Vodafone Mobile Connect K3565
Moar gadjuts plz…
[UPDATE: K3565 (not the K3565-Z variant) can be network unlocked for free using a piece of software called “Sola GSM Calc”. Google it. ]
Croatian mobile provider VIPNET is currently having a sale on Vodafone Mobile Connect USB UMTS/HSDPA mobile datacards, selling them for 291 HRK, which is definitely the lowest price you can find if you’re looking for a cheap UMTS modem without a 24-month contract. T-mobile responded with the same thing, for 7 HRK more, but I’ll give you a rundown of the one I got my hands on.
“Vodafone Mobile Connect K3565” package includes the USB datacard featuring a built-in Micro SD card reader, a USB extension cable and a simcard. The device is actually a rebranded Huawei E160X modem (one of two devices T-mobile is currently selling for 298 HRK). This is what modem diagnostics have to say:
AT+GMM - E160X ATI1 - Manufacturer: huawei Model: E160X Revision: 11.604.20.01.00 IMEI: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX +GCAP: +CGSM,+FCLASS,+DS
The device also comes with a prepaid SIM card with 20 HRK in the account, you can get an extra 80 HRK if you top-up your account and do everything the fine print says. Although Mobile CARNet is currently the cheapest mobile internet solution in Croatia, both as prepaid or a contract subscription (if you meet the requirements needed to get a CARNet account), with a little work and some money you can unlock the datacard and use it with data plans offered by Tele2/T-mobile.
As expected, the datacard has a network lock. However, the diagnostics software reported a “card lock”, so it’s possible that VIPNET locked the datacard to the SIM card that comes with it. You can easily unlock the datacard online, just visit www.dc-unlocker.com – buy 15 credits for 15 € via PayPal, enter your account data into the unlocking software, click on “Unlock” and you can use your datacard with any simcard. [see above for update] Bear in mind, however, that this datacard, as well as some other HSDPA/UMTS datacards, don’t recognize some of the early Croatian Tele2 simcards, which were sold when Tele2 entered the Croatian market.
After your datacard is unlocked, in order to be able to connect to other mobile internet providers, you will first have to get rid of Vodafone VMC Lite software, which only lets you create profiles for mobile operators belonging to the Vodafone group. Huawei datacards have drivers and software embedded in the device, and when you plug them in, they mount a virtual CD-ROM and run the installation procedure. Of course, Vodafone Mobile Connect version of the E160 comes with VMC Lite and Huawei doesn’t offer any other software versions on their site.
You can get a copy of Huawei Mobile Partner Software (which does the same thing VMC Lite does, but the installation is about 40 megabytes smaller and it can be used with any mobile operator) here, or you can upgrade the datacard’s “dashboard” to make it mount Huawei Mobile Partner when you plug it in. Huawei.com, as already I mentioned, doesn’t have an upgrade package for the E160, but since most of their datacards use the same dashboard system, E160 can be safely upgraded with the software package for E169, found here. Upgrade package “E169 Client Software UTPSB030D01SP04C03” will replace the VMC Lite setup with Huawei Mobile Partner, everything else remains the same. You can freely add connection profiles for SIM cards of any mobile provider.
All of this is probably applicable for T-mobile Simpa Internet USB Stick Huawei E160, the only difference is that this version has some other connection software in the dashboard, possibly even Mobile Partner. Feedback welcome.
Još malo elektroničkih igračaka…
[AŽURIRANO: K3565 (samo taj model, ne i K3565 -Z) može se besplatno otključati da radi na svim mrežama pomoću programa ‘Sola GSM Calc’. Google! ]
VIPNET trenutno ima akciju na kojoj prodaje Vodafone Mobile Connect USB UMTS/HSDPA stick za mobilni internet cijeni od 291 kn, što je definitivno najjeftiniji način da se dočepate UMTS modema za sitnu lovu bez zasnivanja kojekakvih pretplata. Par kuna skuplju ponudu ima T-mobile (298 kn), ali zadržat ćemo se na ovoj kombinaciji.
U paketu dobivate bijeli “Vodafone Mobile Connect K3565” USB stick s USB produžnim kabelom i ugrađenim čitačem Micro SD kartica. Zapravo se radi o rebrandanom Huawei modemu E160 (jedan od dva modema koje T-mobile trenutno nudi za 7 kn više), što potvrđuje i dijagnostika.
AT+GMM - E160X ATI1 - Manufacturer: huawei Model: E160X Revision: 11.604.20.01.00 IMEI: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX +GCAP: +CGSM,+FCLASS,+DS
Uz modem dobivate i SIM karticu s početnih 20 kn na računu, uz dodatnih 80 kn koje možete dobiti ako ispunite hrpu raznoraznih uvjeta koji su ispisani vrlo sitnim slovima u detaljima ponude. Iako je mobilni CARNet trenutno najjeftinija solucija za bežični internet sa i bez pretplate (naravno, ako ispunjavate uvjete dobivanja korisničkog računa), modem se bez većih problema i uz malu investiciju od 15 € može otključati za korištenje drugih pružatelja usluga ako vam više odgovara uzeti pretplatu za mobilni internet kod Tele2/T-mobilea.
Modem je, kao što je i za očekivati, zaključan na mrežu, iako je dijagnostički softver javljao “card lock”, stoga je moguće da je modem zaključan i na karticu koju dobijete s njime. Otključavanje se može izvesti vrlo bezbolno preko interneta na stranici www.dc-unlocker.com – kupite 15 kredita za 15 € preko PayPala, upišete u program pristupne podatke koje dobijete odmah nakon kupovine, kliknete Unlock i možete svoj modem korisititi s bilo kojom karticom. [v. početak članka za besplatno otključavanje] Nota bene – ovaj modem, kao i neki drugi modeli HSDPA/UMTS kartica imaju problema s prepozavanjem prve serije hrvatskih Tele2 SIM kartica, koje su bile u prodaji netom nakon njihovog ulaska na tržište.
Nakon što ste otključali karticu, da biste se spajali na mobilni internet drugih operatera morate se riješiti i Vodafone VMC Lite softvera, koji dozvoljava spajanje i postavljanje profila samo za providere Vodafone grupacije. Huawei modemi instalaciju softvera i drivera nose u sebi i kod spajanja na računalo podižu virtualni CD-ROM s kojega se to dvoje instalira. Naravno, Vodafone Mobile Connect varijanta E160 dolazi s VMC Lite paketom i na stranici proizvođača nema dostupnog pogonskog softvera za pojedinačan download.
Huaweijev Mobile Partner Software (koji radi isto što i VMC Lite, ali je četrdesetak megabajta lakši i radi sa svim mrežnim operatorima) možete skinuti ovdje, ili možete nadograditi “dashboard” modema kako bi vam po uključenju na računalo u virtualnom CD-ROM-u nudio Huaweijev softver. Na stranici proizvođača, kao što sam već napisao, ne postoji paket za nadogradnju E160, ali kako svi modemi imaju isti sustav dashboarda, E160 se provjereno može nadograditi softverskim paketom za E169 koji se nalazi ovdje. Instalacijski paket “E169 Client Software UTPSB030D01SP04C03” zamijenit će VMC Lite instalaciju Huawei Mobile Partnerom, sve ostalo ostaje isto. U Mobile Partneru slobodno možete dodavati pojedinačne profile za različite SIM kartice različitih operatera.
Sve ovo je vjerojatno primijenjivo i na T-mobile Simpa Internet USB Stick Huawei E160, jedino što je u njegovom dashboardu neki drugi softver, moguće i ovaj gore spomenuti. Povratne informacije od vlasnika tog sticka su dobrodošle.
ggeek.net Archive - GayGeek’s Stuff for Geeks 
Hi,
Your findings are very much appreciated! – I have bought a K3565 USB modem dongle from Vodaphone and have tried using it with a 3-Network D100 mobile broadband router that is stated as being able to work with E220 and E160 type dongles supplied by the 3-Network. The K3565 is not listed as compatible. I have read of others who have used the D100 with other E160 dongles from different networks successfully. Given you have found the K3565 is a re-badged E160 I am assuming there must be a significant difference for for it not to be recognised by the D100 router. Do you have any ideas as to how I might get the K3565 from Vodaphone to work with the D100 router from the 3-Network.
manden
There are several possibilites why it may not work. It is possible that the dongle has a network lock and accepts only Vodafone SIMs or your version of K3565 is not actually Huawei’s E160x but rather ZTE K3565-Z, made by a different manufacturer and being an entirely different device.
You should check if it has a network lock and run a diagnostic to see which version of the dongle it is.
Otherwise, I see no reason why it wouldn’t work, unless the broadband router specifically checks the dongle version and refuses to work with it because of the ‘X’ in the model name.
Hi,
this page has just the information I am looking for. After running the diagnostic software is exactly the same as yours.
I checked the diagnostic software but saw no information saying that the card was locked, is there a way to check for sure?
I also tried to add another provider’s setting but the connection software sticks to only Vodafone.
How do you go about “upgrading the datacard’s dashboard”? It goes online every now and then for software updates but there have been no updates so far.
You can check the lock status simply by running DC Unlocker software, you don’t need to buy any credits for it if you just want to see whether it has any provider locks.
As for the Vodafone software (I’m thinking VMC Lite, right?), you neet to get rid of it and use an (unbranded) Mobile Partner. For starters, just download this and see if it works or if VMC Lite will cause you any trouble. If VMC Lite remains persistant at bugging you whenever you connect your datacard, then download the dashboard update I mentioned in the post and install it, following instructions that are included in the archive. Shouldn’t be too difficult. If you have any more questions, feel free to post them.
Automatic update checks by VMC Lite will never offer you updates for the dashboard version you need, and it’s very likely that Huawei won’t post any 160x updates on their website, since it’s up to the providers who sell their datacards to offer the updates to the end user.
I have vmc k3565 unlocked by paying 5$ online . after that I have 5 bar signal
and I received sms but was not able to connect to the internet untill I modified something in advanced tab at vmc modem properties after I compared between it and my nokia phone modem .
the mobile provider put some thing like (+CGDCONT=,,”wap”) in advanced tab
at the phone modem
now and after modifications I can connect to the internet . in fact I am online by using the k3565 with two mobile providers
but at vmc software I still get this message (please insert correct sim)
and the connection settings are for vodavone uk change the settings yn
what shuld I do to get every thing work
thanks in advance
drop me a line
Sorry, can’t help, I hardly ever used Vodafone’s VMC Lite and I don’t like it one bit. I’m sure you could replicate all the provider settings in Huawei Mobile Partner, so try using that and dropping VMC Lite altogether.
Lijep pozdrav,
Posto mi Vip-ova kartica stvara dosta problema, tj uzasno je spora u nekin situacijama (kao skidanje datoteka s rapidshare-a, gdje jednostavno stane s preuzimanjem nakon preuzetih 10%, a istu stvar radi i kod stranica tipa youtube), odlucio sam prihvatiti se njezine korekcije. Uvidio sam da je na sluzbenoj stranici stavljen dashboard za E160 karticu (koju vip zove K3565)na stranici http://www.huawei.com/mobileweb/en/doc/list.do?type=-1&id=5840 . Jedini je problem sto se tu nalaze modeli E160 i E160G, a vodafone stick je E160X. Sada, koji od dvije ponudene verzije bi trebao koristiti? Inace, nemam interesa za otkljucavanje uredaja jer mi je vip-ova carnet ponuda sasvim pristojna.
Unaprijed hvala…
Nisam sto posto siguran, jer trenutno ne mogu provjeriti na svojoj kartici, ali pretpostavljam da se E160/E160X/E160G razlikuju samo po verziji dashboarda. Koliko vidim, E160G ima brendani softver za njemački T-Mobile, tom logikom E160 bi trebao imati generički Huawei Mobile Partner kakav se dobije i u updateu za E169.
Sumnjam da će ti promjena softvera za spajanje pomoći, ali možeš probati. Pitanje je imaju li ti dashboard updateovi uopće u sebi i novi firmware, ili se radi samo o klijentskom softveru.
hello;
i want to unlock the K3565 myself i have no any ability to pay over the internet.
thus i want to guide me how can i unlock it, what software i may need except those which need credit card payment.
I don’t know of a way to unlock it for free, at least there wasn’t one when I wrote that article and unlocked my device. Sorry.
hi.. i have a zte 3565-z modem with the vmc lite software and its unlocked. can u tell me what connect software i can use on this modem?
No idea, didn’t get my hands on that hardware version, so I didn’t look for alternative software.
Pitanje iz slovenije… imam Stick K3565, kojega sam kupio u hrvatskoj, pa mi radi super u VINET mrezi u hrvatskoj… Sada sam kupio K3565 i sloveniji ali neradi na MacBookPro, jer bi trebao instalirati noviji Leopard(info je tacna, jer sam to proverio…). Sada me zanima, dali bi radio Stick od Vipneta(Vodafone) za SIM slovenackog operatera(Simobil-Vodafone), bez odklucavanja… Pitam zbog toga jer imam onaj stik u hrvatskoj, pa da ne idem bez veze na put…
puno hvala za odgovor!
Mislim da ti tako neće raditi, modemi su zaključani na mrežu (219-10, VIPnet), a originalni softver radi samo s Vodafone grupacijom. Morat ćeš ga prvo otključati.
Hvala za odgovor! Mozem ga odkljucati preko neta i u SLO?
Pozdrav!
Ne vidim zašto ne bi mogao. Server preko kojeg sam ja otključavao je u Poljskoj.
Hi,
I am in Ghana and I want to unlock my modem (vodafone mobile connect usb stick) myself, please give me the directives to do so without any payment
thank you
Sorry, I don’t know of a way of doing it for free, and since all my modems have already been unlocked commercially, it’s highly unlikely I’ll be trying to find a way of doing it. Good luck, though!
For everyone NOT reading the post, I’ve updated it. There’s a free way to unlock the stick, just Google ‘sola gsm calc’.
@ziro_axis
i unlock ur k3565 dhiru7parmar@gmail.com
hello,
you are nothing less than a geneous. your solutions have really helped me.
However I am unable to check my balance nor top-up credits using my mobile partner.
could you please show me HOW?
No solution for that, I’m afraid. My providers usually have a method of checking the balance and adding credits online.
Tele2 has a custom version of Mobile Partner which has those options, but I’m not sure if it would work with other network providers, or indeed, what it would do. If you’d care to try it out, you can get it here:
http://hotfile.com/dl/104316076/fb1f89f/Tele2_Mobile_Partner.rar.html
Keep in mind that this version comes with no drivers, it’s just the front-end software.
If this doesn’t help, you can always take out the SIM card and put it in a phone whenever you want to check the balance or top-up the credits 🙂
very nice
@GayGeek
kako otključati ZTE K-3565-Z? Hvala.
“sola gsm calc” u Google.