Accessing the DATA menu of the modem

This procedure is for a Franklin CDU-680 modem on the Sprint network. Other modems with other connection managers are very similar.

(You can access the diagnostic mode of the VZAccess Manager software by pressing CTRL-D and entering the password diagvzw. You need to be disconnected to enter areas that are grayed out.)


Once you have your MSL (sometimes called SPC) you can access the data menu of your card/modem. With your connection manager open, but not connected , click on it somewhere and put your cursor over the +/- button (it will change color slightly) hold down the shift key and type ##DATA , without the quotes.

A screen will pop up asking for the MSL code:







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Type your 6 digit number and hit OK.
You will then see the DATA screen:



On this screen you edit your " HA" (Home Agent) information. Think of the HA as servers that route the data over the network. They are located throughout the EVDO network nationally. Picking the HA that works best for you is mostly a trial and error task. For some, one that is closer gives you better up/down speeds. For others an HA that is not close offers a faster connection. In the USA there are about 12 HA's that I know of, possibly more.

I choose two different cities like Kansas City and Chicago, that combination seems to give me the best performance.

For a list of Home Agents click here
A lengthy discussion of Home Agents can be found here

On the ##DATA screen, (shown above) you want to replace the numbers you see next to "Primary HA Address" and "Secondary HA Address".

You can try different combinations to see which works best. DO NOT change ANYTHING on the first line "Home Address" You will screw up the modem. I'll show you how to repair it later if you accidentally do. ...note that.Home Address is NOT the same as Home Agent. That first line needs to stay all zero's.

After you make these changes click OK. The modem will take a little while to configure the changes and show a couple of folder windows (just close them) and present you with the connection manger screen again. Connect normally with your new Home Agent. Give it time.

You will have to go through this procedure every time you want to change to a different HA...sorry, no shortcuts.

Changing the Primary HA address to 255.255.255.255 will automatically select the closest to you. Leave the Secondary HA to somewhere from the list.