SafeLink Hotspot Not Working: How to Troubleshoot
So your SafeLink Hotspot isn’t working, and you’re not sure how to go about it? Keep reading!
In this article, I have carefully explained the steps to help you fix your SafeLink Hotspot in minutes. Let’s get started.
A quick way to troubleshoot the SafeLink Hotspot is to ensure that you’ve turned on the hotspot feature on your phone. You’ll also need to connect to mobile data to confirm there are no issues with your SafeLink Hotspot.
For more details on how to troubleshoot issues with your SafeLink Hotspot, read on!
Turn on Your Phone’s Hotspot
Your SafeLink Hotspot might not work because you haven’t turned on the Hotspot feature on your phone.
If you can’t access the internet after turning on the Hotspot, check if you’ve enabled your phone’s hotspot function. You’ll see the hotspot icon at the top of the phone’s screen if the hotspot is turned on.
If you don’t see the hotspot icon on your screen, you’ll need to turn on your hotspot.
Follow the instructions below to enable the hotspot feature on your iPhone:
- Open your Settings app.
- Click on Cellular or Mobile Data. Then select Personal Hotspot Settings.
- Click on Personal Hotspot. Then toggle the button beside Allow Others to Join to enable your hotspot.
If you use an Android phone, here’s how to turn on your hotspot:
- Launch your Settings app.
- Click on Network & Internet. Then tap on Hotspot and Tethering.
- Select Wi-Fi Hotspot and toggle the switch to turn it on.
After you’ve turned on your hotspot, enter a website address into your browser. If your browser can’t load the website’s pages, move on to the next step.
Connect to Your Mobile Data
In some cases, your inability to access the internet might have nothing to do with your SafeLink hotspot. Instead, it may be a result of an error in your network. As such, you might need to reboot your phone.
But first, check whether the connection issue is from your hotspot phone or the SafeLink Hotspot. To do this, turn off your phone’s hotspot and connect the device to mobile data. Then try visiting several websites.
If the website pages appear within a few seconds, the problem might be with your hotspot.
You can fix this problem by rebooting your phone. To reboot your Android phone, press and hold the power button until you see the Restart and Power Off buttons. Then, slide down the Restart button to reboot your phone.
If you are using an iPhone, press the Lower Volume and Power buttons until you see the Power-Off slider. Pull this slider down to turn off the phone. Then press and hold the power button again until the phone turns back on.
After rebooting your phone, turn on the hotspot again and try connecting to the internet with it. You should be online now.
If you still can’t connect to the internet after this, check the next tip.
Ensure You’ve Entered the Correct Hotspot Password
When trying to connect to your SafeLink Hotspot, you might need to enter the hotspot’s password to gain access to it. If you enter the wrong password, your device won’t connect to the internet.
If your SafeLink Hotspot isn’t working, turn on the Reveal icon in the password box to ensure that you’ve entered the correct hotspot password. If you don’t remember the hotspot password, go to your phone’s settings and look for the password.
Here’s how to find your hotspot password on your phone:
- Open your Settings app.
- Select Network and Internet. Then click on Hotspot and Tethering.
- Select Wi-Fi Hotspot. You should see the Hotspot Settings option. Scroll to this option and tap on it.
- Now, click on Hotspot Password to reveal the password.
- Once you’ve confirmed the password, input it in the box provided for your password. Then click on Connect.
After entering the correct password, try visiting several websites with your hotspot’s connection.
If you can’t access any website with your SafeLink Hotspot, proceed to the next tip.
Disconnect Some Devices from Your Phone
Your SafeLink Hotspot phone can only connect to a limited number of devices. If several devices are already connected to your SafeLink Hotspot, the hotspot phone may have reached its limit. As a result, your device may not access the internet.
Consider disconnecting some devices already connected to the hotspot before trying to connect your current device to the network.
Disable Battery Saver Mode on Your Phone
Ordinarily, the battery-saver mode shouldn’t interfere with your phone’s hotspot. However, the device may have developed a bug, and this bug might disrupt the features on your phone.
To fix this issue, remove your phone from battery saver mode. Then try connecting to the internet again.
If your SafeLink Hotspot doesn’t work after this, continue to the next step.
Check Your Data Balance
If your SafeLink Hotspot isn’t working, your data bandwidth might be low.
To rule out this problem, check your data balance.
To check your balance, text the word USAGE to 611611. You’ll get a message that contains your hotspot data balance.
If you don’t have any bandwidth left, switch to mobile data. You won’t be able to connect to the internet with the SafeLink hotspot until you purchase a new plan.
But if you still have some data on your SafeLink Hotspot, move on to the next tip.
Turn Off Your Smartphone for 30 Minutes
You can also troubleshoot your SafeLink Hotspot by turning off your hotspot phone for 30 minutes. This solution is effective for eliminating minor glitches on your phone.
Make sure to disable the hotspot feature on your phone before turning the device off. Now, switch off your phone and wait 30 minutes before turning it back on.
Once your phone has fully loaded, turn on your hotspot and reconnect your device to the hotspot.
Toggle Your Phone’s Wi-Fi On and Off
As mentioned earlier, internal glitches in your phone can prevent your SafeLink Hotspot from working properly. Another way to remove these bugs from your phone is by turning the Wi-Fi on and off.
To find your Wi-Fi button, swipe down on your phone’s screen to reveal the Shortcuts menu. Next, locate the Wi-Fi icon on the screen and tap it twice.
You can then try connecting to the Hotspot again to see if it works this time.
If your SafeLink Hotspot doesn’t work after this, proceed to the next step.
Change Your Hotspot Phone’s Wi-Fi Band
While your SafeLink Hotspot phone may support 2 Wi-Fi bands (2.4GHz and 5GHz), the device you are trying to connect may only be compatible with one of these bands.
If your device is not connecting to the hotspot, it might be on a different frequency from the hotspot phone.
You’ll need to change your hotspot phone’s Wi-Fi band to resolve this problem.
But first, check the Wi-Fi band of the device you want to connect, which might be 2.4GHz or 5GHz. This will help you know what Wi-Fi band to switch to on the hotspot phone. You’ll find your device’s Wi-Fi band in its manual.
Once you’ve confirmed your device’s frequency band, you can change your hotspot phone’s Wi-Fi band.
Follow these steps to change your phone’s Wi-Fi band:
- Open the Settings app on your mobile phone.
- Tap on Network and Settings or Connections. Then choose Wi-Fi.
- Next, click on Advanced Settings.
- You should see the Frequency Band option here. Tap on this option and choose the Wi-Fi band that matches your device’s frequency band.
If changing your Wi-Fi band doesn’t fix the issue, try the next tip.
Update Your Phone’s Firmware
Outdated firmware on your SafeLink Hotspot phone can cause the device to malfunction. This might affect your hotspot’s connectivity.
You’ll need to update your smartphone’s firmware to resolve this problem.
Here’s how to update your phone’s firmware:
- Turn on your smartphone’s mobile data.
- Scroll down to About Phone in the Settings menu. Then tap on Check for Updates.
- Wait for the download to finish before restarting your phone.
Factory Reset Your Phone
If your SafeLink Hotspot doesn’t work after you’ve tried the previous steps, you might need to factory reset the device. A factory reset will resolve any significant glitches and bugs on your device and restore its functionality.
That said, you shouldn’t factory reset your phone unless it’s absolutely necessary. This is because a factory reset will erase all previously saved data on your device.
To factory reset your device, follow the steps below:
- Navigate to the Settings menu on your device.
- Select Backup and Reset from the Systems Settings menu.
- Click on Start Factory Reset/ Reset to Factory Defaults.
- To complete the reset process, follow the instructions on the phone’s screen.
Wrapping Up
If none of the previous suggestions have worked, contact SafeLink Wireless tech support. The tech support team should work you through the problem-solving process.
You may also like to see how to troubleshoot Mint Mobile and Boost Mobile data problems.