By Default, the Telstra sold Netgear Nighthawk M5 is NOT network locked, however it also does not have all of the Optus “Bands” enabled in its configuration. This means that you can put an Optus/Amaysim etc. Sim in the modem, and it may work with some API changes, however it won’t use all the bands that Optus has by default. This obviously isn’t ideal.
Luckily with a little bit of computer work we can enable these missing bands.
I’ll start with the very basics of accessing your Nighthawk and progress to the more difficult steps. Feel free to skip ahead to the stage you are up to.
ACCESSING YOUR ROUTER –
- Connect your computer to the WIFI network of the Nighthawk. (The same network you use to access the internet through the device)
- Open an Internet Browser
- In the address bar at the top, type
192.168.1.1and hit enter. This will bring up the login screen for the router.
- Type in the Username and Password that you have set for the Router, if you haven’t set up anything, the default username and password are printed on a label inside the Router. Pull the back off and the battery out, and there will be a label underneath with this info.
- Once you have logged in you will be presented with the Dashboard screen. This has a lot of useful info for you about your Nighthawk.
Adding in Optus Settings
- First we click on the Settings menu up at the top of the screen.
- Next we click on “Advanced Settings”, and then “Cellular”
- Under the APN area, we select “ADD”
- These settings can change, but in general this is what we use for AMAYSIM. (Our choice of Optus providers)
- Here are some links with some further info on APN’s from Optus and Amaysim if you need them, but try the details in the picture first. Note that you will leave the Username and Password blank.
https://www.amaysim.com.au/help/mobile/getting-started/manage-internet-settings-mobile-phone
https://www.optus.com.au/for-you/support/answer?id=1379#Full_List - Here is what it looks like once you have entered the new APN for Optus.
Advanced – Editing bands so that all Optus Bands work
Ok, here is the difficult part. Hopefully you all got to here ok!
Access via Telnet
- First you must connect your computer to your Netgear M5 via a USB cable. The M5 has a USB-C port, you will need a USB-C to USB-A cable like the one included in the Nighthawk Box.
- THIS WILL NOT WORK ON USB OR ETHERNET CONNECTION TO THE M5 ROUTER
For Windows:
- Download a program called “Putty” this is a simple, lightweight program used to type commands to the router. https://www.putty.org/
- Click the link above and it will take you to the page below. Click on the circled link on the image below to download the program.
- Then install putty by clicking on the downloaded file.
- Open Putty once it has installed and enter the details on the image below into the Putty window. Hostname –
192.168.1.1Port5510select “Other” and “Telnet” then click Open.
- Type (OR copy and then right click in the putty window to Paste), press enter
AT!BAND=00,"All",2000004C00000,3A0080800C5,0,A0080800D5,3000 - If this has worked correctly, you will get a response from the modem of OK.
- Now, you can unplug from the modem and return to the modems settings in your browser. In Band Region change to “ALL” (And hit Apply down the bottom of the screen), select the Optus APN and your network selection should automatically change to Optus. If it doesn’t, you may need to change the network selection manually, by clicking the blue button.
- Lastly, you just need to pop your Optus (Or Amaysim) sim card into the router and away you go!
For Mac
I am not a MAC user at all sorry, so I have done my best to try and get a working method for you guys, however I don’t have a mac to try this on. If it doesn’t work, please let me know via a message on Socials or through this site and I will try and help to get it to work and fix and adjust this article!
- Connect Nighthawk M5 to your computer using a USB-C to USB-A cable.
- Download Telnet Lite for macOS – https://mochasoft.dk/telnetmacx.htm
- Telnet into the Router using the address
192.168.1.1Port5510 - Enter the command
AT!BAND=00,"All",2000004C00000,3A0080800C5,0,A0080800D5,3000 - If this has worked correctly, you will get a response from the modem of OK.
- Now, you can unplug from the modem and return to the modems settings in your browser. In Band Region change to “ALL” (And hit Apply down the bottom of the screen), select the Optus APN and your network selection should automatically change to Optus. If it doesn’t, you may need to change the network selection manually.
Hopefully someone can help and verify that this process works on Mac for me!
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Just an easier way for mac users. Install Homebrew (https://brew.sh)
Open Terminal and run -> [/bin/bash -c “$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)”] <– This is just a script to install the Homebrew Package Manager
Once finished running type "brew install telnet" <– This is to install the telnet services/command
Then you can just type in Terminal "telnet 192.168.1.1 5510"
I'm currently trying to do this on an M2 but not getting much luck as it appears there is a password on the privileged commands if you know anyway around this that would be very helpful.
Hi Ben,
Thanks heaps for the info, I have absolutely no idea about Mac, so it’s appreciated for our Audience who do use them.
Re: the privileged commands password, I can’t tell you, It’s not something I’ve encountered.
The commands to change the bands shouldn’t be behind a password to the best of my knowledge.
Dan
Hi Dan. Just a quick message. Telstra have ceased selling the Nighthawk M 5 ( can’t get one) and are introducing a M6 in May. Do you have any visibility of new modem ? Sometimes new isn’t better.
Hi Ben – thx for the post – I did it on a mac but inside a virtual windows installation (I use parallels desktop).
Followed the instructions to a T and it worked by the looks 🙂
Hi Dan,
Thanks for all the amazing info. I’m just setting up my Nighthawk M2 and have ordered the recommended antenna.
Question re the Putty config.
I see an error when I paste the following into the terminal window. AT!BAND=00,”All”,2000004C00000,3A0080800C5,0,A0080800D5,3000
The Optus sim card is in the M2 when doing this.
Should it be out?
Could anyone help me with the AT!BAND command line to add a band selection of: either just have B3 and B7 or to have all bands (excluding B28) .
Great write up mate, really appreciate the time and effort you made for providing such detailed info, well done buddy, cheers! Pat
hey these steps were perfect. I cannot believe the level of detail you have gone to. It all helped me fix my Telstra nighthawk, that I now use with an Optus sim card. The fact you had the link to the Optus APN site, was totally what I needed to reference as mine was not Amaysim. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you! I could not find this anywhere else. For 2 months been troubleshooting with Optus with no success. Your website instructions FIVE STARS!!!!
Thanks so much Stephen!! Appreciate you taking the time to let us know, glad to have helped you 🙂
Hi. Do you know if this procedure would or should work on a Netgear Nighthawk M1?
I tried but but got ERROR
🙁
Instructions are amazing but unfortunately didn’t work for me. Upon looking thought I think I may have a M2 Nighthawk – have you got any experience with using these with an Optus SIM? Thankyou
Hi Admin .
just read your article on the night hawk M5 . does this also work with the nighthawk M6 . i really have the sh’s with telstra and their rip off ways i own the modem outright and have changed my phone t optus and want to trash telstra out of everything .
cheers .
Can the Optus settings be setup, without inserting an Optus simm?
Yes definitely, but you obviously won’t be able to connect without one.
Hello, I tried to apply this to my M2 but the Putty command failed. Is there anything needed to open the Optus bands on a M2, or are they already open? It seems to be working with my Amaysim card. Thanks.
Great article however im struggling to get my Nighthawk M2 Netgear MR2100 – I presume same instructions as for the M5?
Im using a USB C to C cable and can telnet to the device ok
I did find that I had to put a space between the AT commands to have any success such as: ATcommand…
However I could not get your AT command to work (even with a space) to add the bands, it errors
I can get the following to work
————
“AT _Connection closed by foreign host.
joe@Josephs-MBP ~ % telnet 192.168.1.1 5510
Trying 192.168.1.1…
Connected to m.home.
Escape character is ‘^]’.
“AT !GSTATUS=?”
AT !GSTATUS=?”
Current Time: 299 Mode: Online
System Mode: LTE B3 PS State: LTE
EMM state: Registered
RRC state: Connected
PCC:
LTE band: LTE B3
LTE bw: 15 MHz
LTE Rx chan: 1725
RSSI (dBm): -72.6
RSRP (dBm): -105.5
RSRQ (dBm): -14.2
Tx Power (dBm): -50
LTE Cell ID: 21802507
Physical Cell ID: 308
TAC: 53270
SCC1:
LTE band: LTE B7
LTE bw: 20 MHz
LTE Rx chan: 3350
Physical Cell ID: 308
SCC2:
LTE band: LTE B1
LTE bw: 20 MHz
LTE Rx chan: 299
Physical Cell ID: 308
SCC3:
LTE band: LTE B28
LTE bw: 10 MHz
LTE Rx chan: 9260
Physical Cell ID: 376
OK
———
Connection closed by foreign host.joe@Josephs-MBP ~ % telnet 192.168.1.1 5510Trying 192.168.1.1…Connected to m.home.Escape character is ‘^]’.AT !BAND=?AT !BAND=?Index, Name, GW Band Mask L Band Mask L ext Band Mask00, Auto, 0002000004C00000 00000000080000C5 000000000000000001, LTE Only, 0000000000000000 00000000080000C5 000000000000000002, WCDMA Only, 0002000004C00000 0000000000000000 0000000000000000
0000000000400000 – B1 (2100) 0000000000800000 – B2 (1900) 0000000004000000 – B5 (850) 0002000000000000 – B8 (900) 0000000000000001 – B1 0000000000000004 – B3 0000000000000040 – B7 0000000000000080 – B8 0000000008000000 – B28
OK
———-
Any assistance appreciated please!
———-
If you do these setting for an Optus sim can you also use a telstra sim if needed
Hi Tracey, Yes, the Telstra sim will work automatically. The Optus bands are locked down a little (for lack of a better term) which is what these steps will unlock, so to speak.
Hi. Great write up. I managed to apply the command and got the “OK”. However, the modem does not seem to be working on Optus 5G (my phone is on Optus 5G so it appears 5G is available). I wanted to check the bands using putty but I am now no longer able to access putty as it says connection failed. Any ideas why this would be happening g and any suggestions? It says “connection refused”. I am using the settings from your screenshot in the post.
Any assistance greatly appreciated.
Further to my recent comment, I can access the modem through Putty following a restart. However, the modem is not accessing 5G networks. I have driven around with it and checked phone is on 5G and modem sticks to 4G. Any suggestions. Not sure why. I have selected all bands.
Hi, Further update after spending a lot of time on troubleshooting the issue. I discovered that Optus did not enable 5G by default on my SIM card and I had to go into the Optus App and permit 5G. All sorted. Thanks for the awesome guide!
Oh so sorry for missing your comments, I am so glad you persisted in the meantime and managed to sort it out. Thanks for letting us know and glad the guide was helpful!