Huawei (Vodafone) HG553

Specifications

Chipset: Broadcom BCM6358

Frequency: 300 MHz
RAM: 64 MB
ROM: 16 MB
ADSL2+ modem
3G router
USB port for 3G modem
USB port for network storage
2 VoIP ports
802.11g access point
4 ethernet ports 10/100 MB

Unlock
The procedure applies to Vodafone locked models HG55MAGV hardware VER.A and software
EchoLife_HG553V100R001C02B062. You can either flash the unlocked CFE via JTAG or via Telnet.
How to do it via Telnet:
1. Turn off the router and disconnect from LAN.
2. Change computers network adapter IP to static and assign it the value 192.168.1.10 with the
gateway 192.168.1.1.
3. Press and hold the reset button on the router and turn it on. Keep holding reset for 30-60
seconds.
4. Connect to PC via LAN cable (no other devices should be connected to the router).
5. Open a browser with Javascript enabled and go to http://192.168.1.1. Now follow either step
6 or steps 7-8 these are needed to enable Telnet.
6. Paste in the address bar javascript: request_submit ("mt @ $% rE! s5 & yuSh.cgi", 0, 0) and
hit Enter.
7. View the source of this page and look for the line var SecurityCookie = . Copy the value of this
variable (e.g. 41gqmgkxp1VP6NlDY4nKZ4sv4P5It).
8. In the address bar of the browser navigate to:
http://192.168.1.1/mt@$%rE!s5&yuSh.cgi?wc512=SecurityCookie. Replace SecurityCookie
with the value got from the page source (e.g.
http://192.168.1.1/mt@$%rE!s5&yuSh.cgi?wc512=41gqmgkxp1VP6NlDY4nKZ4sv4P5It).
9. Youll need a Telnet client. To use Windows client open a Command Prompt as
Administrator and type: pkgmgr /iu:"TelnetClient". Wait 5-10 seconds and type the
command telnet. If you get an error try again or restart your computer. When everything is
Ok, you should see Welcome to Microsoft Telnet Client.
10. Now connect to the router. Type open 192.168.1.1 and you should see something like
Huawei Home Gateway Login. Log in with the admin user and admin password.
11. Take an USB thumbdrive formatted as FAT and copy all files from the cfe_unlocked directory
on the root of the drive. Insert it into the USB port from the back (next to the LAN ports).
12. Back to the PC, in Telnet type sh. A new line starting with # will appear.
1

13. Now type: cd /var/mnt/USBDisk_1. If you now type ls all files on the USB drive should be
listed.
14. Start the procedure with ./fw_update cfe.bin.
15. Wait for the # to reappear and type reboot.
16. Manually restart the router.

Flash
While keeping the same settings on PC (the static IP), turn off the router.
1.
2.
3.
4.

Turn it on by holding reset for 20-40 seconds.

Browse to the firmware and load it by clicking Update Software.
Wait for the router to restart
You can now restore the IP settings on PC (set it to automatic)

Firmwares
File name
b18_original_it.bin
b043_original_es.bin
b21_es.bin
kisumu_260111.bin
kisumu_custom_v0.2.bin
sf_fw.bin
b36_nv2.bin
dlink_3672.bin
openwrt.bin

Information
Original Vodafone Italia
firmware
Original Vodafone Spain
firmware
Spanish firmware
Kisumu firmware
Kisumu custom firmware
AI_VA_DD_HG553V100
R001C03B038SP01
Vodafone with extra options
Roleo (D-Link DVA)
OpenWRT firmware

Notes

Different LEDs meaning: 1.

ADSL; 2. Ethernet; 4. WiFi
SourceForge firmware

No ADSL and VoIP!

Other logins: vodafone (user and password); admin (user) with VF-EShg553 (password).

Links
1. http://wiki.perugiagnulug.org/wiki/Hacking_Contest_Huawei_HG553
2. http://wiki.openwrt.org/toh/huawei/hg553
3. http://wiki.bandaancha.st/Huawei_HG553_Vodafone_Station