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.