Troubleshooting

Zebra ET401 troubleshooting: power, charging, scanning, Wi-Fi

Match the charging LED or symptom to the cause and fix it: power, charging cables, worn batteries, scanning, Wi-Fi, touch, USB file transfer and freezes.

10 min Difficulty: Easy Updated: By SCANSHOP team
In this guide

    Most ET401 problems come down to the battery, the charger, the DataWedge scanning service or Wi-Fi. The fixes follow Zebra's ET401 documentation for Android 15. Start with the Charging indicator LED on the front.

    Find your symptom

    What you see Likely cause Fix
    Screen stays black when you press Power Empty or badly seated battery, or a system crash Fix 1 →
    LED off on the charger or in the cradle No power, wrong cable, or the tablet is not seated Fix 2 →
    Fast orange blink Charging error, often temperature Fix 2 →
    Red LED, steady or blinking Battery at the end of its useful life Fix 3 →
    Scan button does nothing, or no data in your app DataWedge, app profile or barcode type off Fix 4 →
    Wi-Fi drops or no data Wi-Fi off, out of range, or wrong saved settings Fix 5 →
    Touchscreen slow or jumpy Wet fingers or screen, or the wrong stylus Fix 6 →
    Computer doesn't see the tablet over USB More than one USB connection, or File Transfer not selected Fix 7 →
    Tablet frozen, buttons and icons don't respond An app or the system stopped responding Fix 8 →

    Fixes

    1. Tablet won't turn onBlack screen after pressing Power

    CauseThe battery is empty or not fitted properly, or the system has crashed. Two blinking LEDs when you press Power mean the battery is low.

    Fix

    1. Press and release Power. After a battery is fitted, the tablet only starts when you press it.
    2. Connect the tablet to its charger or cradle and watch the LED. A slow orange blink means it is charging.
    3. Check that the battery is seated, with the tablet switched off.
    4. If it still won't start, do a hard reset (Fix 8).
    2. Battery won't chargeLED off, or fast orange blinking

    CauseNo power, a data-only cable, or a badly seated tablet. A fast orange blink is a charging error: wrong temperature, or about eight hours of charging without finishing.

    Fix

    1. Check the cable: the USB-A to USB-C cable CBL-TC5X-USBC2A-01 is data only on the ET401. Charge with the USB PD 45 W power supply and the USB-C to USB-C cable CBL-EC5X-USBC3A-01, or in an ET401 cradle.
    2. Check the power cable at both ends, then seat the tablet in the cradle again firmly. A full charge in a cradle takes about four hours.
    3. Charge at room temperature. Zebra's charging range is 0–40 °C, and its battery safety guidelines ask for at least 5 °C. Let a cold or hot tablet reach room temperature first.
    3. Charging LED is redSlow red, solid red or fast red

    CauseRed always means the battery has reached the end of its useful life. Slow red blinking: charging. Solid red: charged. Fast red blinking: a charging error as well.

    Fix

    1. Open the Battery Manager app and check Wear. The bar turns yellow above 80 % wear; Health shows Decommission when the battery needs replacing.
    2. Replace the battery. Zebra lists BTRY-ET401-10INC-01 for the 10-inch ET401 and BTRY-ET401-08INC-01 for the 8-inch. Switch the tablet off before you open the battery cover.
    4. Scanner does not scanNo aiming dot, or no data in the app

    CauseDataWedge or your app's profile is disabled, the barcode type is off, or the scan window is covered.

    Fix

    1. Remove any shipping film from the scan window and clean it.
    2. Test in the DWDemo app. If it scans there, the scanner works and the problem is your app's profile.
    3. Open the DataWedge app, tap the menu, then Settings, and check that DataWedge enabled is ticked.
    4. In your app's profile, or Profile0, check that the profile, Barcode input and Keystroke output are enabled.
    5. Check that your barcode type is ticked under Configure scanner settings › Decoders. On the SE4100, for example, Code 93 and DotCode are off by default.
    6. Place the centre of the aiming dot on the barcode (Pick List Mode is on by default). Move closer for dense barcodes, further away for large ones.
    7. Charge the battery: when it is low, the scanner stops before the low battery warning.

    The full profile setup is in the DataWedge setup guide.

    5. Wi-Fi drops or no network dataData not sent, or no Wi-Fi icon

    CauseWi-Fi is off, the access point is out of range, or the saved network settings are wrong.

    Fix

    1. Swipe down from the top of the screen and check that Wi-Fi is on.
    2. Move closer to an access point and try again.
    3. Forget and re-add the network: open Settings › Network & internet › Internet › Saved networks, touch the network, touch Forget, then connect again with the correct password and security type.
    4. On the Internet screen, check that Network preferences › Additional settings › Wi-Fi frequency band is set to Auto, the default.
    6. Touchscreen responds slowly or wronglyMissed or jumpy taps

    CauseWet fingers or a wet screen. On Standard and Premium models such as the ET4010B-001C1B0P-A6 the touchscreen adjusts itself to gloves and styluses, so there is no glove mode to set.

    Fix

    1. Dry your hands and wipe the screen with a soft cloth.
    2. Restart the tablet (Fix 8, step 1) and try again.
    3. Use a Zebra stylus, never a pen. For rain or snow, Zebra lists the fiber-tipped stylus SG-STYLUS-TCX-MTL-03.
    7. Computer doesn't see the tablet over USBNo files, or ADB finds no device

    CauseOnly one USB-C connection works at a time, and each new connection starts with No data transfer selected.

    Fix

    1. If you use a USB-C cable, take the tablet out of any cradle and remove an Expansion Back.
    2. Pull down the notification panel, touch Charging this device via USB and select File Transfer.
    3. On the computer, open the tablet's Internal storage folder. Select File Transfer again each time you reconnect, because the setting resets.
    8. Tablet freezesButtons and icons don't respond

    CauseAn app or the system has stopped responding.

    Fix

    1. Restart: press and hold Power until the menu appears, then touch Restart.
    2. If the screen does not respond, do a hard reset: press and hold Power, Volume Up and the top scan button together. Release them when the screen turns off. The tablet restarts.
    3. If it keeps freezing, ask IT about the latest LifeGuard update.
    Important

    Enterprise and factory resets erase data. Read the Zebra Android reset guide before you use them.

    Still stuck? Contact us with the serial number from Settings › About tablet › Model. See also the ET401 setup guide and all ET401 guides.

    Frequently asked questions

    Why is my Zebra ET401 blinking orange?

    A slow orange blink (once every 4 seconds) means the battery is charging. A fast orange blink (twice a second) is a charging error: the battery is too cold or too hot, or charging has run about eight hours without finishing.

    How do I hard reset a Zebra ET401?

    Press and hold Power, Volume Up and the top scan button together, and release them when the screen turns off. The tablet then restarts.

    Why won't my ET401 charge from a USB cable?

    The USB-A to USB-C cable CBL-TC5X-USBC2A-01 is data only on the ET401. Use the USB PD 45 W power supply with the USB-C to USB-C cable CBL-EC5X-USBC3A-01.

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