I recently bought a Telstra 4G USB+WiFi Plus 4GX mobile broadband modem with a pre-paid SIM card from Coles. The modem is aka Huawei E8372 LTE Wingle (model: E8372h-608) and uses a Standard sized SIM.
I unlocked the USB modem using the following instructions (partly based on master131's comments from a previous deal at https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/299746#comment-4567368).
Guide to Unlock Huawei E8372h-608
1. If plugged in, unplug the USB Modem from PC.
Insert a non-Telstra SIM card into the USB Modem and leave unplugged.
If installed, uninstall "Telstra 4G USB+WiFi Plus" driver via Settings > Apps > Programs and Features.
Restart PC.
2. Get the Flash Code for your USB Modem by entering its device IMEI here: https://unlockclub.ru/flash_code.html
Write down or screenshot the "Flash Code" as it will be used later in step 6.
3. Download the Huawei Serial & COM port drivers here:
http://unlockclub.ru/downloads/FcSerialDrv.rar
http://unlockclub.ru/downloads/Huawei_Drivers.rar
Unpack the drivers (using 7-Zip or similar).
To install the drivers, run the "DriverSetup.exe" from the 2 unpacked folders (wait 30 seconds or so because they install silently)
Run …\FcSerialDrv\DriverSetup.exe
Run …\DriverSetup.exe
4. Plug the USB Modem directly into your PC (avoid using a USB Hub if possible, as some people have reported problems https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/414606#comment-6592437).
5. Download DC-Unlocker from here: https://www.dc-unlocker.com/downloads
Unzip "dc-unlocker2client_1.00.1403.zip".
Right-click on "dc-unlocker2client.exe" and then click Run-as-Administrator.
Press the Magnifying-Glass button to confirm that the drivers are loaded correctly and the modem is detected.
Note the status: SIM Lock Status should be "Locked (Card Lock)" if using a non-Telstra SIM card.
Write down or screenshot the current Firmware version and Dashboard version (WebUI) as they may be useful in future.
Minimize the DC-Unlocker program for now.
6. Download the Firmware (for downgrading the modem) from here: http://unlockclub.ru/downloads/E8372_firmware_downgrade.7z
Unpack "E8372_firmware_downgrade.7z".
Run …\E8372_firmware_downgrade\P711s-WINGLE_Update_21.110.99.04.00.exe to FLASH the firmware and when prompted, enter the "Flash Code" from step 2.
7. Download "Huawei Calculator.zip" (right-click on the file > Download > Standard Download) from the URL below (copy the URL to a browser):
https://mega.nz/#F!3FtiSS6J!Knek_Ws7Q0XaJzdpPE_tLA
Unzip "Huawei Calculator.zip".
Run …\Huawei Calculator\SalluhassanNewHuaweiLowDotNet.exe and select "OEM Code" from the Option drop-down.
Press [Click to Read Data]
Press [Calculate] then write down or screenshot the "OEM Code" as it will be used later in step 10.
From same Huawei Calculator program, select "(NCK) Network Unlock Code" from the Option drop-down.
Press [Click to Read Data]
Press [Calculate] then write down or screenshot the "NCK Code" as it may be useful in future.
Press [Unlock] and if successful, a pop-up should display "Unlocked Directly".
Note: I originally got an error "Device Not Found!" for the NCK [Click to Read Data] step as I hadn't uninstalled the Telstra driver (as per step 1). After uninstalling the driver, I closed then re-ran the Huawei Calculator and selected COM-Port ('COM7' in my case) before repeating the NCK steps.
8. Go to DC-Unlocker and press the Magnifying-Glass button to confirm status: SIM Lock Status should be "Unlocked".
9. Download a newer universal firmware version from here: https://routerunlock.com/?wpfb_dl=1587
Unpack "E8372h-153_P711s-WINGLE_Update_21.210.09.00.00_Universal.rar".
Run "E8372h-153_P711s-WINGLE_Update_21.210.09.00.00_Universal.exe" to FLASH the firmware to a newer version.
10. Download a universal Web UI version from here: https://routerunlock.com/?wpfb_dl=1583
Unpack "E8372H_Update_WEBUI_17.100.11.00.03_RE5_Universal.rar".
Run "E8372H_Update_WEBUI_17.100.11.00.03_RE5_Universal.exe" to FLASH the Web UI and when prompted, enter the "OEM Code" from step 7.
11. Make sure the "Mobile Broadband HL Service" driver from Huawei is installed by clicking AutoRun on the Mobile Broadband drive in Windows File Explorer.
Notes:
FIRMWARE: Default (Telstra) version was 21.180.19.12.302, after Unlocking it's upgraded to 21.210.09.00.00
WEB UI: Default (Telstra) version was 17.100.07.19.302, after Unlocking it's upgraded to 17.100.11.00.03
IP ADDRESS: Default was 192.168.1.1, after Unlocking it changes to 192.168.8.1
If preferred, you can change IP Address back to 192.168.1.1 (or 192.168.x.x) via Settings > WLAN > DHCP
This Guide was created for the current OzB deal…
Telstra Pre-Paid 4G USB + Wi-Fi with 12GB Data $19 (Save $20) @ Coles
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/414601