, I discussed how to unlock huawei modems. These modems are popular with mtn and glo networks though etisalat and airtel have a few of them. ZTE modems are common with etisalat though the other networks also issue out some of them. These ZTE modems have a less beautiful user interface (at least in my opinion) compared with that of huawei modems.

Unlike huawei modems, ZTE modems can't be unlocked using the unlock codes, or probably because the codes calculated by the softwares I’ve used to far must be wrong. You must be wondering then how to go about unlocking ZTE modems. You need software to do the unlocking. This software doesn't calculate the unlock code for ZTE modems rather it unlocks it directly. The name of this software is dc-unlocker. Some websites refer to it as dccrap. So how do you use it?    

Like I said in the post on how to unlock huawei modems, you insert an alien SIM card into the modem, and then plug it into your computer. Then open up the dc-unlocker. Under “select manufacturer”, select ZTE data cards. Under “select model”, select the model of the modem or leave it on “auto detect”. If the model of your modem isn’t listed there, then select “unknown ZTE modem”. After you must have made these selections, click on the photo with the magnifying glass icon on it. Then click on “unlocking” and then click on unlock. Voila! It’s as simple as that.

To download the DC-Unlocker, click here. For any enquiries or comments, don’t forget to use the comment box below.

How To Unlock Huawei USB Internet Modems

In a previously written article, I discussed some reasons why I prefer to use a previously unlocked dongle to using a universal one. In this article, I will write about how to go about unlocking modems that have been locked to the particular network they are branded to. Several companies manufacture modems. The popular of these companies or rather the companies whose modems are common in Nigeria are Huawei and ZTE. In this article, I will discuss how to unlock modems manufactured by Huawei.

Each modem or dongle has a 15-digit number referred to as its IMEI number. For Huawei modems, the IMEI number is used to calculate the unlock code. What do I mean by the unlock code? If you’ve ever tried using a modem belonging to a particular network with an alien SIM card (I mean a SIM card belonging to a different network), once you insert the modem into your computer, a small dialog box comes up demanding for the unlock code. The unlock code is tied to the IMEI number. In other words the IMEI number is used to calculate the unlock code as I mentioned earlier. You can get the IMEI number from the modem pack or on the body of the modem. If you do not see it there, don’t panic. Simply insert the modem into your computer then open up the modem interface. On the interface, click on the “Tools” tab and select “Diagnostics”. You should be able to get the IMEI number from there.

There are softwares that calculate the unlock code of the modem from the IMEI number. The one which I use regularly is called HUAWEI UNLOCKER. I’ll give a link to download it towards the end of this article. The software only demands that you input the 15-digit IMEI number into it and it automatically calculates the unlock code together with the flash code. Copy out the unlock code. DO NOT copy the flash code. The next thing you do is to insert an alien SIM card into the modem, then plug the modem into a USB port on your computer. Wait a moment. The dialog box requesting for the unlock code should come up. Enter the unlock code into the text box provided and voila, your modem becomes unlocked. You have ten (10) attempts to input the correct unlock code. If the dialog box doesn’t come up, two things could cause that. Either the modem has already been unlocked or that the number of times that has been given for the correct unlock code to be entered has been exhausted in which case it can no longer be unlocked.

After reading this article, I don’t think you should have any problems unlocking your Huawei USB modems. If you encounter any problems, just use the comment box below and I’ll respond as soon as possible.

To download the HUAWEI UNLOCKER, click here .

Deciding On Which Internet Modem To Buy

There are several network providers in the country, each of which have different qualities of service depending on your geographical location. While a network may have an excellent service in a particular location, the same may not be said for another location. Also, the various networks offer their internet services at different rates which may or may not be convenient to you. Now, considering the fact that these modems are most of the time (if not always) locked to one particular network, it becomes vital that you make a careful decision on which internet dongle you buy. I know you may be thinking if you buy an internet dongle locked to a particular network and then somewhere along the line you decide that you are no longer satisfied with the quality of the service you are receiving from them, you will have to spend money all over again buying another dongle. I am telling you that you do not have to worry about that anymore. How do you do that? Don’t worry. Just continue reading.

There are however some modems which are not locked to any particular network. These are popularly known as universal modems. You just simply buy the SIM card of any network you desire and slot it into the modem, create an access point for the network you desire and start surfing with it. While most people decide to go for this particular type of modem, I advise against it. Why? In my experience, some of them are not as good as the ones locked ones sold by the network providers.The signal strength it  receives may not be as strong as the one you get when you use a ‘locked modem’. Also, the cost of some of these universal modems is greater that that of some of the locked ones. Considering these factors, what am I then suggesting?

I am simply suggesting that you buy one of the ‘locked modems’ and get it unlocked. This way, you get a universal modem of better quality. Some of the computer experts charge a fee for this but you can do this yourself. You only need a few softwares to achieve this. In my subsequent posts, I will give the names of these softwares, links to download them and a guide on how to use them. So stick around.