Having a printer that connects to wireless connections is vital nowadays! You can’t imagine working on school projects or at the office without this feature. That’s because we rely on our smartphones and laptop devices way too much for data and storage.
With WiFi connections, you also have easy and convenient access to cloud storage such as Google Drive. So, it makes no sense to opt for anything else. Luckily, most Brother printers have WiFi connectivity integrated and ready to use. However, the basic problem is how to connect the Brother printer to WiFi if you’ve never done it before?
This is what today’s article will be tackling along with some key troubleshooting techniques in case it doesn’t connect. If you own a Brother printer and have faced this difficulty yourself, then you need to pay close attention to this article.
However, before you proceed to figure out how to establish a connection, let’s look over the troubleshooting techniques first.
Contents
Brother Printer Connected to WiFi but not printing
1. Make sure your device is switched on in the first place
One of the main reasons why this issue occurs is because your printer might not be turned on at all. You need to address the main power source for this and see if it is switched on and working or not.
- If your printer’s light is on, then you can rule this issue out since it has enough power to be working properly.
- Your LED light will be blinking and turned on if the printer has a viable connection.
- However, if instead of the power light, the error light happens to be blinking, then your device has some issue that needs to be addressed.
- The last scenario is the easiest way to decipher your printer’s situation. The lights will all be off even when your printer is connected. This means there is something wrong with your power source. Try another socket.
If this hasn’t quite been successful, don’t worry, there’s a lot of different methods to try.
2. Try reinstalling the printer
Another viable option is to try and reinstall your printer once you have removed it.
Here are the steps to follow:
- To reinstall your device, you will need to go to the start menu.
- After this, you will click on Settings and go to Devices.
- From there, select the option for printers & scanners.
- Within this menu, you will see an option to add a printer or scanner.
- It will take a while for it to look for any available devices.
- Once it has finished its search, you will then look to the device list. From here, you can select your printer and add it to the list.
Then, once again attempt to print something, if it hasn’t worked, move onto the next fix to connect your Brother printer to WiFi.
3. Make sure your Brother Printer is not offline
You’ll need to make sure that your printer is not offline for this method to work. Sometimes, it can be offline without you realizing so it is vital to change this setting.
Here is what you will need to do:
- First, you need to go to the Settings of your device via the Start menu.
- Once you are there, you can go to Devices and opt for printers and scanners.
- You will then find the printer you are currently on. Select it and right-click on it.
- You can then choose the option that reads, See What’s Printing via the menu.
- Choose the option for printer.
- You can deselect the option for Use Printer Offline. And that’s it!
In case this hasn’t worked out for you either, we recommend this next option to connect Brother Printer to the WiFi instead.
4. Make sure your Brother Printer has the right kind of status for printing
Another reason why you might have connection issues might be due to a problem with the printer status.
- You will need to look through the notifications in case there are printing requests that have not been addressed. The printing requests can be accessed by bringing your cursor to the Brother Printer icon.
- You will need to check the documents and files waiting to be printed and then right-click on the device to delete or cancel these for now.
- Your Brother printer status might be offline as well. To check this status, you need to deselect the option that reads, Use Printer Offline menu and turn on the Use Printer Online method instead. Now, your device will be online.
Finally, we have one last trick up our sleeve that just might do the trick to connect your Brother printer to the WiFi.
5. Make sure the ports are fine when connecting Brother Printer
A very common issue can be that your Brother printer is connected but the port it is connected to is not the right kind! In this case, here are the steps that you should follow:
- First, you will select the option for the Start menu on your computer.
- Then, you will go to the Settings.
- After this, you will go to the option for devices and click on printer & scanners.
- Within this menu, you will get an option for devices and printers.
- After this, you can select your printer from this list and click on it.
- From the menu that appears, go to Properties.
- Then, you will proceed to click on Change Properties.
- It will show you an option for ports. Click on these and select the printer name. and that’s it! You’re done! Just make sure you’re successful by trying to print something.
Now, that we have made sure that there are no serious issues with the Brother printer or the connection source, we can proceed to figure out how to connect the Brother printer to WiFi.
Also read: How to Connect Brother Printer to Computer?
How to Connect Brother Printer to WiFi?
Here are the steps you need to follow for Windows:
- First, click on the WiFi icon on your printer. It will be on the right side of your screen. Some Brother printers will not have this, so let’s look at what you need to do in that case.
- Go to the printer’s main Settings menu. It will be the shape of a gear icon on your screen.
- Next, you will click on All Settings.
- Proceed to select the option for Network.
- Then, you can click on WLAN.
- You will then go to the Setup Wizard and when it asks to enable WLAN, you need to click on Yes.
- It will then ask you to select the name of the Network. You will choose this from a list that appears. In case your list is not there, then you need to refresh your router and move your printer nearer to your router.
- Next, you will have to choose between 3 options depending on your printer’s model and your router as well.
If your router has a WPS button, then you can easily click on it to connect.
If it doesn’t, it might ask for a Network Key. Once you enter it, it will allow you to move ahead.
Finally, it might also not need anything and will simply take you onto the next step!
- Finally, once all of this is sorted through, you can connect to the WiFi. The best way to ensure a connection has been established will be via the signal strength that appears next to your wireless icon.
Now, that you know all there is to know about connecting your Brother printer to Wi-Fi for Windows devices, let’s move onto how we can do the same for Mac and iOS next!
How to Connect Brother Printer to WiFi for Mac?
Just as in windows, there can also be confusion on how to connect Brother Printer for MAC. If there is an issue, you might want to check the drivers for a solution.
Here is what you can do:
- First, you will log onto the official Brother website and down the latest version of the printer driver they have.
- Then follow the instructions that they provide you with to install the drivers.
- Once installation is successful, you will click on the Apple menu and go to System Preferences.
- After this, you can select the option that reads, Printers and Scanners.
- Then, you will add the printer from this menu and look for your device to show up in the list. Click on the Brother printer and add it to the list.
- That’s all you need to do and now your device is ready to use.
See also: Comparison of Epson 3750 vs 4750
Conclusion:
It can be super tricky to troubleshoot certain problems with printers, however, as today’s guide on how to connect Brother Printer to WiFi has shown, it is simple enough if you follow the steps above. We hope this guide has been an enlightening experience for our readers who can now tackle this process by themselves and without the need for professional help.