5

I have a Huawei E5330 (branded Vodafone Mobile Wi-Fi R207) modem (Mobile Wi-Fi, not to be confused with dongles which connect directly to the USB). I have had it unlocked by Vodafone UK so that I can use in when travelling abroad. I verified that the unlocking worked with an EE SIM. However, it was somewhat difficult to find the right settings as I needed to manually tell the network technology (IPv4 or IPv6), the IPv4 APN, IPv4 Number, Security (PAP or CHAP), IPv4 Username, and IPv4 Password. I am worried that if I enter a mobile store in Spain and buy a prepaid data SIM, I may not be able to use it.

It appears that providers do have APN information, but the other fields are missing. This wiki additionally lists username and password, but still not the technology, Number, or Security. Perhaps smartphones figure out this configuration autonomously, but the Huawei E5330 does not.

What can I do to make sure I will be able to use a data-only SIM purchased abroad in my unlocked Mobile Wi-Fi modem?

Edit: See a screenshot below of the page where I am asked this information. Until I added the fields that are filled in manually below, the Connect button would not do anything. When using a Vodafone UK SIM, the Account type can be set such that the details are filled in automatically (depending on Pay-as-you-go or Subscription-based), but with any other SIM, the only option is Custom.

Screenshot of information page
Screenshot with information page. For the EE SIM I inserted to test that the unblocking worked, I managed to scrape the correct information from a combination of online sources, using a secondary internet access that I won't have when abroad.

gerrit
  • 56,864
  • 19
  • 169
  • 332
  • 3
    Technical comment, as I believe this got edited in the grace-period: My Mobile Wi-Fi is not a dongle. I believe dongles are USB-sticks, i.e. they directly connect to the computer by USB which perhaps communicates this information automatically. A Mobile Wi-Fi modem such as the one I have does not connect physically to the computer (except possibly to draw current through USB). – gerrit Dec 07 '15 at 00:21
  • The original E5330 firmware only asks for APN name, username and password, which is why I was confused. The same is true of most other dongles and MiFi devices. That's all you should need. – Michael Hampton Dec 07 '15 at 00:57
  • @MichaelHampton The connection did not work before I added the *99#, although I added username and password at the same time so I'm not quite sure it needs all or just one of them to actually work. – gerrit Dec 07 '15 at 01:07
  • Could it be different between Europe and N-America? – gerrit Dec 07 '15 at 01:08
  • 3
    Not really. *99# triggered some really old memories. It was the standard number for making a dialup connection on GPRS. It should work anywhere in the world using GSM/GPRS, including the US (except Verizon, which never used GPRS). It was just a little surprising to see a 3G device asking for it...or any device. Since the number is the same worldwide, and I'm not aware of any exception to that, there seems little reason to allow it to be configurable. But, the Internet tells me Vodafone sucks... – Michael Hampton Dec 07 '15 at 01:11
  • Let us continue this discussion in chat. – gerrit Dec 07 '15 at 10:33
  • 5
    I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it's about a technical problem with a device, not travel. – JonathanReez Jan 25 '16 at 00:22
  • @JonathanReez The technical problem is specific to travel and travel only, therefore it is a travel question. – gerrit Jan 31 '16 at 21:45
  • It's a purely technical problem with a specific modem. Superuser.SE should be able to help. – JonathanReez Jan 31 '16 at 22:23
  • The problem is specific to travel and travel only. – gerrit Feb 01 '16 at 10:22

0 Answers0