ZTE Blade A3 Prime

Telecom
1

I thought we already had a thread on the latest Visible swap phone but I can't find it-- so I'm starting this one.

I just wanted to confirm that the phone DOES work with MTK Engineering Mode, by TheMonster, which gives the ability to select and deselect specific LTE Bands.

I helped a friend install it on her new phone and it works as it should.

That's a very good thing!

2

can the phone be forced into 3G mode to be used on T-Mobile and AT&T?

3

I didn't actually try it, but it looked like it was as configurable as the A7 Prime.

4

The phone does have LTE band coverage on AT&T, T-Mobile.

Interestingly, if I am not mistaken, it lacks B66 which was surprising.

5

Chelle, I know you personally don't have the A3 but assume you have the A7 Prime.

  1. Does the A7 Prime's built in hotspot activate on a non-VZ SIM card or it complains about an auth issue?

  2. What about USB tether/RNDIS? Depending on the build you have, this might check if you're already connected to a USB data port so you might need to plug it into a laptop or something that has USB host enumeration on the other side of the cable.

Not a blocker for me but the provisioning override could be a hurdle to my less savvy neighbors as they would very much like a seamless experience.

Appreciate your input.

6

I do have the A7 Prime and use it daily, but have not tried other SIMs in it, yet.

I've got a FreedomPop SIM in my 10 Prime, though.

And I haven't used USB tether in either device, yet. I use a Mango router that wirelessly bridges to the phone's hotspot.

I do a lot of tinkering. I'll have to try some of your suggestions out. :slight_smile:

7

This Mango router, is it this one?

8

"is this the one"----Yes. Scroll down to the bottom of the Amazon page and it says Mango there.

"Mango mini travel router
Mango by GL.iNet is your best choice for a travel router."

9

Yep!

I use one at the house and keep another in my travel kit. Excellent for a lot of reasons.

10

Edit (Poorly written): From what I read, looks great. Certainly I want to get one for my kit (presently have several AC powered ones with custom firmware (e.g. tomato, dd-wrt) for traveling) and bridging LTE to my home router when my ISP goes down.

11

My only beef is no 5GHz, but I can live without it.

I like all of the different operating modes and also that it supports OpenVPN. And it's very small.

12

How many devices can the Mango have connected to it when it is wirelessly bridged to a phone hotspot?

13

Two wired ports and what the seller says about wifi devices below.

From seller on Amazon: "Over 30 devices simultaneously connections are supported, but 15-20 devices will be more stable.

GL Technologies Seller · June 11, 2020"
Leave a Comment | Do you find this helpful?

https://smile.amazon.com/ask/questions/Tx27Q9Z6MQ0YETW/ref=ask_ql_ql_al_hza

14

I don't know the upper limit, but everything in my house is connected to one.

4 Echo Dots
1 Google Home Mini
4 Fire TV Devices of various generations
3 Rokus
1 Chromecast
1 TiVo Stream 4k
3 tablets
4 laptops
6 smart plugs
Printers, Wyze Cams, WatchAir Antenna, and a handful of other devices that I know I'm forgetting.

Usually only a couple of devices are in use at any one time but they all stay connected.

The only problem we've ever run into was that one of our two devices acted flaky until I turned down the WiFi "range" setting a little. No problems, since.

15

Thanks. My ZTE Mobley is limited to 5 devices at a time and sometimes I need a couple more.

16

Hey,

I just got the A3 Prime a couple weeks ago and MTK Engineering Mode doesn't work. I believe they released a new version of the A3 Prime.

When I click the MTK button, it says "Cannot find EngineerMode app. Mediatek chipset is mandatory and stock ROM must be installed."

I checked the app list, and EngineerMode is listed, but I can't access it. I've tried QuickShortcutMaker, and the * # * # 4636 # * # * dial sequence. Any ideas? I keep getting stuck on Band 13, which is no good :\

17

You may be helped by looking at the following thread on the ZTE Blade A 7 Prime which should likely apply to the A3. Installing the MTK Engineering Mode app(Monster) mentioned should give you access to MTK EM.

https://www.nthcircle.com/forum/visible/3184-awesome-hack-for-zte-blade-a7-prime?start=0

18

Yes, that's where I found out about the app. I believe Chelle got lucky with the older version of the phone.

I installed/opened the MTK Engineering Mode app by Monster, but when I click "MTK Settings", I get the error in my previous post.

FWIW, my build number is: Z5157VV1.0.0B06
Android 10

19

I think you're right. I helped another friend with an A3 and MTK Engineering Mode didn't work. I don't think it was able to access the radios.

Bummer!

Visible's network seems to be working a lot better, recently, though. I've gone from using MTK Engineering Mode all the time to just once in awhile.

If you can get your hands on an A7 or a 10 you'd be able to still use the app since they're on Android 9, vs. Android 10 on the A3.

20

Is there any reason to believe that the latest incantation of Visible's ZTE Blade A3 Prime will NOT support FreedomPop's AT&T LTE SIM?

Is there any evidence that a recent Visible ZTE Blade A3 Prime did not support FreedomPop's AT&T LTE SIM properly or at all?