Mobile broadband Internet is great for people who like to go online while travelling and especially for those who like to blog while on the go. Wi-Fi hotspots are not always available particularly outside of large urban areas, so in order to access the Internet you can either use smart phones or laptop computers with mobile broadband dongles. The dongle is a communication device that picks up the same broadcasted Internet signal used by Smartphone’s.If you already have a dongle for a major mobile Internet access provider, the likelihood is that the device is locked so that it only works for that network. Locking allows the providers to prevent users from switching to other cheaper dongle services.
Is my dongle locked?
While some third-party companies do provide unlocked mobile broadband dongles, most likely a dongle coming from an access provider is locked to a network. You can use software like DC-Unlocker to check if your dongle is locked.
DC-Unlocker is available at dc-unlocker.com and you can use the application to test your dongles for free. However, if you want to use the service to unlock the dongle, a fee is required.
To check your system with DC-Unlocker, download the software application and install on your computer. Remove the SIM card from your dongle and plug it into your computer, then select the appropriate brand. The software will automatically detect supported SIM cards and tell you if it is locked or not.
Unlocking a dongle is completely legal, but the mobile service provider will not be happy about it and you will likely lose any warranty offered with the device.
Unlocking your dongle
If you spot a good deal and want to switch service providers, you have several options for unlocking your present dongle. First ask your current mobile provider if they can give you the unlock code for your dongle. Some providers will give you these codes although they may charge a fee.
Once you have the unlock code, you simply place the new SIM card into the dongle and then enter the code when prompted by the device. If you do receive a prompt, then select “Install generic software.”
If your provider will not give you the unlock codes, you still have the following options:
• Use software applications like DC-Unlocker to remove software locks. A software lock can be removed by uninstalling the current interface software and replacing it with generic unbranded software that can be easily found online.
• Pay a mobile phone unlocking store to unlock your dongle. Some stores offer this as an additional service. Many online sites offer such services.
• If the dongle isn’t SIM locked, you can change the APN network settings when you insert the new SIM. For a list of network settings, visit this URL: https://www.filesaveas.com/gprs.html.
• Use manufacturer firmware to erase and replace the current dashboard application on the dongle. This can be a little complicated and you will need to follow instructions carefully. Once the old network is gone, you can install a new generic dashboard.
When travelling abroad, you will need to reset to the appropriate APN settings.
A guest post from Spencer Hogg from the website Broadband Expert where mobile broadband dongle providers can be compared.
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I was unaware of dongles.Thanks for sharing these tips.Blogging while on move is easy now.
PS: Really enjoyed this post 🙂 excellent one as it bit different.
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can the dongle sim still be used after unlocking?
Okay, suddenly it makes sense. I’ve been reading articles about how to get 3g on my laptop and not making sense of what they were saying about SIM cards and dongles. Now I see that the dongle actually has it’s own SIM card that can be removed, and what is meant by “locked” and “unlocked.” Thanks for this enlightening article.
It was a very informative and fascinating post! I was not familiar of unlocking mobile broadband dongles. This post gave me the ideas that I must know about it. Indeed, it was a helpful reference to my projects. I realized its essence and use in blogging. Thanks for sharing this fabulous post.
I have a mobile hotspot from a certain provider. Is it possible to do this same sort of thing to a mobile hotspot if I find a cheaper provider? Any readers out there that have broadband or hotspots, what have your experiences been while traveling? Are you satisfied with your service in terms of blogging? Just curious.
I unlocked two of my huawei dongles using dc unlocker, I unlocked them remotely, Thanks for the guide on how to unlock dongle
Makes a lot of sense to jailbreak your mobile broadband dongle. Especially for travel bloggers who get to go to different places. If they stick with one provider, they cannot be sure that everywhere they go, they can find signal for their dongle. On the other hand, one still have to pack around different SIM cards on your travels especially if you need to go to a rural area.
Jailbreak is helpful in so many ways. I agree with you Web Development, that can assist us especially to us who traveled a lot. Thanks for this guide on unlocking dongle.
These type of blog is really useful because unlocking is a big issue now a days. Having blog like this is really useful.
It was a very informative and fascinating post! Thanks for the share .
Nice and very useful post thanks for the shairng.
Nice and very useful post thanks for the shairng. I was unaware of dongles.Thanks for sharing these tips.Blogging while on move is easy now. I am happy to know that you have add my blog to your list of favourite i do hope you would also share this blog with you friends.
By unlocking you can choose your favorite service provider and you are not a prisoner of any service provider. This post is nice and gives you a fair idea about unlocking your mobile dongle. Nice job done.
Generally speaking, the word of dongle is often used referring to any device which plugs into a USB port. However, strictly speaking it only refers to a specific hardware device rather than a mere storage system such as a USB memory stick. Originally, its meaning is a device used as a security system.
Most people maybe are not aware of this kind of security in mobile broadband world and thanks to this sensitive post.
This article is showing good representation regarding software overviews. But do you know every steps of developing should be taken carefully by us. We are introducing eCommerce platforms Magento, prestashop and others. It allows users to enable their customers to access their eCommerce sites on mobile platforms. With Magento there is an obvious solution – Multi-Store. This is where you split your inventory up into two or more stores, all being run from a single Magento instance.