Answer

To turn your MiFi on, press and hold the Power button for 2 seconds until "MiFi" appears on the screen.

MiFi power-up sequence and MiFi homescreen.

The Home screen lets you see what your MiFi is doing at a glance.

MiFi home screen showing battery indicator, menu and help options, and WiFi signal.

At the top of the screen, you will see status indicators for network signal strength. Four bars or better at 4G LTE is preferred.

Once you see a successful cellular connection status, power on your laptop. Once your laptop connects to the hotspot, the 0 Devices will say 1 Primary.

MiFi home screen showing one device connected.

See the linked Hotspot FAQ document for more detailed information.