How To Unlock Spectranet MiFi Device (Huawei E5573s-606)

This post ‘How To Unlock Spectranet MiFi Device (Huawei E5573s-606)’ was culled from the original ‘How To Correctly Unlock Your Spectranet Mifi Device (Huawei E5573s-606)‘ that appeared on Nairaland!

The Huawei e5573 MiFi device allows access to the lightning-fast 4G network offered by major networks in Nigeria. There are many variants of the Huawei e5573 device, and those commonly available in Nigeria include the Spectranet e5573 606 variant and the MTN e5573 320 variant. The only difference between both devices is the inability of MTN e5573-320 to access Globacom’s 4G band 28. It accepts 4G (and 3G) of Airtel, MTN, 9Mobile, Spectranet, NTEL, SWIFT but only Glo’s 3G. However, with Glo’s abysmally poor network, e5573 320 users are not missing much.

This article covers correctly unlocking the Spectranet MiFi device. For the MTN e5573 320, I can’t offer much help because, sadly, I don’t have the device. If you wish to buy the MTN device for me so I can write an article on how to unlock it, your generosity would be greatly accepted *shines yellow teeth*.

Now let’s get down to business.

How To Unlock Spectranet MiFi Device (Huawei E5573s-606)

STEPS 1. Install Huawei drivers (actual Huawei Mobile Partner + HiLink drivers)

The drivers are needed to enable your computer to get complete access to the device. The best way to install these drivers is to install the Huawei mobile partner (in addition to the HiLink drivers)

NOTE:- In some other unlocking tutorials, the file specified as a mobile partner is actually a firmware version 23.0 blah blah.

When unsuspecting users install it and eventually flash the firmware with the Huawei E5573s-606 firmware version below, the computer loses access to the device and it shows port failed.

HUAWEI Mobile Partner Drivers Download

If this does not work, download the official Huawei mobile partner from the website
here. Unzip the files and then install them (Learn how to unzip files here).

HUAWEI HiLink Drivers Download

Unzip all the HUAWEI HiLink drivers that you downloaded above and install them on your PC. Learn how to unzip files here.

After installing the drivers restart your PC for the drivers to be fully loaded and then continue with other steps

STEP 2. More downloads

1. Download this Huawei E5573s-606 firmware version here. This is used to flash the device firmware to a version that would accept an unlock code.
2. Download this other Huawei E5573s-320 firmware version here.
3. Download the Universal Master Code generator here 
4. Download the Huawei Code Calculator here 

STEP 3. Insert SIM

Insert a different sim card that is not supported and connect the modem to your computer with a USB.

STEP 4. Start the Universal Master Code generator

Input the modem’s IMEI in the space specified and then click on the calculate tab to reveal a flash code.

The flash code will be needed as a password for the Huawei E5573s-606 firmware so you need to copy it to MSWord or Notepad for later use.

STEP 5. Start the Huawei Code Calculator

Start the Huawei Code Calculator (which is needed to generate an unlock code for the device and is quite different from the universal master code calculator).

Click on the read tab there to generate the unlock code and copy it down.

The reason for generating this code now is because after flashing with the first firmware, it might show port failed (meaning you are unable to progress further). However, when you restart the modem and try to connect via wifi, it might ask for an unlock code again and inserting this code might work.

STEP 6. Locate firmware

Go to the first Huawei E5573s-606 firmware that you downloaded, unzip it and run the file P711S-E5-update_21.110.99.03.00.exe

• It will request a password, now paste the flash code (from Universal Master Code generator) you copied as the password.
• At this point, it will automatically start updating the firmware and installing the drivers, so just wait for the process to finish.

7. Start the Huawei Code Calculator and generate the unlock code

After the process must have been completed, Start the Huawei Code Calculator and generate the unlock code for your device. It might be a different code from the one generated before updating the firmware.

It is at this point that most users have issues. THE HUAWEI MODEM NEEDS TO SHOW UP UNDER PORTS BEFORE THE UNLOCK CODE CAN BE CALCULATED. It starts showing port failed because the computer cannot locate the right ports. The reason is that the proper drivers were not correctly installed at the beginning of the unlock process.

To check if the ports can be accessed, press the Windows key and x together. It will give a list of options. Go to device manager and click on ports. The Huawei modem needs to show up under ports. Sometimes it might be under USB devices or a network adapter. I had to install different versions of the Huawei mobile partner before I could get the modem to show up under ports.

STEP 8. Install Web UI

INSTALL a WEB UI for e5573 606 Huawei modem. This interface will enable you to connect to the device via wifi. The Huawei modem also needs to show up under ports before it can be installed here.

STEP 9. Extract the 2nd Huawei E5573s-320 firmware

Extract the 2nd Huawei E5573s-320 firmware that you also downloaded initially and then run the firmware setup file in there; it will not ask for the password again but will immediately start updating the firmware into the modem and the drivers will also be automatically installed at the process. The ports also need to be accessed for this to work.

10. Key in the unlock code that you generated

After the process is complete, go to your Huawei mobile partner interface and on the settings select network settings, and pop up to insert your unlock code will appear. Finally key in the unlock code that you generated above with the Huawei code calculator to unlock your device.

This part was the second circle of torment for me. After finally getting the unlock code and installing the second 320 firmware, it refused to give me the option to insert the unlock code. I wasted approx. 3 days of my time and data researching on how to go about it.

Fortunately, all I had to do was remove the USB cable, reset the modem, and switch on the wifi. My phone’s wifi connected to it and I was presented with a box to insert the unlock code.

Expectedly, your MiFi device has now been successfully unlocked. Don’t forget to tell us if it worked.