M1 Restore v1.0
IMEI Restore Utility for the Netgear Nighthawk M1 Hotspot Router
The goal for this project was to make it simple for anyone to restore / change the IMEI on the Netgear Nighthawk M1.
I wrote it in python and have supplied the source and a complied version for those that can't, or simply don't want to set up a python environment.
WARNING: I take no responsibility for what you do with this utility.
Usage:
m1restore.exe <new 15 digit imei>
Example: m1restore.exe 013364005176495
This is a command line based program. You should run it from the command line on your Windows pc.
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Turn off the M1. Take out the battery and the sim card. It's important that you leave the sim and battery out for the duration of this process.
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Plug the M1 in to your computer via the USB cable. The device should power up and indicate that a sim card is missing. Take a paper clip and hold down the reset button for 10 seconds. The device should restore to factory settings.
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After the device reboots in to factory default mode, it should connect via tether to your computer. You may see your default browser try to load MSN. This is typically what happens when the device is in USB Tether mode. If the device doesn't enter tether, login to 192.168.1.1 via a web browser. The default login is Admin / attwifi. Configure the device in the settings menu to tether via usb.
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After your PC is tethered to the device, you should be able to run the m1restore.exe utility. Make sure you enter the correct IMEI number.
If you receive an error, you either didn't fully factory reset your device or your device isn't in usb tether mode.
- The device will boot after IMEI restore has completed. You can login to the web interface to verify your IMEI was sucessfully updated. At this point you can power down the device, put a sim card and the battery back in.