PLEASE Help - Just Want to Use Net10 on my Rezound

[darthmodulus]

Hello Everyone.

I have been working on this since Monday... I've visited multiple forums, tried TONS of crap, and nothing is working.

In particular, it seems to me that unlocking the bootloader so I can install a global Rom is the way to go. I can't get the bootloader to unlock. I go to the SDK folder, have my phone attached after removing the battery and going into fastboot before connecting it to the USB. I type into the command prompt:

fastboot flash unlocktoken Unlock_code.bin

...where I have put my bin file, and the cms prompt gets stuck on sendi.g the unlock token. It freezes and won't do anything else. My phone has the status bar but it doesn't fill. If I unplug from usb, I get the message that it failed because there are too many links. I've combed all sorts of forums and finally decided to post and beg for help in this one.

I bought the rezound because I read it was gsm compatible (dual band) and that it was an awesome phone for my price range. So I went with it. Now I'm ready to throw it in the road. I don't care if I get it ROM'ed, rooted, etc... I just want the damn thing to be able to work so I can make calls and acces the internet. I'm on the WiFi on it right now to even be able to post this, up the street from where I live.

Can someone please help? I'm at my wits end. I give up...

Other info:

Using windows xp for all of my stuff
-latest java installed, HTC sync was ran and drivers are installed so I uninstalled HTC sync afterward
-my phone is currently stock ICS 3.14.605.12 710RD.
-stock hboot 2.25
-i have tried the manual approach using the SDK and also a script written by fenguepay on another forum to unlock the bootloader. Both end with the same result.
-I also bought a "sim unlock code" for like $15 off the internet. I insert my net10 sim, turn it on, but there's no place ANYWHERE to unlock the phone from Verizon (i think I got ripped off at this point). Supposably I should be able to enter that unlock code from the first screen when it boots up but I can't.

I'm sorry. I'm so confused about this whole process. And its even worse because I'm a software developer who's in between jobs. Lol. I'm not experienced with mobile development though, as you can all see.

I dont have much money and I was hoping that I could actually get a decent phone and use it on a cheap network. That's what I get for getting my hopes up I guess. Please help.

 

[acejavelin]

Well... there is so much wrong here I don't know where to start...

First off, you do not need an "SIM Unlock Code" from online, the Rezound is already SIM unlocked with a global ROM installed. If someone sells you a code, you just gave them $15 in beer money for giving you 15 random digits (or whatever they gave you).

To unlock the bootloader, just follow the instructions on HTCDev exactly, it works. Remember to install the appropriate device drivers! Scotty85 does some of the best tutorials for this (see Android Forums - View Single Post - Scottys noob friendly root guide-start to finish) or MrSmith here does an excellent job here: http://www.droidforums.net/forum/ht...5839-guide-unlocking-rooting-rom-ing-faq.html

But the REAL problem is this phone is NOT going to do what you want... believe me I tried EVERYTHING you can imagine to get this to work on Net10. I could easily get voice and SMS to work, install the proper APNs and get data to work... but only at EDGE speeds which is REALLY slow, like 3+ minutes to send a MMS message, and web browsing, streaming music, or anything data related was totally unusable. I tried multiple ROMs, radios, firmwares, NV hacks, and none of them would give me even HSPA data service.

In the end what I wound up doing was buying a like new AT&T smartphone (Samsung Galaxy S2 Skyrocket) and popped in my Net10 SIM, set the APNs, and I have been happy ever since running Net10 on AT&T and getting HSPA+ speeds. I then sold my Rezound and got close to what I paid for the SGS2. (Note that if you got a T-Mobile SIM from Net10, you might be better off finding a T-Mobile smartphone or you will have to SIM unlock)

Don't get me wrong, I love the Rezound, still have one for work and it's one of my favorite phones, but to really save money on Net10/Straight Talk and have anykind of usable data service you need a different device.

My recommendation is sell the Rezound before you go to far and grab a cheap GSM smartphone... Try Swappa, Craigslist, or other online retailer, avoid eBay unless you really know what you are doing (there are a lot of knock-offs and shady people on there). Also, you could try this: Wholesale Android Cell Phone - Buy Cheap Android Cell Phone from Best Android Cell Phone Wholesalers | DHgate.

Also, don't forget that Google just dropped the price of the Nexus 4's by $100, you can get the 8GB version for $199 or the 16GB version for $249. TBH, if I could do it over and knew the price was going to drop to where it is, I would have just got the Nexus and been happier still since it is probably one the best phones out there for the price, and it will have the latest Android before any other phone for a long time!

My first Net10 phone was an HTC Aria, slow, small, but stable and worked great... total investment was a large pizza (literally). Look around, the deals are out there.

EDIT: if all you want is the ability to make calls on Net10, install the Global Mode leaked RUU from Android Police: http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/0...ull-ruu-build-4-03-605-2-for-the-htc-rezound/ just install, go into Mobile Networks and change network mode to Global or GSM/WCDMA and add the APN information. You should get voice, text, and (extremely slow) data.

 

[darthmodulus]

Well... there is so much wrong here I don't know where to start...

First off, you do not need an "SIM Unlock Code" from online, the Rezound is already SIM unlocked with a global ROM installed. If someone sells you a code, you just gave them $15 in beer money for giving you 15 random digits (or whatever they gave you).

To unlock the bootloader, just follow the instructions on HTCDev exactly, it works. Remember to install the appropriate device drivers! Scotty85 does some of the best tutorials for this (see Android Forums - View Single Post - Scottys noob friendly root guide-start to finish) or MrSmith here does an excellent job here: http://www.droidforums.net/forum/ht...5839-guide-unlocking-rooting-rom-ing-faq.html

But the REAL problem is this phone is NOT going to do what you want... believe me I tried EVERYTHING you can imagine to get this to work on Net10. I could easily get voice and SMS to work, install the proper APNs and get data to work... but only at EDGE speeds which is REALLY slow, like 3+ minutes to send a MMS message, and web browsing, streaming music, or anything data related was totally unusable. I tried multiple ROMs, radios, firmwares, NV hacks, and none of them would give me even HSPA data service.

In the end what I wound up doing was buying a like new AT&T smartphone (Samsung Galaxy S2 Skyrocket) and popped in my Net10 SIM, set the APNs, and I have been happy ever since running Net10 on AT&T and getting HSPA+ speeds. I then sold my Rezound and got close to what I paid for the SGS2. (Note that if you got a T-Mobile SIM from Net10, you might be better off finding a T-Mobile smartphone or you will have to SIM unlock)

Don't get me wrong, I love the Rezound, still have one for work and it's one of my favorite phones, but to really save money on Net10/Straight Talk and have anykind of usable data service you need a different device.

My recommendation is sell the Rezound before you go to far and grab a cheap GSM smartphone... Try Swappa, Craigslist, or other online retailer, avoid eBay unless you really know what you are doing (there are a lot of knock-offs and shady people on there). Also, you could try this: Wholesale Android Cell Phone - Buy Cheap Android Cell Phone from Best Android Cell Phone Wholesalers | DHgate.

Also, don't forget that Google just dropped the price of the Nexus 4's by $100, you can get the 8GB version for $199 or the 16GB version for $249. TBH, if I could do it over and knew the price was going to drop to where it is, I would have just got the Nexus and been happier still since it is probably one the best phones out there for the price, and it will have the latest Android before any other phone for a long time!

My first Net10 phone was an HTC Aria, slow, small, but stable and worked great... total investment was a large pizza (literally). Look around, the deals are out there.

EDIT: if all you want is the ability to make calls on Net10, install the Global Mode leaked RUU from Android Police: [Exclusive Download] Full RUU Build 4.03.605.2 For The HTC Rezound just install, go into Mobile Networks and change network mode to Global or GSM/WCDMA and add the APN information. You should get voice, text, and (extremely slow) data.

I do feel like a complete idiot on so many levels for this. Its amazing what damage desperation can do to the brain cells.

I updated my is to the leaked global ruu as you suggested. Changed the network mode to global. But every time I enter the APN info I found online, I save it, and it just doesn't take. Additionally, for some reason, if I go to Settings->Call->GSM Call settings, the menu for that selection flashes for a split second, then I get an error dialog: "Network or SIM card error."

In any case, any good APN settings you could suggest? Or, any idea why I can't save my APN for whatever reason? I may have got beat for $15 for an "unlock code" but I can live with that. However, I can't live with wasting $70 on a sim card and a $50 unlimited plan from net10 this month. Yes I already had activated it like a moron. Didn't anticipate this kind of a problem. And I'd take your advice and buy a new phone but I'm kind of only employed part time at a restaurant right now and it was a hard enough struggle buying the rezound for $120... my budget was for $100 tops, but I decided to forgo good food in place of ramen noodles for a week to make up the difference. Lol.

Thank you for your help and quick response. I'll keep working on it til it either works or I get a reply back.

PS - I had already visited lots of places where Mr smith posted. He seems really knowledgeable. I'd flash to a ROM like venasaur if I could get the damned boot loader to accept my unlock code from HTC. I went to the website, got everything, followed all the instructions, got their email with attachment, but the command "fast boot flash unlocktoken Unlock_code.bin" just causes my cmd prompt to hang endlessly. And the status bar appears on my phone so I know its doing SOMEthing, but it sits forever. Its a file that smaller than 1 KB... and the pic on the HTC website confirms my suspicion that it should NOT take longer than say, a minute to transfer it (0.1s as in the example looks appropriate). If I unplugthe uUSB during this process, it gives the aforementioned error message about too many links. I followed the advice Mr smith gave someone else... rebooted PC, phone, re,moved battery first, HTC sync not running, all of it... still hangs. I even went into device manager o my PC and uninstalled all the drivers, etc, rebooted, and reinstalled from scratch. Did a fast boot erase cache and then went on with it, still nothing. I'll be fine with just phone calls and text with crap for data this month, long as I can figure out how to work it! Lol. Again, thank you, and I hope to hear back soon! Maybe since boot is on v 2.27 now, I can try again... back to the drawing board.

 

[Bpowder33]

Fastboot is one word, not "fast boot"..... May have just been a typo, also make sure your in hboot when entering the command, not sure what you mean by status bar appears?

 

[Bpowder33]

Also make sure your unlock code is in the proper directory on your pc

 

[darthmodulus]

Fastboot is one word, not "fast boot"..... May have just been a typo, also make sure your in hboot when entering the command, not sure what you mean by status bar appears?

Yes, that's all been done. Fast boot was an uncaught autocorrect. Was in hboot, did fastboot devices and it appeared, did the command, and the bin was in the same folder as my fastboot exe. Thanks though... I'm notorious for small mistakes like that, just not this time unfortunately. Lol
Edit: status bar is the status bar in the fastboot menu on my phones screen. In the top right corner. Vertical. Empty. Lol

 

[Bpowder33]

Hmmm... Maybe try flashing the ruu again... Every time I've flash the ruu it will run through like two times until it actually says press power to reboot... Although since your on hboot 2.27 it may not be the solution... Just a thought

 

[darthmodulus]

Hmmm... Maybe try flashing the ruu again... Every time I've flash the ruu it will run through like two times until it actually says press power to reboot... Although since your on hboot 2.27 it may not be the solution... Just a thought[/QUOTE




Yeah, I ran it through twice. The 1st time it updated a couple things, the second it updated the rest and took like ten minutes. I'm really at a loss. I also tried to re flash the unlock token since the update and it still hangs. I'm suspecting at this point that its something to do with the dinosaur of a laptop I'm forced to be using right now and not the phone. Though, I can't understand why other commands work, but flashing the unlock bin doesn't... :/

 

[acejavelin]

OK, so let me get this right, you have your Net10 (AT&T) SIM activated, and you installed the Global Mode leaked RUU, is all that correct? And you are "unlocked" via HTCdev?

OK, so the unlock that you did is to unlock the bootloader, it has nothing to do with the SIM or radios, those are unlocked already. With an unlocked bootloader you can install aftermarket ROMs like Cyanogenmod, Infection, Tron, MIUI, XenonHD, Nils Business Sense, or any of dozens more.

Before you can put the Net10 card to work, you have to switch the radios to GSM mode... go to Settings->Mobile Network->Preferred Network and change the setting to GSM/UMTS then give it a minute to settle down and reboot. Once the phone is back up, go to the same menu and select GSM/UMTS settings and Access Point Namess. and add your APN as:

Name: Net10
APN: tfdata
MMSC: http://mms-tf.net
MMS Proxy: mms2.tracfone.net
MMS Port: 80

and leave all other settings default. If you are using a T-Mobile SIM the settings will be different, see this for a start: Phone Programming | NET10

then press Menu and Save (this is key hidden piece you are probably missing)

Now select it as active from the APN menu, give it about a minute to settle and reboot.

That is all I did to get the basics working... you might get HSPA and might not, I didn't but it was registered on the network and voice and text worked fine, so did MMS albeit extremely slow.

 

[Bpowder33]

Ace, my understanding is that he can't get the bootloader unlocked. For some reason the fastboot flash unlocktoken command isn't working, just hangs....

 

[acejavelin]

Ace, my understanding is that he can't get the bootloader unlocked. For some reason the fastboot flash unlocktoken command isn't working, just hangs....

Hmm... yeah, just read that. Not sure how to help with that one because he appears to be doing it correctly, so either the Unlock token is incorrect or the phone is defective. Like you said, he should flash the RUU again, twice in a row. I would also go through the token generation process again and follow the steps on HTCDev exactly again. I have never heard of anyone not being able to unlock on any revision of software. I have done this on lots of devices and it just works.

That being said, he doesn't need to unlock or flash a ROM to get Net10 working, from what was mentioned I think the APN Save command (in APNs Menu-Save) is the issue.

 

[darthmodulus]

OK, so let me get this right, you have your Net10 (AT&T) SIM activated, and you installed the Global Mode leaked RUU, is all that correct? And you are "unlocked" via HTCdev?

Actually, I have a net10 byop sim card that I bought from radio shack. And as far as htcdev is concerned, Im unlocked bc I requested the unlock code. But the bootloader absolutely refuses to take the bin file and unlock, even on the 2.27 hboot.

OK, so the unlock that you did is to unlock the bootloader, it has nothing to do with the SIM or radios, those are unlocked already. With an unlocked bootloader you can install aftermarket ROMs like Cyanogenmod, Infection, Tron, MIUI, XenonHD, Nils Business Sense, or any of dozens more.

Yeah, I understand that much of it. And in fact I've been playing with the radio settings via software to see if that made any difference (LTE Onoff).

Before you can put the Net10 card to work, you have to switch the radios to GSM mode... go to Settings->Mobile Network->Preferred Network and change the setting to GSM/UMTS then give it a minute to settle down and reboot. Once the phone is back up, go to the same menu and select GSM/UMTS settings and Access Point Namess. and add your APN as:

Name: Net10
APN: tfdata
MMSC: http://mms-tf.net
MMS Proxy: mms2.tracfone.net
MMS Port: 80

and leave all other settings default. If you are using a T-Mobile SIM the settings will be different, see this for a start: Phone Programming | NET10

then press Menu and Save (this is key hidden piece you are probably missing)

Now select it as active from the APN menu, give it about a minute to settle and reboot.

Yeah... I actually knew about the save option. But I havent been rebooting between apn creation/saves/changes. So I will do that from now on and make sure to wait at least a minute before touching anything else.

Also, thats way different than the apn settings I've been finding. In fact they are strikingly similar to the apn I put on my wifes phone. Shes using Straighttalk for service with a ST SIM in an AT&T Sony Ericsson. Lol. After all this research I know *why* it works like that, now. I simply though when I purchased my rezound I could do the same thing with it because its dual band. Little did I know, gsm capabilities werent stock unlocked. And apparently net10 is THE worst company to try and go with in that respect.

That is all I did to get the basics working... you might get HSPA and might not, I didn't but it was registered on the network and voice and text worked fine, so did MMS albeit extremely slow.

If thats "all" I got, I would be THRILLED at this point. Lol.

So, do you think the apn should be different on a net10 branded sim? My current apn sethings are:

Name: net10
APN: att.mvno
Proxy: 66.209.11.33
Port: 80
Username/Password/Server: Not set
MMSC: http://mmsc.cingular.com
MMS Proxy: proxy.mvno.tracfone.com
MMS Port: 80
MMS Protocol: WAP 2.0
MCC: 310
MNC: 410
Authentication Type: None
APN Type: default,supl,mms
Bearer: Unspecified

... A couple notes though. For some reason, the APN Type field keeps switching back to default,hipri and erases the supl,mms part. Also, this may be the same settings as my wifes apn... I tried to experiment and flop the only 2 fields which were interchanged, which were Proxy and MMS Proxy fields. Further information: Lte onoff detected my SMSC number, whatever that is... And I've been manually selecting GSM/ITS from the menu, and saving my apns under that set of options. And, in my playtime with all this, I noticed there was a Network Operators setting. Sometimes the options for Search Networks and Select Automatically are accessible, and sometimes theyre greyed out. Once, when it was lit, I hit search Networks and it saw AT&T and T-Mobile. I chose T-Mobile and currently I have a notification that says No service and Selected network (T-Mobile) is unavailable.

I will try your apn settings anyways to see if they work.

And... THANK YOU. Youre donating your free time to help a stranger. I know you dont have to deal with this. So again, thank you, even if this winds up in getting me nowhere. God bless you for that.

 

[acejavelin]

I am not sure why the unlock token isn't working, I would try to get a new one from HTCdev.com, just follow their instructions exactly, I have done it many times including on Hboot 2.27 with no issues.

The settings you listed are considered "old ones" and are somewhat outdated, most people have had issues with those settings and changed to the "new" settings... Look here: Updated: How to Setup Straight Talk & NET10 Data and MMS on Android, iPhone & Windows Phone | Prepaid Phone News for more information.

Some people have noted that the MMS proxy is the real key here, sometimes the IP address works better, sometimes mms3.tracfone.com and sometimes mms2.tracfone.com works better. YMMV

Also, I have never set the APN type manually, my Rez always filled that in and it worked OK.

 

[darthmodulus]

Hey, guys.

It's been a while, and I'm sorry about that. Just wanted to post an update and let you know that I got my phone working... It turns out my biggest problem was actually PEBKAC, as we call it in the software industry: problem exists between keyboard and chair. Lol.

I had accidentally activated my phones service on the *micro* sim I got from the tmo sim kit I bought. I though I had activated it on the *normal* att based sim. The physical sim in my phone has a different serial than the att based micro sim. So when I put the tmo sim in to try and see if IT would work, and I went to transfer my service over to the tmo sim, that's when I made the discovery about my little blunder.

Furthermore, just as a fyi, I tried putting my wife's Straight Talk sim iny phone to see if it would work, and it did. Still only got edge data though. I used both the old and new apn settings. The New didn't work but the old did. But as far as only getting edge data, there's a reason, and now I know why. It has to do with the radios and the rf frequency they use to communicate with the towers. There's another thread, on xdadevelopers, where people talk about using nv edits and such to help the Rezound get access to band frequencies that it normally can't access. But because it has the Qualcomm snapdragon S3 in it, it actually has the ability to access those other gsm (and utms!) bands. I don't have the exact URL for that post at hand, but I'll find it again and do an edit so I can link you all to it so you can see what I mean.

Also, my bootloader STILL won't unlock. And, now for some reason, my Rezound has decided it wants to start rebooting randomly. It usually happens when I'm not using it... Most often, when on the charger, at night. It happens occasionally during the day or when I'm using it though. And when I'm using it, it only seems to happen when I'm using the internet.

Again, I'll post a link to that discussion about hacking the rf shortly. It's interesting. Apparently those guys can get hspa+ on at&t sims on the Rezound, albeit at the cost of weaker signal. But I guess it might be worth a try. I thought I could deal with edge, but its worse than I imagined. Lol.

So I'll clarify: my phone works, I'm on it now. Only get edge data and no mms, as predicted. And I'm wondering if I bought one of those cdma based ST sims from Walmart if I could get it to work with the Rezound by turning the LTE off. 3g would definitely be nice. And I don't mi.d payi.g $50 a month for an unlimited prepaid plan with 1GB of data or 60 for 2GB. anyone know if this would work?

Again, thanks for your help guys. It was deeply appreciated!

 

[acejavelin]

...And I'm wondering if I bought one of those cdma based ST sims from Walmart if I could get it to work with the Rezound by turning the LTE off. 3g would definitely be nice. And I don't mi.d payi.g $50 a month for an unlimited prepaid plan with 1GB of data or 60 for 2GB. anyone know if this would work?

Again, thanks for your help guys. It was deeply appreciated!

There is no "CDMA SIM", CDMA doesn't use a SIM it is based on the MEID of the phone. The only way to get a Rezound to work on a Pre-paid Verizon CDMA-based program (PagePlus, Straight Talk, etc) is to get a phone and clone the MEID number to your Rezound.