Zebra TC22 / TC27 troubleshooting: power, charging, scanning

CauseThe battery is empty or not fully seated, or the system has crashed.

Fix

1. Press Power: after you fit a battery, the device only starts when you press it.
2. Take the battery out and refit it bottom edge first. Press until both release latches snap into place.
3. Put the device on charge and watch the LED. Slow amber blinking means it is charging.
4. If it still won't start, do a hard reset (Fix 8).
5. Try a charged spare battery.

CauseThe cradle or cable has no power, or the device is not seated firmly. Fast amber blinking is a charging error, for example temperature out of range or charging for more than about eight hours.

Fix

1. Check the power cable at both ends: the cradle or power supply and the wall outlet.
2. Take the device out of the cradle and reseat it firmly. Leave it in until charging finishes.
3. Charge only between 5 °C and 40 °C. Let a cold or hot device reach room temperature first.
4. Test another battery in the same cradle. If that one charges, the first battery is faulty.

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 from the app drawer and check the wear indicator. The bar turns red above 80 % wear.
2. Replace the battery. Zebra lists a standard 3,800 mAh battery (BTRY-TC2L-2XMAXX-01), a 3,800 mAh battery with BLE beacon (BTRY-TC2L-2XMAXB-01) and an extended 5,200 mAh battery (BTRY-TC2L-3XMAXX-01).

CauseThe DataWedge service is disabled, the profile for your app is disabled or not set up, the barcode type is switched off, or the scan window is covered or dirty.

Fix

1. Remove any shipping film from the scanner exit window and wipe it clean.
2. Test in the DWDemo app. If it scans there, the hardware works and the problem is your app's profile. If DWDemo does not scan either, open its menu, tap Settings and check that Profile enabled is ticked.
3. Open the DataWedge app, tap the menu, then Settings, and check that DataWedge enabled is ticked.
4. Back on the Profiles screen, open the profile linked to your app, or Profile0 if your app has none, and check that Profile enabled, Barcode input and Keystroke output are on.
5. Check that your barcode type is ticked under Configure scanner settings › Decoders.
6. Move the device closer to or further from the barcode. The working range depends on the scan engine and the barcode size.

The full profile setup is in the DataWedge setup guide.

CauseA bright screen with a long timeout, unused radios, background syncing and apps that keep the device awake.

Fix

1. Set a short screen timeout under Settings › Display › Screen timeout. Zebra recommends 15 seconds.
2. Lower the brightness to around 30–50 %.
3. Switch off Bluetooth, mobile data or other radios you don't use.
4. Turn off automatic sync for email, calendar and contacts.
5. Limit apps that keep the device awake, such as music and video apps.
6. Check battery wear in Battery Manager (Fix 3).

The device shuts down automatically at 7 %. For long shifts, use the extended 5,200 mAh battery.

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

Fix

1. Swipe down from the status bar and check that airplane mode is off and 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, tap the network, tap FORGET, then connect again with the correct password and security type.
4. A 6 GHz-only (Wi-Fi 6E) network needs the Mobility DNA Enterprise License. Without it, connect on 2.4 or 5 GHz.
5. TC27 on mobile data: switch mobile data off and on, and check operator coverage.

CauseThe touch panel is set to Finger Only, or water on the glass is confusing the touch sensor.

Fix

1. Open Settings › Display › Touch panel mode and choose Glove and Finger. Zebra lists medical latex, leather, cotton and wool gloves.
2. For the most precise input, use a Zebra-certified stylus.
3. Wipe water off the screen. Zebra documents no separate wet-screen mode for the TC22 and TC27.

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 Power and Volume Up together for at least four seconds and release them when the screen goes dark. The device restarts.
3. If it keeps freezing, ask your IT team about the latest LifeGuard update.