Afrihost MIFI dongle - advanced settings, and where to get them

[The_Unbeliever]

Some of you who've got your dongles probably wondered how to access the "advanced" settings on these.

It is very simple, and quite easy too.

Simply connect it up to any Windows PC (XP and above) via USB, not via wireless.

You will then need to install a small application.

Once done, you will have an Afrihost icon on your desktop. Double-click on this to open the mifi advanced settings page.

This will open in your default web browser.

A few screenshots :

This is the home page which you'll get when starting it up.

It is quite simple, most of you should have no issues doing what you want.



The interesting part(s) can be found under Security, where you're able to set up port forwarding and virtual servers. Should be interesting, having a web server at all times with you



If you want to change your device's DHCP settings, that can also be done :

Go to WLAN - DHCP, and chop and change to your heart's contents.



If you're really serious about security, you can set up MAC address filtering :



There's tons of other settings and stuff so you can fine tune it to what you want.

Enjoy!

 

[ponder]

Simply connect it up to any Windows PC (XP and above) via USB, not via wireless.

Linux & OS X?

Surely there should be a way for them as well? Start tinkering

 

[Yotch]

Does this model support 900MHz UMTS i.e. Huawei E5331s-2?

 

[HavocXphere]

huh? Why does one need to install an application if the interface is served via browser?

 

[NeonNinja]

huh? Why does one need to install an application if the interface is served via browser?

Plus I can't see any app?

 

[thewusman]

huh? Why does one need to install an application if the interface is served via browser?

Agreed. Mmmm.

 

[thewusman]

huh? Why does one need to install an application if the interface is served via browser?

Agreed. Mmmm.

 

[biometrics]

If you're really serious about security, you can set up MAC address filtering :

MAC address filtering is the weakest form of security. Do not trust it!

Btw is there a DDNS option?

 

[DrJohnZoidberg]

MAC address filtering is the weakest form of security. Do not trust it!

Btw is there a DDNS option?

Better to have it enabled than not. Agreed it shouldn't be the only form of security but no harm in having it enabled.

 

[ichigo]

Better to have it enabled than not. Agreed it shouldn't be the only form of security but no harm in having it enabled.

What else is there besides static IP, WPA and mac filtering?

 

[DrJohnZoidberg]

What else is there besides static IP, WPA and mac filtering?

Nothing. That's why it's better having it enabled

Security should happen on your firewall, relying on Wifi security is not a good idea.

 

[B@rrels]

What is the wifi range of the modem?

 

[The_Unbeliever]

huh? Why does one need to install an application if the interface is served via browser?

Good question.

Scratched around a bit : When one launches the Afrihost application, it opens your web browser with the URL of http://mifi.afrihost.com

Pinging that, gives you

C:\Users\busy.ook>ping mifi.afrihost.com

Pinging mifi.afrihost.com [192.168.1.1] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64

Ping statistics for 192.168.1.1:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 1ms, Maximum = 1ms, Average = 1ms

C:\Users\lazy.ook>

Seems all that the Afrihost installer does, is to add another virtual network card to your system (seen below) , once you connect the mifi device to any USB port, you'll be able to browse to http://mifi.afrihost.com, or http://192.168.1.1

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection 5:

   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :
   Description . . . . . . . . . . . : HUAWEI Mobile Connect - Network Card #2
   Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 58-2C-80-13-92-63
   DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
   Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
   Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::3001:6077:b8d4:b197%25(Preferred)
   IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.100(Preferred)
   Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
   Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : 25 August 2013 02:51:14 PM
   Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : 26 August 2013 02:51:14 PM
   Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
   DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
   DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 425208960
   DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-18-5F-7D-54-38-EA-A7-FB-6B-87

   DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
                                       192.168.1.1
   NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

I've tried it on my Linkbook laptop : Plugged in it doesn't pick it up at all... but it can connect via wifi.

So I connect it via wifi, and browsed to http://mifi.afrihost.com - and it worked.

You should be able to browse from any device (connected to your mifi device) to http://mifi.afrihost.com and be able to access its settings etc.

Note that some fondleslabs and smart phones will only give a minimal screen when connecting to the mifi via web interface.

In retrospect, it is not really neccessary to install the Afrihost installer - you can access everything via wifi.

In my experience, I used my phone and my Nexus fondleslab to access the web UI of the mifi device, but only got the "basic" screen, and assumed that you need to install the Afrihost installer to access the "advanced" part. I made an ass of myself, hee haw

So, in order to help new users to make the most of their devices, the suggestion is to use a laptop (or desktop PC) to fiddle with the advanced settings.

Of course, if you're impatient, the "basic" setup, using a smart phone, will also work... no need for a desktop/laptop at all - unless you want to change advanced settings.

 

[The_Unbeliever]

Btw is there a DDNS option?

Nope.

I assume you want DDNS for hosting a small server?

 

[The_Unbeliever]

Wifi range : YMMV Around 8 to 10 meters.

 

[ichigo]

Nothing. That's why it's better having it enabled

Security should happen on your firewall, relying on Wifi security is not a good idea.

True but doesn't protect your ISP account in the router unless it does have a built in firewall not sure.

 

[The_Unbeliever]

Nothing. That's why it's better having it enabled

Security should happen on your firewall, relying on Wifi security is not a good idea.

It do have a firewall option. Not going to disable that. Windows firewall also stay on. I don't trust any sort of network, doesn't matter whether it's the work's network or your own home network...

You can also change the scope of your DHCP server - if you only have two devices connecting, it does not make sense to have a DHCP scope for 101 clients [default].

I changed the scope on mine to allow for 4 devices. The maximum devices that can connect, regardless of DHCP scope settings, is 8.



Would like to see what happens if more than 8 devices try to connect to this mifi device...

 

[nfbs]

Some of you who've got your dongles probably wondered how to access the "advanced" settings on these.

It is very simple, and quite easy too.

Simply connect it up to any Windows PC (XP and above) via USB, not via wireless.

You will then need to install a small application.

Enjoy!

how stupid. It would be so much better if you can access it directly through a URL then you can change the settings from whatever device u want.

I thought this is a router know it is a dongle.

 

[The_Unbeliever]

how stupid. Would think you can access it directly through a URL

My assumption was incorrect. You are correct - you can access it directly through an URL. See my post above.

Windows users can either install the Afrihost application, or they can simply access it through an URL. All the app does, is install a virtual network adapter, so that you can access the router even if its wifi is disabled via USB. For anally retentive people who doesn't want anything wifi close to them (router mode)

 

[nfbs]

I am confused. OP keeps on referring it as a dongle but as I understand it is a WiFi hostpost/router not a dongle.
If it has its own battery source it isn't a dongle. Maybe the OP is not technical and the package doesn't contain a charger so OP is just mistakenly thinking it is a dongle.