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Full Fix: Nokia Lumia Hotspot Not Working [Lumia 520, 920]
15 min. read
Updated onOctober 4, 2023
updated onOctober 4, 2023
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Many cellphones supportwireless hotspotfeature that allows you to connect to them with other devices in order to access theInternet.
This is an amazing feature, especially if there’s no availableWi-Fi, but some users reported thathotspotisn’t working on their Lumia phone, and today we’re going to show you how to fix that problem.
Lumia hotspot not working, how to fix it?
Fix: Lumia hotspot not working
1. Keep your screen turned on
This is just a workaround, but few users reported that it works for them, so you might want to try it out.
According to them,wireless hotspotturns itself off as soon as your screen turns off due to inactivity, and one way to keep your hotspot working is to tap your screen from time to time.
This will prevent the screen from turning off and it will keep thehotspotworking.
Although this isn’t a convenient solution, it’s still a working workaround, so you might want to try it.
2. Restart thehotspot
If thehotspotstops working for some reason, you can simply fix it by turning it back on. As we mentioned in our previous solution, this occurs when your phone screen turns off.
To fix this problem, simply disable thehotspotand turn it back on again. This is also a temporary workaround, but it works according to users.
3. Turn off Battery Saver feature
Your phone automatically updatesLive Tiles, emails and your calendar, but those features can drain your battery rather fast. This is why Lumia comes with Battery Saver feature that allows you to turn off these features in order to save battery.
In fact, Battery Saver will turn itself on automatically when your phone is low on battery in order preserve preserve energy.
As you can see, Battery Saver is quite a useful feature, but according to users, it can sometimes interfere with yourwirelesshotspot.
To fix problems with Lumia andwirelesshotspot, you need to disable Battery Saver by following these steps:
After disabling Battery Saver feature your battery might drain a bit faster than before, but anyissues withwirelesshotspotshould be completely resolved.
4. Perform a hard reset
Few users reported that they managed to fix this problem simply by performing a hard reset on their Lumia. Hard reset will delete all files from your device, so if you plan to do it be sure to back up all important files.
To reset your phone, do the following:
You can also reset your phone without any key combinations by following these steps:
As we already mentioned, hard reset will delete all files from your device and restore your phone to factory state, so keep that in mind.
Although factory reset can be used to fix some problems on your Lumia, it’s recommended to use hard reset as the last option.
5. Restart your phone
According to some users, you might be able to fix the problem with yourhotspotsimply by restarting your phone. To do that, simply hold thePowerbutton pressed until you seeSlide down to power offmessage.
Now slide down and your phone will turn off. After that, simply hold thePowerbutton to turn on your phone again.
Another way to restart your device is to hold down theVolume downandPowerbuttons pressed for 10 to 15 seconds.
When you feel your phone vibrating, release the buttons and the phone will restart itself automatically.
Keep in mind that some phones don’t support this method, so be sure to check your phone’s instruction manual to see if it supports it.
After your phone restarts, the issue should be completely resolved andwireless hotspotwill start working without any problems.
6. Delete allWi-Ficonnections from your phone
According to some users, you might be able to fix this problem simply by removing savedWi-Finetworks.
For some reason savedWi-Finetworks can interfere with yourwirelesshotspotand cause problems on your Lumia, and in order to fix this problem you need to delete allWi-Ficonnections from your device.
To do that, follow these steps:
This might not be a convenient solution, but it works according to users. This solution can be problematic especially if you have a lot of rememberedWi-Ficonnections on your device.
We also have to warn you that by performing this solution you’ll have to enter passwords for allWi-Ficonnections when you try to access them again which can be an inconvenience.
7. Turn off Random hardware address feature
Random hardware address feature is designed to give your device a newMAC addresson certain networks. This can be useful if you use your device on public and unprotected network.
By using this feature, your device can become harder to track, which adds another layer of protection and privacy.
Although this feature will give you a random MAC address whenever you access a specific network, this feature can also cause certain problems with thehotspotfeature on your Lumia.
Ifhotspotisn’t working on your Lumia, you might want to try disabling Random hardware address feature. To do that, follow these steps:
After turning this feature off your MAC address won’t be random every time you connect to a different network, which can be a privacy concern for some users, butwirelesshotspotshould start working again without any problems.
8. Turn off automatic connection for available networks
As we already mentioned inSolution 6, this problem can be caused by memorizedWi-Ficonnections, and one way to fix this problem is to remove those connections from your phone.
This isn’t the most practical solution since you’ll have to enter a password for each connection when you want to connect to it.
Apparently, you can fix this issue simply by turning off automatic connection feature for available networks.
After doing that, you won’t automatically connect to any availableWi-Finetwork, but at least you won’t have to enter network passwords or delete any of your savedwirelessconnections.
According to users, after you disable automatic connection yourwirelesshotspotwill work even if your display turns off.
9. Create a new APN and turn on your default APN
According to users, this issue can occur due to problems with yourAPN, and in order to fix the problem withwirelesshotspotyou need to create a new APN. To do that, follow these steps:
10. Delete the APN
If you have problems withwirelesshotspoton your Lumia, you might be able to fix the problem by removing the APN. Users reported that they had two APNs, one inAccess Pointsection and one in the Cellular section.
After removing the APN in Cellular section and restarting the device, the issue with withwirelesshotspotwas resolved, so be sure to try that.
11. Turn on FIPS compliance for this network
FIPS is a government standard of encryption, and it’s used by government computers in order to protect sensitive data.
Windows 10 allows you to use FIPS standard on your personal computer, but turning on this security encryption might affect your network experience by blocking certain components.
However, few users reported that enabling FIPS allows them to connect to their Lumiawirelesshotspot, and you can enable FIPS by following these steps:
12. Create a new Access Point on your phone
According to users, they managed to fix this problem simply by creating a new Access Point on their phone. Before you do that, you need to forget or delete the phone’swirelessnetwork from your Windows 10 PC or tablet.
After doing that, create a new Access Point by following these steps:
Some users are recommending to use202.139.83.152as the proxy address and8070as the port, so you might want to try that as well.
13. Use Google’s DNS
According to users, they managed to fix the problem with Lumiahotspotsimply by using Google’s DNS instead of their provider’s DNS.
It might be that your ISP has some issues with DNS, and if that’s the case, you might want to use Google’s DNS instead.
Keep in mind that you need to change the DNS on the device that are you using to connect to yourwirelesshotspot.
To change your DNS on Windows 10, do the following:
Keep in mind that you need to use Google’s DNS for all devices, such as tablets and smartphones, that have problems accessing yourwirelesshotspot.
14. Disable AirDrop
Few users reported that Lumiahotspotworks perfectly with their PC, but they are unable to access thehotspoton their Macbook.
To fix this issue you need to disable AirDrop on your Macbook, and you can do that simply by opening the terminal and enteringdefaults write com.apple.NetworkBrowser DisableAirDrop -bool YES.
After doing that, restart your Macbook and you’ll be able to access your Lumiahotspotwithout any issues.
15. Check if mobile data is enabled
In order to use your Lumia as awirelesshotspot, you need to have mobile data enabled. To check if your mobile data is enabled, do the following:
After enabling Data connection, check if yourwirelesshotspotworks.
16. Update the data profile
According to some users, you can fix the problem withwirelesshotspotsimply by updating your data profile. To do that, follow these steps:
After your profile is updated, check if the problem is resolved.
Fix: Lumia 520 hotspot not working
1. Enable CHAP authentication type
According to users, you can fix the problem withhotspoton Lumia 520 simply by creating a new APN and setting CHAP as the authentication type.
While creating a new APN be sure to use your cellular network settings. After doing that, you should be able to access the newwireless hotspotwithout any problems.
2. Try replacing your SIM card
According to users, this problem can occur due to your mobile provider, and in order to fix it, you’ll need to get a SIM card from a different mobile provider. After getting a new SIM card, enableInternetsharing on your phone.
Now turn off the phone and remove your SIM card. Replace it with a SIM card from a different mobile provider. After you do that, Internet sharing should start working without any problems.
Turn off your phone, and insert your original SIM card. After that, the issue withhotspotshould be permanently resolved.
Fix: Lumia 920 hotspot not working
1. Turn offWi-Fion your phone
Users reported thathotspoton Lumia 920 doesn’t work if you have yourWi-Fiturned on, therefore be sure that yourWi-Fiis disabled before using your phone aswireless hotspot.
To disableWi-Fi, do the following:
After you turn offWi-Fion your phone, you should be able to use it as a wirelesshotspotwithout any problems.
Some users are also suggesting to restart your phone before you turn onInternetsharing on it, so be sure to try that as well.
2. Delete APN settings and enter them again
According to some users, the problem withhotspoton Lumia 920 can occur due to your APN settings.
To fix this issue you need to delete the APN settings and enter them again. After you do that, the problem should be completely resolved.
Some users are also recommending to remove MMS configuration from APN settings, so if you made any changes to MMS configuration, be sure to remove them and check if that solves the problem.
3. Turn off automatic screen lock
It seems that wirelesshotspoton Lumia 920 stops working as soon as your screen locks.
To avoid this problem, many users are disabling automatic screen lock, and you can do the same by following these steps:
In addition, you can change the time period after your display turns off. To do that, follow these steps:
According to users, as long as your screen is turned on the wirelesshotspotshould be working, therefore be sure to try this workaround.
4. Try changing your SIM card
Users reported that they were unable to usehotspotfeature on their Lumia 920 with their SIM card, and if that’s the case you might want to try replacing your SIM card.
You can also check with your mobile provider if you can keep your old phone number while using a new SIM card.
After switching to a new SIM card, users reported that the issue was resolved, so you might want to try this solution.
Many people tend to use their Lumia smartphones as wirelesshotspots, especially if they don’t haveWi-Fiaccess, but problems withhotspotscan occur.
If Lumiahotspotisn’t working for you, be sure to try some of our solutions.
More about the topics:windows 10 fix,windows 10 mobile
Milan Stanojevic
Windows Toubleshooting Expert
Milan has been enthusiastic about technology ever since his childhood days, and this led him to take interest in all PC-related technologies. He’s a PC enthusiast and he spends most of his time learning about computers and technology.
Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he’s one of the Troubleshooting experts in our worldwide team, specializing in Windows errors & software issues.
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Milan Stanojevic
Windows Toubleshooting Expert
Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he’s specialized in Windows errors & software issues.
