You may be unable to connect devices to LinkZone 2, or you may be experiencing poor or no internet connectivity at all.
Whatever the case, we have provided solutions to all the known issues users have with Alcatel LinkZone 2. So, if you’re struggling with yours, read on to find out how to fix it easily.
Why is Alcatel LinkZone 2 Connected But No Internet?
1. Minor Bugs On Device
After its release in May 2020, Alcatel’s LinkZone 2 quickly became a favorite among serious internet users and businesses. And it’s not just because of its affordability and features. The LinkZone 2 is also known for its performance and durability.
So, if you are experiencing issues like not being able to connect to the hotspot or having no internet connectivity, it’s often due to minor bugs that can easily be cleared using any of the methods provided below. We recommend that you try the fixes one after the other until you find the fix that works for you.
Fix – Restart LinkZone 2
The good old restart is the first fix to try when a device stops working as it should. And it solves the problem most of the time. The reason is that, for minor bugs and glitches, a restart disconnects all circuits, unloads all programs, and stops all services. And then reloads them all. And one of these components is usually where the bug occurred.
So, if you have issues with your Alcatel LinkZone 2, restart it using the steps below:
1. Press and hold the Power button for 3 seconds to power LinkZone 2 off
2. Wait 30 seconds
3. Press and hold the Power button for 3 seconds again to power LinkZone back on
Wait for the WIFI LED indicator to come on, and then try to reconnect to the hotspot and see if the issue is resolved.
Fix 2 – Reset LinkZone 2
If a simple restart does not get Alcatel LinkZone 2 working well again, it may be that the bug is more serious than a restart can fix.
Bugs like this usually happen when some parts of the underlying software of the device run into an error from its interaction with connected devices or from the settings you may have made at some point.
The only way to fix such bugs is to reset the LinkZone 2 hotspot device to its factory settings. To do this, use any of the methods below:
Method 1: Using Reset Button
1. Make sure the Alcatel LinkZone 2 is powered on
2. Remove the back cover of the Alcatel LinkZone 2 to reveal the battery compartment
3. Use a paperclip or blunt pin to gently press the reset button/hole just below the battery
4. Press and hold it for a few seconds until the cellular LED turns red, then release it
5. The Alcatel LinkZone 2 will then restart, and the reset is complete.
Method 2 – Using Web Interface
You can also reset the LinkZone 2 hotspot using the web interface if you do not have access to a blunt pin or paperclip at the time. However, this method requires you to be connected to the hotspot to complete it.
To do this:
1. Make sure the Alcatel LinkZone 2 is powered on
2. Make sure you are connected to the LinkZone 2 hotspot
3. Open a browser on your phone or PC and go to mobile.hotspot
4. Enter your LinkZone 2 hotspot password. The default password is found on the inside of the back cover of the hotspot device
5. Click on Settings at the top right of the screen when you are logged in
6. Then click on Device Settings from the menu on the left of the Settings screen that opens
7. Under Reset Factory Settings, choose Reset
8. Click on Reset again to confirm the action
9. This will reset the Alcatel LinkZone device and cause it to restart automatically
Fix 3 – Wait for the Issue to Go Away
There are also times when the bug is due to glitches like temporary internal circuit disconnection, brief service outage, a brief integration issue between your device and Alcatel LinkZone 2, and so on. In that case, you would need to give it a while to see if the issue goes away.
Glitches, unlike bugs, usually go away on their own through a process called self-heal. So, sometimes when you have issues with Alcatel LinkZone 2, all you need to do is wait for a while and then retry the process you were trying to perform initially.
Fix 4 – Contact Alcatel
If restarting, resetting, and waiting do not get your Alcatel LinkZone working again, you may need to contact Alcatel support to report the problem.
Like we explained earlier, the Alcatel LinkZone is generally reliable and durable. So, if yours continues to give you issues, it may be due to a factory fault or a serious issue that only the manufacturer can help you with.
You can reach them on live chat. or through their global support site.
2. Issue With Phone
So far, we have addressed the issue of Alcatel LinkZone 2 not working from the perspective of the LinkZone 2 hotspot device.
However, the issue may actually be with your phone or other connecting device rather than with the LinkZone 2 itself.
It is possible that your phone may have run into a glitch, developed a bug, or just had a temporary issue with integrating with the LinkZone 2 network API.
In any case, if you have determined that the issue is not on LinkZone 2 after trying the fixes above, then you should troubleshoot your mobile device using the methods provided below:
Fix – Check that WIFI Is Enabled on Your Phone
When you first connect to LinkZone 2, the MIFI information (SSID and password) are stored on your mobile device. So, your mobile device should connect automatically when you are within range of the hotspot and the device is turned on. As expected.
But this will obviously only work if WIFI is enabled on your phone. You may have turned off WIFI at some point and forgotten all about it, and then expect your phone to automatically connect to Alcatel LinkZone 2 as usual. It won’t.
So, if you cannot connect to the hotspot, you need to first check the obvious: that your phone WIFI is enabled.
1. Swipe down from the top of your phone
2. Confirm that the WIFI button is enabled and has the blue indicator on
If it is on and your phone does not connect automatically to the LinkZone 2 hotspot:
1. Go to Settings on your phone
2. Select WIFI from the Settings menu
3. Find the Alcatel LinkZone 2 network and tap on it to connect to the network
Fix 2 – Re-Add WIFI Profile
If your phone WIFI is in order, the next fix to try is to re-add the LinkZone 2 WIFI profile. In other words, you need to forget the LinkZone 2 network and then re-add it. This will remove the saved LinkZone 2 network data from your phone and reset the connection between your phone and Alcatel LinkZone 2.
To do this:
1. Open Settings on your phone
2. Select WIFI
3. Tap on the arrow next to the LinkZone 2 WIFI
4. From the options that appear, select Forget Network
5. Confirm to forget the network if prompted
6. Then, go back to the list of available WIFI networks and select the LinkZone 2 network
7. You will be prompted to enter the network password. Enter the password for your LinkZone 2 and then tap on Connect.
If you are using a Windows PC:
1. Click on the WIFI icon at the bottom right tray on your PC screen
2. Right-click on the LinkZone 2 network, then select Forget
3. Confirm to forget the network if prompted
4. Then choose the LinkZone 2 network again from the list of networks, enter the password and reconnect
If you are using a Mac PC:
1. Click on the WIFI icon at the top of your Mac screen
2. Scroll to the end and click on Open Network Preferences
3. On the preferences screen, click on Advanced at the bottom
4. This will open the list of your saved networks
5. Click once on the LinkZone 2 network that you want to forget, and then click on the minus (-) sign at the bottom of the list box to remove the LinkZone 2 network from your saved networks
6. Close the WIFI settings window
7. Click the WIFI icon again to reconnect to the Alcatel LinkZone 2 network
Now check if the connection issue you were having is resolved.
Fix 3 – Force Restart Phone
When troubleshooting the LinkZone 2 device, we explained how a restart solves most issues on a technological device.
Your phone or PC is no different. If re-adding the WIFI profile does not fix the problem, you should restart the device to see if that clears the glitches and minor bugs for you.
Note: For mobile phones and Mac PC, use the shutdown or hard restart method. For Windows PC, use the restart method.
This is because, with recent updates on Windows PC, a shutdown does not completely turn off your PC; rather, it puts the PC in a very low power state for faster booting when you turn it on. But a restart fully powers off the PC and then reboots it. Strange but true.
So, to restart an Android phone:
1. Press and hold the power button until the power menu appears
2. Tap on shutdown to completely turn off the phone
3. Press and hold the power button again to reboot the phone
To force restart iPhone with Face ID, iPhone 8, and iPhone SE Gen 2 and later:
1. Press and quickly release the volume up (+) button
2. Then press and quickly release the volume down (-) button
3. Then, press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears
Please do these in quick succession or the sequence will break.
To force restart iPhone 7
1. Press and hold the volume down button and the Sleep/Wake button simultaneously
2. Hold until the Apple logo appears, then release them
To force restart iPhone 6s and iPhone SE Gen 1
1. Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button and the Home button simultaneously
2. Hold until the Apple logo appears, then release them
To force restart MacBook
1. Press and hold the power button until your MacBook completely shuts down
2. Wait one minute, then press the power button to power it back on
To restart Windows PC:
1. Press the Windows button on your keyboard
2. Click on the power icon from the menu
3. Click on Restart
4. Confirm Restart
Fix 4 – Update Phone
Another possible reason you’re having issues with Alcatel LinkZone 2 is that your device may be outdated. This does not mean that your device must be up to date to connect and use the LinkZone 2 hotspot.
Instead,
- There may be a bug on your mobile device that’s causing the connection issues, and only an update patch can fix it
- There may be compatibility issues between your out-of-date device and the LinkZone 2, and your device needs to be updated to fix the compatibility issues.
In any case, updating the device firmware has solved the connection issues on LinkZone 2 for some users. Please follow the steps below to update your device:
To update Android phone:
The interface to do this depends on your Android phone brand and OS version.
1. However, a general method is to open Settings
2. Select About Phone
3. Click on System Updates
4. Then click on Check for System Updates
To update iPhone and iPad:
1. Go to Settings
2. Select General
3. Select Software Update
4. Select to Download and Install the available update(s)
To update MacBook:
1. Make sure that your important files are backed up
2. Click the Apple Menu
3. Select System Preferences
4. Click Software Update
5. Select Update Now or Upgrade Now
To update Windows PC:
1. Click on the Windows icon on your screen
2. Type in Updates
3. Select Check for Updates in System Settings from the results
4. If there are updates displayed, click on Download to download and install them
5. If there are none, click on Check for Updates to check for updates and download them
Fix 5 – Reset Network Settings
If updating your device does not fix the problem, you may consider resetting the network settings. Resetting the network settings on your phone will remove all your saved network data like WIFI passwords, VPN settings, manual DNS settings and so on. But it will also fix any issues that may have occurred on your network or that were caused by your network settings.
To reset network settings on iPhone:
1. Open Settings on your phone
2. Tap on General
3. Then tap on Reset
4. On the reset window, click on Reset Network Settings
5. Then confirm to reset the settings
To reset network settings on Android
1. Open Settings on your Android phone
2. Click on Networks or Connection and Sharing
3. Scroll down and select Reset Network Settings
4. Then select WIFI from the options to reset your WIFI network settings
Fix 6 – Reset Phone
The last step to take when troubleshooting from the perspective of the phone is to reset the phone.
Resetting the phone will restore it to factory settings and rid it of bugs that may have been acquired over time which are preventing you from connecting seamlessly with your Alcatel LinkZone 2 hotspot.
To reset an Android phone:
1. Open Settings on your phone
2. Click on About Phone
3. Select Factory Reset
4. When the reset page opens, you will be shown what a factory reset entails
5. Go ahead and click on Erase Data
6. At this point, you should be prompted to enter your device PIN or passcode
7. After entering it, you will be presented with the option to back up your data on Google. Please select this
8. Then confirm the reset
To reset iPhone:
1. Go to Settings
2. Select General
3. Select Transfer or Reset iPhone
4. At this point, you may want to back up your apps and data on iCloud. In that case, tap on Get Started and follow the onscreen prompts to back up.
5. When done backing up, open Settings again, select General, select Transfer or Reset iPhone
6. Then tap on Erase All Content and Settings
7. The phone will restart after the backup. Then you can select to restore your iPhone from the backup you created earlier.
3. Data Limit
The next thing to consider if you cannot connect to the internet using the Alcatel LinkZone 2 hotspot is that you may have reached your data limit. First of all, even if you are using the Unlimited plan, your internet speed reduces when you hit 35GB within your billing cycle.
And, if you have a limited plan, especially if you are using the tablet plan (tablets and computers), then the connectivity issues you are having may be because you have hit your data limit.
Fix – Check If You’ve Hit Your Data Limit and Expand It If You Have
You can easily check if you have hit your limit by logging in at http://mobile.hotspot. Again, the default login password is on the inside of the back of the device
When you log in, you will see your usage data. If you have hit your limit, then expand your data allowance to continue enjoying your LinkZone 2 hotspot.
4. Network and Service Issue
One thing to remember is that the Alcatel LinkZone 2 is literally a mobile hotspot, and not a WIFI router. It uses a sim card just like your phone, and uses the same type of radio signals that your phone uses to connect to the internet.
So, if you are having issues connecting to the internet via LinkZone 2, it may just be that Alcatel or T-Mobile cellular data network is down in your area, or it is poor in some parts of your physical space.
To see the performance, you may test this by connecting to your phone’s cellular data if you are using T-Mobile. Then try the solutions below.
Fix – Move to A Better Area
Cellular network and cellular data network are similar but they use different channels. You may have strong cellular network signal but the cellular data network is poor.
So, if your connection is slow, try moving the hotspot around your location until you find a sweet spot for the network.
Fix 2 – Network Provider Down
As we explained earlier, it may be that the cellular data network for Alcatel or T-Mobile is down, even if you have strong cellular network. In that case, you may have to ring their customer care and inform them of the network issue you are experiencing in your location.
5. LinkZone 2 Out of Date
The final troubleshooting step to take when your Alcatel LinkZone 2 won’t work is to update the device firmware.
The connection issue may be because your LinkZone device has developed a bug that requires an update to fix it. Or, it may have developed incompatibility with your connected devices, which have the the latest updates.
To fix this, you need to update the Alcatel LinkZone 2 firmware and retry connecting.
Fix – Update Firmware
1. Open a browser on your phone or PC and go to http://mobile.hotspot
2. Log in with the default password or the new password you may have chosen
3. Select Settings at the top right of the web interface
4. Then select Device Settings from the menu on the left
5. Scroll down and select Check for Update
6. We recommend that you also make sure that Auto Update is enabled
7. Then click on OK
8. Alcatel LinkZone 2 will search for updates. You will receive a prompt to download and install the updates if any are available.
After installing the updates, restart the LinkZone 2 if it does not restart automatically. And then retry your connection.