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Charging where there's no cell signal

Many Hypercharge stations are in underground parkades, where there may be limited mobile signal. The station itself stays connected to the network, but your phone may not be able to reach the app to start the session.

Before anything else, look for a Wi-Fi network you can join. Parkades that have no cellular signal often do have Wi-Fi.

Where Hypercharge manages the networking at a site, you’ll usually find a network named “Hypercharge Drivers” or similar, provided specifically so drivers can start a session. Otherwise the building may offer guest Wi-Fi.

If you can get online, start the session normally — see Start and stop a charging session.

If there’s no Wi-Fi either, there are two reliable ways around it.

Option 1: Plug in, then walk to where you have signal

Section titled “Option 1: Plug in, then walk to where you have signal”

This is the quickest fix if you’re already at the station.

1. Plug the connector into your vehicle

Leave it connected.

2. Note the station ID

Write down or photograph the station ID printed on the unit — you’ll need it upstairs, and you won’t be able to look it up from the parkade.

3. Walk to where you have signal

Go up to ground level, or anywhere your phone reconnects.

4. Start the session in the app

Search for the station ID, check the rate, and press Start. The session begins even though you’re no longer standing at the station.

An RFID card starts a session with a tap, without your phone and without any signal. If you regularly charge somewhere with no reception, this is the best option to start your sessions easily.

See Starting a charging session with RFID to order and link a card.

If your balance runs low and you have no signal, you can’t top up your balance — so you can’t charge, even if you have an RFID card.

Turning on automatic balance reloads removes that failure mode entirely, and it’s the single most useful thing to set up if you charge underground.

Download the app and create your account before you go down to the parkade. Without signal you won’t be able to reach the App Store or Google Play, and several drivers have had to leave the garage to get set up. If you wait to download the app until after you have plugged in, the station may time out before you start your session, requiring you to return to your vehicle to reconnect before you can start a session.

See Start and stop a charging session.