No signal on Modem, MiFi or CPE? 6 possible causes and fixes



SIM card ✓ Data bundle ✓ Modem/MiFi/CPE ✓ Power ✓ Signal X ...oops!

No network signal on your modem means you can’t connect to the internet..so this has to be fixed, yes?

When faced with this issue, here are 6 places to look (assuming you inserted the SIM card correctly 😉 :

1. Inactive SIM Card

If the SIM card hasn’t been used in a while then your service provider might have disabled it. Try inserting the SIM card into another device to confirm its still active and not damaged.

2. Poor Network Coverage

You might be in an area with poor or no network coverage. This is especially common when the modem is set to 4G only in an area with poor or no 4G coverage. Insert the SIM card into another device (preferably a phone) to confirm you have network coverage.

3. Network Lock

A network-locked (branded) modem will only accept a SIM card of the network its locked to. Inserting a SIM card from another service provider will result in no signal. To confirm its unlock state, insert a SIM card from the network that has branded the modem e.g A Glo SIM card into a Glo branded modem. If you get signal then the modem might be locked. Get help unlocking the modem .

4. Wrong APN

If the modem had been unlocked and you’re using a different network’s SIM card then you would need to change the APN at the dashboard else you won’t get a signal. How you get into the dashboard (usually something like 192.168.8.1) and change the APN varies with modems; look it up. You should also lookup your service provider’s APN settings.

5. Unsupported Band(s)

Your SIM card operates on specific bands (whether on 2G, 3G, 4G or 5G), so does your modem. The SIM-Modem combo only works when both support at least one band in common. You can read more on that in this article. If you don’t get a signal while on 4G or 5G then try setting the modem to 3G; there’s a better chance that they’ll both support a band in common.

6. Wrong Firmware

A botched unlock attempt might have seen the flash of an incompatible firmware or erased IMEI. If this is the case then the right firmware needs to be flashed.



Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

live chat
whatsapp telegram instagram
Scroll to Top