Newbie. In a controlled zone, I got authorization to fly using Aoft on my iphone, when I tried to fly the smart controller wanted authorization but I didn't have a network connect on the smart controller. What do I do to make this work in a controlled zone?

Hi!
You might be better off posting your question in the 'products' section of this forum.
That is way more active.
Just create a new thread here : https://forum.dji.com/forum-129-1.html and select the right category / subcategory.

Can you use your phone as a hotspot,  if not get the authorisation before you leave home,  it last for 3 days if you do it via the flysafe website. - https://www.dji.com/uk/flysafe/self-unlock

Hello there JTED. I am sorry for the trouble this has caused and thank you for reaching out. For us to be able to assist you with regards to this matter. Kindly please send an email to our DJI Flysafe Department at flysafe@dji.com for us to be able to assist you further. Thank you.