Device won’t power on
- Make sure the device is charged; the battery light will blink red if it is plugged in correctly and charging.
- The device can be used while charging.
- If the device has a low/dying battery, all of the lights will come on momentarily and then all will go out.
- Plug in the USB-C end to the device and the larger USB end to the charging plug.
- Do not use the larger end in the hotspot.
Can’t tell if the device is connected to the internet
- A device is connected to the internet if the wifi light (far left, single LED) is blue and the signal lights (second from left, three LEDs) are blue. There can be as many as three signal lights and as few as one. If there is only one signal light however, the speed may be impacted.
- The mailbox LED will only light up when the device is powered up or down. It will not remain on.
- The device SSID should appear in the list of available networks
Can’t see the device in the list of available networks
- Try turning the wifi on the connecting device off and then on again.
- If there is another device available, check to see if that device can see the network. If not, see Running as a Tethered Modem below.
- Turn the hotspot off completely (hold the power button down for about 3 seconds, until all four sets of lights illuminate and then go off) and then turn back on again (same process in reverse, all lights will illuminate briefly and then the mailbox light will go out, the remaining lights will stay on).
- Turn the entire connecting device off and restart it.
- Ensure that the wifi connection is turned on.
Running as a Tethered Modem
- Alcatel hotspots are running on the 5GHz band to improve speed. Some older devices have difficulty with this band. If there is a device with a USB port, the hotspot can run in a tethered mode and access the internet that way. Plug the device into a USB port on the connecting device and then look at the available networks.
- On a PC it will appear as an Ethernet connection under available networks
- On a Mac, it will appear as an Ethernet connection and may have a different network name than the wireless SSID
- The hotspots cannot run in a tethered mode on the BCPL issued Chromebooks because the Ethernet network connection is disabled. However, they should be visible as a wifi network.
